1962 Georgia gubernatorial election
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Sanders: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Griffin: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The 1962 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1962.
Carl Sanders won the Democratic primary on September 12 with 58.07% of the vote, defeating former governor Marvin Griffin. At this time, Georgia was a one-party state, and the Democratic nomination was tantamount to victory. Sanders won the November general election without an opponent.
This election was notable for a number of reasons. First, it was the last Georgia gubernatorial election to date where the Republican Party did not field a candidate. Second, the primary election was the first that took place under a winner-take-all system, as the previously used County Unit System had been struck down by the US Supreme Court in Gray v. Sanders.[1] Finally, upon election, Carl Sanders became the youngest governor of a state at the time (aged 37) and the first governor from an urban area since the 1920s.[2] He beat former governor Marvin Griffin in the Democratic primary.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Marvin Griffin, former governor of Georgia (1955–59)
- Cecil L. Langham
- Hoke O'Kelley, perennial candidate
- Carl Sanders, state senator from Augusta and President pro tempore of the Georgia Senate
- Grace Wilkey Thomas, candidate for governor in 1954 and desegregationist[3]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Sanders | 494,978 | 58.07 |
| Marvin Griffin | 332,746 | 39.04 |
| Grace Wilkey Thomas | 12,579 | 1.48 |
| Hoke O'Kelley | 8,728 | 1.02 |
| Cecil L. Langham | 3,319 | 0.39 |
| Total | 852,350 | 100.00 |
| Source: [4] | ||
General election results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carl Sanders | 311,524 | 99.95% |  0.05 | |
| N/A | write-ins | 167 | 0.05% |  0.05 | |
| Total votes | 311,691 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
- ^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia: County Unit System". Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Carl Sanders (B. 1925)". Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "Top Orlando News, Weather, Sports, Entertainment". February 5, 1987.
- ^ State of Georgia. "Consolidated Vote, State Democratic Primary, Held September 12, 1962". Written at Atlanta, Georgia. In Virginia W. Atwell (ed.). Georgia's Official Register, 1961–1962 (PDF). Hapeville, Georgia: Longino & Porter. p. 1436. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - GA Governor Race - Nov 06, 1962".
