United States gubernatorial elections, 1968
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
22 governorships 21 states; 1 territory |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic holds
Democratic pickups
Republican holds
Republican pickups
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
5
5United States gubernatorial elections were held on 5 November 1968, in 21 states and one territory, concurrent with the House, Senate elections and presidential election. These were the last gubernatorial elections for Arizona, New Mexico, and Wisconsin to take place in a presidential election year, as all would extend their governor's terms from two to four years.
Jack Richard Williams won re-election against Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr., in a 'rematch' election, where Goddard was trying to get his old job back. Basically, a repeat of the 1966 Arizona Governor's Race, with Williams winning.
Rockefeller had already made his mark in 1966, when he was elected as the first Republican governor since 1872 and having the black vote to boot, not to mention challenging the Faubus empire two years before in 1964. Getting re-elected in 1968 was good, but things for Rockefeller went downhill from there.
Terry not wanting to take the National Guard out of the black communities in Wilmington played a factor in his defeat, not to mention that Peterson had made it. Peterson would go on to be a legend in Delaware politics in a short time, mainly for his 'green' politics.
Samuel H. Shapiro got to be Governor temporarily after Otto Kerner, Jr. resigned to take a job to the federal appellate court. Shapiro lost the race to get his own full term. As for Kerner, he would become famous for two things: being the head of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, aka the Kerner Commission, and going to jail over various charges stemming from being a stockholder in a racetrack business.
Indiana changed the rules so that governors could have two back-to-back 4-year terms in November 1972. Thus, Branigin was not eligible for a second term.
Harold Hughes resigned on January 1, 1969, to run for the Senate. Robert D. Fulton would serve as Governor from January 1 to January 16, 1969, until the new Governor, Robert D. Ray took office. Ray would go on to a political career, while Hughes, inspired by his own battles with alcoholism, made drug/alcohol abuse his 'thing' in the Senate, then later left politics to open an alcoholism treatment center and to do religious work.
...
Wikipedia