1966 Maryland gubernatorial election
The Maryland gubernatorial election of 1966 was held on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Democratic Governor J. Millard Tawes was unable to seek a third term in office. In the election to succeed him, George P. Mahoney, a controversial segregationist, emerged from the Democratic primary due to splintered support for the two major candidates. Baltimore County Executive Spiro Agnew, was nominated by the Republican Party as their gubernatorial candidate. Mahoney and Agnew squared off, along with independent candidate Hyman A. Pressman. Ultimately, Agnew was victorious over Mahoney, with Pressman a distant third. This year would be the last time that the state of Maryland elected a Republican governor until 2002. Agnew would go on to be nominated for Vice President by the Republican National Convention per Richard Nixon's request, in 1968, an election he and Nixon would end up winning.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
County Results Agnew: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Mahoney: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Elections in Maryland |
---|
Government |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- George P. Mahoney, Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate
- Carlton R. Sickles, United States Congressman from Maryland's At-large congressional district
- Thomas B. Finan, Attorney General of Maryland
- Clarence W. Miles, lawyer and community activist
- Charles J. Luthardt, Sr.
- Morgan L. Amaimo, real estate broker and perennial candidate
- Ross Zimmerman Pierpont, surgeon
- Andrew J. Easter, perennial candidate
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | George P. Mahoney | 148,446 | 30.21 | |
Democratic | Carlton R. Sickles | 146,607 | 29.84 | |
Democratic | Thomas B. Finan | 134,216 | 27.31 | |
Democratic | Clarence W. Miles | 42,304 | 8.61 | |
Democratic | Charles J. Ludhardt, Sr. | 7,336 | 1.49 | |
Democratic | Morgan L. Amaimo | 6,048 | 1.23 | |
Democratic | Ross Zimmerman Pierpont | 4,311 | 0.88 | |
Democratic | Andrew J. Easter | 2,098 | 0.43 | |
Total votes | 491,366 | 100.00 |
Republican primary
Candidates
- Baltimore County Executive Spiro Agnew
- Andrew John Groszer, Jr.
- John J. Harbaugh, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1964
- Henry J. Laque, Jr., perennial candidate
- Louis R. Milio, Maryland congressional candidate
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Spiro Agnew | 98,531 | 83.16 | |
Republican | Andrew John Groszer, Jr. | 9,987 | 8.43 | |
Republican | John J. Harbaugh | 4,322 | 3.65 | |
Republican | Henry J. Laque, Jr. | 3,365 | 2.84 | |
Republican | Louis R. Milio | 2,277 | 1.92 | |
Total votes | 118,482 | 100.00 |
General election
Campaign
Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate George P. Mahoney won the Democratic primary on a segregationist platform, which was possible due to the presence of several strong candidates. Mahoney's slogan, "Your home is your castle--protect it",[3] as well as his stance on many civil rights issues,[4] prompted Baltimore City Comptroller Hyman A. Pressman to enter the race as an independent candidate. Mahoney's controversial stances caused many in the Maryland Democratic Party to split their support between Agnew, which was possible due to his socially progressive views, and Pressman, which enabled Agnew to win the election with a plurality, taking 70% of the black vote.[5]
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Spiro Agnew | 455,318 | 49.50% | +5.15% | |
Democratic | George P. Mahoney | 373,543 | 40.61% | -15.03% | |
Independent | Hyman A. Pressman | 90,899 | 9.88% | ||
Write-ins | 1 | 0.00% | |||
Majority | 81,775 | 8.89% | -2.39% | ||
Turnout | 919,761 | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
References
- http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000174/html/am174--525.html
- http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000174/pdf/am174--526.pdf
- https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/21/obituaries/george-mahoney-87-maryland-candidate.html
- Hardesty, Richard. [A] Veil of Voodoo. Graduate School of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, 05 May 2008. Web.
- Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party*, p. 191
- http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000173/html/am173--503.html