1950 Oregon gubernatorial election
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The 1950 Oregon gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1950 to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. Incumbent Republican governor Douglas McKay defeated Democratic nominee Austin F. Flegel in a landslide, sweeping every county in the state. McKay had been elected in a 1948 gubernatorial special election to replace interim governor John Hubert Hall. Hall, as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, had succeeded to the governorship following the death of governor Earl Snell, Oregon Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell, Jr., and State Senate President Marshall E. Cornett in a plane crash on October 30, 1947. McKay thus sought and won reelection to a full term in 1950. McKay would step down less than two years into his term to become United States Secretary of the Interior under President Dwight Eisenhower.
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November 7, 1950
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 County results McKay: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Oregon held primary elections on May 19, 1950.
Republican party
Incumbent governor Douglas McKay was renominated without opposition.
Candidates
- Douglas McKay, incumbent governor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay (inc.) | 180,564 | 99.84% | |
| Republican | Scattering | 281 | 0.16% | |
| Total votes | 180,845 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic party
Portland attorney and state senator Austin F. Flegel narrowly defeated Oregon State Treasurer Walter J. Pearson and former state senator and 1942 and 1948 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Lew Wallace in a three-way race.[2][3]
Candidates
- Austin F. Flegel, member of Oregon State Senate
- Walter J. Pearson, Oregon State Treasurer
- Lew Wallace, former member of Oregon State Senate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin F. Flegel | 59,417 | 36.24% | |
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 57,730 | 35.21% | |
| Democratic | Walter J. Pearson | 46,549 | 28.39% | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 261 | 0.16% | |
| Total votes | 163,957 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay (inc.) | 334,160 | 66.05% | +12.82% | |
| Democratic | Austin F. Flegel | 171,750 | 33.95% | −10.58% | |
| Total votes | 505,910 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 162,410 | 32.10% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +23.40% | |||
Results by county
| County[5] | Douglas McKay Republican |
Austin F. Flegel Democratic |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 3,848 | 64.61% | 2,108 | 35.39% | 1,740 | 29.21% | 5,956 |
| Benton | 7,104 | 77.36% | 2,079 | 22.64% | 5,025 | 54.72% | 9,183 |
| Clackamas | 19,574 | 66.17% | 10,008 | 33.83% | 9,566 | 32.34% | 29,582 |
| Clatsop | 6,683 | 65.71% | 3,487 | 34.29% | 3,196 | 31.43% | 10,170 |
| Columbia | 4,349 | 56.31% | 3,375 | 43.69% | 974 | 12.61% | 7,724 |
| Coos | 6,944 | 63.01% | 4,077 | 36.99% | 2,867 | 26.01% | 11,021 |
| Crook | 1,567 | 66.40% | 793 | 33.60% | 774 | 32.80% | 2,360 |
| Curry | 1,337 | 69.31% | 592 | 30.69% | 745 | 38.62% | 1,929 |
| Deschutes | 4,377 | 65.49% | 2,306 | 34.51% | 2,071 | 30.99% | 6,683 |
| Douglas | 9,876 | 66.58% | 4,958 | 33.42% | 4,918 | 33.15% | 14,834 |
| Gilliam | 698 | 71.08% | 284 | 28.92% | 414 | 42.16% | 982 |
| Grant | 1,600 | 68.52% | 735 | 31.48% | 865 | 37.04% | 2,335 |
| Harney | 1,114 | 63.69% | 635 | 36.31% | 479 | 27.39% | 1,749 |
| Hood River | 2,844 | 70.24% | 1,205 | 29.76% | 1,639 | 40.48% | 4,049 |
| Jackson | 12,835 | 66.58% | 6,442 | 33.42% | 6,393 | 33.16% | 19,277 |
| Jefferson | 1,040 | 70.84% | 428 | 29.16% | 612 | 41.69% | 1,468 |
| Josephine | 5,527 | 67.10% | 2,710 | 32.90% | 2,817 | 34.20% | 8,237 |
| Klamath | 7,850 | 58.22% | 5,634 | 41.78% | 2,216 | 16.43% | 13,484 |
| Lake | 1,367 | 71.31% | 550 | 28.69% | 817 | 42.62% | 1,917 |
| Lane | 24,924 | 67.30% | 12,112 | 32.70% | 12,812 | 34.59% | 37,036 |
| Lincoln | 4,857 | 67.41% | 2,348 | 32.59% | 2,509 | 34.82% | 7,205 |
| Linn | 10,006 | 64.25% | 5,568 | 35.75% | 4,438 | 28.50% | 15,574 |
| Malheur | 3,957 | 72.57% | 1,496 | 27.43% | 2,461 | 45.13% | 5,453 |
| Marion | 21,478 | 66.80% | 10,677 | 33.20% | 10,801 | 33.59% | 32,155 |
| Morrow | 1,072 | 74.76% | 362 | 25.24% | 710 | 49.51% | 1,434 |
| Multnomah | 116,154 | 65.03% | 62,470 | 34.97% | 53,684 | 30.05% | 178,624 |
| Polk | 5,063 | 66.44% | 2,557 | 33.56% | 2,506 | 32.89% | 7,620 |
| Sherman | 710 | 78.63% | 193 | 21.37% | 517 | 57.25% | 903 |
| Tillamook | 4,520 | 66.85% | 2,241 | 33.15% | 2,279 | 33.71% | 6,761 |
| Umatilla | 7,839 | 65.66% | 4,100 | 34.34% | 3,739 | 31.32% | 11,939 |
| Union | 3,913 | 60.11% | 2,597 | 39.89% | 1,316 | 20.22% | 6,510 |
| Wallowa | 1,582 | 66.55% | 795 | 33.45% | 787 | 33.11% | 2,377 |
| Wasco | 3,736 | 70.85% | 1,537 | 29.15% | 2,199 | 41.70% | 5,273 |
| Washington | 14,791 | 69.42% | 6,516 | 30.58% | 8,275 | 38.84% | 21,307 |
| Wheeler | 494 | 65.95% | 255 | 34.05% | 239 | 31.91% | 749 |
| Yamhill | 8,530 | 70.79% | 3,520 | 29.21% | 5,010 | 41.58% | 12,050 |
| Total | 334,160 | 66.05% | 171,750 | 33.95% | 162,410 | 32.10% | 505,910 |
