1954 Michigan gubernatorial election
November 2, 1954
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County results Williams: 50–60% 60–70% Leonard: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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The 1954 Michigan gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1954, to elect the governor of Michigan.
Primaries
The primary elections occurred on August 3, 1954.[1]
Democratic primary
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | G. Mennen Williams (incumbent) | 426,660 | 99.99 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 20 | 0.01 | |
| Total votes | 426,680 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- D. Hale Brake, Michigan state treasurer (1943–1954); state senator from Michigan's 25th Senate district (1935–1942)
- Owen J. Cleary, Michigan secretary of state (1953–1954) and former chair of the state Republican party (1949–1953)
- Eugene C. Keyes, former lieutenant governor (1943–1945 and 1947–1949)
- Donald S. Leonard, former chief of the Detroit Police Department (1952–1954), Michigan Civil Defense director (during World War II), and Michigan State Police commissioner (1947–1951).[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald S. Leonard | 188,054 | 40.25 | |
| Republican | D. Hale Brake | 112,797 | 24.14 | |
| Republican | Owen J. Cleary | 95,825 | 20.51 | |
| Republican | Eugene C. Keyes | 70,569 | 15.10 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 19 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 467,264 | 100.00 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | G. Mennen Williams (incumbent) | 1,216,308 | 55.61 | |
| Republican | Donald S. Leonard | 963,300 | 44.05 | |
| Prohibition | E. Harold Munn, Sr. | 5,824 | 0.27 | |
| Other | Write-ins | 1,595 | 0.07 | |
| Total votes | 2,187,027 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ a b c Michigan (1957). Michigan manual. 1955-56 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "Donald S. Leonard Papers, 1925-1966 - University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Finding Aids". findingaids.lib.umich.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MI Governor Race - Nov 02, 1954". Retrieved June 26, 2016.
External links