Maine was won by incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas in a landslide over Republican U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. Johnson took 68.8% of the vote to Goldwater's 31.14%, a victory margin of 37.66 percentage points, and the strongest-ever performance by a Democrat in the state. Johnson became the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to carry this longstanding liberal Republican stronghold, and the first since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win the state with an outright majority. Even amidst a national Democratic landslide, Maine weighed-in in this election as more than 15 points to the left of the nation at-large.
Johnson carried Maine by a wide margin of 37.66%, making him the first Democratic candidate since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to carry the state, and the first since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win a majority (Wilson won the state in 1912 with only a plurality of 39.43%). Johnson was also the first Democrat to sweep all of Maine’s counties.[1] This is also the best Democratic performance in a presidential election in Maine to date.
This would prove the last occasion Waldo County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate until 1996,[a] and last when Hancock, Knox, and Lincoln Counties would support a Democratic Presidential nominee until Bill Clinton in 1992. Johnson's 80.14% in Androscoggin County is also the last time, as of 2020, that any candidate has broken 80% in any Maine county, and the only time that a Democrat has done so.
Ever since the Republican Party formed in 1854 to stop the spread of slavery into the territories, Maine and nearby Vermont had been rock-ribbed Republican, except during the split of 1912 when the Pine Tree State went to Woodrow Wilson with less than forty percent of the vote. As recently as 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower had won over seventy percent of the vote in the state for the GOP.
However, at the same time the GOP was turning its attention from the declining rural Yankee counties to the growing and traditionally Democratic Catholic vote,[4] along with the conservative Sun Belt whose growth was driven by air conditioning. This growth meant that activist Republicans centred in the traditionally Democratic, but by the 1960s, middle-class Sun Belt had become much more conservative than the majority of members in the historic Northeastern GOP stronghold.[5]
In contrast to New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Michigan, Goldwater did not write upper New England off from the beginning of his presidential campaign before Kennedy’s assassination.[8] However, Goldwater’s self-avowed extremism was such that he was the first Republican disendorsed by many newspapers in the region since the party was founded.[9] Polls never gave any doubt that Goldwater would lose Maine, despite considerable September campaigning by running mate Miller.[10]
^Nexon, David; ‘Asymmetry in the Political System: Occasional Activists in the Republican and Democratic Parties, 1956-1964’, The American Political Science Review, vol. 65, No. 3 (Sep., 1971), pp. 716-730
^Donaldson, Gary; Liberalism’s Last Hurrah: The Presidential Campaign of 1964; p. 190 ISBN1510702369
^Kabaservice, Geoffrey; Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party; p. 120 ISBN1511399031
^Andrew, John A.; The Other Side of the Sixties: Young Americans for Freedom and the Rise of Conservative Politics (Perspectives on the Sixties series) p. 274 ISBN0813524016
October 20, 2023
1964, united, states, presidential, election, maine, main, article, 1964, united, states, presidential, election, took, place, november, 1964, part, 1964, united, states, presidential, election, which, held, throughout, fifty, states, voters, chose, four, repr. Main article 1964 United States presidential election The 1964 United States presidential election in Maine took place on November 3 1964 as part of the 1964 United States presidential election which was held throughout all fifty states and D C Voters chose four representatives or electors to the Electoral College who voted for president and vice president 1964 United States presidential election in Maine 1960 November 3 1964 1968 Nominee Lyndon B Johnson Barry GoldwaterParty Democratic RepublicanHome state Texas ArizonaRunning mate Hubert Humphrey William E MillerElectoral vote 4 0Popular vote 262 264 118 701Percentage 68 80 31 14 County Results Johnson 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 President before electionLyndon JohnsonDemocratic Elected President Lyndon JohnsonDemocraticMaine was won by incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B Johnson of Texas in a landslide over Republican U S Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona Johnson took 68 8 of the vote to Goldwater s 31 14 a victory margin of 37 66 percentage points and the strongest ever performance by a Democrat in the state Johnson became the first Democrat since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to carry this longstanding liberal Republican stronghold and the first since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win the state with an outright majority Even amidst a national Democratic landslide Maine weighed in in this election as more than 15 points to the left of the nation at large Johnson carried Maine by a wide margin of 37 66 making him the first Democratic candidate since Woodrow Wilson in 1912 to carry the state and the first since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to win a majority Wilson won the state in 1912 with only a plurality of 39 43 Johnson was also the first Democrat to sweep all of Maine s counties 1 This is also the best Democratic performance in a presidential election in Maine to date He