1964 Election Cycle

President Lyndon Johnson carried Minnesota by 27.8 points which stands as the second biggest victory by a Democratic presidential nominee in state history behind Franklin Roosevelt’s 30.8-point win in 1936.

DFL U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy was reelected to a second term by 21.1 points – the largest victory to that point by a Democratic nominee for the office.

However, the DFL was not able to ride Lyndon Johnson’s coattails to make inroads in the state U.S. House delegation with all eight incumbents winning reelection – four Republicans and four DFLers.

Associate Supreme Court Justices Walter Rogosheske and Robert Sheran were each elected to another term.

Elections

Date Office Stage Winners Details
11/03/1964 President / Vice President General Lyndon Johnson (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 991,117 votes (63.76%) and a winning margin of +27.76
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Lyndon Johnson Incumbent with Hubert H. Humphrey Man Democratic-Farmer-Labor 991,117 63.76
Barry Goldwater with William E. Miller Man Republican 559,624 36.00
Eric Hass with Henning Blomen Man Industrial Government 2,544 0.16
Clifton DeBerry with Edward Shaw Man Socialist Workers 1,177 0.08

Johnson and Humphrey each received Minnesota's 10 Electoral College votes. The 63.76 percent won by Johnson is largest share recorded by a Democratic presidential nominee in state history, besting Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 (61.84 percent). It was also Johnson's third strongest showing in the 12-state Midwest region behind Michigan (66.70 percent) and Missouri (64.05 percent).

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11/03/1964 Supreme Court Chief Justice General Oscar Knutson (Nonpartisan) won with 1,213,583 votes (100.00%) and a winning margin of +100.00
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Oscar Knutson Incumbent Man Nonpartisan 1,213,583 100.00

Knutson was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by Governor Elmer Andersen on January 27, 1962 following the resignation of Chief Justice Roger Dell on January 26, 1962. Knutson was a sitting Associate Justice of the Supreme Court at the time. He was elected without opposition.

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11/03/1964 Railroad & Warehouse Commissioner General Ronald L. (Ron) Anderson (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 819,454 votes (55.59%) and a winning margin of +11.18
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Ronald L. (Ron) Anderson Incumbent Man Democratic-Farmer-Labor 819,454 55.59
P. Kenneth (P.K.) Peterson Man Republican 654,705 44.41

The election for this seat was for a six-year term. Commissioner Anderson was reelected to a second term.

Peterson was a resident of Minneapolis, former Chair of the Minnesota Republican Party (1950-1953), former state Representative (HD 34, 1947-1955), former Mayor of Minneapolis (1957-1961), and GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in 1960.

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11/03/1964 State House, District 24 General Sam R. Barr (Nonpartisan) won with 5,086 votes (69.35%) and a winning margin of +38.70
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Sam R. Barr Incumbent Man Nonpartisan 5,086 69.35
Donald L. Finberg Man Nonpartisan 2,248 30.65
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11/03/1964 State House, District 15 General Harold R. Anderson (Nonpartisan) won with 5,147 votes (58.21%) and a winning margin of +16.42
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Harold R. Anderson Incumbent Man Nonpartisan 5,147 58.21
Vernon E. Derner Man Nonpartisan 3,695 41.79
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