1926 Oregon gubernatorial election
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The 1926 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1926, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. The election matched incumbent Democrat Walter M. Pierce against Republican Isaac L. Patterson and Independent candidate H. H. Stallard, who ran on an anti-Prohibition platform. Patterson won by a wide margin.
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November 2, 1926
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 County results: Patterson: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% Pierce: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Oregon held primary elections on May 21, 1926.
Democratic party
During a period of time in which Republicans had dominated politics in Oregon, Democrat Walter M. Pierce had won election in 1922 with the support of the Ku Klux Klan, which was for a short time a powerful political force in Oregon.[1] However, soon after the 1922 election, the Klan faded in power due in part to internal struggles and changing public sentiment.[1] Now running for re-election in 1926, Pierce faced opposition for his steadfast support of Prohibition. Challenging Pierce for the Democratic nomination was political activist Louise Palmer Weber, one of many anti-Prohibition candidates that year who ran on a platform of repealing or modifying laws regarding the regulation of alcoholic beverages in Oregon.[2][3], who had previously supported Pierce in his 1918 campaign.[4] Pierce ultimately easily won his party's primary for re-election in 1926 over Weber.
Candidates
- Walter M. Pierce, incumbent governor
- Louise Palmer Weber, activist
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Walter M. Pierce (inc.) | 24,310 | 71.84% | |
| Democratic | Louise Palmer Weber | 9,528 | 28.16% | |
| Total votes | 33,838 | 100.00% | ||
Republican party
In their primary, Republicans nominated former state senator I. L. Patterson, who had chaired Calvin Coolidge's successful election campaign in Oregon,[6] over Jay H. Upton and W. A. Carter.[7]
Candidates
- W. A. Carter, attorney and former member of Oregon House of Representatives
- I. L. Patterson, former member of Oregon State Senate
- Jay H. Upton, member of Oregon State Senate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | I. L. Patterson | 62,772 | 51.15% | |
| Republican | Jay H. Upton | 38,773 | 31.60% | |
| Republican | W. A. Carter | 21,166 | 17.25% | |
| Total votes | 122,711 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Walter M. Pierce, Democratic
- I. L. Patterson, Republican
- H. H. Stallard, Independent
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | I. L. Patterson | 120,073 | 53.14% | +10.50% | |
| Democratic | Walter M. Pierce (inc.) | 93,470 | 41.37% | â15.99% | |
| Independent | H. H. Stallard | 12,402 | 5.49% | ||
| Total votes | 225,945 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 26,603 | 11.77% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +26.49% | |||
Results by county
Polk County failed to back the winning candidate for the first time since 1874. Hood River County and Wheeler County voted Democratic for the first time in a gubernatorial election; the latter would not vote Democratic again until 1970. Additionally, after this election, Crook County would not vote Democratic again until 1974.
| County[8] | I. L. Patterson Republican |
