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 County Results
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The1964 presidential election in Arkansas was held on November 3, 1964 as part of the1964 United States presidential election. State voters chose six electors, or representatives to theElectoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Incumbent PresidentLyndon B. Johnson won the state ofArkansas with 56.06% of the popular vote,[1] which was a substantial increase uponJohn F. Kennedy's 50.19% from the preceding election, although the Republican vote remained virtually unchanged at 43.41%. Johnson won all but ten of Arkansas' seventy-five counties, and all four congressional districts. With Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina voting for Goldwater, Arkansas became the last Southern state to have never voted for a Republican candidate since the end ofReconstruction.
| 1964 United States presidential election in Arkansas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Lyndon Johnson (inc.) | 314,197 | 56.06% | 6 | |
| Republican | Barry Goldwater | 243,264 | 43.41% | 0 | |
| National States' Rights | John Kasper | 2,965 | 0.53% | 0 | |
| Totals | 560,426 | 100.00% | 6 | ||
| Voter turnout (Voting age/Registered Voters) | 50.6%/78.3% | ||||
| County | Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic | Barry Goldwater Republican | John Kasper National States’ Rights | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Arkansas | 3,200 | 45.78% | 3,769 | 53.92% | 21 | 0.30% | -569 | -8.14% | 6,990 |
| Ashley | 2,901 | 43.23% | 3,742 | 55.77% | 67 | 1.00% | -841 | -12.54% | 6,710 |
| Baxter | 2,900 | 59.29% | 1,986 | 40.61% | 5 | 0.10% | 914 | 18.68% | 4,891 |
| Benton | 5,655 | 48.49% | 5,977 | 51.25% | 30 | 0.26% | -322 | -2.76% | 11,662 |
| Boone | 3,770 | 56.73% | 2,857 | 42.99% | 19 | 0.29% | 913 | 13.74% | 6,646 |
| Bradley | 2,229 | 54.34% | 1,852 | 45.15% | 21 | 0.51% | 377 | 9.19% | 4,102 |
| Calhoun | 1,409 | 60.68% | 889 | 38.29% | 24 | 1.03% | 520 | 22.39% | 2,322 |
| Carroll | 2,005 | 48.78% | 2,105 | 51.22% | 0 | 0.00% | -100 | -2.44% | 4,110 |
| Chicot | 2,916 | 59.47% | 1,972 | 40.22% | 15 | 0.31% | 944 | 19.25% | 4,903 |
| Clark | 4,127 | 68.36% | 1,884 | 31.21% | 26 | 0.43% | 2,243 | 37.15% | 6,037 |
| Clay | 3,280 | 61.64% | 1,999 | 37.57% | 42 | 0.79% | 1,281 | 24.07% | 5,321 |
| Cleburne | 2,645 | 68.26% | 1,221 | 31.51% | 9 | 0.23% | 1,424 | 36.75% | 3,875 |
| Cleveland | 1,121 | 51.78% | 1,026 | 47.39% | 18 | 0.83% | 95 | 4.39% | 2,165 |
| Columbia | 3,485 | 46.26% | 4,009 | 53.22% | 39 | 0.52% | -524 | -6.96% | 7,533 |
| Conway | 4,205 | 63.69% | 2,378 | 36.02% | 19 | 0.29% | 1,827 | 27.67% | 6,602 |
| Craighead | 8,334 | 61.55% | 5,163 | 38.13% | 44 | 0.32% | 3,171 | 23.42% | 13,541 |
| Crawford | 3,537 | 51.62% | 3,294 | 48.07% | 21 | 0.31% | 243 | 3.55% | 6,852 |
| Crittenden | 4,168 | 50.20% | 4,065 | 48.96% | 69 | 0.83% | 103 | 1.24% | 8,302 |
| Cross | 2,421 | 52.86% | 2,147 | 46.88% | 12 | 0.26% | 274 | 5.98% | 4,580 |
| Dallas | 1,779 | 51.61% | 1,625 | 47.14% | 43 | 1.25% | 154 | 4.47% | 3,447 |
| Desha | 3,294 | 62.91% | 1,930 | 36.86% | 12 | 0.23% | 1,364 | 26.05% | 5,236 |
| Drew | 1,980 | 48.05% | 2,109 | 51.18% | 32 | 0.78% | -129 | -3.13% | 4,121 |
| Faulkner | 6,116 | 64.95% | 3,259 | 34.61% | 42 | 0.45% | 2,857 | 30.34% | 9,417 |
| Franklin | 2,685 | 62.47% | 1,580 | 36.76% | 33 | 0.77% | 1,105 | 25.71% | 4,298 |
| Fulton | 1,704 | 66.64% | 846 | 33.09% | 7 | 0.27% | 858 | 33.55% | 2,557 |
