1968 United States presidential election in Arkansas

The 1968 United States presidential election in Arkansas was held on November 5, 1968 as part of the 1968 United States presidential election. American Independent candidate George Wallace won the state of Arkansas with 235,627 votes, with Republican Richard Nixon winning 189,062 and Democrat Hubert Humphrey winning 184,901.^[1]

With 38.87% of the popular vote, Arkansas would prove to be Wallace's weakest state that he carried in the 1968 election after Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia.^[2] This was the first time since 1872 that Arkansas did not vote for the Democratic candidate, and would be the last time until 2008 that Arkansas did not back the winner of the presidential election. As of 2024, this remains the last time that a Republican has won the presidency without carrying Arkansas.^[3]

46% of white voters supported Wallace, 36% supported Nixon, and 19% supported Humphrey.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Results

1968 United States presidential election in Arkansas^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	American Independent	George Wallace	240,982	38.87%	6
	Republican	Richard Nixon	190,759	30.77%	0
	Democratic	Hubert Humphrey	188,228	30.36%	0
Totals			619,969	100.00%	6
Voter turnout (Voting age/Registered voters)					54%/73%

Results by county

County	George Wallace American Independent		Richard Nixon Republican		Hubert Humphrey Democratic		Margin		Total votes cast
County	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total votes cast
Arkansas	3,775	49.67%	1,806	23.76%	2,019	26.57%	1,756	23.10%	7,600
Ashley	4,401	55.67%	1,470	18.59%	2,035	25.74%	2,366	29.93%	7,906
Baxter	1,513	22.04%	3,401	49.53%	1,952	28.43%	-1,449	-21.10%	6,866
Benton	4,036	24.87%	8,104	49.94%	4,088	25.19%	-4,016	-24.75%	16,228
Boone	2,169	29.21%	3,349	45.10%	1,907	25.68%	-1,180	-15.89%	7,425
Bradley	2,546	52.99%	802	16.69%	1,457	30.32%	1,089	22.67%	4,805
Calhoun	1,215	55.48%	287	13.11%	688	31.42%	527	24.06%	2,190
Carroll	1,174	23.16%	2,596	51.22%	1,298	25.61%	-1,298	-25.61%	5,068
Chicot	2,187	38.73%	865	15.32%	2,595	45.95%	-408	-7.22%	5,647
Clark	2,776	38.82%	1,642	22.96%	2,733	38.22%	43	0.60%	7,151
Clay	2,285	35.94%	2,410	37.91%	1,663	26.16%	-125	-1.97%	6,358
Cleburne	1,657	39.83%	1,301	31.27%	1,202	28.89%	356	8.56%	4,160
Cleveland	1,751	70.89%	312	12.63%	407	16.48%	1,344	54.41%	2,470
Columbia	3,843	46.60%	1,916	23.24%	2,487	30.16%	1,356	16.44%	8,246
Conway	1,958	30.16%	1,973	30.40%	2,560	39.44%	-587	-9.04%	6,491
Craighead	6,742	43.42%	5,047	32.50%	3,738	24.07%	1,695	10.92%	15,527
Crawford	2,917	40.41%	2,723	37.73%	1,578	21.86%	194	2.68%	7,218
Crittenden	4,657	43.99%	2,454	23.18%	3,475	32.83%	1,182	11.16%	10,586
Cross	3,056	53.58%	1,093	19.16%	1,555	27.26%	1,501	26.32%	5,704
Dallas	1,722	47.22%	672	18.43%	1,253	34.36%	469	12.86%	3,647
Desha	2,474	43.28%	972	17.00%	2,270	39.71%	204	3.57%	5,716
Drew	2,307	49.39%	1,040	22.27%	1,324	28.35%	983	21.04%	4,671
Faulkner	4,375	40.06%	2,791	25.55%	3,756	34.39%	619	5.67%	10,922
Franklin	2,111	45.96%	1,333	29.02%	1,149	25.02%	778	16.94%	4,593
Fulton	1,080	32.76%	1,198	36.34%	1,019	30.91%	-118	-3.58%	3,297
Garland	6,955	34.29%	7,674	37.83%	5,655	27.88%	-719	-3.54%	20,284
