# 1940 Washington gubernatorial election

Elections in Washington :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1889
1891
1893
1895 sp
1897
1899
1903
1905
1909
1911
1914
1916
1920
1922
1928
1934
1940
1946
1952
1956
1958
1962
1964
1968
1970
1974
1976
1980
1982
1983 sp
1986
1988
1992
1994
1998
2000
2004
2006
2010
2012
2016
2018
2022
2024
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1889
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1909
2nd sp
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1923
5th sp
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1947
3rd sp
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
3rd sp
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1975
3rd sp
1976
1977
7th sp
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
1st sp
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026 :
State government
General elections
2004
2008
2010
2012
2016
2020
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1889
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2020
2024
Secretary of State elections
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2022 sp
2024
Attorney General elections
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
State Treasurer elections
2024
State Auditor elections
2024
Commissioner of Public Lands elections
2024
State Senate elections
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2013
26th sp
2014
2016
2017
45th sp
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2006
2008
2010
21st
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Supreme Court elections
2004
2006
2008
2012 :
Ballot measures
1972
276
2004
872
2006
920
933
937
4223
2007
67
2008
1000
2009
71
2012
74
502
1185
1240
2016
732
2018
1631
1639
2019
976
2024
2066
2109
2117
2124 :
Seattle
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025
City Attorney elections
2021
City Council elections
2019
2021
3rd recall
2023
Ballot measures
Sound Transit 3 :
Spokane
Mayoral elections
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
vte :
The 1940 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Republican nominee Arthur B. Langlie narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Clarence Dill with 50.24% of the vote. Langlie's 0.74% margin of victory is the third-closest in state history. This is the only gubernatorial election in Washington in which King County has voted for the losing candidate.

## Primary election

The primary election was held on September 10, 1940. At the time, Washington used a blanket primary for nominations, with all candidates appearing on the same ballot and the highest candidate for each party being nominated. Incumbent governor Clarence D. Martin lost the Democratic nomination.

### Candidates

* Frank Burns (R)
* Clarence Dill (D), former United States Senator
* Alexander Gabrielsen (D)
* George H. Gannon (D)
* J. Warren Kinney (R)
* Arthur B. Langlie (R), incumbent Mayor of Seattle
* George Dana Linn (R)
* Clarence D. Martin (D), incumbent Governor
* Marius Rasmussen (R)
* Tom Smith (D)

### Results

Blanket primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Clarence Dill | 186,008 | 34.63% |
| | Republican | Arthur B. Langlie | 160,551 | 29.89% |
| | Democratic | Clarence D. Martin (incumbent) | 114,484 | 21.31% |
| | Democratic | Tom Smith | 26,572 | 4.95% |
| | Democratic | George H. Gannon | 24,299 | 4.52% |
| | Republican | Frank Burns | 12,967 | 2.41% |
| | Republican | J. Warren Kinney | 6,134 | 1.14% |
| | Republican | Alexander Gabrielsen | 2,647 | 0.49% |
| | Republican | Marius Rasmussen | 1,932 | 0.36% |
| | Republican | George Dana Linn | 1,597 | 0.30% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 537,191 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

Major party candidates
* Arthur B. Langlie, Republican
* Clarence Dill, Democratic
Other candidates
* John Brockway, Communist
* P. J. Ater, Socialist Labor

### Results

1940 Washington gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Arthur B. Langlie | 392,522 | 50.24% | +22.12% |
| | Democratic | Clarence Dill | 386,706 | 49.49% | −19.87% |
| | Communist | John Brockway | 1,674 | 0.21% | −0.07% |
| | Socialist Labor | P. J. Ater | 426 | 0.06% | −0.01% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,816 | 0.74% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 781,328 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +41.99% | |

