# 1956 Montana gubernatorial election

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The 1956 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1956. Incumbent governor of Montana J. Hugo Aronson, who was first elected Governor in 1952, ran for re-election. He was unopposed in the Republican primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced Arnold Olsen, the Attorney General of Montana and the Democratic nominee. Despite the fact that then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower won the state in a landslide that year in the presidential election, Aronson only narrowly defeated Arnold to win his second and final term as governor.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Arnold Olsen, Attorney General of Montana
* John W. Bonner, former governor of Montana
* Danny O'Neill, livestock man
* J. M. Nickey

### Results

Democratic Party primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Arnold Olsen | 55,269 | 44.94 |
| | Democratic | John W. Bonner | 51,306 | 41.72 |
| | Democratic | Danny O'Neill | 14,777 | 12.01 |
| | Democratic | J. M. Nickey | 1,639 | 1.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 122,991 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* J. Hugo Aronson, incumbent governor of Montana

### Results

Republican Primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | J. Hugo Aronson (incumbent) | 50,444 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 50,444 | 100.00 |

## General election
### Results

Montana gubernatorial election, 1956 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | J. Hugo Aronson (incumbent) | 138,878 | 51.37% | +0.41% |
| | Democratic | Arnold Olsen | 131,488 | 48.63% | −0.41% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,390 | 2.73% | +0.82% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 270,366 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | | |