The Georgia gubernatorial election of 1966 was held on November 8. After an election that exposed divisions within the Georgia Democratic Party (giving the Georgia Republican Party

Georgia Republican Party

The Georgia Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party .-Current structure:...

 a shot at the Governor's Mansion for the first time in the twentieth century), segregationist Democrat Lester Maddox

Lester Maddox

Lester Garfield Maddox was an American politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....

 was elected Governor of Georgia by the Georgia General Assembly

Georgia General Assembly

The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....

. The race also brought future President Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

 to statewide prominence for the first time.

Democratic nomination

Former Governor Ernest Vandiver

Ernest Vandiver

Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. was an American politician who was the 73rd Governor of the US state of Georgia from 1959 to 1963.-Early life and career:...

 was considered the favorite to return to his former job (although governors could not then succeed themselves, they could run again after leaving office), but he dropped out of the race because of health problems.That opened the door for former Gov. Ellis Arnall

Ellis Arnall

Ellis Gibbs Arnall was an American politician, a progressive Democrat who served as the 69th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1943 to 1947.-Education:...

, former Lt. Gov. Garland T. Byrd

Garland T. Byrd

Garland Turk Byrd was United States Democratic politician from Georgia, who served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Georgia from 1959 to 1963....

, state Senator Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

, and two segregationist businessmen, Lester Maddox

Lester Maddox

Lester Garfield Maddox was an American politician who was the 75th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971....

 and James H. Gray, Sr., to run for the Democratic nomination.

Democratic primary election results

Arnall won the first primary, but because no candidate received a majority, he and Maddox were forced into a runoff.

Primary (Sept. 14, 1966):

• Arnall: 231,480 (29.38%)
• Maddox: 185,672 (23.56%)
• Carter: 164,562 (20.89%)
• Gray: 152,973 (19.41%)
• Byrd: 39,994 (5.08%)

Runoff

Two-round system

The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...

 (Sept. 28, 1966):

• Maddox: 443,055 (54.29%)
• Arnall: 373,004 (45.71%)

Lieutenant Governor

State House Speaker George T. Smith

George T. Smith

George Thornewell Smith was an American Democratic Party politician and jurist from the state of Georgia. The sixth Lieutenant Governor, state legislator, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, and longtime judge, he holds the distinction of being the only person in Georgia history to win...

 was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia

Lieutenant Governor of Georgia

The Lieutenant Governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the state, elected to a 4-year term by popular vote. Unlike some states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the state Governor....

, after he defeated incumbent Peter Zack Geer

Peter Zack Geer

Peter Zack Geer was a Democratic politician from Georgia.Geer was born in Colquitt, Miller County, Georgia. He graduated from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law in 1951 and was a prominent attorney...

 in the primary. He went on to win the general election.

Republican nomination

Howard Callaway

Howard Callaway

Howard Hollis "Bo" Callaway is a businessman and former politician from the state of Georgia.-Early life and education:Callaway was born in LaGrange, Georgia, west of Atlanta. His grandfather was Fuller Earle Callaway. He attended Georgia Tech and graduated from the United States Military Academy...

, also known as "Bo," the first Republican to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 since Reconstruction, was the Republican nominee.

General election results

Some people, unhappy with both major nominees, took the "Go Bo" of Callaway's campaign and expanded it to "Go Bo, and take Lester with you". A write-in campaign for Arnall prevented any candidate from winning the majority. Georgia law at the time allowed the Georgia General Assembly

Georgia General Assembly

The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....

to select the governor if no candidate received more than 50 percent of the popular vote. The legislature, dominated by Democrats, selected Maddox, although Callaway received more popular votes.