1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956. Incumbent Democrat Luther H. Hodges defeated Republican nominee Kyle Hayes with 66.95% of the vote.

1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election

November 6, 1956

Nominee Luther H. Hodges Kyle Hayes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 760,480 375,379 Percentage 66.95% 33.05%

Governor before election Luther H. Hodges Democratic Elected Governor Luther H. Hodges Democratic

This election was unusual for North Carolina at the time, in that a sitting Governor ran for another term. The Constitution of North Carolina at the time had a one-term limit for governors, but Hodges, as lieutenant governor, had succeeded William B. Umstead after the latter died in office, and was running for a full four-year term on his own. In 1977, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution permitting the governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on May 26, 1956.[1]

Candidates

• Luther H. Hodges, incumbent Governor
• Thomas B. Sawyer
• Harry P. Stokely
• C.E. Earle Jr.

Results

Democratic primary results[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luther H. Hodges	401,082	85.95
	Democratic	Thomas B. Sawyer	29,248	6.27
	Democratic	Harry P. Stokely	24,416	5.23
	Democratic	C.E. Earle Jr.	11,908	2.55
Total votes			466,654	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Luther H. Hodges, Democratic
• Kyle Hayes, Republican

Results

1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Luther H. Hodges	760,480	66.95%
	Republican	Kyle Hayes	375,379	33.05%
Majority			385,101
Turnout			1,135,859
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. "North Carolina Manual". 1991. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
2. Cook, Rhodes (26 October 2017). America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State - Rhodes Cook. ISBN 9781506368993. Retrieved 2019-06-16.