1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election
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The 1948 Oregon gubernatorial special election took place on November 2, 1948, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Oregon. A special election was needed due to the death of governor Earl Snell, who was killed in a plane crash on October 28, 1947. Republican Douglas McKay defeated Democrat Lew Wallace to fill the remainder of Snell's term.
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November 2, 1948
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 County results: McKay: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Wallace: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary election
Oregon held primary elections on May 21, 1948.
Republican party
Incumbent governor John Hubert Hall, who took over after Snell's death until the election, lost the Republican nomination to state senator Douglas McKay.
Candidates
- Glenn C. Ackerman, businessman
- John H. Hall, incumbent governor
- Douglas McKay, member of Oregon State Senate
- John Peyton
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay | 107,993 | 47.66% | |
| Republican | John H. Hall (inc.) | 103,224 | 45.55% | |
| Republican | Glenn C. Ackerman | 9,251 | 4.08% | |
| Republican | John Peyton | 6,131 | 2.71% | |
| Total votes | 226,599 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Lew Wallace, who previously ran for governor in 1942, was nominated again, facing no opposition in the Democratic primary.
Candidates
- Lew Wallace, member of Oregon State Senate
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 120,218 | 98.64% | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 1,652 | 1.36% | |
| Total votes | 121,870 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Douglas McKay, Republican
- Lew Wallace, Democratic
- Wendell E. Barnett, Independent
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Douglas McKay | 271,295 | 53.23% | −15.83% | |
| Democratic | Lew Wallace | 226,958 | 44.53% | +13.60% | |
| Independent | Wendell E. Barnett | 11,380 | 2.23% | ||
| Total votes | 509,633 | 100.00% | |||
| Majority | 44,337 | 8.70% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | -29.42% | |||
Results by county
| County[3] | Douglas McKay Republican |
Lew Wallace Democratic |
Wendell E. Barnett Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Baker | 2,992 | 51.21% | 2,741 | 46.91% | 110 | 1.88% | 251 | 4.30% | 5,843 |
| Benton | 6,964 | 68.51% | 3,015 | 29.66% | 186 | 1.83% | 3,949 | 38.85% | 10,165 |
| Clackamas | 15,042 | 51.06% | 13,699 | 46.50% | 721 | 2.45% | 1,343 | 4.56% | 29,462 |
| Clatsop | 5,714 | 52.48% | 4,979 | 45.73% | 195 | 1.79% | 735 | 6.75% | 10,888 |
| Columbia | 3,450 | 42.96% | 4,397 | 54.75% | 184 | 2.29% | -947 | -11.79% | 8,031 |
| Coos | 5,337 | 48.28% | 5,447 | 49.27% | 271 | 2.45% | -110 | -1.00% | 11,055 |
| Crook | 989 | 51.40% | 903 | 46.93% | 32 | 1.66% | 86 | 4.47% | 1,924 |
| Curry | 1,113 | 61.63% | 648 | 35.88% | 45 | 2.49% | 465 | 25.75% | 1,806 |
| Deschutes | 3,431 | 50.98% | 3,160 | 46.95% | 139 | 2.07% | 271 | 4.03% | 6,730 |
| Douglas | 8,005 | 60.47% | 4,912 | 37.10% | 322 | 2.43% | 3,093 | 23.36% | 13,239 |
| Gilliam | 665 | 57.63% | 469 | 40.64% | 20 | 1.73% | 196 | 16.98% | 1,154 |
| Grant | 1,318 | 60.46% | 813 | 37.29% | 49 | 2.25% | 505 | 23.17% | 2,180 |
| Harney | 848 | 53.23% | 721 | 45.26% | 24 | 1.51% | 127 | 7.97% | 1,593 |
| Hood River | 2,344 | 59.55% | 1,511 | 38.39% | 81 | 2.06% | 833 | 21.16% | 3,936 |
| Jackson | 10,679 | 57.31% | 7,666 | 41.14% | 289 | 1.55% | 3,013 | 16.17% | 18,634 |
| Jefferson | 671 | 56.34% | 484 | 40.64% | 36 | 3.02% | 187 | 15.70% | 1,191 |
| Josephine | 4,696 | 57.03% | 3,363 | 40.84% | 175 | 2.13% | 1,333 | 16.19% | 8,234 |
| Klamath | 7,088 | 49.13% | 7,074 | 49.03% | 266 | 1.84% | 14 | 0.10% | 14,428 |
| Lake | 1,184 | 55.35% | 894 | 41.80% | 61 | 2.85% | 290 | 13.56% | 2,139 |
| Lane | 21,882 | 60.45% | 13,419 | 37.07% | 895 | 2.47% | 8,463 | 23.38% | 36,196 |
| Lincoln | 3,660 | 48.73% | 3,673 | 48.90% | 178 | 2.37% | -13 | -0.17% | 7,511 |
| Linn | 8,484 | 55.31% | 6,444 | 42.01% | 412 | 2.69% | 2,040 | 13.30% | 15,340 |
| Malheur | 3,410 | 60.70% | 2,098 | 37.34% | 110 | 1.96% | 1,312 | 23.35% | 5,618 |
| Marion | 19,048 | 58.14% | 12,611 | 38.49% | 1,106 | 3.38% | 6,437 | 19.65% | 32,765 |
| Morrow | 1,014 | 65.46% | 502 | 32.41% | 33 | 2.13% | 512 | 33.05% | 1,549 |
| Multnomah | 89,724 | 48.60% | 90,909 | 49.24% | 3,986 | 2.16% | -1,185 | -0.64% | 184,619 |
| Polk | 4,835 | 60.92% | 2,937 | 37.00% | 165 | 2.08% | 1,898 | 23.91% | 7,937 |
| Sherman | 655 | 67.11% | 309 | 31.66% | 12 | 1.23% | 346 | 35.45% | 976 |
| Tillamook | 3,256 | 53.59% | 2,697 | 44.39% | 123 | 2.02% | 559 | 9.20% | 6,076 |
| Umatilla | 6,122 | 55.67% | 4,600 | 41.83% | 275 | 2.50% | 1,522 | 13.84% | 10,997 |
| Union | 3,030 | 45.96% | 3,473 | 52.68% | 90 | 1.37% | -443 | -6.72% | 6,593 |
| Wallowa | 1,353 | 53.63% | 1,114 | 44.15% | 56 | 2.22% | 239 | 9.47% | 2,523 |
| Wasco | 3,113 | 60.10% | 1,975 | 38.13% | 92 | 1.78% | 1,138 | 21.97% | 5,180 |
| Washington | 11,725 | 55.88% | 8,876 | 42.30% | 383 | 1.83% | 2,849 | 13.58% | 20,984 |
| Wheeler | 463 | 59.06% | 299 | 38.14% | 22 | 2.81% | 164 | 20.92% | 784 |
| Yamhill | 6,991 | 61.58% | 4,126 | 36.34% | 236 | 2.08% | 2,865 | 25.24% | 11,353 |
| Total | 271,295 | 53.23% | 226,958 | 44.53% | 11,380 | 2.23% | 44,337 | 8.70% | 509,633 |
