1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election
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November 2, 1948
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 County results: McKay: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Wallace: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oregon |
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The 1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 2, 1948, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. A special election was needed due to the death of governor Earl Snell, who was killed in a plane crash on October 28, 1947. Republican Douglas McKay defeated Democrat Lew Wallace to fill the remainder of Snell's term.
Primary election
[edit]Oregon held primary elections on May 21, 1948.
Republican party
[edit]Incumbent governor John Hubert Hall, who took over after Snell's death until the election, lost the Republican nomination to state senator Douglas McKay.
Candidates
[edit]- Glenn C. Ackerman, businessman
- John H. Hall, incumbent governor
- Douglas McKay, member of Oregon State Senate
- John Peyton
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay | 107,993 | 47.66% | |
| Republican | John H. Hall (inc.) | 103,224 | 45.55% | |
| Republican | Glenn C. Ackerman | 9,251 | 4.08% | |
| Republican | John Peyton | 6,131 | 2.71% | |
| Total votes | 226,599 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
[edit]Lew Wallace, who previously ran for governor in 1942, was nominated again, facing no opposition in the Democratic primary.
Candidates
[edit]- Lew Wallace, member of Oregon State Senate
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 120,218 | 98.64% | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 1,652 | 1.36% | |
| Total votes | 121,870 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Douglas McKay, Republican
- Lew Wallace, Democratic
- Wendell E. Barnett, Independent
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay | 271,295 | 53.23% | −15.83% | |
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 226,958 | 44.53% | +13.60% | |
| Independent | Wendell E. Barnett | 11,380 | 2.23% | ||
| Total votes | 509,633 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 44,337 | 8.70% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | -29.42% | |||
Results by county
[edit]| County[3] | Douglas McKay Republican |
Lew Wallace Democratic |
Wendell E. Barnett Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 2,992 | 51.21% | 2,741 | 46.91% | 110 | 1.88% | 251 | 4.30% | 5,843 |
| Benton | 6,964 | 68.51% | 3,015 | 29.66% | 186 | 1.83% | 3,949 | 38.85% | 10,165 |
| Clackamas | 15,042 | 51.06% | 13,699 | 46.50% | 721 | 2.45% | 1,343 | 4.56% | 29,462 |
| Clatsop | 5,714 | 52.48% | 4,979 | 45.73% | 195 | 1.79% | 735 | 6.75% | 10,888 |
| Columbia | 3,450 | 42.96% | 4,397 | 54.75% | 184 | 2.29% | -947 | -11.79% | 8,031 |
| Coos | 5,337 | 48.28% | 5,447 | 49.27% | 271 | 2.45% | -110 | -1.00% | 11,055 |
| Crook | 989 | 51.40% | 903 | 46.93% | 32 | 1.66% | 86 | 4.47% | 1,924 |
| Curry | 1,113 | 61.63% | 648 | 35.88% | 45 | 2.49% | 465 | 25.75% | 1,806 |
| Deschutes | 3,431 | 50.98% | 3,160 | 46.95% | 139 | 2.07% | 271 | 4.03% | 6,730 |
| Douglas | 8,005 | 60.47% | 4,912 | 37.10% | 322 | 2.43% | 3,093 | 23.36% | 13,239 |
| Gilliam | 665 | 57.63% | 469 | 40.64% | 20 | 1.73% | 196 | 16.98% | 1,154 |
| Grant | 1,318 | 60.46% | 813 | 37.29% | 49 | 2.25% | 505 | 23.17% | 2,180 |
| Harney | 848 | 53.23% | 721 | 45.26% | 24 | 1.51% | 127 | 7.97% | 1,593 |
| Hood River | 2,344 | 59.55% | 1,511 | 38.39% | 81 | 2.06% | 833 | 21.16% | 3,936 |
| Jackson | 10,679 | 57.31% | 7,666 | 41.14% | 289 | 1.55% | 3,013 | 16.17% | 18,634 |
| Jefferson | 671 | 56.34% | 484 | 40.64% | 36 | 3.02% | 187 | 15.70% | 1,191 |
| Josephine | 4,696 | 57.03% | 3,363 | 40.84% | 175 | 2.13% | 1,333 | 16.19% | 8,234 |
| Klamath | 7,088 | 49.13% | 7,074 | 49.03% | 266 | 1.84% | 14 | 0.10% | 14,428 |
| Lake | 1,184 | 55.35% | 894 | 41.80% | 61 | 2.85% | 290 | 13.56% | 2,139 |
| Lane | 21,882 | 60.45% | 13,419 | 37.07% | 895 | 2.47% | 8,463 | 23.38% | 36,196 |
| Lincoln | 3,660 | 48.73% | 3,673 | 48.90% | 178 | 2.37% | -13 | -0.17% | 7,511 |
| Linn | 8,484 | 55.31% | 6,444 | 42.01% | 412 | 2.69% | 2,040 | 13.30% | 15,340 |
| Malheur | 3,410 | 60.70% | 2,098 | 37.34% | 110 | 1.96% | 1,312 | 23.35% | 5,618 |
| Marion | 19,048 | 58.14% | 12,611 | 38.49% | 1,106 | 3.38% | 6,437 | 19.65% | 32,765 |
| Morrow | 1,014 | 65.46% | 502 | 32.41% | 33 | 2.13% | 512 | 33.05% | 1,549 |
| Multnomah | 89,724 | 48.60% | 90,909 | 49.24% | 3,986 | 2.16% | -1,185 | -0.64% | 184,619 |
| Polk | 4,835 | 60.92% | 2,937 | 37.00% | 165 | 2.08% | 1,898 | 23.91% | 7,937 |
| Sherman | 655 | 67.11% | 309 | 31.66% | 12 | 1.23% | 346 | 35.45% | 976 |
| Tillamook | 3,256 | 53.59% | 2,697 | 44.39% | 123 | 2.02% | 559 | 9.20% | 6,076 |
| Umatilla | 6,122 | 55.67% | 4,600 | 41.83% | 275 | 2.50% | 1,522 | 13.84% | 10,997 |
| Union | 3,030 | 45.96% | 3,473 | 52.68% | 90 | 1.37% | -443 | -6.72% | 6,593 |
| Wallowa | 1,353 | 53.63% | 1,114 | 44.15% | 56 | 2.22% | 239 | 9.47% | 2,523 |
| Wasco | 3,113 | 60.10% | 1,975 | 38.13% | 92 | 1.78% | 1,138 | 21.97% | 5,180 |
| Washington | 11,725 | 55.88% | 8,876 | 42.30% | 383 | 1.83% | 2,849 | 13.58% | 20,984 |
| Wheeler | 463 | 59.06% | 299 | 38.14% | 22 | 2.81% | 164 | 20.92% | 784 |
| Yamhill | 6,991 | 61.58% | 4,126 | 36.34% | 236 | 2.08% | 2,865 | 25.24% | 11,353 |
| Total | 271,295 | 53.23% | 226,958 | 44.53% | 11,380 | 2.23% | 44,337 | 8.70% | 509,633 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Abstract of Votes - Republican Party Primary Election, May 21, 1948". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Abstract of Votes - Democratic Party Primary Election, May 21, 1948". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- 1 2 "Abstract of Votes, Regular General Election, November 2, 1948". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
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