1966 Maryland gubernatorial election

1966 Maryland gubernatorial election
	County results ; Agnew: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% Mahoney: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election; J. Millard Tawes; Democratic	Elected Governor ; Spiro Agnew; Republican

The 1966 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Democratic Governor J. Millard Tawes was unable to seek a third term in office. In the election to succeed him, George P. Mahoney, a controversial segregationist, emerged from the Democratic primary due to splintered support for the two major candidates. Baltimore County Executive Spiro Agnew, was nominated by the Republican Party as their gubernatorial candidate. Mahoney and Agnew squared off, along with independent candidate Hyman A. Pressman. Ultimately, Agnew was victorious over Mahoney, with Pressman a distant third. This year was the last time that the state of Maryland elected a Republican governor until 2002. Agnew was later nominated for Vice President by the Republican National Convention, per Richard Nixon's request, in 1968, an election he and Nixon won.

As of 2023^[update] this marks the last time the following Independent city and Counties have voted Republican in a gubernatorial election: Baltimore City, Montgomery, and Prince George’s.

Democratic primary

Candidates

George P. Mahoney, Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate
Carlton R. Sickles, U.S. Representative from Lanham (representing Maryland at-large)
Thomas B. Finan, Attorney General of Maryland
Clarence W. Miles, lawyer and community activist
Charles J. Luthardt, Sr.
Morgan L. Amaimo, real estate broker and perennial candidate
Ross Zimmerman Pierpont, surgeon
Andrew J. Easter, perennial candidate

Results

Democratic Primary results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George P. Mahoney	148,446	30.21
	Democratic	Carlton R. Sickles	146,607	29.84
	Democratic	Thomas B. Finan	134,216	27.31
	Democratic	Clarence W. Miles	42,304	8.61
	Democratic	Charles J. Ludhardt, Sr.	7,336	1.49
	Democratic	Morgan L. Amaimo	6,048	1.23
	Democratic	Ross Zimmerman Pierpont	4,311	0.88
	Democratic	Andrew J. Easter	2,098	0.43
Total votes			491,366	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Spiro Agnew, Baltimore County Executive
Andrew John Groszer, Jr.
John J. Harbaugh, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1964
Henry J. Laque, Jr., perennial candidate
Louis R. Milio, Maryland congressional candidate

Results

Republican primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Spiro Agnew	98,531	83.16
	Republican	Andrew John Groszer, Jr.	9,987	8.43
	Republican	John J. Harbaugh	4,322	3.65
	Republican	Henry J. Laque, Jr.	3,365	2.84
	Republican	Louis R. Milio	2,277	1.92
Total votes			118,482	100.00

General election

Campaign

Baltimore paving contractor and perennial candidate George P. Mahoney won the Democratic primary on a segregationist platform, which was possible due to the presence of several strong candidates. Mahoney's slogan, "Your home is your castle--protect it",^[3] as well as his stance on many civil rights issues,^[4] prompted Baltimore City Comptroller Hyman A. Pressman to enter the race as an independent candidate. Mahoney's controversial stances caused many in the Maryland Democratic Party to split their support between Agnew, which was possible due to his socially progressive views, and Pressman, which enabled Agnew to win the election with a plurality, taking 70% of the black vote.^[5]

Results

Maryland gubernatorial election, 1966^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Spiro Agnew	455,318	49.50%	+5.15%
	Democratic	George P. Mahoney	373,543	40.61%	−15.03%
	Independent	Hyman A. Pressman	90,899	9.88%
	Write-ins		1	0.00%
Majority			81,775	8.89%	−2.39%
Turnout			919,761
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing