1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election

1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Turnout	15.02%
Governor before election; Orval Faubus; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Orval Faubus; Democratic

The 1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1958.

Incumbent Democratic Governor Orval Faubus won election to a third term, defeating Republican nominee George W. Johnson with 82.47% of the vote. Faubus surged in popularity after denying the Little Rock Nine entrance to Central High School with the use of the Arkansas National Guard on September 4, 1957.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on July 29, 1958. By winning over 50% of the vote, Faubus and Johnson avoided run-offs which would have been held on August 12, 1958.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Orval Faubus, incumbent Governor
Chris Finkbeiner, businessman^[2]
Lee Ward, judge^[3]

Results

Democratic primary results^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Orval Faubus (incumbent)	264,346	68.86
	Democratic	Chris Finkbeiner	60,173	15.67
	Democratic	Lee Ward	59,385	15.47
Total votes			383,904	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

George W. Johnson, attorney^[6]
Donald D. Layne, civil engineer^[6]

Results

Republican primary results^[7]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George W. Johnson	3,147	71.20
	Republican	Donald D. Layne	1,273	28.80
Total votes			4,420	100.00

General election

Candidates

Orval Faubus, Democratic
George W. Johnson, Republican

George W. Johnson, an attorney in Greenwood, Sebastian County, deliberately abandoned the race in September 1958.^{[citation needed]} He traveled to his son's home in Isle, Minnesota. He told his family, "Mr. Faubus is a fine man and I support him whole-heartedly."^{[citation needed]} He genuinely and naively believed that blacks were intellectually deficient and needed their own schools.

Results

1958 Arkansas gubernatorial election^[8]^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Orval Faubus (incumbent)	236,598	82.47%
	Republican	George W. Johnson	50,288	17.53%
Majority			186,310	64.94%
Turnout			286,886	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

^ "1958 Elections". Voting Information. Washington, D.C.: Prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information & Education, Department of Defense. March 1958. p. 109. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ Reed, Roy (1997). Faubus: the Life and Times of an American Prodigal. University of Arkansas Press: Fayetteville, Arkansas. p. 242. ISBN 1-55728-457-1.
^ Murphy, Sara (1997). Breaking the Silence: The Little Rock Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools, 1958–1963. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-55728-456-3.
^ "AR Governor, 1958 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 100.
^ ^a ^b "Arkansas Voters Get Ready To Go To Polls". Camden News. Camden, Arkansas. 11 August 1958. p. 1. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ "AR Governor, 1958 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ "AR Governor, 1958". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 42.

Bibliography

Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.

[1] "1958 Elections". Voting Information. Washington, D.C.: Prepared by Office of Armed Forces Information & Education, Department of Defense. March 1958. p. 109. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

[2] Reed, Roy (1997). Faubus: the Life and Times of an American Prodigal. University of Arkansas Press: Fayetteville, Arkansas. p. 242. ISBN 1-55728-457-1.

[3] Murphy, Sara (1997). Breaking the Silence: The Little Rock Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools, 1958–1963. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-55728-456-3.

[4] "AR Governor, 1958 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

[FOOTNOTECongressional_Quarterly1998100-5] Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 100.

[Camden_News-6] "Arkansas Voters Get Ready To Go To Polls". Camden News. Camden, Arkansas. 11 August 1958. p. 1. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

[7] "AR Governor, 1958 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

[8] "AR Governor, 1958". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 4 June 2020.

[FOOTNOTECongressional_Quarterly199842-9] Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 42.

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v t e Elections in Arkansas
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U.S. President	1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
U.S. Senate	Class 2: 1833 1839–40 1848 S 1853 1859 1868 S 1870 1876 1883 1885 S 1889 1895 1901 1907 1913 S 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1937 S 1942 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2014 2020 Class 3: 1837 1843 1845 S 1849 1855 1861 1867 1873 1879 1881 S 1885 1891 1897 1903 1909 1914 1916 S 1920 1926 1932 S 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022
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'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation See also: Political party strength in Arkansas

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