Grant	2,194	59.73%	627	17.07%	852	23.20%	1,342	36.53%	3,673
Greene	3,021	37.40%	2,859	35.40%	2,197	27.20%	162	2.00%	8,077
Hempstead	3,136	43.31%	1,783	24.62%	2,322	32.07%	814	11.24%	7,241
Hot Spring	4,139	51.38%	1,780	22.10%	2,137	26.53%	2,002	24.85%	8,056
Howard	1,660	41.43%	1,286	32.09%	1,061	26.48%	374	9.34%	4,007
Independence	2,770	35.33%	2,782	35.48%	2,289	29.19%	-12	-0.15%	7,841
Izard	1,109	37.12%	931	31.16%	948	31.73%	161	5.39%	2,988
Jackson	3,525	50.85%	1,356	19.56%	2,051	29.59%	1,474	21.26%	6,932
Jefferson	10,053	41.82%	4,860	20.22%	9,125	37.96%	928	3.86%	24,038
Johnson	1,693	33.15%	1,667	32.64%	1,747	34.21%	-54	-1.06%	5,107
Lafayette	1,704	47.54%	672	18.75%	1,208	33.71%	496	13.83%	3,584
Lawrence	2,813	45.27%	1,788	28.77%	1,613	25.96%	1,025	16.50%	6,214
Lee	1,907	39.11%	834	17.10%	2,135	43.79%	-228	-4.68%	4,876
Lincoln	2,084	55.12%	488	12.91%	1,209	31.98%	875	23.14%	3,781
Little River	1,473	44.50%	745	22.51%	1,092	32.99%	381	11.51%	3,310
Logan	2,160	33.24%	2,341	36.02%	1,998	30.74%	-181	-2.78%	6,499
Lonoke	4,002	52.02%	1,677	21.80%	2,014	26.18%	1,988	25.84%	7,693
Madison	1,028	20.89%	2,320	47.14%	1,574	31.98%	-746	-15.16%	4,922
Marion	877	26.97%	1,385	42.59%	990	30.44%	-395	-12.15%	3,252
Miller	5,062	47.52%	2,662	24.99%	2,929	27.49%	2,133	20.03%	10,653
Mississippi	6,147	39.64%	4,369	28.17%	4,993	32.19%	1,154	7.45%	15,509
Monroe	2,406	48.19%	804	16.10%	1,783	35.71%	623	12.48%	4,993
Montgomery	992	39.27%	885	35.04%	649	25.69%	107	4.23%	2,526
Nevada	1,773	45.22%	840	21.42%	1,308	33.36%	465	11.86%	3,921
Newton	567	19.65%	1,467	50.83%	852	29.52%	-615	-21.31%	2,886
Ouachita	5,031	42.48%	2,209	18.65%	4,603	38.87%	428	3.61%	11,843
Perry	916	40.00%	740	32.31%	634	27.69%	176	7.69%	2,290
Phillips	4,279	37.30%	2,154	18.78%	5,039	43.92%	-760	-6.62%	11,472
Pike	1,535	46.59%	1,104	33.51%	656	19.91%	431	13.08%	3,295
Poinsett	4,074	51.66%	2,140	27.14%	1,672	21.20%	1,934	24.52%	7,886
Polk	1,812	34.87%	2,094	40.30%	1,290	24.83%	-282	-5.43%	5,196
Pope	2,769	31.95%	3,319	38.30%	2,578	29.75%	-550	-6.35%	8,666
Prairie	2,014	56.23%	693	19.35%	875	24.43%	1,139	31.80%	3,582
Pulaski	25,844	32.24%	26,709	33.32%	27,597	34.43%	-888	-1.11%	80,150
Randolph	1,610	38.21%	1,237	29.35%	1,367	32.44%	243	5.77%	4,214
St. Francis	4,254	46.51%	1,608	17.58%	3,284	35.91%	970	10.60%	9,146
Saline	5,569	49.31%	2,614	23.15%	3,111	27.55%	2,458	21.76%	11,294
Scott	1,238	36.41%	1,162	34.18%	1,000	29.41%	76	2.23%	3,400
Searcy	726	21.61%	1,909	56.83%	724	21.55%	-1,183	-35.22%	3,359
Sebastian	8,649	31.98%	12,073	44.65%	6,320	23.37%	-3,424	-12.67%	27,042
Sevier	1,501	39.02%	1,217	31.64%	1,129	29.35%	284	7.38%	3,847
Sharp	1,299	37.54%	1,136	32.83%	1,025	29.62%	163	4.71%	3,460
Stone	979	36.75%	987	37.05%	698	26.20%	-8	-0.30%	2,664
Union	7,853	45.66%	4,919	28.60%	4,426	25.74%	2,934	17.06%	17,198
Van Buren	1,224	33.10%	1,325	35.83%	1,149	31.07%	-101	-2.73%	3,698
Washington	5,092	23.29%	10,640	48.67%	6,131	28.04%	-4,509	-20.63%	21,863
White	5,054	41.63%	3,887	32.02%	3,198	26.34%	1,167	9.61%	12,139
Woodruff	1,734	47.78%	625	17.22%	1,270	35.00%	464	12.78%	3,629
Yell	1,949	36.91%	1,819	34.44%	1,513	28.65%	130	2.47%	5,281
Totals	235,627	38.65%	189,062	31.01%	184,901	30.33%	46,565	7.64%	609,590

