1966 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1966 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Connally was easily reelected to a third term, winning 73% of the vote to Republican T. E. Kennerly's 26%. Connally swept all 254 counties in this election and was inaugurated for his third term on January 17, 1967.

1966 Texas gubernatorial election

November 8, 1966

Nominee John Connally T. E. Kennerly Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,037,517 368,025 Percentage 72.8% 25.8%

County results Connally:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

Governor before election John Connally Democratic Elected Governor John Connally Democratic

The election is, to date, the last time that a candidate for Governor of Texas won more than 70% of the vote, as well as the last in which a candidate won every county. As of 2024, Randall, Ochiltree, and Smith counties have not voted for the Democratic candidate since this election.

Primaries

Republican

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	T. E. Kennerly	49,568	100.00%
Total votes			49,568	100.00%

Democratic

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Connally (incumbent)	932,641	74.29%
	Democratic	Stanley C. Woods	291,651	23.23%
	Democratic	Johnnie Mae Hackworthe	31,105	2.48%
Total votes			1,255,400	100.00%

Results

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Connally (incumbent)	1,037,517	72.76%
	Republican	T. E. Kennerly	368,025	25.81%
	Constitution	Tommye Gillespie	10,454	0.73%
	Conservative	Bard Logan	9,810	0.69%
Total votes			1,425,861	100.00%
	Democratic hold