1942 Minnesota gubernatorial election
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The 1942 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1942. Republican incumbent Harold Stassen defeated Farmer–Labor Party challenger Hjalmar Petersen. This was the last election in which the Democratic Party of Minnesota and the Farmer–Labor Party ran separate candidates; in 1944, both parties ran under the umbrella of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.
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November 3, 1942
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 County results Stassen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Peterson: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican Primary
Incumbent Harold Stassen faced primary opposition from two-time gubernatorial candidate Martin A. Nelson and Congressmember John G. Alexander
Candidates
Nominated
- Harold Stassen, Incumbent
Eliminated in Primary
- John G. Alexander, Former congressman for MN-03
- Martin A. Nelson, Attorney and Republican gubernatorial candidate in 1934 and 1936
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harold Stassen | 218,457 | 53.31% | |
| Republican | Martin A. Nelson | 142,465 | 34.77% | |
| Republican | John G. Alexander | 48,865 | 11.92% | |
| Total votes | 409,787 | 100% | ||
Farmer-Labor Primary
The Farmer-Labor Primary election was won by former governor Hjalmar Petersen, who was for a second time running to re-take his former position as Governor.
Candidates
Nominated
- Hjalmar Petersen, Former Governor
Eliminated in Primary
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmer–Labor | Hjalmar Petersen | 66,405 | 58.05% | |
| Farmer–Labor | Paul A. Rasmussen | 39,362 | 34.41% | |
| Farmer–Labor | Edgar Bernard | 8,627 | 7.54% | |
| Total votes | 114,394 | 100% | ||
Candidates
- Harold Stassen, Incumbent (Republican)
- Harris A. Brandborg, Farmer (Industrial Government)
- Hjalmar Petersen, Former Governor (Farmer-Labor)
- John D. Sullivan, Attorney (Democrat)
- Martin Mackie, Labor organizer (Communist)
Campaigns
Stassen campaigned on expanding social welfare, notably old age pension, stating "We will not make extravagant promises to our aged folks in a demagogic attempt to get votes, but we will steadily improve the old age assistance and we will administer it without favoritism for political views or race, or creeds or color."[3]
Petersen criticized Stassen's 27.5% tax cut on mining companies, claiming that this lost the state approximately $3,000,000 in revenue.[4] Sullivan, running on a similar platform, sent a letter to Petersen and the Farmer-Labor party office proposing that Petersen should drop out and a Fusion ticket should be created. Party Secretary Viena P. Johnson responded with a letter only acknowledging that the proposal had been received.[5] Petersen and Sullivan broke mainly on the issue of war, with Petersen an isolationist and Sullivan as a pro-war candidate.[6]
Stassen was the 'recommended candidate' chosen by the CIO. The CIO generally opposed Stassen's labor policies, however believed that due to the ongoing Second World War, Stassen's policies would best allow for Minnesota to contribute to the war effort. The CIO vice president went on to accuse Petersen of advocating for negotiating for peace with Adolf Hitler.[7]
Petersen criticized Stassen as uncaring for the farmers of the state, citing that wheat and grain priced were now about half of what they were in 1918, and cited Stassen's lack of concern for struggling farmers.[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harold Stassen (incumbent) | 409,800 | 51.60% | −0.47% | |
| Farmer–Labor | Hjalmar Petersen | 299,917 | 37.76% | +1.21% | |
| Democratic | John D. Sullivan | 75,151 | 9.46% | −1.67% | |
| Communist | Martin Mackie | 5,082 | 0.64% | n/a | |
| Industrial Government | Harris A. Brandborg | 4,278 | 0.53% | n/a | |
| Majority | 109,883 | 13.84% | |||
| Turnout | 794,228 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||