Democrats in position to gain three governorships in 31 elections
Returns incomplete in several states
New York (UP) –
Democrats appeared today to be in a position to make a net gain of three and possibly four governorships on the bests of trends indicated in still incomplete returns from yesterday’s election.
Before this election, 26 states had Republican governors; 22 had Democrats. A total of 31 governorships were at stake. In the 17 states where there was no contest, there are 10 Democratic governors and seven Republican.
Democrats were leading in these previously Republican states: Idaho, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio and Washington. Massachusetts seemed certain to elect a Democratic governor – Mayor Maurice J. Tobin of Boston who had a comfortable 44,000-vote lead over Horace T. Cahill.
GOP gains likely
The Republicans may pick up Indiana, North Dakota and Utah, from the Democrats.
There was a stiff battle in Delaware, where Republican incumbent Walter W. Bacon Jed Isaac J. McCollum by only 277 votes in a contest which probably will be decided by the soldier vote now being counted.
Definitely elected were Democratic governors in seven states – Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Republicans were elected in Connecticut, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Vermont. These results represented no change in the party that has been in power.
With heavy polling districts in Illinois still unreported, Republican incumbent Dwight H. Green led Chicago’s Kelly-backed Democrat, Thomas J. Courtney, by 24,000.
In Missouri, Democrat Phil M. Donnelly passed Jean Paul Bradshaw by approximately 15,000 votes in a seesaw battle.
Lausche ahead in Ohio
After a slow start, Cleveland’s Democratic Mayor Frank Lausche Gained steadily and finally edged past the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Mayor James Garfield Stewart of Cincinnati, by a slight count.
Still a tossup was the fiercely fought contest in Indiana where Republican Ralph F. Gates recaptured a slight lead over Senator Samuel D. Jackson.
The soldier vote loomed as the determining factor in Delaware where, with virtually the entire civilian vote counted, Republican Governor Walter W. Bacon held only a slender margin of 277 votes over Democratic Isaac J. McCollum. The soldier ballot will be counted immediately.
Wallgren leads Langlie
In Washington, Democratic Senator Mon C. Wallgren held a 20,000-vote margin over Republican incumbent Arthur B. Langlie.
In Utah, Democratic incumbent Herbert B. Maw trailed by 3,000 votes in a hard fight with J. Bracken Lee.
Conceded were Democratic victories for incumbents in Arizona, Rhode Island and Texas; in Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. Indicated was Democrat J. J. Dempsey’s reelection in New Mexico.
In the bag for Republican incumbents were Connecticut, Montana, Nebraska. Vermont and Iowa were definitely in the GOP camp. Prospects were good, also, for GOP incumbents in Wisconsin, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, and Michigan. North Dakota and New Hampshire, too, were regarded as safe.
7 GOP holdovers
The seven Republican holdovers were New York, New Jersey, Maine (September election), Pennsylvania, Kentucky, California and Oregon.
Previously sewed up for the Democrats were 10 states – Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Nevada.