1940 Missouri gubernatorial election
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![]() County results Donnell: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80–90% McDaniel: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Missouri |
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The 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940 and resulted in a victory for the
Democratic primary
Campaign
In the Democratic primary, Excise Commissioner of
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Larry McDaniel | 323,395 | 49.56 | |
Democratic | Allen McReynolds | 252,441 | 38.68 | |
Democratic | Ferd J. Frankenhoff | 64,992 | 9.96 | |
Democratic | Guy W. Runnion | 11,753 | 1.80 | |
Total votes | 652,581 | 100 |
Results
Divisions among Democrats from the primary, along with reformist opposition to the Pendergast and Dickmann machines, allowed the Republican Donnell to obtain a narrow majority even as the state narrowly re-elected President
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Forrest C. Donnell | 911,530 | 50.05 | +7.52 | |
Democratic | Larry McDaniel | 907,917 | 49.85 | -7.21 | |
Socialist | Jed A. High | 1,555 | 0.09 | -0.06 | |
Socialist Labor | William Wesley Cox | 205 | 0.01 | -0.01 | |
Majority | 3,613 | 0.20 | -14.34 | ||
Turnout | 1,821,207 | 48.12 | -1.96 | ||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing |
Aftermath
Donnell's win was a disaster for the Democratic machines due to the governorship's control over judgeships, boards, and commissions that could be used for political
On December 30, Hulen proposed to the Democratic state committee in
On January 13, the date when all newly elected statewide officials were to start their term, Chief Justice
McDaniel formally requested a recount of the election on March 4. After initial retabulations indicated Donnell's margin of victory would grow beyond 7,000, McDaniel withdrew the request and conceded the election on May 21. The Searcy committee disbanded shortly afterward.[4]
The incident has been called the "Great Governorship Steal" in various sources.[1][4]
References
- ^ ISBN 9780826260161.
- ISBN 9780826260505.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MO Governor - D Primary Race - Aug 06, 1940".
- ^ ISBN 9780826208262.
- ^ "MO Governor Race - Nov 05, 1940". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "VETOES PLAN TO BAR DONNELL IN MISSOURI: Gov. Stark Rebukes Stunned Legislators for Partisanship". The New York Times. New York, NY. January 16, 1941. Retrieved August 25, 2020.