View source for 1942 New York state election

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is already sufficiently detailed; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 1942 New York gubernatorial election
| country            = New York
| type               = presidential
| ongoing            = no
| previous_election  = 1938 New York state election
| previous_year      = 1938
| next_election      = 1946 New York state election
| next_year          = 1946
| election_date      = November 3, 1942
| image_size         = x150px

| image1             = Thomas E. Dewey cph.3b29710.jpg
| nominee1           = '''[[Thomas E. Dewey]]'''
| party1             = Republican Party (United States) 
| popular_vote1      = '''2,148,546'''
| percentage1        = '''52.10%'''

| image2             = John_J._Bennett,_Jr._(New_York_Attorney_General) (cropped).jpg
| nominee2           = [[John J. Bennett Jr.]]
| party2             = Democratic Party (United States)
| popular_vote2      = 1,501,039
| percentage2        = 36.40%

| image3             = Dean_Alfange_1922.jpg
| nominee3           = [[Dean Alfange]]
| party3             = American Labor Party
| popular_vote3      = 403,626
| percentage3        = 9.79%

| map_image = 1942 New York gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
| map_size = 
| map_caption = County results <br/>
'''Dewey:'''
{{legend0|#ffb2b2|40-50%}} {{legend0|#e27f7f|50-60%}}
{{legend0|#d75d5d|60-70%}}
{{legend0|#d72f30|70-80%}} {{legend0|#c21b18|80-90%}}<br/>
'''Bennett:''' {{legend0|#bdd3ff|30-40%}} {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40-50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50-60%}}

| title              = [[Governor of New York|Governor]]
| before_election    = [[Herbert H. Lehman]]
| before_party       = Democratic Party (United States)
| after_election     = [[Thomas E. Dewey]]
| after_party        = Republican Party (United States)
}}

{{ElectionsNY}}
The '''1942 New York state election''' was held on November 3, 1942, to elect the [[Governor of New York|governor]], the [[Lieutenant Governor of New York|lieutenant governor]], the [[New York State Comptroller|state comptroller]], the [[Attorney General of New York|attorney general]] and two [[New York's At-large congressional district|U.S. Representatives At-large]], as well as all members of the [[New York State Assembly]] and the [[New York State Senate]].

==History==
The [[Socialist Labor Party|Industrial Government]] state convention met on April 5, and nominated again Aaron M. Orange for governor. They also nominated Bronko Papadopolis, of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], for lieutenant governor; O. Martin Olson for comptroller; and [[Eric Hass]] for attorney general.<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E12FE3C5E167B93C4A9178FD85F468485F9 ''STATE TICKET NOMINATED; Socialist Labor Party Names A.M. Orange for Governor''] in NYT on April 6, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

The [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] state convention met on June 21 at 303 Fourth Avenue in [[New York City]], and nominated Prof. Coleman B. Cheney for governor; [[Samuel H. Friedman]] for lieutenant governor; Joseph G. Glass for attorney general; the Rev. Herman J. Hahn for comptroller; and Miss Layle Lane, an African-American teacher, writer and lecturer, and Amicus Most, an engineer of [[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]], for the at-large Congress seats.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/06/22/archives/socialists-nominate-cheney-for-governor-state-party-drops.html ''SOCIALISTS NOMINATE CHENEY FOR GOVERNOR''] in NYT on June 22, 1942 (subscription required)</ref> The petition to nominate these candidates was filed on August 31 with the Secretary of State.<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0812FC3D581B7B93C3A91782D85F468485F9 ''Socialist Ticket Filed''] in NYT on September 1, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

The [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] state convention met on August 20. Influenced by [[James A. Farley]], the convention nominated State Attorney General John J. Bennett Jr., for governor on the first ballot with 623 votes against 393 for U.S. Senator [[James M. Mead]], the candidate favored by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. They re-nominated three incumbents: Lieutenant Governor [[Charles Poletti]], Comptroller [[Joseph V. O'Leary]], and Representative at-large [[Matthew J. Merritt]]; and completed the ticket with State Solicitor General Henry Epstein for attorney general; and Flora D. Johnson for the other at-large House seat.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/08/21/archives/bennett-wins-nomination-on-first-ballot-623393-poletti-oleary.html ''BENNETT WINS NOMINATION ON FIRST BALLOT, 623-393''] in NYT on August 21, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