### Results by county

| County | Arthur B. Langlie Republican | Arthur B. Langlie Republican | Clarence Dill Democratic | Clarence Dill Democratic | John Brockway Communist | John Brockway Communist | P. J. Ater Socialist Labor | P. J. Ater Socialist Labor | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 1,858 | 64.25% | 1,034 | 35.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 824 | 28.49% | 2,892 |
| Asotin | 1,881 | 53.42% | 1,640 | 46.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 241 | 6.84% | 3,521 |
| Benton | 3,017 | 59.30% | 2,069 | 40.66% | 2 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 948 | 18.63% | 5,088 |
| Chelan | 9,919 | 65.16% | 5,301 | 34.82% | 2 | 0.01% | 1 | 0.01% | 4,618 | 30.34% | 15,223 |
| Clallam | 4,520 | 47.50% | 4,958 | 52.11% | 31 | 0.33% | 6 | 0.06% | -438 | -4.60% | 9,515 |
| Clark | 10,788 | 50.24% | 10,641 | 49.56% | 17 | 0.08% | 27 | 0.13% | 147 | 0.68% | 21,473 |
| Columbia | 1,831 | 68.22% | 852 | 31.74% | 1 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 979 | 36.48% | 2,684 |
| Cowlitz | 8,461 | 48.09% | 9,070 | 51.55% | 31 | 0.18% | 32 | 0.18% | -609 | -3.46% | 17,594 |
| Douglas | 2,444 | 61.65% | 1,519 | 38.32% | 1 | 0.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 925 | 23.34% | 3,964 |
| Ferry | 574 | 31.52% | 1,246 | 68.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.05% | -672 | -36.90% | 1,821 |
| Franklin | 1,451 | 49.34% | 1,486 | 50.53% | 4 | 0.14% | 0 | 0.00% | -35 | -1.19% | 2,941 |
| Garfield | 1,242 | 72.84% | 463 | 27.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 779 | 45.69% | 1,705 |
| Grant | 2,154 | 39.49% | 3,298 | 60.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 0.05% | -1,144 | -20.97% | 5,455 |
| Grays Harbor | 11,008 | 47.51% | 12,094 | 52.20% | 50 | 0.22% | 18 | 0.08% | -1,086 | -4.69% | 23,170 |
| Island | 1,629 | 53.90% | 1,389 | 45.96% | 3 | 0.10% | 1 | 0.03% | 240 | 7.94% | 3,022 |
| Jefferson | 1,891 | 52.25% | 1,725 | 47.67% | 2 | 0.06% | 1 | 0.03% | 166 | 4.59% | 3,619 |
| King | 114,296 | 48.38% | 121,013 | 51.22% | 792 | 0.34% | 139 | 0.06% | -6,717 | -2.84% | 236,240 |
| Kitsap | 8,860 | 45.94% | 10,394 | 53.89% | 24 | 0.12% | 9 | 0.05% | -1,534 | -7.95% | 19,287 |
| Kittitas | 4,348 | 50.51% | 4,251 | 49.38% | 7 | 0.08% | 2 | 0.02% | 97 | 1.13% | 8,608 |
| Klickitat | 2,351 | 50.56% | 2,292 | 49.29% | 0 | 0.00% | 7 | 0.15% | 59 | 1.27% | 4,650 |
| Lewis | 10,219 | 54.77% | 8,408 | 45.06% | 26 | 0.14% | 5 | 0.03% | 1,811 | 9.71% | 18,658 |
| Lincoln | 3,200 | 57.48% | 2,367 | 42.52% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 833 | 14.96% | 5,567 |
| Mason | 2,558 | 49.18% | 2,602 | 50.03% | 39 | 0.75% | 2 | 0.04% | -44 | -0.85% | 5,201 |
| Okanogan | 5,019 | 53.00% | 4,449 | 46.98% | 1 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 570 | 6.02% | 9,469 |
| Pacific | 3,421 | 49.51% | 3,474 | 50.27% | 14 | 0.20% | 1 | 0.01% | -53 | -0.77% | 6,910 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,368 | 44.85% | 1,682 | 55.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -314 | -10.30% | 3,050 |
| Pierce | 33,726 | 42.76% | 44,870 | 56.89% | 207 | 0.26% | 71 | 0.09% | -11,144 | -14.13% | 78,874 |
| San Juan | 871 | 52.88% | 776 | 47.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 95 | 5.77% | 1,647 |
| Skagit | 9,909 | 55.48% | 7,920 | 44.34% | 28 | 0.16% | 5 | 0.03% | 1,989 | 11.14% | 17,862 |
| Skamania | 889 | 43.69% | 1,146 | 56.31% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -257 | -12.63% | 2,035 |
| Snohomish | 18,458 | 46.09% | 21,412 | 53.47% | 144 | 0.36% | 34 | 0.08% | 2,954 | 7.38% | 40,048 |
| Spokane | 38,393 | 48.98% | 39,901 | 50.90% | 51 | 0.07% | 41 | 0.05% | -1,508 | -1.92% | 78,386 |
| Stevens | 3,595 | 44.26% | 4,527 | 55.73% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.01% | -932 | -11.47% | 8,123 |
| Thurston | 9,558 | 51.66% | 8,912 | 48.17% | 28 | 0.15% | 2 | 0.01% | 646 | 3.49% | 18,500 |
| Wahkiakum | 924 | 51.97% | 844 | 47.47% | 7 | 0.39% | 3 | 0.17% | 80 | 4.50% | 1,778 |
| Walla Walla | 9,227 | 67.81% | 4,376 | 32.16% | 2 | 0.01% | 2 | 0.01% | 4,851 | 35.65% | 13,607 |
| Whatcom | 15,762 | 56.00% | 12,256 | 43.54% | 122 | 0.43% | 7 | 0.02% | 3,506 | 12.46% | 28,147 |
| Whitman | 8,368 | 65.82% | 4,340 | 34.14% | 4 | 0.03% | 1 | 0.01% | 4,028 | 31.68% | 12,713 |
| Yakima | 22,534 | 58.86% | 15,709 | 41.04% | 34 | 0.09% | 4 | 0.01% | 6,825 | 17.83% | 38,281 |
| Totals | 392,522 | 50.24% | 386,706 | 49.49% | 1,674 | 0.21% | 426 | 0.05% | 5,816 | 0.74% | 781,328 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Adams
* Asotin
* Benton
* Chelan
* Clark
* Columbia
* Douglas
* Garfield
* Island
* Jefferson
* Kittitas
* Klickitat
* Lewis
* Lincoln
* Okanogan
* San Juan
* Skagit
* Thurston
* Wahkiakum
* Walla Walla
* Whatcom
* Whitman
* Yakima