1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election

The 1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1947, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Fielding L. Wright, who had succeeded to the governorship a year prior following the death of Thomas L. Bailey, ran for election to a first full term. As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate won in a landslide so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election.

1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election

November 4, 1947

Nominee Fielding L. Wright George L. Sheldon Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 166,095 4,102 Percentage 97.59% 2.41%

County Results Wright:      90-100%

Governor before election Fielding L. Wright Democratic Elected Governor Fielding L. Wright Democratic

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Governor Fielding L. Wright defeated lawyer Paul B. Johnson Jr., the son of former Governor Paul B. Johnson Sr., and 3 other candidates. He received a majority (55%) of the vote, thereby eliminating the need for a runoff.

Results

Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1947[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fielding L. Wright	202,014	55.31
	Democratic	Paul B. Johnson Jr.	112,123	30.70
	Democratic	Jesse M. Byrd	37,997	10.40
	Democratic	Frank L. Jacobs	8,750	2.40
	Democratic	William L. Spinks	4,344	1.19
Total votes			365,228	100.00

General election

Campaign

In the general election, Wright ran against Republican George L. Sheldon, who served as Governor of Nebraska from 1907 until 1909. Sheldon moved to Mississippi after his service as governor and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, becoming an influential figure in the state Republican Party. However, the Republicans had such minimal influence in Mississippi at the time that Wright won in a landslide with almost 98% of the vote.

Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1947[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fielding L. Wright	166,095	97.59
	Republican	George L. Sheldon	4,102	2.41
Total votes			170,197	100.00
	Democratic hold

References

1. "MS Governor D Primary 1947". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
2. "MS Governor 1947". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 7, 2016.