The [[American Labor Party|American Labor]] state convention met on August 22, but instead of Bennett (or Mead), they nominated [[Tammany Hall|Tammany]] man [[Dean Alfange]] for governor. They re-nominated Comptroller O'Leary, an American Laborite who had been appointed by Governor [[Herbert H. Lehman]] to fill the vacancy caused by the death of [[Morris S. Tremaine]]. They endorsed Democrats Poletti, Merritt, and Johnson; and completed the ticket with [[Alexander Kahn]] for attorney general.<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B13FE3558167B93C1AB1783D85F468485F9 ''ALFANGE IS NAMED BY A. L. P. TO RUN FOR GOVERNORSHIP''] in NYT on August 23, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

The [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] state convention met on August 24 at [[Saratoga Springs, New York]]. They nominated 1938 candidate [[Thomas E. Dewey]] for Governor again, and adjourned.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/08/25/archives/republicans-name-dewey-unanimously-for-governor-willkie-pledge-in.html ''REPUBLICANS NAME DEWEY UNANIMOUSLY FOR GOVERNOR''] in NYT on August 25, 1942 (subscription required)</ref> On August 25 they nominated [[Thomas W. Wallace]] for lieutenant governor; [[Frank C. Moore (politician)|Frank C. Moore]] for comptroller; [[Nathaniel L. Goldstein]] for attorney general; and Charles Muzzicato and [[Winifred C. Stanley]] for Representative at-large.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/08/26/archives/ticket-is-selected-to-support-dewey-in-a-dull-session-republicans.html ''TICKET IS SELECTED TO SUPPORT DEWEY''] in NYT on August 26, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

The [[Communist Party USA|Communist Party]] filed a nominating petition for their candidates on August 28. They nominated Israel Amter for governor; Frank Herron, of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], for lieutenant governor; Benjamin J. Davis Jr., of [[New York City]], for attorney general; Fred Briehl, a dairy farmer of [[Wallkill Town, NY|Wallkill]], for comptroller; and [[Elizabeth Gurley Flynn]] and [[Robert Minor]] for Representative at-large.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/08/29/archives/communists-file-ticket-at-albany-petitions-said-to-bear-50000.html ''COMMUNISTS FILE TICKET AT ALBANY''] in NYT on August 29, 1942 (subscription required)</ref> Herron, Briehl, Davis, and Minor withdrew from the ticket,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/05/archives/amter-to-remain-in-race-in-state-to-continue-campaign-despite.html ''AMTER TO REMAIN IN RACE IN STATE; To Continue Campaign Despite Withdrawal of Four Others From Communist Ticket''] in NYT on September 5, 1942 (subscription required)</ref> and Davis was then nominated for Representative at-large, leaving three gaps on the ticket.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/08/archives/communists-leave-3-gaps-on-ticket-committee-names-bj-davis-jr-to-be.html ''COMMUNISTS LEAVE 3 GAPS ON TICKET''] in NYT on September 8, 1942 (subscription required)</ref>

==Result==
Republicans won almost all statewide elective offices, only the incumbent Democratic Congressman Merritt was re-elected. The incumbents Poletti and O'Leary were defeated.

This was the last election of U.S. Representatives at-large from New York. In 1944 New York's Congressional district map was redrawn to add two more districts. All U.S. Representatives from New York have been elected in individual districts ever since.

