1958 New York gubernatorial election

The 1958 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1958 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic governor W. Averell Harriman ran for re-election to a second term in office but was defeated by Republican Nelson Rockefeller.

1958 New York gubernatorial election

November 4, 1958

Nominee Nelson Rockefeller W. Averell Harriman Party Republican Democratic Alliance Liberal Running mate Malcolm Wilson George B. DeLuca Popular vote 3,126,929 2,553,895 Percentage 55.1% 44.3%

County results Rockefeller:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Harriman:      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election W. Averell Harriman Democratic Elected Governor Nelson Rockefeller Republican

General election

Candidates

• W. Averell Harriman, incumbent Governor since 1955 (Democratic and Liberal)
• John T. McManus, journalist (Independent-Socialist)
• Nelson Rockefeller, foreign policy advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and member of the Rockefeller family (Republican)

Results

1958 New York gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Nelson Rockefeller	3,126,929	55.14%	5.74
	Democratic	W. Averell Harriman (incumbent)	2,269,969	40.03%	4.47
	Liberal	W. Averell Harriman (incumbent)	242,675	4.28%	0.83
	Total	W. Averell Harriman (incumbent)	2,553,895	44.31%	5.30
	Independent	John T. McManus	31,658	0.56%	0.45
Total votes			5,671,231	100.00%

Works cited

• Benjamin, Gerald; Catalano, Michael (2020). Beyond Donkeys and Elephants: Minor Political Parties in Contemporary American Politics. University Press of Kansas. doi:10.2307/j.ctv15tt76n. ISBN 978-0-7006-2929-9.
• Soyer, Daniel (2021). Left in the Center: The Liberal Party of New York and the Rise and Fall of American Social Democracy. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501759888. JSTOR 10.7591/j.ctv1hw3x50.2.