1966 New York gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:1966 New York gubernatorial election
Country:New York
Flag Image:Flag of New York (1909–2020).svg
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1962 New York state election
Previous Year:1962
Next Election:1970 New York gubernatorial election
Next Year:1970
Election Date:November 8, 1966
Image1:File:Governor Nelson Rockefeller (cropped2).png
Nominee1:Nelson Rockefeller
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Running Mate1:Malcolm Wilson
Popular Vote1:2,690,626
Percentage1:44.6%
Nominee2:Frank D. O'Connor
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Running Mate2:Howard J. Samuels
Popular Vote2:2,298,363
Percentage2:38.1%
Image4:File:3x4.svg
Candidate4:Paul L. Adams
Running Mate4:Kieran O'Doherty
Party4:Conservative Party of New York
Popular Vote4:510,023
Percentage4:8.5%
Image5:File:FDR_Jr_1945_(cropped).jpg
Candidate5:Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.
Running Mate5:Donald S. Harrington
Party5:Liberal Party of New York
Popular Vote5:507,234
Percentage5:8.4%
Governor
Before Election:Nelson Rockefeller
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Nelson Rockefeller
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1966 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Republican Nelson Rockefeller won reelection. As of 2022, this is the last time Manhattan (New York County) voted for a Republican in a statewide election.

Nominations

Republican

Governor Nelson Rockefeller angered conservatives by refusing to support Republican nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 presidential election. Polling showed Rockefeller behind Eugene Nickerson, Frank D. O'Connor, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Howard J. Samuels, or Robert F. Wagner Jr. if they were the Democratic nominee.

Liberal

Members of the party wanted to run an independent campaign and a canvass of party units showed they wanted an independent candidate.

The Liberal Party of New York opposed Rockefeller. Chair Donald S. Harrington viewed him as "too conservative" and Rockefeller fought with Mayor John Lindsay and U.S. Senator Jacob Javits, who the Liberals supported.

O'Connor courted the Liberals, with him appointing Eldon R. Clingan to his staff and promising to Alex Rose that the Liberals would be equals in his campaign. However, O'Connor voted to end cross-endorsements in the state legislature and was close to bosses Charles A. Buckley and Irwin Steingut, who the Liberals opposed. Roosevelt claimed that O'Connor was secretly promised the gubernatorial nomination in exchange for withdrawing from the 1965 New York City mayoral election. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey pressured the party to support O'Connor. Adolf A. Berle, the former chair of the party, supported O'Connor, but Rose criticized Berle as "not even a member of our organization". On August 9, the Liberal Policy Committee voted unanimously to not support him.

Roosevelt lobbied the party's leadership for their nomination for months. David Dubinsky "broke out the 20-year-old scotch" during a meeting according Roosevelt's friends. Dubinsky argued for supporting Roosevelt using polls showing him receiving at least one-fourth of the vote. Louis Stulberg and other leaders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union opposed Roosevelt due to him not staying with the party after the 1949 election.

Leo Koch nominated James Farmer at the party's convention. Roosevelt won the party's nomination. Murray Kempton stated that the convention was under the thumb of "comrade secretary" Ben Davidson, who chaired the convention. Harrington was selected as the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.

Conservative

Paul L. Adams, the dean of Roberts Wesleyan University, was nominated by the Conservative Party of New York State.

Campaign

This was the last gubernatorial election to have no parties utilize electoral fusion.

Roosevelt received the highest number of votes for any Liberal gubernatorial nominee in history. However, the Liberals received fewer votes than the Conservatives and fell from Row C to Row D.

Contested nominations

Democratic

Works cited