1956 Minnesota gubernatorial election
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November 6, 1956
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 County results Freeman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Nelsen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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The 1956 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1956. Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate Orville Freeman defeated Republican Party of Minnesota challenger Ancher Nelsen.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary
[edit]Freeman was renominated.
Candidates
[edit]Nominated
[edit]- Orville Freeman, incumbent
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Thomas P. Duffy, electrician
- Francis P. McGrath, softwater conditioning business owner
- Mamie Norby, teacher
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Orville Freeman | 269,740 | 89.50% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Francis P. McGrath | 13,910 | 4.62% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Thomas P. Duffy | 12,851 | 4.26% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Mamie Norby | 4,876 | 1.62% | |
| Total votes | 301,377 | 100% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Nelsen was nominated.
Candidates
[edit]Nominated
[edit]- Ancher Nelsen, former lieutenant governor
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Paul Indykiewicz, welder
- Walt Warner, salesman
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ancher Nelsen | 283,844 | 94.40% | |
| Republican | Walt Warner | 12,195 | 4.06% | |
| Republican | Paul Indykiewicz | 4,654 | 1.55% | |
| Total votes | 300,693 | 100% | ||
General election
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Orville Freeman, incumbent (DFL)
- Rudolph Gustafson, plumber (Industrial Government)
- Ancher Nelsen, former lieutenant governor (Republican)
Endorsements
[edit]Statewide officials
- Hjalmar Petersen, former governor[3]
Executive branch officials
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, incumbent president[4]
Campaigns
[edit]During his campaign, Nelsen visited a hospital in Hastings, Minnesota. He described the conditions as "shocking", and questioned Freeman's claimed successes in healthcare. Nelsen invited Freeman to join him in visiting hospitals around the state, "to determine the facts."[5] Nelsen was the first gubernatorial candidate to appear on television during his campaign.[6]
Freeman argued that a four-year term would be preferable for governor, opposed to the current two-year terms. Freeman believed that two years was not a sufficient amount of time for programs to be fully implemented and given a fair chance.[7]
Prior to official results, Nelsen was expected to win the election.[4]
Debates
[edit]This was the first gubernatorial election in Minnesota in which debates were held.
| No. | Date | Host | Republican | DFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Non-invitee I Invitee W Withdrawn |
||||
| Ancher Nelsen | Orville Freeman | |||
| 1 | November 2, 1956 | Mount Olivet Lutheran Church[8] | P | P |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Orville Freeman (incumbent) | 731,180 | 51.41% | −1.31% | |
| Republican | Ancher Nelsen | 685,196 | 48.18% | +1.38% | |
| Industrial Government | Rudolph Gustafson | 5,785 | 0.41% | −0.07% | |
| Majority | 45,984 | 3.23% | |||
| Turnout | 1,422,161 | ||||
| Democratic (DFL) hold | Swing | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Governor, 1956 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- ↑ "Governor, 1956 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- ↑ "Freeman Gets Petersen Nod". St. Paul Pioneer Press. May 12, 1956.
- 1 2 "Voters Swing to Ancher Nelsen". St. Paul Pioneer Press. November 5, 1956.
- ↑ "Nelsen Urges Hospital Probe". St. Paul Pioneer Press. October 31, 1956.
- ↑ "NELSEN ON TV". St. Paul Pioneer Press. September 8, 1956.
- ↑ "Freeman Backs 4-Year Term". St. Paul Pioneer Press. October 31, 1956.
- ↑ "Freeman And Nelsen Hold Debate". St. Paul Pioneer Press. November 3, 1956.