Walter M. Pierce Democratic |
H. H. Stallard Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 2,361 | 41.35% | 2,925 | 51.23% | 424 | 7.43% | -564 | -9.88% | 5,710 |
| Benton | 2,376 | 55.35% | 1,843 | 42.93% | 74 | 1.72% | 533 | 12.42% | 4,293 |
| Clackamas | 5,389 | 47.72% | 5,078 | 44.96% | 827 | 7.32% | 311 | 2.75% | 11,294 |
| Clatsop | 3,329 | 64.42% | 1,502 | 29.06% | 337 | 6.52% | 1,827 | 35.35% | 5,168 |
| Columbia | 1,950 | 55.10% | 1,383 | 39.08% | 206 | 5.82% | 567 | 16.02% | 3,539 |
| Coos | 3,051 | 45.85% | 2,877 | 43.24% | 726 | 10.91% | 174 | 2.61% | 6,654 |
| Crook | 460 | 44.88% | 534 | 52.10% | 31 | 3.02% | -74 | -7.22% | 1,025 |
| Curry | 368 | 40.48% | 474 | 52.15% | 67 | 7.37% | -106 | -11.66% | 909 |
| Deschutes | 1,992 | 55.83% | 1,394 | 39.07% | 182 | 5.10% | 598 | 16.76% | 3,568 |
| Douglas | 3,218 | 51.42% | 2,726 | 43.56% | 314 | 5.02% | 492 | 7.86% | 6,258 |
| Gilliam | 528 | 46.89% | 567 | 50.36% | 31 | 2.72% | -39 | -3.46% | 1,126 |
| Grant | 856 | 50.12% | 743 | 43.50% | 109 | 6.38% | 113 | 6.62% | 1,708 |
| Harney | 562 | 39.08% | 722 | 50.21% | 154 | 10.71% | -160 | -11.13% | 1,438 |
| Hood River | 898 | 48.57% | 912 | 49.32% | 39 | 2.11% | -14 | -0.76% | 1,849 |
| Jackson | 3,952 | 50.08% | 3,583 | 45.40% | 357 | 4.52% | 369 | 4.68% | 7,892 |
| Jefferson | 325 | 53.37% | 249 | 40.89% | 35 | 5.75% | 76 | 12.48% | 609 |
| Josephine | 1,275 | 47.50% | 1,282 | 47.76% | 127 | 4.73% | -7 | -0.26% | 2,684 |
| Klamath | 3,340 | 65.45% | 1,533 | 30.04% | 230 | 4.51% | 1,807 | 35.41% | 5,103 |
| Lake | 777 | 53.18% | 601 | 71.14% | 83 | 5.68% | 176 | 12.05% | 1,461 |
| Lane | 6,394 | 56.71% | 4,378 | 38.83% | 502 | 4.45% | 2,016 | 17.88% | 11,274 |
| Lincoln | 1,547 | 54.88% | 1,036 | 36.75% | 236 | 8.37% | 511 | 18.13% | 2,819 |
| Linn | 3,366 | 47.87% | 3,386 | 48.16% | 279 | 3.97% | -20 | -0.28% | 7,031 |
| Malheur | 939 | 40.08% | 1,264 | 53.95% | 140 | 5.98% | -325 | -13.87% | 2,343 |
| Marion | 6,603 | 48.23% | 5,870 | 42.88% | 1,217 | 8.89% | 733 | 5.35% | 13,690 |
| Morrow | 649 | 47.97% | 651 | 48.12% | 53 | 3.92% | -2 | -0.15% | 1,353 |
| Multnomah | 45,381 | 60.36% | 26,008 | 34.59% | 3,793 | 5.05% | 19,373 | 25.77% | 75,182 |
| Polk | 2,075 | 47.64% | 2,107 | 48.37% | 174 | 3.99% | -32 | -0.73% | 4,356 |
| Sherman | 431 | 44.90% | 508 | 52.92% | 21 | 2.19% | -77 | -8.02% | 960 |
| Tillamook | 1,947 | 52.58% | 1,544 | 41.70% | 212 | 5.73% | 403 | 10.88% | 3,703 |
| Umatilla | 2,792 | 40.24% | 3,917 | 56.45% | 230 | 3.31% | -1,125 | -16.21% | 6,939 |
| Union | 1,378 | 29.38% | 3,161 | 67.40% | 151 | 3.22% | -1,783 | -38.02% | 4,690 |
| Wallowa | 818 | 41.38% | 1,063 | 53.77% | 96 | 4.86% | -245 | -12.39% | 1,977 |
| Wasco | 1,838 | 51.03% | 1,579 | 43.84% | 185 | 5.14% | 259 | 7.19% | 3,602 |
| Washington | 3,263 | 49.08% | 2,957 | 44.47% | 429 | 6.45% | 306 | 4.60% | 6,649 |
| Wheeler | 443 | 46.68% | 467 | 49.21% | 39 | 4.11% | -24 | -2.53% | 949 |
| Yamhill | 3,202 | 52.15% | 2,646 | 43.09% | 292 | 4.76% | 556 | 9.06% | 6,140 |
| Total | 120,073 | 53.14% | 93,470 | 41.37% | 12,402 | 5.49% | 26,603 | 11.77% | 225,945 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Aftermath
Patterson served about three years of his term before dying of pneumonia on December 22, 1929. Pierce was later elected to the United States House of Representatives, and represented Oregon's 2nd congressional district from 1933 to 1942.