# 1938 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

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Government :
vte :
The 1938 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election occurred on November 8, 1938. Incumbent Democratic governor George Howard Earle III was not a candidate for re-election. Republican candidate Arthur James defeated Democratic candidate Charles Alvin Jones to become Governor of Pennsylvania. Gifford Pinchot unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination, while Thomas Kennedy unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Charles Alvin Jones, lawyer from Perry County
* Thomas Kennedy, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
* Charles J. Margiotti, incumbent Attorney General of Pennsylvania

### Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial Democratic primary election, 1938 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Charles Alvin Jones | 591,546 | 46.15 |
| | Democratic | Thomas Kennedy | 517,101 | 40.35 |
| | Democratic | Charles J. Margiotti | 173,047 | 13.50 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,281,694 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Arthur James, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (1927–1931)
* James M. Jones
* Gifford Pinchot, former head of the United States Forest Service and Governor of Pennsylvania (1923–1927, 1931–1935)
* Frank F. B. Thompson

### Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial Republican primary election, 1938 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Arthur James | 937,592 | 65.61 |
| | Republican | Gifford Pinchot | 450,595 | 31.53 |
| | Republican | James M. Jones | 29,269 | 2.05 |
| | Republican | Frank F. B. Thompson | 11,591 | 0.81 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,429,047 | 100.00 |

## Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1938 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Arthur James | 2,035,340 | 53.39 |
| | Democratic | Charles Alvin Jones | 1,756,192 | 46.07 |
| | Socialist | Jesse H. Holmes | 12,635 | 0.33 |
| | Prohibition | Robert G. Burnham | 6,438 | 0.17 |
| | Communist | Ella Reeve Bloor Omholt | 1,273 | 0.03 |
| | N/A | Others | 89 | 0.00 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 3,811,967 | 100.00% |