was the first Democrat to carry Somerset County since Martin Van Buren in 1836 1 the first since Pierce to carry the counties of Franklin Oxford Penobscot and Piscataquis and the first since Winfield S Hancock in 1880 to carry Aroostook County 2 Populous Cumberland County along with Lincoln County had last voted Democratic for Woodrow Wilson in 1912 while the counties of Hancock Knox and Waldo had last supported a Democrat when giving Wilson a plurality in 1916 2 This would prove the last occasion Waldo County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate until 1996 a and last when Hancock Knox and Lincoln Counties would support a Democratic Presidential nominee until Bill Clinton in 1992 Johnson s 80 14 in Androscoggin County is also the last time as of 2020 that any candidate has broken 80 in any Maine county and the only time that a Democrat has done so Contents 1 Results 1 1 Results by county 2 Analysis 3 See also 4 Notes 5 ReferencesResults Edit1964 United States presidential election in Maine 3 Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votesDemocratic inc Lyndon B Johnson 262 264 68 80 4Republican Barry Goldwater 118 701 31 14 0Write ins Write ins 256 0 07 0Totals 381 221 100 00 4Voter Turnout Voting age Registered 65 73 Results by county Edit County Lyndon Baines JohnsonDemocratic Barry Morris GoldwaterRepublican Various CandidatesWrite ins Margin Total votes cast Androscoggin 30 080 80 14 7 441 19 82 14 0 04 22 639 60 31 37 535Aroostook 17 552 63 71 9 994 36 28 3 0 01 7 558 27 43 27 549Cumberland 50 844 69 39 22 365 30 52 63 0 09 28 479 38 87 73 272Franklin 5 784 66 69 2 887 33 29 2 0 02 2 897 33 40 8 673Hancock 7 415 53 98 6 304 45 89 18 0 13 1 111 8 09 13 737Kennebec 24 813 68 65 11 307 31 28 23 0 06 13 506 37 37 36 143Knox 7 022 61 43 4 404 38 53 4 0 03 2 618 22 90 11 430Lincoln 5 099 56 07 3 984 43 81 11 0 12 1 115 12 26 9 094Oxford 13 616 71 76 5 340 28 14 19 0 10 8 276 43 62 18 975Penobscot 28 766 66 54 14 449 33 42 17 0 04 14 317 33 12 43 232Piscataquis 4 781 65 84 2 473 34 06 7 0 10 2 308 31 79 7 261Sagadahoc 7 006 71 93 2 733 28 06 1 0 01 4 273 43 87 9 740Somerset 10 694 70 11 4 541 29 77 18 0 12 6 153 40 34 15 253Waldo 5 397 61 87 3 324 38 11 2 0 02 2 073 23 76 8 723Washington 9 312 70 88 3 816 29 05 9 0 07 5 496 41 84 13 137York 34 083 71 80 13 339 28 10 45 0 09 20 744 43 70 47 467Totals 262 264 68 80 118 701 31 14 256 0 07 143 563 37 66 381 221Analysis EditEver since the Republican Party formed in 1854 to stop the spread of slavery into the territories Maine and nearby Vermont had been rock ribbed Republican except during the split of 1912 when the Pine Tree State went to Woodrow Wilson with less than forty percent of the vote As recently as 1956 Dwight D Eisenhower had won over seventy percent of the vote in the state for the GOP However at the same time the GOP was turning its attention from the declining rural Yankee counties to the growing and traditionally Democratic Catholic vote 4 along with the conservative Sun Belt whose growth was driven by air conditioning This growth meant that activist Republicans centred in the traditionally Democratic but by the 1960s middle class Sun Belt had become much more conservative than the majority of members in the historic Northeastern GOP stronghold 5 The consequence of this was that a bitterly divided Grand Old Party was able to nominate the staunchly conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona who ran with the equally conservative Republican National Committee chair Congressman William E Miller of New York The staunch conservative Goldwater was widely seen in the liberal Northeastern United States as a right wing extremist 6 he had voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Johnson campaign portrayed him as a warmonger who as president would provoke a nuclear war 7 In contrast to New York Pennsylvania New Jersey Massachusetts Connecticut Rhode Island and Michigan Goldwater did not write upper New England off from the beginning of his presidential campaign before Kennedy s assassination 8 However Goldwater s self avowed extremism was such that he was the first Republican disendorsed by many newspapers in the region since the party was founded 9 Polls never gave any doubt that Goldwater would lose Maine despite considerable September campaigning by running mate Miller 10 See also EditUnited States presidential elections in MaineNotes Edit Waldo County did give a plurality to Independent H Ross Perot in 1992 References Edit a b Menendez Albert J The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States 1868 2004 p 90 ISBN 0786422173 a b Menendez The Geography of Presidential Elections in America pp 218 219 1964 Presidential General Election Results Maine Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections Retrieved February 7 2013 Phillips Kevin The Emerging Republican Majority pp 55 60 ISBN 978 0 691 16324 6 Nexon David Asymmetry in the Political System Occasional Activists in the Republican and Democratic Parties 1956 1964 The American Political Science Review vol 65 No 3 Sep 1971 pp 716 730 Donaldson Gary Liberalism s Last Hurrah The Presidential Campaign of 1964 p 190 ISBN 1510702369 Edwards Lee and Schlafly Phyllis Goldwater The Man Who Made a Revolution pp 286 290 ISBN 162157458X Kelley Stanley junior The Goldwater Strategy The Princeton Review pp 8 11 Kabaservice Geoffrey Rule and Ruin The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party From Eisenhower to the Tea Party p 120 ISBN 1511399031 Andrew John A The Other Side of the Sixties Young Americans for Freedom and the Rise of Conservative Politics Perspectives on the Sixties series p 274 ISBN 0813524016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1964 United States presidential election in Maine amp oldid 1174027464, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