| Garland | 11,591 | 53.59% | 9,952 | 46.01% | 86 | 0.40% | 1,639 | 7.58% | 21,629 |
| Grant | 1,678 | 55.07% | 1,308 | 42.93% | 61 | 2.00% | 370 | 12.14% | 3,047 |
| Greene | 4,742 | 67.39% | 2,271 | 32.27% | 24 | 0.34% | 2,471 | 35.12% | 7,037 |
| Hempstead | 3,355 | 56.95% | 2,493 | 42.32% | 43 | 0.73% | 862 | 14.63% | 5,891 |
| Hot Spring | 4,543 | 60.40% | 2,911 | 38.70% | 68 | 0.90% | 1,632 | 21.70% | 7,522 |
| Howard | 1,320 | 43.10% | 1,649 | 53.84% | 94 | 3.07% | -329 | -10.74% | 3,063 |
| Independence | 4,455 | 64.01% | 2,470 | 35.49% | 35 | 0.50% | 1,985 | 28.52% | 6,960 |
| Izard | 1,736 | 69.83% | 726 | 29.20% | 24 | 0.97% | 1,010 | 40.63% | 2,486 |
| Jackson | 4,651 | 68.12% | 2,141 | 31.36% | 36 | 0.53% | 2,510 | 36.76% | 6,828 |
| Jefferson | 12,872 | 56.04% | 9,968 | 43.40% | 129 | 0.56% | 2,904 | 12.64% | 22,969 |
| Johnson | 3,127 | 66.77% | 1,535 | 32.78% | 21 | 0.45% | 1,592 | 33.99% | 4,683 |
| Lafayette | 1,484 | 50.02% | 1,476 | 49.75% | 7 | 0.24% | 8 | 0.27% | 2,967 |
| Lawrence | 3,498 | 63.16% | 2,013 | 36.35% | 27 | 0.49% | 1,485 | 26.81% | 5,538 |
| Lee | 2,335 | 58.21% | 1,668 | 41.59% | 8 | 0.20% | 667 | 16.62% | 4,011 |
| Lincoln | 2,468 | 63.58% | 1,410 | 36.32% | 4 | 0.10% | 1,058 | 27.26% | 3,882 |
| Little River | 2,040 | 63.87% | 1,141 | 35.72% | 13 | 0.41% | 899 | 28.15% | 3,194 |
| Logan | 3,604 | 61.13% | 2,265 | 38.42% | 27 | 0.46% | 1,339 | 22.71% | 5,896 |
| Lonoke | 3,818 | 51.06% | 3,636 | 48.63% | 23 | 0.31% | 182 | 2.43% | 7,477 |
| Madison | 2,715 | 57.45% | 1,997 | 42.26% | 14 | 0.30% | 718 | 15.19% | 4,726 |
| Marion | 1,661 | 60.20% | 1,088 | 39.43% | 10 | 0.36% | 573 | 20.77% | 2,759 |
| Miller | 5,190 | 54.68% | 4,253 | 44.81% | 49 | 0.52% | 937 | 9.87% | 9,492 |
| Mississippi | 8,678 | 58.20% | 6,213 | 41.67% | 20 | 0.13% | 2,465 | 16.53% | 14,911 |
| Monroe | 2,258 | 53.29% | 1,968 | 46.45% | 11 | 0.26% | 290 | 6.84% | 4,237 |
| Montgomery | 1,358 | 61.67% | 832 | 37.78% | 12 | 0.54% | 526 | 23.89% | 2,202 |
| Nevada | 2,190 | 60.41% | 1,406 | 38.79% | 29 | 0.80% | 784 | 21.62% | 3,625 |
| Newton | 1,374 | 49.62% | 1,357 | 49.01% | 38 | 1.37% | 17 | 0.61% | 2,769 |
| Ouachita | 7,056 | 65.96% | 3,572 | 33.39% | 70 | 0.65% | 3,484 | 32.57% | 10,698 |
| Perry | 1,320 | 55.30% | 1,048 | 43.90% | 19 | 0.80% | 272 | 11.40% | 2,387 |
| Phillips | 5,818 | 59.43% | 3,963 | 40.48% | 9 | 0.09% | 1,855 | 18.95% | 9,790 |
| Pike | 1,531 | 54.93% | 1,241 | 44.53% | 15 | 0.54% | 290 | 10.40% | 2,787 |
| Poinsett | 5,635 | 64.93% | 3,031 | 34.92% | 13 | 0.15% | 2,604 | 30.01% | 8,679 |
| Polk | 2,575 | 55.88% | 2,022 | 43.88% | 11 | 0.24% | 553 | 12.00% | 4,608 |
| Pope | 4,972 | 63.91% | 2,651 | 34.07% | 157 | 2.02% | 2,321 | 29.84% | 7,780 |
| Prairie | 1,812 | 54.74% | 1,476 | 44.59% | 22 | 0.66% | 336 | 10.15% | 3,310 |
| Pulaski | 40,535 | 51.12% | 38,312 | 48.32% | 442 | 0.56% | 2,223 | 2.80% | 79,289 |
| Randolph | 2,680 | 66.85% | 1,312 | 32.73% | 17 | 0.42% | 1,368 | 34.12% | 4,009 |
| St. Francis | 3,651 | 51.88% | 3,377 | 47.98% | 10 | 0.14% | 274 | 3.90% | 7,038 |
| Saline | 5,605 | 60.18% | 3,628 | 38.96% | 80 | 0.86% | 1,977 | 21.22% | 9,313 |
| Scott | 1,838 | 62.01% | 1,121 | 37.82% | 5 | 0.17% | 717 | 24.19% | 2,964 |
| Searcy | 1,508 | 47.68% | 1,649 | 52.13% | 6 | 0.19% | -141 | -4.45% | 3,163 |
| Sebastian | 10,299 | 43.84% | 13,110 | 55.80% | 84 | 0.36% | -2,811 | -11.96% | 23,493 |
| Sevier | 2,123 | 62.75% | 1,249 | 36.92% | 11 | 0.33% | 874 | 25.83% | 3,383 |
| Sharp | 1,810 | 59.40% | 1,215 | 39.88% | 22 | 0.72% | 595 | 19.52% | 3,047 |