{| class=wikitable
|+''' 1942 state election results'''
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Office
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/Republican}} | [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] ticket
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] ticket
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/American Labor}} | [[American Labor Party|American Labor]] ticket
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/Communist}} | [[Communist Party USA|Communist]] ticket
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/Socialist}} | [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist]] ticket
! colspan="2" {{Party shading/Socialist Labor}} | [[Socialist Labor Party of America|Industrial Government]] ticket 
|-
|[[Governor of New York|Governor]]
| {{party shading/Republican }} | '''[[Thomas E. Dewey]]'''
| align="right" | '''2,148,546'''
|[[John J. Bennett Jr.]]
| align="right" | 1,501,039
|[[Dean Alfange]]
| align="right" | 403,626
|[[Israel Amter]]
| align="right" | 45,220
|Coleman B. Cheney<ref>Coleman B. Cheney, Professor of Economics at [[Skidmore College]] in [[Saratoga Springs, New York|Saratoga Springs]], ran also for comptroller in 1936 and 1938</ref>
| align="right" | 21,911
|Aaron M. Orange<ref>Aaron M. Orange, of [[The Bronx]], public school teacher, ran also for governor in 1932, 1934 and 1938; and for U.S. Vice President in 1940</ref>
| align="right" | 3,496
|-
|[[Lieutenant Governor of New York|Lieutenant Governor]]
| {{party shading/Republican }} | '''[[Thomas W. Wallace]]'''
| align="right" | '''2,021,285'''
|[[Charles Poletti]]
| align="right" | 1,555,298
|[[Charles Poletti]]
| align="right" | 411,684
|(none)
| align="right" | 
|Samuel H. Friedman<ref>Samuel H. Friedman, editor of ''The Call'', the Socialist Party's paper</ref>
| align="right" | 25,192
|Bronko Papadopolis
| align="right" | 3,295
|-
|[[New York State Comptroller|Comptroller]]
| {{party shading/Republican }} | '''[[Frank C. Moore (politician)|Frank C. Moore]]'''
| align="right" | '''2,012,380'''
|[[Joseph V. O'Leary]]
| align="right" | 1,526,915
|[[Joseph V. O'Leary]]
| align="right" | 383,808
|(none)
| align="right" | 
|Herman J. Hahn<ref>Rev. Herman J. Hahn, of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], ran also for lieutenant governor in 1928 and 1936; and for the U.S. Senate in 1938</ref>
| align="right" | 23,968
|O. Martin Olson<ref>O. Martin Olson, of [[Jamestown, New York|Jamestown]], ran also for comptroller in 1934; and for the U.S. Senate in 1938</ref>
| align="right" | 3,915
|-
|[[New York State Attorney General|Attorney General]]
| {{party shading/Republican }} | '''[[Nathaniel L. Goldstein]]'''
| align="right" | '''1,911,747'''
|Henry Epstein<ref>Henry Epstein (died 1961), New York State Solicitor General, later [[New York Supreme Court Justice]] and Deputy Mayor of New York, ran also for the Court of Appeals in 1946, [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0F10FF345912738DDDA80B94DA415B818AF1D3 ''HENRY EPSTEIN, JUSTICE IS DEAD''] in NYT on December 31, 1961 (subscription required)</ref>
| align="right" | 1,538,415
|[[Alexander Kahn]]<ref>Alexander Kahn, general manager of the ''[[The Forward|Jewish Daily Forward]]''</ref>
| align="right" | 335,369
|(none)
| align="right" | 
|Joseph G. Glass
| align="right" | 31,957
|[[Eric Hass]]
| align="right" |7,570 
|-
| [[New York's At-large congressional district|Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (at-large)]]
|[[Charles Muzzicato]]
| align="right" | 1,888,925
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''[[Matthew J. Merritt]]'''
| align="right" | '''1,577,163'''
| {{party shading/American Labor}} | '''[[Matthew J. Merritt]]'''
| align="right"  |'''334,951''' 
|[[Benjamin J. Davis Jr.]]
| align="right" | 52,002
|Amicus Most
| align="right" | 19,294
|
| align="right" | 
|-
| [[New York's At-large congressional district|Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (at-large)]]
| {{party shading/Republican}} | '''[[Winifred C. Stanley]]'''
| align="right"  |  '''1,965,794'''
|Flora D. Johnson<ref>Flora D. Johnson, of [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]]</ref>
| align="right" | 1,536,432
|Flora D. Johnson
| align="right" | 338,031
|[[Elizabeth Gurley Flynn]]
| align="right" | 50,305
|[[Layle Lane]]
| align="right" | 22,361
|
| align="right" | 
|-
|}

Obs.: 
*The vote for governor is used to define [[ballot access]], for automatic access are necessary 50,000 votes.

==See also==
* [[New York gubernatorial elections]]

==Notes==
<references/>

==Sources==
*Official Result: [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0F14FB3D59147B93C7A81789D95F468485F9 ''DEWEY'S PLURALITY OFFICIALLY 647,628; State Board of Canvassers Certifies Election Results at Meeting in Albany; RECORD FOR REPUBLICAN; Up-State Margin Also Party Peak in Governorship Race; Poletti Lost by 54,303''] in NYT on December 15, 1942 (subscription required)
New York Red Book 1943 with correction in Epstein Attorney General total for misprint in Richmond County total. Correction consistent with total reported by NYV Board of Elections. Correction added 18,000 votes to Epstein total

{{New York state elections}}
{{1942 United States elections}}
{{US Third Party Election}}

[[Category:1942 New York (state) elections| ]]
[[Category:New York (state) gubernatorial elections|1942]]
[[Category:1942 elections in the United States by state|New York]]
[[Category:Thomas E. Dewey]]
[[Category:Tammany Hall]]