1962 Georgia gubernatorial election

1962 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial primary

← 1958 September 12, 1962 1966 →

Nominee Carl Sanders Marvin Griffin Party Democratic Democratic Popular vote 494,978 332,746 Percentage 58.07% 39.04%

County results Sanders:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Griffin:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%

Governor before election Ernest Vandiver Democratic Elected Governor Carl Sanders Democratic

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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[]

General election results[]

1962 Georgia gubernatorial election^[5]

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%

References[]