| Stone | 1,374 | 58.72% | 942 | 40.26% | 24 | 1.03% | 432 | 18.46% | 2,340 |
| Union | 6,948 | 44.60% | 8,472 | 54.38% | 160 | 1.03% | -1,524 | -9.78% | 15,580 |
| Van Buren | 2,054 | 61.28% | 1,270 | 37.89% | 28 | 0.84% | 784 | 23.39% | 3,352 |
| Washington | 10,166 | 59.55% | 6,856 | 40.16% | 48 | 0.28% | 3,310 | 19.39% | 17,070 |
| White | 6,566 | 56.20% | 5,023 | 42.99% | 95 | 0.81% | 1,543 | 13.21% | 11,684 |
| Woodruff | 2,307 | 62.47% | 1,366 | 36.99% | 20 | 0.54% | 941 | 25.48% | 3,693 |
| Yell | 3,407 | 68.86% | 1,527 | 30.86% | 14 | 0.28% | 1,880 | 38.00% | 4,948 |
| Totals | 314,197 | 56.06% | 243,264 | 43.41% | 2,965 | 0.53% | 70,933 | 12.65% | 560,426 |
Given the segregationism of its long-serving governorOrval Faubus, who had gained almost seven percent of the vote in the preceding presidential election, Arkansas would have seemed[according to whom?] potentially likely to succumb to Goldwater due to his opposition to the recentCivil Rights Act. However, the GOP's nomination of the moderateWinthrop Rockefeller in the party's first serious run for governor in the state since Reconstruction took the steam out of a Goldwater challenge.[2] Faubus refused to endorse Goldwater,[3] despite hesitating over this during the summer. In addition, many white Southerners commented to the effect that
Goldwater is right on the black man, and that is very important. But he is so wrong on everything else I can't bring myself to vote for him.[4]
In mid-July,Texas GovernorJohn Connally had made private polls suggesting that Johnson would lose Arkansas, in addition to the Deep South states of Mississippi and Alabama which were leaning heavily towards Goldwater.[5] Nonetheless, that the increase in black registration in Arkansas had exceeded Kennedy's margin in 1960 suggested that Johnson's civil rights legislation did have some potential to help him,[5] and in early August polls suddenly became confident Johnson would carry the state due to Goldwater's policies of privatizing Social Security and expanding the war in Southeast Asia – a policy that did not play well in this isolationist state.[6] By October, aNew York Times poll saw Arkansas as "safe" for Johnson[7] and his leads in polls increased as election day came closer.[8]
Ultimately, Johnson comfortably carried Arkansas, becoming the twenty-third and last consecutive Democratic presidential nominee to win the state; however, anti-civil rights sentiment did cause Arkansas to vote 9.92 percentage points more Republican than the nation at-large – this being the first time in 96 years when it voted less Democratic than the nation.
Johnson doubled Kennedy's margin, and reclaimed the counties ofClay,Craighead,Fulton,Marion,Randolph andSharp, which in1960 had defected to the GOP for the first time ever or since Reconstruction as a result of powerful anti-Catholicism.[9] Johnson also claimed thirteen other Ozark counties which had supported Nixon in 1960.
However, in the Delta and south of the state sufficient backlash against black civil rights occurred for Goldwater to claim six counties in those regions from the Democrats.[10] Of these, only state namesakeArkansas County had ever been carried by a Republican since theMcKinley era.[a]Ashley County andDrew County voted Republican for the first time sinceJames G. Blaine in1884,[11]Union County for the first time since 1872, andColumbia andHoward Counties for the first time ever.[10]
State and district results of the1964 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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