1950 New Mexico gubernatorial election
November 7, 1950
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County results Mechem: 50–60% 60–70% Miles: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Mexico |
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The 1950 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1950, in order to elect the Governor of New Mexico. Incumbent Democrat Thomas J. Mabry was term-limited, and could not run for a third consecutive term. David Chávez unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination.
Republican Edwin L. Mechem comfortably won the election, defeating former Democratic governor John E. Miles. Mechem, who is the nephew of former governor Merritt C. Mechem, became the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in New Mexico since 1928, the first governor of the state to be born after New Mexican Statehood, and would later become only the second Republican governor to be elected twice, in 1952.
This was the first gubernatorial election ever in which Roosevelt County backed a Republican. Additionally, Grant County and Otero County voted Republican for the first time since 1920. No Republican candidate would carry the former again until 2014. Doña Ana County also voted Republican for the first time since 1928.
Primary election
Democratic primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John E. Miles | 42,237 | 41.06% | |
| Democratic | David Chávez | 32,955 | 32.04% | |
| Democratic | Lake J. Frazier | 21,376 | 20.78% | |
| Democratic | Ingram B. Pickett | 6,295 | 6.12% | |
| Total votes | 102,863 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Edwin L. Mechem | 96,846 | 53.74% | +8.46% | |
| Democratic | John E. Miles | 83,359 | 46.26% | −8.46% | |
| Majority | 13,487 | 7.48% | |||
| Total votes | 180,205 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +16.93% | |||
Results by county
| County | Edwin L. Mechem Republican |
John E. Miles Democratic |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Bernalillo | 22,241 | 61.91% | 13,682 | 38.09% | 8,559 | 23.83% | 35,923 |
| Catron | 588 | 51.17% | 561 | 48.83% | 27 | 2.35% | 1,149 |
| Chaves | 4,589 | 60.97% | 2,938 | 39.03% | 1,651 | 21.93% | 7,527 |
| Colfax | 3,261 | 53.77% | 2,804 | 46.23% | 457 | 7.54% | 6,065 |
| Curry | 3,169 | 49.93% | 3,178 | 50.07% | -9 | -0.14% | 6,347 |
| De Baca | 628 | 49.06% | 652 | 50.94% | -24 | -1.88% | 1,280 |
| Doña Ana | 5,679 | 63.21% | 3,305 | 36.79% | 2,374 | 26.42% | 8,984 |
| Eddy | 3,622 | 40.83% | 5,250 | 59.17% | -1,628 | -18.35% | 8,872 |
| Grant | 3,249 | 54.91% | 2,668 | 45.09% | 581 | 9.82% | 5,917 |
| Guadalupe | 1,401 | 49.93% | 1,405 | 50.07% | -4 | -0.14% | 2,806 |
| Harding | 701 | 58.56% | 496 | 41.44% | 205 | 17.13% | 1,197 |
| Hidalgo | 415 | 38.60% | 660 | 61.40% | -245 | -22.79% | 1,075 |
| Lea | 1,974 | 43.34% | 2,581 | 56.66% | -607 | -13.33% | 4,555 |
| Lincoln | 1,546 | 55.75% | 1,227 | 44.25% | 319 | 11.50% | 2,773 |
| Los Alamos | 1,343 | 68.45% | 619 | 31.55% | 724 | 36.90% | 1,962 |
| Luna | 1,261 | 48.50% | 1,339 | 51.50% | -78 | -3.00% | 2,600 |
| McKinley | 1,166 | 34.35% | 2,228 | 65.65% | -1,062 | -31.29% | 3,394 |
| Mora | 1,789 | 53.18% | 1,575 | 46.82% | 214 | 6.36% | 3,364 |
| Otero | 1,586 | 50.85% | 1,533 | 49.15% | 53 | 1.70% | 3,119 |
| Quay | 1,961 | 47.48% | 2,169 | 52.52% | -208 | -5.04% | 4,130 |
| Rio Arriba | 4,108 | 47.66% | 4,512 | 52.34% | -404 | -4.69% | 8,620 |
| Roosevelt | 2,081 | 54.56% | 1,733 | 45.44% | 348 | 9.12% | 3,814 |
| San Juan | 2,177 | 62.02% | 1,333 | 37.98% | 844 | 24.05% | 3,510 |
| San Miguel | 4,536 | 49.92% | 4,551 | 50.08% | -15 | -0.17% | 9,087 |
| Sandoval | 1,502 | 48.30% | 1,608 | 51.70% | -106 | -3.41% | 3,110 |
| Santa Fe | 7,110 | 51.31% | 6,747 | 48.69% | 363 | 2.62% | 13,857 |
| Sierra | 1,778 | 58.22% | 1,276 | 41.78% | 502 | 16.44% | 3,054 |
| Socorro | 1,854 | 49.35% | 1,903 | 50.65% | -49 | -1.30% | 3,757 |
| Taos | 2,598 | 46.50% | 2,989 | 53.50% | -391 | -7.00% | 5,587 |
| Torrance | 1,877 | 56.55% | 1,442 | 43.45% | 435 | 13.11% | 3,319 |
| Union | 1,629 | 57.89% | 1,185 | 42.11% | 444 | 15.78% | 2,814 |
| Valencia | 3,427 | 51.63% | 3,210 | 48.37% | 217 | 3.27% | 6,637 |
| Total | 96,846 | 53.74% | 83,359 | 46.26% | 13,487 | 7.48% | 180,205 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
References
- ^ "NM Governor - D Primary Race - Jun 06, 1950". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ New Mexico Secretary of State. New Mexico Election Returns 1911-1969. Santa Fe, New Mexico.