Alabama gubernatorial election, 1970

Alabama gubernatorial election, 1970
Alabama
November 3, 1970
 
Nominee George Wallace John L. Cashin, Jr. A.C. Walker
Party Democratic NDPA Independent
Popular vote 637,046 125,49 75,679
Percentage 74.51% 14.68% 8.85%

Governor before election

Albert Brewer
Democratic

 Elected
Governor

George Wallace
Democratic

The Alabama gubernatorial election of 1970 was marked by a competitive Democratic primary battle between incumbent moderate Governor Albert Brewer and segregationist former Governor and 1968 independent presidential candidate George Wallace.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Despite Wallace's popularity, Brewer was seen as an early front-runner. Brewer, who had been elected Lieutenant Governor in 1966, had become Governor after the death of Governor Lurleen Wallace, George's wife. A moderate, he became the first gubernatorial candidate since Reconstruction to openly court black voters.[1] Brewer, hoping to build a broad alliance between blacks and white working class voters, unveiled a progressive platform and accused Wallace of spending too much time outside the state, saying "Alabama needs a full-time governor.".[2]

Republican President Richard Nixon endorsed Brewer in order to break Wallace's political career and secure Deep South votes for himself in the next presidential election (which could be carried again by Wallace, if he were to run again).

Wallace, whose presidential ambitions would have been destroyed with a defeat, ran a very aggressive and dirty campaign using racist rhetoric while proposing few ideas of his own.[3] The Wallace campaign aired TV ads with slogans such as "Do you want the black block electing your governor?" and circulated an ad showing a white girl surrounded by seven black boys, with the slogan "Wake Up Alabama! Blacks vow to take over Alabama."[4] Wallace called Brewer a sissy[5] and promised not to run for president a third time.[6]

Primary results

Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Albert Brewer 428,146 41.98
Democratic George Wallace 416,443 40.84
Democratic Charles Woods 149,987 14.71
Democratic Asa Carter 15,441 1.51
Democratic Jim Folsom 4,123 0.40
Democratic Coleman Brown 2,836 0.28
Democratic Shorty Price 2,804 0.28
Total votes 1,019,780 100

Runoff

Despite Brewer's victory in the primary, he failed to win a majority and was forced into a runoff with Wallace.

Democratic runoff results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George Wallace 559,832 51.56
Democratic Albert Brewer 525,951 48.44
Total votes 1,085,783 100

General election

At the time, the Democratic primary in Alabama was regarded as more important than the general election, as Alabama was in fact one-party state. Because of this, Wallace easily won the general election. The Republican Party did not field a candidate.

Alabama gubernatorial election, 1970
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic George Wallace 637,046 74.51
NDPA John L. Cashin, Jr. 125,491 14.68
Independent A.C. Walker 75,679 8.85
Prohibition Jerome B. Couch 9,705 1.14
Independent Menter G. Walker 3,534 0.41
Whig John Watts 3,497 0.41
Total votes 854,952 100
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rogers, William Warren, et al. Alabama: The History of a Deep South State. Tuscaloosa; The University of Alabama Press, 1994, 576.
  2. ↑ http://www.steveflowers.us/columns/101205.htm Flowers, Steve, "Steve Flowers Inside the Statehouse", October 12, 2005
  3. ↑ Warren, 576
  4. ↑ http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060305/wallace.shtml Rawls, Phillip, "Book Rates George Wallace's '70 campaign as the nastiest", Decatur Daily, March 5, 2006
  5. ↑ Rawls, March 5, 2005
  6. ↑ Flowers, 2005
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