1944 Florida gubernatorial election
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The 1944 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1944. Democratic nominee Millard Caldwell defeated Republican nominee Bert L. Acker with 78.94% of the vote.
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November 7, 1944
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 County results Caldwell: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections
Primary elections were held on May 2, 1944, with the Democratic runoff held on May 23, 1944.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- J. Edwin Baker, former Florida state senator
- Millard Caldwell, former U.S. representative for the 3rd district
- Ernest R. Graham, Florida state senator
- Robert A. (Lex) Green, U.S. representative for the at-large district
- Raymond Sheldon, state senator
- Frank Upchurch, Florida state senator
Results
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Millard F. Caldwell | 116,111 | 28.39 | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Green | 113,300 | 27.90 | |
| Democratic | Ernest R. Graham | 91,174 | 22.45 | |
| Democratic | Frank Upchurch | 30,524 | 7.52 | |
| Democratic | Raymond Sheldon | 27,940 | 6.88 | |
| Democratic | J. Edwin Baker | 27,028 | 6.66 | |
| Total votes | 406,077 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Millard F. Caldwell | 215,485 | 55.31 | |
| Democratic | Robert A. Green | 174,100 | 44.69 | |
| Total votes | 389,585 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bert L. Acker | 5,954 | 61.26 | |
| Republican | Edward T. Keenan | 3,766 | 38.75 | |
| Total votes | 9,720 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Bert Acker who ran as a Republican, would be against the New Deal in his campaign. He also wanted to eliminate laws he thought were useless and conflicting. Acker was in favor of leasing lands owned by the state government to be used by farmers and cattle ranchers. Acker wanted to allow mining and oil production to be done on state owned lands as well. Acker wanted to see the sugar industry in the state expanded as well. Acker was against taxes that were created as a result of World War II in the state and wanted to exempt homes that were valued at $15,000 from state taxes. In terms of infrastructure, he supported expanding the state highway system and widening roads physically themselves along with improving safety on bridges.[8]
Candidates
- Millard Caldwell, Democratic
- Bert Acker, Republican
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Millard F. Caldwell | 361,007 | 78.94% | ||
| Republican | Bert L. Acker | 96,321 | 21.06% | ||
| Majority | 264,686 | 57.88% | |||
| Turnout | 457,328 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||