1938 New York gubernatorial election
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The 1938 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. Incumbent Governor Herbert H. Lehman was narrowly re-elected to a fourth term in office over Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Despite Dewey's defeat, the close race with Lehman elevated him to further prominence, positioning him as an early contender for the 1940 Republican presidential nomination.
The 1938 election was the first election where the Governor of New York was elected to a four-year term, rather than a two-year term.
Republican nomination
[edit]The Republican state convention met on September 29.[1]
Democratic nomination
[edit]The Democratic state convention met on October 1.[2] Despite Lehman's pleas that he was not a candidate for nomination, he was successfully drafted as the nominee for a fourth term.[2]
The American Labor state convention met on October 3 at the Manhattan Opera House in New York City and nominated Lehman for governor. [3][4]
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Thomas E. Dewey, District Attorney of New York County (Republican and Independent Progressive)
- Herbert H. Lehman, incumbent Governor since 1933 (Democratic and American Labor)
- Aaron M. Orange (Industrial Government)
- Norman Thomas, Presbyterian minister and perennial candidate (Socialist)
The Socialist Party state convention met on October 1, and nominated again Norman Thomas for governor.[5] The Socialist Labor Party changed its name to the "Industrial Government Party" and filed a petition to nominate Aaron M. Orange.[6]
Following the American Labor nomination of Lehman, the Independent Progressive Party filed a petition to nominate a ticket led by Dewey, giving him a second ballot line to match Lehman.[7]
Results
[edit]Lehman was only able to win reelection due to the votes he received on the American Labor ballot line. Dewey received more votes on the Republican ballot line than Lehman had on the Democratic ballot line.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Herbert H. Lehman | 1,971,307 | 40.88% | ||
| American Labor | Herbert H. Lehman | 419,979 | 8.71% | ||
| Total | Herbert H. Lehman | 2,391,286 | 49.59% | ||
| Republican | Thomas E. Dewey | 2,302,505 | 47.75% | ||
| Democratic | Thomas E. Dewey | 24,387 | 0.51% | ||
| Total | Thomas E. Dewey | 2,326,892 | 48.26% | ||
| Socialist | Norman Thomas | 24,980 | 0.52% | ||
| Industrial Government | Aaron M. Orange | 3,516 | 0.07% | ||
| Write-in | 75,047 | 1.56% | |||
| Total votes | 4,821,721 | 100.00% | |||
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS", The New York Times, September 30, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ a b "LEHMAN IS DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM", The New York Times, October 1, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ "LABORITES NAME LEHMAN, WAGNER", The New York Times, October 4, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ "LABOR NAMES MEAD AS SESSIONS CLOSE; Convention Also Nominates Post, O'Leary, Mrs. O'Day and Merritt to Fill Ticket", The New York Times, October 5, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ "SOCIALISTS ASSAIL 'DEALS' BY LABOR; ...THOMAS IS NOMINATED", The New York Times, October 2, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ "INDUSTRIAL PARTY LISTS CANDIDATES", The New York Times, November 6, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ "MAJOR PARTIES GET 2D LINES ON BALLOT", The New York Times, October 12, 1938 (subscription required)
- ^ Murphy, Paul (1974). Political Parties In American History, Volume 3, 1890-present. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Sources
[edit]- Official Result: "LEHMAN PLURALITY OFFICIALLY 64,394; State Board Puts His Vote Finally at 2,391,286, With 2,326,892 for Dewey LABOR'S POLL AT 419,979 Blank, Void and Scattered Ballots Totaled 75,047; Poletti Won by 229,361", The New York Times, December 8, 1938 (subscription required)
New York Red Book