1958 Wyoming gubernatorial election

The 1958 Wyoming gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1958. Incumbent Republican Governor Milward Simpson ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged by John J. Hickey, the former U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming and the Democratic nominee. Following a close campaign, Hickey narrowly defeated Simpson for re-election, winning just a narrow plurality because of a third-party candidate in the race. In an irony, just four years later, in the 1962 special U.S. Senate election, Simpson would defeat Hickey, avenging his loss in the gubernatorial election. To date, this is the last time an incumbent Governor of Wyoming lost re-election.

1958 Wyoming gubernatorial election

← 1954 November 4, 1958 1962 →

Nominee John J. Hickey Milward Simpson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 55,070 52,488 Percentage 48.94% 46.64%

County results Hickey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Simpson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election Milward Simpson Republican Elected Governor John J. Hickey Democratic

Campaign

Louis W. Carlson ran a campaign around legalizing gambling. Simpson attributed him defeat to his failure to win the traditional Republican Sheridan County. Voters in Sheridan County were displeased with Interstate 90 going from Gillette to Buffalo rather than between Gillette and Sheridan.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John J. Hickey, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming

Results

Democratic primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John J. Hickey	33,027	100.00%
Total votes			33,027	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Milward Simpson, incumbent Governor
• Stanley Edwards, former state civil defense director, former deputy state adjutant general^[3]

Results

Republican primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Milward Simpson (inc.)	28,749	77.61%
	Republican	Stanley Edwards	8,294	22.39%
Total votes			37,043	100.00%

Results

1958 Wyoming gubernatorial election^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John J. Hickey	55,070	48.94%	−0.57%
	Republican	Milward Simpson (inc.)	52,488	46.64%	−3.86%
	Economy	Louis W. Carlson	4,979	4.42%	−
Majority			2,582	2.29%	+1.30%
Turnout			112.537
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. Trachsel 1959, p. 364.
2. Gage, Jack R. (1959). 1959 Wyoming Official Directory and 1958 Election Returns. pp. 54–56.
3. "Primary Interest Picking Up, Says Stanley Edwards". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo. August 17, 1958. p. 2.

Works cited

• Trachsel, Herman (1959). "The 1958 Election in Wyoming". The Western Political Quarterly. 12 (1). University of Utah: 363–66. doi:10.2307/444064. JSTOR 444064.