Washington gubernatorial election, 1952

Washington gubernatorial election, 1952

November 4, 1952

Nominee Arthur B. Langlie Hugh Mitchell Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 567,822 510,675 Percentage 52.65 47.35

County results

Governor before election Arthur B. Langlie Republican Elected Governor Arthur B. Langlie Republican

The Washington gubernatorial election of 1952 took place on November 4, 1952, between incumbent governor Arthur B. Langlie of the Republican Party and U.S. Representative Hugh Mitchell of the Democratic Party. Langlie won the general election, becoming the first Washington state governor to be elected to a third term.

Primary election

Democratic U.S. Congressman Hugh Mitchell announced his candidacy for governor on March 22, seeking to fix an administration that was "falling apart at the seams".^[1] By May, Mitchell was joined by state senator Albert D. Rosellini of Seattle, State Treasurer Tom Martin, Speaker of the House Charles W. Hodde, and Charles C. Ralls in what The Seattle Times described as a "hard-to-predict contest" for the Democratic nomination.^[2][3] During various debates, Rosellini denounced Mitchell as a "left-winger", leaving doubts amidst the anti-communist wave of the era.^[4] Mitchell ultimately won the primary by a margin of 30,000 votes

Incumbent Governor Arthur B. Langlie, who had been elected to two non-consecutive terms in 1940 and 1948, filed his intention to run for a third term on July 17 after returning from the 1952 Republican National Convention.^[5][6] Dr. John E. Lydon, a Seattle sanipractor, was the only Republican to run against Langlie and was not considered a serious contender for the party nomination.^[7]

Candidates

Democratic Party

• Charles W. Hodde, Speaker of the State House
• Tom Martin, State Treasurer
• Hugh Mitchell, U.S. Representative from the 1st district
• Charles C. Ralls
• Albert D. Rosellini, State Senator from South Seattle and Majority Leader in the State Senate

Republican Party

• Arthur B. Langlie, incumbent Governor
• John E. Lydon

Primary election results

Governor of Washington primary election, September 9, 1952^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Arthur B. Langlie (Incumbent)	245,560	34.91
	Democratic	Hugh Mitchell	168,844	24.01
	Democratic	Albert D. Rosellini	137,889	19.60
	Democratic	Charles W. Hodde	59,688	8.49
	Democratic	Tom Martin	48,327	6.87
	Democratic	Charles C. Ralls	22,221	3.16
	Republican	John E. Lydon	20,830	2.96

General election

General election results

Governor of Washington general election, November 4, 1952^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Arthur B. Langlie (Incumbent)	567,822	52.65
	Democratic	Hugh Mitchell	510,675	47.35

References

1. Cunningham, Ross (March 23, 1952). "Congressman Mitchell Announces Candidacy For State Governorship". The Seattle Times. p. 22.
2. Cunningham, Ross (August 7, 1952). "Mitchell and Hodde Seen in Lead of Demo Gubernatorial Contest". The Seattle Times. p. 3.
3. Cunningham, Ross (May 14, 1952). "Demos Face Major Decisions in Spokane". The Seattle Times. p. 9.
4. Oldham, Kit (January 11, 2004). "Langlie, Arthur B. (1900-1966)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
5. "Gov. Langlie Files For Another Term". The Seattle Times. July 17, 1952. p. 1.
6. "Langlie Sees Party Rebirth". The Seattle Times. July 15, 1952. p. 10.
7. Cunningham, Ross (July 18, 1952). "Pelly, Mrs. Tourtellotte In Congress Race". The Seattle Times. p. 5.
8. "Elections Search Results: November 1952 General and September 1952 Primary". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved November 14, 2016.