# 1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic governor Frank G. Clement was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking another term. Former Democratic governor Buford Ellington defeated both independent candidates H.L. Crowder and Charlie Moffett with 81.2% of the vote.
In the primary, Ellington he defeated John Jay Hooker, who was a friend of former governor Gordon Browning, and had been endorsed by the Nashville Tennessean. Ellington was endorsed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Nashville Banner.
Tensions grew between Governor Frank G. Clement and Ellington leading up to the general election, as Ellington refused to endorse Clement in his U.S. Senate primary campaign against Ross Bass. Clement attempted to spend the state's budget surplus to ensure the Ellington administration did not inherit it.

## Primary elections

Primary elections were held on August 4, 1966. 32.5% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.

### Democratic primary
#### Candidates

* Buford Ellington, former governor
* John Jay Hooker, attorney

#### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Buford Ellington | 413,950 | 53.48% |
| | Democratic | John Jay Hooker | 360,105 | 46.52% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 774,055 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

Major party candidate
* Buford Ellington, Democratic
Other candidates
* H.L. Crowder, Independent
* Charlie Moffett, Independent
* Charles Gordon Vick, Independent

### Results

1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Buford Ellington | 532,998 | 81.18% |
| | Independent | H.L. Crowder | 64,602 | 9.84% |
| | Independent | Charlie Moffett | 50,221 | 7.65% |
| | Independent | Charles Gordon Vick | 8,407 | 1.28% |
| | Write-in | | 338 | 0.05% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 532,998 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 656,566 | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | |