1940 Montana gubernatorial election

1940 Montana gubernatorial election
Turnout	81.50%1.70
	County results; Ford: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; Ayers: 40–50% 50–60%
Governor before election; Roy E. Ayers; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Sam C. Ford; Republican

The 1940 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent governor of Montana Roy E. Ayers, who was first elected governor in 1936, ran for re-election. He narrowly won the Democratic primary by just over a thousand votes to win renomination, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Sam C. Ford, a former Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court and the Republican nominee. Ultimately, in spite of the fact that then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt comfortably won the state in that year's presidential election, Ford narrowly defeated Ayers to win his first of two terms as governor.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Roy E. Ayers, incumbent governor of Montana
Arthur F. Lamey, former chairman of the Montana Democratic Party, former Hill County Attorney
A. E. Kathan

Results

Democratic Party primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roy E. Ayers (incumbent)	40,268	38.23
	Democratic	Arthur F. Lamey	39,010	37.04
	Democratic	A. E. Kathan	26,041	24.73
Total votes			105,319	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Sam C. Ford, former Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Charles A. Hauswirth, Mayor of Butte
Julius J. Wuerthner, former Mayor of Great Falls
T. S. Stockdahl
Martin P. Moe, former Secretary of the Montana Education Association
John H. Leuthold

Results

Republican Primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sam C. Ford	16,335	32.90
	Republican	Charles A. Hauswirth	14,397	29.00
	Republican	Julius J. Wuerthner	8,685	17.49
	Republican	T. S. Stockdahl	5,439	10.95
	Republican	Martin P. Moe	3,994	8.04
	Republican	John H. Leuthold	802	1.62
Total votes			49,652	100.00

General election

Results

Montana gubernatorial election, 1940^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sam C. Ford	124,435	50.67%	+2.55%
	Democratic	Roy E. Ayers (incumbent)	119,453	48.64%	−2.31%
	Communist	Arvo Fredrickson	1,713	0.70%	+0.53%
Majority			4,982	2.03%	−0.80%
Turnout			245,601
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

References

^ "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, July 16, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
^ "Official Montana General Election Returns, November 5, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2014.

[1] "Montana Voter Turnout". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved May 26, 2022.

[Primary_election_results-2] "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, July 16, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2014.

[3] "Official Montana General Election Returns, November 5, 1940" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2014.

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