1958 Texas gubernatorial election
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The 1958 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1958, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic governor Price Daniel was reelected a second term, winning 88% of the vote to Republican Edwin Mayer's 12%.
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November 4, 1958
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 County results Daniel: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% González: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90% O'Daniel: 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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To date, this was the last election in which a candidate for Governor of Texas received more than 75% of the vote.
Primaries
Democratic
Candidates
- Price Daniel, incumbent governor, former United States Senator from Texas (1953-1957), former Texas Attorney General (1947-1953), former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives (1943-1945)
- Henry B. González, state senator from the 26th district, former San Antonio councilmember (1953-1956)
- W. Lee O'Daniel, former governor (1939-1941), former United States Senator (1941-1949), unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination for governor in 1956
- Joe A. Irwin, insurance salesman[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Price Daniel (incumbent) | 799,107 | 60.65% | |
| Democratic | Henry B. González | 246,969 | 18.75% | |
| Democratic | W. Lee O'Daniel | 238,767 | 18.12% | |
| Democratic | Joe A. Irwin | 33,643 | 2.55% | |
| Total votes | 1,317,492 | 100.00% | ||
Constitution Party
During the 1958 elections, the Constitution Party, a small right-wing third party which formed in 1952, had more candidates for the statewide slate than the Republican party.[3] The party attempted to nominate former governor W. Lee O'Daniel as their candidate, but the state's "sore loser" law disqualified him from appearing on the ballot due to his participation in the Democratic primary.[4][5]
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Price Daniel (incumbent) | 695,779 | 88.09% | |
| Republican | Edwin S. Mayer | 94,086 | 11.91% | |
| Total votes | 789,865 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||