1956 Oregon gubernatorial special election
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November 6, 1956
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 County results Holmes: 50–60% 60–70% Smith: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oregon |
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The 1956 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 6, 1956. Democratic state senator Robert D. Holmes narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Elmo Smith to win the election.
Background
[edit]On January 31, 1956, Governor Paul L. Patterson, who was elected in the 1954 gubernatorial election, died in office of a coronary occlusion.[1] Patterson's death elevated Oregon State Senate President Elmo Smith to governor and a special election for November was called to fill the position for the final two years of Patterson's term.[2] The succession law was changed in 1972 so that the Oregon Secretary of State is first in line to succeed the governor.[3]
Primary election
[edit]Oregon held primary elections on May 18, 1956.
Republican party
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Earl L. Dickson
- Elmo Smith, incumbent governor
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elmo Smith (inc.) | 225,748 | 91.01% | |
| Republican | Earl L. Dickson | 22,306 | 8.99% | |
| Total votes | 248,054 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic party
[edit]Lew Wallace sought the Democratic nomination for a fourth time, but narrowly lost to Robert D. Holmes.
Candidates
[edit]- Robert D. Holmes, member of Oregon State Senate
- Lew Wallace, Democratic nominee for governor in 1942 and 1948
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert D. Holmes | 112,307 | 50.79% | |
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 108,822 | 49.21% | |
| Total votes | 221,129 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert D. Holmes | 369,439 | 50.52% | +7.43% | |
| Republican | Elmo Smith (inc.) | 361,840 | 49.48% | −7.43% | |
| Total votes | 731,279 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 7,599 | 1.04% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | +14.86% | |||
Results by county
[edit]Clackamas County, Douglas County, and Tillamook County voted Democratic for the first time since 1922. By voting for Smith, Jefferson County backed the losing candidate for the first time since its establishment in 1914.
| County[6] | Robert D. Holmes Democratic |
Elmo Smith Republican |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 3,554 | 50.71% | 3,455 | 49.29% | 99 | 1.41% | 7,009 |
| Benton | 5,217 | 39.89% | 7,862 | 60.11% | -2,645 | -20.22% | 13,079 |
| Clackamas | 23,431 | 51.28% | 22,264 | 48.72% | 1,167 | 2.55% | 45,695 |
| Clatsop | 7,928 | 61.41% | 4,981 | 38.59% | 2,947 | 22.83% | 12,909 |
| Columbia | 6,185 | 63.02% | 3,629 | 36.98% | 2,556 | 26.04% | 9,814 |
| Coos | 12,130 | 60.24% | 8,005 | 39.76% | 4,125 | 20.49% | 20,135 |
| Crook | 1,848 | 49.93% | 1,853 | 50.07% | -5 | -0.14% | 3,701 |
| Curry | 2,162 | 50.91% | 2,085 | 49.09% | 77 | 1.81% | 4,247 |
| Deschutes | 4,441 | 46.33% | 5,145 | 53.67% | -704 | -7.34% | 9,586 |
| Douglas | 13,516 | 52.62% | 12,171 | 47.38% | 1,345 | 5.24% | 25,687 |
| Gilliam | 505 | 38.52% | 806 | 61.48% | -301 | -22.96% | 1,311 |
| Grant | 1,313 | 42.44% | 1,781 | 57.56% | -468 | -15.13% | 3,094 |
| Harney | 1,171 | 43.26% | 1,536 | 56.74% | -365 | -13.48% | 2,707 |
| Hood River | 2,618 | 47.08% | 2,943 | 52.92% | -325 | -5.84% | 5,561 |
| Jackson | 13,445 | 45.26% | 16,261 | 54.74% | -2,816 | -9.48% | 29,706 |
| Jefferson | 1,131 | 45.88% | 1,334 | 54.12% | -203 | -8.24% | 2,465 |
| Josephine | 5,423 | 42.60% | 7,308 | 57.40% | -1,885 | -14.81% | 12,731 |
| Klamath | 8,956 | 49.81% | 9,026 | 50.19% | -70 | -0.39% | 17,982 |
| Lake | 1,285 | 44.62% | 1,595 | 55.38% | -310 | -10.76% | 2,880 |
| Lane | 33,241 | 53.12% | 29,335 | 46.88% | 3,906 | 6.24% | 62,576 |
| Lincoln | 5,149 | 52.08% | 4,738 | 47.92% | 411 | 4.16% | 9,887 |
| Linn | 11,807 | 51.91% | 10,936 | 48.09% | 871 | 3.83% | 22,743 |
| Malheur | 3,011 | 37.51% | 5,016 | 62.49% | -2,005 | -24.98% | 8,027 |
| Marion | 19,255 | 42.87% | 25,655 | 57.13% | -6,400 | -14.25% | 44,910 |
| Morrow | 882 | 45.07% | 1,075 | 54.93% | -193 | -9.86% | 1,957 |
| Multnomah | 129,273 | 53.04% | 114,446 | 46.96% | 14,827 | 6.08% | 243,719 |
| Polk | 4,724 | 45.39% | 5,683 | 54.61% | -959 | -9.21% | 10,407 |
| Sherman | 415 | 38.53% | 662 | 61.47% | -247 | -22.93% | 1,077 |
| Tillamook | 4,055 | 50.93% | 3,907 | 49.07% | 148 | 1.86% | 7,962 |
| Umatilla | 8,376 | 48.88% | 8,761 | 51.12% | -385 | -2.25% | 17,137 |
| Union | 4,272 | 53.45% | 3,720 | 46.55% | 552 | 6.91% | 7,992 |
| Wallowa | 1,755 | 53.17% | 1,546 | 46.83% | 209 | 6.33% | 3,301 |
| Wasco | 4,522 | 52.73% | 4,053 | 47.27% | 469 | 5.47% | 8,575 |
| Washington | 15,976 | 44.51% | 19,917 | 55.49% | -3,941 | -10.98% | 35,893 |
| Wheeler | 540 | 46.59% | 619 | 53.41% | -79 | -6.82% | 1,159 |
| Yamhill | 5,927 | 43.40% | 7,731 | 56.60% | -1,804 | -13.21% | 13,658 |
| Total | 369,439 | 50.52% | 361,840 | 49.48% | 7,599 | 1.04% | 731,279 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Governors of Oregon: Paul Linton Patterson". Oregon State Library. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Governors of Oregon: Elmo Smith". Oregon State Library. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ "Temporary governor eliminated: Measure modifies line of succession". The Bend Bulletin.
- ^ "Abstract of Votes - Republican Party Primary Election, May 18, 1956". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ^ "Abstract of Votes - Democratic Party Primary Election, May 18, 1956". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
- ^ a b "Abstract of Votes, Regular General Election, November 6, 1956". Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved April 11, 2026.