# 1971 Mississippi gubernatorial election

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
Elections in Mississippi :
Federal government
U.S. President
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
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
Dem
2004
2008
Dem
Rep
2012
Dem
Rep
2016
Dem
Rep
2020
Dem
Rep
2024
Dem
Rep
U.S. Senate
1817
1820
1820 sp
1823
1823
1826 sp
1828
1830 sp
1833 sp
1835
1838
1839 sp
1841
1844
1846 sp
1848 sp
1850
1852 sp
1852 sp
1854 sp
1859
1870
1874
1874 sp
1876
1880
1883
1886
1886 sp
1889
1892
1894 sp
1899
1900
1900 sp
1904
1906
1908
1910 sp
1912
1916
1918
1922
1924
1928
1930
1934
1936
1940
1941 sp
1942
1946
1947 sp
1948
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2008 sp
2012
2014
2018
2018 sp
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House
1801
1802
(Terr sp)
1806
1817
1819
1820
1822
1824
1826
At-large sp
1828
At-large sp
1830
1832
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1858
5th sp
1859
1865
1868
1869
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1934
1940
1942
1946
1950
1956
1962
1968
3rd sp
1972
1980
1981
4th sp
1982
1984
1986
1988
1989
5th sp
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2004
2006
2008
1st sp
2010
2012
2014
2015
1st sp
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State government
State elections
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2020
2023
Gubernatorial elections
1817
1819
1821
1823
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1865
1869
1873
1877
1881
1885
1889
1895
1899
1903
1907
1911
1915
1919
1923
1927
1931
1935
1939
1943
1947
1951
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
2027
State Senate elections
2011
2015
2019
2023
House of Representatives elections
2011
2015
2019
2023
Attorney General elections
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
Ballot measures
2001
Flag referendum
2004
Amendment 1
2020
Initiative 65
Measure 3 :
City of Jackson
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2014
2017
2021
2025 :
Gulfport
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Southaven
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Biloxi
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Hattiesburg
Mayoral elections
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Meridian
Mayoral elections
2025 :
Madison
Mayoral elections
2025 :
Philadelphia
Mayoral elections
2025 :
vte :
The 1971 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 1971 for the post of Governor of Mississippi. The incumbent governor, Democrat John Bell Williams, was ineligible due to term limits, a rule that was changed to two back-to-back terms in the 1980s.
Democrat Bill Waller, the former District Attorney of Hinds County, was chosen as his party's nominee in a contested primary. Running as an independent, Mayor of Fayette Charles Evers became the first African-American candidate for governor of Mississippi.
To date, this is the most recent time that Rankin County voted Democratic in a gubernatorial election.

## Democratic primary

Mississippi Democratic Party primary, 1971 :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Charles L. Sullivan | 288,219 | 37.78 |
| Democratic | William L. Waller | 227,424 | 29.81 |
| Democratic | James E. "Jimmy" Swan | 128,946 | 16.90 |
| Democratic | Roy C. Adams | 45,445 | 5.96 |
| Democratic | Ed Pittman | 38,170 | 5.00 |
| Democratic | Marshall Perry | 18,021 | 2.36 |
| Democratic | Andrew W. Sullivan | 16,762 | 2.20 |

### Democratic primary runoff

Mississippi Democratic Party primary runoff, August 24, 1971 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | William L. Waller | 389,952 | 54.22 |
| | Democratic | Charles L. Sullivan | 329,236 | 45.78 |

## Republican primary

No Republican primary was held.

## General election

Evers' campaign was supported by civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Mayor of New York John Lindsay.
According to The New York Times, Waller ran a relatively moderate campaign. However, one report noted that Waller's campaign featured "racially ragged edges", such as airing radio commercials that played the song "Dixie" and receiving support from segregationist politicians like James Eastland.
Following Waller's victory, Evers drove across town to a local TV station to congratulate him. A reporter later wrote that:
   Waller's aides learned Evers was in the building and tried to hustle the governor-elect out of the studio as soon as the interview ended. They were not quite quick enough. Surrounded by photographers, reporters, and television crews, Evers approached Waller's car just as it was about to pull out. Waller and his wife were in the back seat. "I just wanted to congratulate you," said Evers. "Whaddya say, Charlie?" boomed Waller. His wife leaned across with a stiff smile and shook the loser's hand. During the campaign Evers told reporters that his main purpose in running was to encourage registration of black voters.

### Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1971 :
| Candidate | Votes | % | ± |
| Democratic | William L. Waller | 601,222 | 77.02 |
| Independent | Charles Evers | 172,762 | 22.13 |
| Independent | Tom P. Brady | 6,653 | 0.85 |