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The1950 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950, to elect theGovernor andLieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Republican governorThomas E. Dewey was re-elected to a third term in office, defeating Democratic U.S. RepresentativeWalter A. Lynch.
This was the final election in which the voters cast separate ballots for governor and lieutenant governor, ahead of a 1953 amendment to theNew York Constitution.
Following his defeat in the1948 presidential election, Governor Dewey initially elected not to run for a third term in office. However, he changed his decision two days ahead of the 1950 state convention and agreed to run for governor again.[1]
Dewey was unopposed at the Republican convention inSaratoga Springs on September 6, and he was nominated by the delegates by acclamation.[1] His nominating speech was given by Lieutenant GovernorJoseph R. Hanley, and Dewey reciprocated by placing Hanley in nomination for U.S. Senate.[2] In his acceptance speech, Dewey assailed Lynch and the Democratic ticket as "unknown, inexperienced" men.[3]
The Democratic state convention was held at the Columbus Civic Center inRochester. The convention was held amidst a general air of pessimism given general Republican sentiment throughout the country, though some drew parallels to the1948 Democratic National Convention inPhiladelphia, at which defeat seemed certain before Harry S. Truman eventually defeated Governor Dewey to win re-election.[1] On the eve of the convention,Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. announced that he would not be a candidate, conceding that Lynch had the support of the majority of delegates and the party's political bosses. His concession led to an hour-long demonstration, leading Roosevelt to reconsider his decision. After consulting withDaniel P. O'Connell, Roosevelt maintained his non-candidacy.[1]
Despite party support for Lynch, led by U.S. SenatorHerbert H. Lehman, some delegates attempted to draft another candidate who would be more likely to win the general election. Suggestions included Roosevelt, former Postmaster General and chair of the Democratic National CommitteeJames A. Farley, and Federal Security Agency administratorOscar R. Ewing.[1] In reaction to this opposition, Senator Lehman opted to personally attend the convention in a show of support for Lynch.[1]
In his acceptance speech, Lynch attacked Dewey and the Republicans for "represent[ing] now, as always, that small privileged class which has sought, for its own advantage, to have influence in government."[4]
The Liberal Party convention was held from September 6 to 7 at theStatler Hotel in New York City, intentionally overlapping with the Democratic convention in Rochester. After Lynch secured the Democratic nomination, dissatisfied delegates placed party chairmanAdolf Berle into nomination.[5] Berle declined the nomination, stating that the decision to back Lynch had been made by party leaders after "a great soul searching." He seconded Lynch's nomination, citing the need to re-elect Senator Lehman, and it was approved by acclamation.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas E. Dewey (incumbent) | 2,819,523 | 53.11% | ||
| Democratic | Walter A. Lynch | 1,981,156 | 37.32% | ||
| Liberal | Walter A. Lynch | 265,699 | 5.00% | ||
| Total | Walter A. Lynch | 2,246,855 | 42.32% | ||
| American Labor | John T. McManus | 221,966 | 4.18% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Michael Bartell | 13,274 | 0.25% | ||
| Industrial Government | Eric Hass | 7,254 | 0.13% | ||
| Total votes | 5,308,872 | 100.00% | |||
| Blank, void and scattering | 164,176 | ||||
| Turnout | 5,473,048 | 100.00% | {{{change}}} | ||
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