1961 Texas Special Election for the Senate

[RBH]

Ok, some details.

There was 71 candidates for the first round. Including a candidate who died and six who withdrew too late to have their names removed.

The top finishers were John Tower and William Blakley. Future Speaker Jim Wright finished third. Texas Attorney General Will Wilson finished fourth. Maury Maverick Jr and Henry Gonzaled finished fifth and six.

Articles I found from the New York Times from that time mentioned that other candidates included three women, an African-American farmer, and Bing Crosby's father-in-law.

A Time article from 1961 had this to say about the top 6 candidates:

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The three county maps that I would love to either see, or make are

The map for the first round of the 1961 primary
The map for the second round of the 1961 primary
and the Map for the runoff of the 1948 Senate primary

[jimrtex]

Ok, some details.

There was 71 candidates for the first round. Including a candidate who died and six who withdrew too late to have their names removed.

The top finishers were John Tower and William Blakley. Future Speaker Jim Wright finished third. Texas Attorney General Will Wilson finished fourth. Maury Maverick Jr and Henry Gonzaled finished fifth and six.

Articles I found from the New York Times from that time mentioned that other candidates included three women, an African-American farmer, and Bing Crosby's father-in-law.

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Midwestern University - in Wichita Falls.
30.93% in special election.  50.58% in runoff.

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18.03% in special.  49.42% in runoff.

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Had completed his 3rd term.  Would become majority leader 16 years later, and Speaker 24 years later.  16.19% in special.

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11.53% in Special.

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9.92% in Special.  John Nance Garner had his father defeated because he supported FDR.

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9.23% in Special.  Would be elected to Congress in a special election that November, and serve for 38 years, when he was succeeded by his son.

The 7th place candidate received 0.42% of the vote.

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I have the county totals for the 1961 runoff, and the 1948 Democrat primary runoff.

[RBH]

I'd like to see the county totals for those elections. Although I understand if it would be pretty hard to post.

[jimrtex]

I may have messed some counties up, but overall the colors seem pretty consistent.

A Bigger Texas

[Rob]

Nice. It looks like LBJ ran well in the most Democratic areas (the map looks strangely similar to Bush/Dukakis 1988, actually).

I've always wanted to see the 1964 Senate map (Yarborough vs. Bush), so that would be awesome. I know how maddening a Texas county map can be, though.

[jimrtex]

Very much urban vs. rural, as Tower won big in Houston, Dallas, Tyler, Lubbock, Amarillo, El Paso and kept it close in places like San Angelo, Abilene, Wichita Falls, Austin, and Beaumont.  While Blakley was getting 65 and 70% in wide swaths of rural Texas.

A Bigger Texas

[minionofmidas]

Wow, hilarious map.

[jimrtex]

Wow, hilarious map.

Why is that?

[Democratic Hawk]

Tower always struck me as a guy who "didn't suffer fools" and that kind of resonates well with me

Dave

[minionofmidas]

Wow, hilarious map.

Why is that?

Oh, I dunno. Looks so red, yet it's for a Rep win. Puts me in mind of the Oklahoma of yore, I guess...

[jimrtex]

Oh, I dunno. Looks so red, yet it's for a Rep win. Puts me in mind of the Oklahoma of yore, I guess...

What I found striking was how limited the metropolitan areas were, and that Collin County was not only red, but deep red.

I'm doing a 1966 map, for when Tower ran for re-election the first time.

[jimrtex]

This is the Tower's first re-election.  He carries all large counties except Waco, Temple, Sherman, and Laredo.

A Bigger Texas

[Alcon]

Wikipedia won't load for me.  Is Waco in McClellan (sic?) and Laredo in Webb, or am I misremembering?

[Bacon King]

Any chance of seeing a map for the first round of 1961?

[jimrtex]

Wikipedia won't load for me.  Is Waco in McClellan (sic?) and Laredo in Webb, or am I misremembering?

McLennan, it is a rectangular county between Austin and Dallas.

I've added population indicators.  Does it help?

[jimrtex]

Any chance of seeing a map for the first round of 1961?

I don't have county election results for then (and I'm not sure I know how to display multiple candidates).  It is possible that Tower led in some counties in the special, that he lost in the runoff.

[jimrtex]

This is the Tower's first election in a presidential election year.  He not only carries the cities, he carries the towns as well.   In the more populous counties, the race is closer than in 1966.

McGovern doesn't help all that much.  This is also the last gubernatorial election held in a presidential election year, as the 1974 election was for a 4-year term.  Dolph Briscoe was the Democratic gubernatorial candidate after winning a 4-way race against Frances "Sissy" Farenthold, Ben Barnes, and incumbent Governor Preston Smith.

Population shifts since 1960 census:

Harris (Houston) 13 to 16%.
Dallas (Dallas) 10 to 12%
Travis (Austin) 2 to 3%
Jefferson (Beaumont-Port Arthur) 3 to 2%.
Bell (Temple-Killeen) Up to 1-2%.
Taylor (Abilene) Down to 0.5-1.0%.
Collin (Dallas suburban) Up to 0.5-1.0%
Denton (Denton-DFW suburban) Up to 0.5-1.0%
Brazos (Bryan-College Station-TAMU) Up to 0.5-1.0%.

A Bigger Texas

[minionofmidas]

Any chance of seeing a map for the first round of 1961?

I don't have county election results for then (and I'm not sure I know how to display multiple candidates).  It is possible that Tower led in some counties in the special, that he lost in the runoff.

Given his vast lead, it sounds almost certain that he did.

[jimrtex]

This was Tower's closest election, winning by 12,000 votes.  1978 was also when Bill Clements was elected governor, the first Republican governor in Texas.  The map is similar to 1961, except the Houston and Dallas areas have expanded into the suburbs.

The maps for governor and senator are surprisingly different given the statewide results:

Governor: Clements 1183K; Hill 1167K
Senate: Tower 1151K; Krueger 1139K

A Bigger Texas



A Bigger Texas

[E-Dawg]

I want to see the results, but the links won't work for me. Could you please repost the results?

[Sherrod Brown Shill]

I want to see the results, but the links won't work for me. Could you please repost the results?

[GlobeSoc]

I want to see the results, but the links won't work for me. Could you please repost the results?

[Badger]

I want to see the results, but the links won't work for me. Could you please repost the results?

[MT Treasurer]

Does anyone know why TX-SEN 1993 was such a blowout? An incumbent losing by a 2-1 margin is quite... rare.

[Dr. MB]

Does anyone know why TX-SEN 1993 was such a blowout? An incumbent losing by a 2-1 margin is quite... rare.

https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Bob-Krueger-reflects-on-the-mercurial-nature-of-12523347.php

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