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Democratic to American Independent

Counties that flipped from Republican to American Independent

Notes

^ Although he was born in California and he served as a U.S. Senator from California, in 1968 Richard Nixon’s official state of residence was New York, because he moved there to practice law after his defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election. During his first term as president, Nixon re-established his residency in California. Consequently, most reliable reference books list Nixon's home state as New York in the 1968 election and his home state as California in the 1972 (and 1960) election.

References

^ Leip, David. "1968 Presidential General Election Results – Arkansas". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
^ "1968 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^ Black & Black 1992, p. 147.
^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
^ Gans, Curtis (2011). Voter Turnout in the United States, 1788-2009. Washington, DC: CQPress. p. 579. ISBN 9781604265958.

Works cited

Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.

[1] Although he was born in California and he served as a U.S. Senator from California, in 1968 Richard Nixon’s official state of residence was New York, because he moved there to practice law after his defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election. During his first term as president, Nixon re-established his residency in California. Consequently, most reliable reference books list Nixon's home state as New York in the 1968 election and his home state as California in the 1972 (and 1960) election.

[Presidential-2] Leip, David. "1968 Presidential General Election Results – Arkansas". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

[3] "1968 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.

[4] "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 23, 2023.

[FOOTNOTEBlackBlack1992147-5] Black & Black 1992, p. 147.

[FOOTNOTEBlackBlack1992295-6] Black & Black 1992, p. 295.

[FOOTNOTEBlackBlack1992335-7] Black & Black 1992, p. 335.

[8] Gans, Curtis (2011). Voter Turnout in the United States, 1788-2009. Washington, DC: CQPress. p. 579. ISBN 9781604265958.

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v t e Elections in Arkansas
General	1844 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1904 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1916 1917 1918 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1926 1927 1928 1930 1932 1933 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1942 1943 1944 1946 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1956 1958 1959 1960 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1974 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Governor	1836 1840 1844 1848 1849 S 1852 1856 1860 1862 1864 U 1868 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1913 S 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
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
U.S. House	1837 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1851 1853 1854 1856 1858 1860 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 (4th S) 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 (6th S) 1962 1964 1966 (4th S) 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
'S,' denotes special election; 'U,' denotes election under Federal (Union) military occupation See also: Political party strength in Arkansas