1926 New York state election

The 1926 New York state election was held on November 2, 1926, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, a U.S. Senator, the chief judge^[1] and an associate judge^[2] of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. A referendum to repeal Prohibition was also proposed and accepted by a very large majority.

1926 New York gubernatorial election

← 1924 November 2, 1926 1928 →

Nominee Al Smith Ogden L. Mills Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,523,813 1,276,137 Percentage 53.30% 43.80%

County results Smith:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Mills:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Governor before election Al Smith Democratic Elected Governor Al Smith Democratic

History

The Prohibition state convention met on June 24 at 150 Fifth Avenue in New York City and nominated Charles E. Manierre for governor. The party had lost its automatic ballot access in 1922, had not run in 1924, and now needed to gather signatures and file a petition to go on the ballot.^[3]

The Republican state convention met on September 28 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, and nominated Ogden L. Mills for governor and re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator James W. Wadsworth, Jr.^[4]

The Democratic state convention met on September 28 at Syracuse, New York, and re-nominated Governor Al Smith.^[5]

Result

Almost the whole Democratic ticket was elected, only the Republican incumbent Attorney General Ottinger managed to stay in office.

The incumbents Smith and Ottinger were re-elected. The incumbents Lowman, Murphy and Wadsworth were defeated.

The Democratic, Republican and Socialist parties maintained automatic ballot access (necessary 25,000 votes for governor), the Prohibition and Socialist Labor Party did not re-attain it, and the Workers Party did not attain it.

1926 state election results

Office	Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		Independent Republican ticket		Socialist ticket		Prohibition ticket		Workers ticket		Socialist Labor ticket
Governor	Alfred E. Smith	1,523,813	Ogden L. Mills	1,276,137			Jacob Panken	83,481	Charles E. Manierre[6]	21,285	Benjamin Gitlow	5,507	Jeremiah D. Crowley[7]	3,553
Lieutenant Governor	Edwin Corning	1,398,856	Seymour Lowman	1,300,562			August Claessens	86,844	Ella L. McCarthy	17,303	Franklin P. Brill[8]	6,506	John E. DeLee[9]	4,587
Comptroller	Morris S. Tremaine	1,367,393	Vincent B. Murphy	1,294,251			Charles W. Noonan[10]	85,493	Neil D. Cranmer[11]	26,308	Juliet S. Poyntz	6,633	Lewis F. Alrutz[12]	4,848
Attorney General	Benjamin Stolz	1,342,627	Albert Ottinger	1,328,062			Hezekiah D. Wilcox[13]	81,800	David A. Howell	21,472	Belle Robbins	7,010	Simeon Bickwheat	4,372
Chief Judge	Benjamin N. Cardozo	2,590,356	Benjamin N. Cardozo				Darwin J. Meserole[14]	99,367					Milton Weinberger[15]	14,088
Judge of the Court of Appeals	Henry T. Kellogg	2,599,190	Henry T. Kellogg				William Karlin	100,412
U.S. Senator	Robert F. Wagner	1,321,463	James W. Wadsworth, Jr.	1,205,246	Franklin W. Cristman	231,906	Jessie W. Hughan	73,412	(none)[16]		William F. Dunne	6,444	Joseph Brandon[17]	4,342

Notes

1. to succeed Frank H. Hiscock who would reach the constitutional age limit at the end of the year
2. to succeed Chester B. McLaughlin who would reach the constitutional age limit at the end of the year
3. "Drys Name Ticket for State Election". The New York Times. June 25, 1926. (subscription required)
4. "58 Drys Balk at Senator; ...13 Votes Also Fail Mills". The New York Times. September 29, 1926. (subscription required)
5. "Syracuse Wheels Oiled; ... Smith's Fifth Nomination". The New York Times. September 29, 1926. (subscription required)
6. Charles E. Manierre, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1903; and for Chief Judge in 1913
7. Jeremiah D. Crowley, of Marcellus, ran also for State Engineer in 1910; for Lieutenant Governor in 1912, 1914 and 1920; and for Governor in 1916 and 1922
8. Franklin P. Brill, ran also in 1924
9. John E. DeLee, ran also for Comptroller in 1920; for Lieutenant Governor in 1922; and for Treasurer in 1924
10. Charles W. Noonan, of Schenectady, ran also for Comptroller in 1914 and 1916; for Treasurer in 1918; and for Secretary of State in 1920
11. Neil Dow Cranmer, ran also for Comptroller in 1914; and for Secretary of State in 1916
12. Lewis F. Alrutz, ran also for Attorney General in 1910; and for State Engineer in 1916
13. Hezekiah D. Wilcox, of Elmira, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1916, 1917 and 1921; and for Attorney General in 1918 and 1922
14. Darwin J. Meserole, ran also for Attorney General in 1920
15. Milton Weinberger, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1924
16. The Prohibition Party made no nomination for U.S. Senator, but campaigned for Cristman
17. Joseph Brandon, ran also for Attorney General in 1924

Sources

• Result (Prohibition only): Vote for Prohibition candidates at Prohibitionists.org
• Results NYT OFFICIAL PLURALITY FOR SMITH 247,478 (Subscription required)

Vote totals-New York Red Book 1927

See also

• New York gubernatorial elections
• New York state elections