Maryland gubernatorial election, 1966
Maryland gubernatorial election, 1966
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The Maryland gubernatorial election of 1966 was held on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Democratic Governor J. Millard Tawes was unable to seek a third term in office. In the election to succeed him, George P. Mahoney, a controversial segregationist, emerged from the Democratic primary due to splintered support for the two major candidates. Baltimore County Executive Spiro Agnew, who would later go on to be selected by Richard M. Nixon as his running mate in 1968, was nominated by the Republican Party as their gubernatorial candidate. Mahoney and Agnew squared off, along with independent candidate Hyman A. Pressman. Ultimately, Agnew was victorious over Mahoney, with Pressman a distant third. This year would be the last time that the state of Maryland elected a Republican governor until 2002.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- George P. Mahoney, Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate
- Carlton R. Sickles, United States Congressman from Maryland's At-large congressional district
- Thomas B. Finan, Attorney General of Maryland
- Clarence W. Miles, lawyer and community activist
- Charles J. Luthardt, Sr.
- Morgan L. Amaimo, real estate broker and perennial candidate
- Ross Zimmerman Pierpont, surgeon
- Andrew J. Easter, perennial candidate
Results
Democratic Primary results[1] |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
|
Democratic |
George P. Mahoney |
148,446 |
30.21 |
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Democratic |
Carlton R. Sickles |
146,607 |
29.84 |
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Democratic |
Thomas B. Finan |
134,216 |
27.31 |
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Democratic |
Clarence W. Miles |
42,304 |
8.61 |
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Democratic |
Charles J. Ludhardt, Sr. |
7,336 |
1.49 |
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Democratic |
Morgan L. Amaimo |
6,048 |
1.23 |
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Democratic |
Ross Zimmerman Pierpont |
4,311 |
0.88 |
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Democratic |
Andrew J. Easter |
2,098 |
0.43 |
Total votes |
491,366 |
100.00 |
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
Republican primary results[2] |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
|
Republican |
Spiro Agnew |
98,531 |
83.16 |
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Republican |
Andrew John Groszer, Jr. |
9,987 |
8.43 |
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Republican |
John J. Harbaugh |
4,322 |
3.65 |
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Republican |
Henry J. Laque, Jr. |
3,365 |
2.84 |
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Republican |
Louis R. Milio |
2,277 |
1.92 |
Total votes |
118,482 |
100.00 |
General election
Campaign
Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate George P. Mahoney won the Democratic primary on a segregationist platform, which was possible due to the presence of several strong candidates. Mahoney's slogan, "Your home is your castle--protect it",[3] as well as his stance on many civil rights issues,[4] prompted Baltimore City Comptroller Hyman A. Pressman to enter the race as an independent candidate. Mahoney's controversial stances caused many in the Maryland Democratic Party to split their support between Agnew, which was possible due to his socially progressive views, and Pressman, which enabled Agnew to win the election with a plurality, taking 70% of the black vote.[5]
Results
Maryland gubernatorial election, 1966[6] |
Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
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Republican |
Spiro Agnew |
455,318 |
49.50% |
+5.15% |
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Democratic |
George P. Mahoney |
373,543 |
40.61% |
-15.03% |
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Independent |
Hyman A. Pressman |
90,899 |
9.88% |
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Write-ins |
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1 |
0.00% |
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Majority |
81,775 |
8.89% |
-2.39% |
Turnout |
919,761 |
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Republican gain from Democratic |
Swing |
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References