Election Name: | 1954 Arizona gubernatorial election |
Country: | Arizona |
Type: | Presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1952 Arizona gubernatorial election |
Previous Year: | 1952 |
Next Election: | 1956 Arizona gubernatorial election |
Next Year: | 1956 |
Election Date: | November 2, 1954 |
Image1: | File:Mcfarland ernest (cropped).jpg |
Nominee1: | Ernest McFarland |
Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Popular Vote1: | 128,104 |
Percentage1: | 52.5% |
Nominee2: | John Howard Pyle |
Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
Popular Vote2: | 115,866 |
Percentage2: | 47.5% |
Map Size: | 210px |
Governor | |
Before Election: | John Howard Pyle |
Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
After Election: | Ernest McFarland |
After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1954 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1954. Incumbent Governor John Howard Pyle, the first Republican elected to the office in two decades, ran for reelection for a third term.
Former U.S. Senator Ernest McFarland defeated Governor John Howard Pyle by a narrow margin. McFarland had lost his bid for reelection to the United States Senate to Barry Goldwater in 1952, with McFarland subsequently deciding to run for the office of governor.
The Democratic primary took place on September 7, 1954. Due to the Republican Party tidal wave led by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, incumbent U.S. Senator Ernest McFarland lost his bid for reelection to the United States Senate to Barry Goldwater. He subsequently decided to run for the office of Governor of Arizona and challenge incumbent Republican Governor John Howard Pyle, the first Republican to hold the office for more than two decades. McFarland was challenged in the primary by State Senator William F. Kimball, but McFarland easily won.
County | Ernest W. McFarland Democratic | John Howard Pyle Republican | Margin | Total votes cast | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | |||||||||||||
Apache | 1,457 | 57.98% | 1,056 | 42.02% | 401 | 15.96% | 2,513 | ||||||||
Cochise | 6,331 | 58.53% | 4,486 | 41.47% | 1,845 | 17.06% | 10,817 | ||||||||
Coconino | 2,631 | 50.71% | 2,557 | 49.29% | 74 | 1.43% | 5,188 | ||||||||
Gila | 5,672 | 67.48% | 2,734 | 32.52% | 2,938 | 34.95% | 8,406 | ||||||||
Graham | 2,321 | 58.26% | 1,663 | 41.74% | 658 | 16.52% | 3,984 | ||||||||
Greenlee | 3,260 | 75.96% | 1,032 | 24.04% | 2,228 | 51.91% | 4,292 | ||||||||
Maricopa | 60,728 | 49.83% | 61,139 | 50.17% | -411 | -0.34% | 121,867 | ||||||||
Mohave | 1,367 | 60.59% | 889 | 39.41% | 478 | 21.19% | 2,256 | ||||||||
Navajo | 2,930 | 54.90% | 2,407 | 45.10% | 523 | 9.80% | 5,337 | ||||||||
Pima | 23,881 | 49.57% | 24,296 | 50.43% | -415 | -0.86% | 48,177 | ||||||||
Pinal | 5,862 | 60.40% | 3,843 | 39.60% | 2,019 | 20.80% | 9,705 | ||||||||
Santa Cruz | 1,507 | 51.17% | 1,438 | 48.83% | 69 | 2.34% | 2,945 | ||||||||
Yavapai | 4,558 | 49.66% | 4,621 | 50.34% | -63 | -0.69% | 9,179 | ||||||||
Yuma | 5,599 | 60.18% | 3,705 | 39.82% | 1,894 | 20.36% | 9,304 | ||||||||
Totals | 128,104 | 52.51% | 115,866 | 47.49% | 12,238 | 5.02% | 243,970 |