1966 Arkansas gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:1966 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Country:Arkansas
Flag Year:1924
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1964 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Previous Year:1964
Next Election:1968 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Next Year:1968
Election Date:November 8, 1966
Image1:Winthrop Rockefeller 1967 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Winthrop Rockefeller
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:306,324
Percentage1:54.36%
Nominee2:James D. Johnson
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:257,203
Percentage2:45.64%
Map Size:210px
Governor
Before Election:Orval Faubus
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Winthrop Rockefeller
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1966 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966. Winthrop Rockefeller was elected governor of Arkansas, becoming the first Republican to be elected to the office since Reconstruction in 1872.

The election occurred amidst strong midterm results for the Republican Party nationally, and in the traditionally-Democratic South. Republicans concurrently won the governorship of Florida also for the first time since Reconstruction, and only narrowly lost the governorship of Georgia, despite winning a plurality of the vote.

Democratic primary

Popular and powerful six-term (since 1955) incumbent Orval E. Faubus decided against seeking re-election. "Justice Jim" Johnson, a political ally of George C. Wallace of Alabama, ran a segregationist campaign with support of the White Citizens Council. A decade earlier, Johnson had run in the Democratic primary against Faubus, another segregationist, whom he accused of working behind the scenes for racial integration.

Candidates

Results

Holt was supported by many younger, more liberal, Democrats, such as future governor and U.S. President Bill Clinton, who served as his campaign aide though he was not old enough to vote at the time.

Republican primary

A northeastern native, multimillionaire and scion of a prominent political/business family Winthrop Rockefeller was nominated with over 96% of the vote over Gus McMillan of Sheridan. Charges abounded that McMillan, a lifelong Democrat, was planted in the race by Faubus in order to force the Republicans to hold an expensive and needless primary. Rockefeller had been the GOP nominee in the 1964 election.

Campaign

Rockefeller was an unusual candidate – an eastern establishment member and moderate-to-liberal party wing member (such as his brother, Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, an unofficial leader of this wing for many years).

The Republican Party at this time practically played only a most minor role in Arkansas politics.

However, his popularity and the break within Democratic camp, where many were outraged with Johnson's segregationist stances, and good year for the Republicans nationally helped Rockefeller to win.