1964 United States presidential election in New York
November 3, 1964
Turnout64.4%[1] Decrease 2.5 pp
 
Nominee Lyndon B. Johnson Barry Goldwater
Party Democratic Republican
Alliance Liberal
Home state Texas Arizona
Running mate Hubert Humphrey William E. Miller
Electoral vote 43 0
Popular vote 4,913,156 2,243,559
Percentage 68.56% 31.31%
County Results
Johnson
  50-60%
  60-70%
  70-80%
  80-90%

President before election

Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic

 Elected President

Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic

The 1964 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 3, 1964, as part of the 1964 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. New York voters chose 43 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson and his running mate, President pro tempore of the Senate Hubert Humphrey, against Republican challenger and Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona and his running mate and Chair of the Republican National Committee, William E. Miller.

Johnson carried the state in a historic landslide, taking 68.56% of the vote to Goldwater's 31.31%, a victory margin of 37.25%. This is the only election in history in which a Democratic presidential candidate carried every single county in the state of New York. The staunch conservative Barry Goldwater was widely seen in the liberal Northeast as a right-wing extremist;[2] he had voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Johnson campaign portrayed him as a warmonger who as president would provoke a nuclear war.[3] Thus Goldwater performed especially weakly in northeastern states like New York: he wrote off the state and neighboring Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island from the beginning of his presidential campaign even before Kennedy's assassination.[4] For the first time in history, a Democratic presidential candidate swept every Northeastern state in 1964. Not only did Johnson win every Northeastern state, but he won all of them with over 60% of the vote. New York weighed in as the fifth most Democratic state in the nation.

Johnson dominated heavily Democratic cities such as New York City, the largest in the country, as well as the upstate cities of Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, which historically provided Democratic candidates an advantage. However, Johnson also swept every county in the state, including traditionally Republican parts of upstate New York and Long Island. Johnson carried all five boroughs of New York City, the first presidential candidate to do so since the landslide re-election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1936. In the borough of Manhattan, Johnson broke 80% of the vote, the first presidential candidate ever to do so. Brooklyn and the Bronx voted over 70% Democratic. Traditionally Republican Queens, narrowly carried by John F. Kennedy four years earlier in 1960, gave over 60% of the vote to Johnson. Even Staten Island voted Democratic, the only occasion it would do so between 1936 and 1996, although it was the only county to give Goldwater more than 45% of the vote.[5] Overall, New York City gave Johnson 73.02% of the vote, a citywide vote share no candidate would surpass until fellow Democrat Bill Clinton’s 77.10% in 1996. With 2,183,646 votes from the five boroughs, Johnson also received more votes in New York City than any other presidential candidate in history, setting a record that would hold until Democrat Hillary Clinton won 2,191,869 votes in 2016. Johnson's record of 4.9 million votes won by a single candidate in New York would hold for four years longer, being surpassed by Joe Biden in 2020.

Johnson's 68.56% of the vote remains the highest vote share any presidential candidate of either party has ever received in New York State. His 37.25% victory margin also remains the widest margin by which any Democratic presidential candidate has ever won New York State, and the second widest margin by which any candidate of either party has ever carried the state behind Republican Warren G. Harding’s 37.61% margin in the 1920 Republican landslide.[6] This result also made Johnson one of only three presidential candidates of either party who have been able to sweep every county in New York State, along with Harding in 1920 and his successor Calvin Coolidge in 1924. New York weighed in for this election as 15% more Democratic than the national average.

Results

1964 United States presidential election in New York
Party Presidential Nominee Vice Presidential Nominee Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Lyndon Baines Johnson Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. 4,570,724 63.78%
Liberal Lyndon Baines Johnson Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. 342,432 4.78%
Total Lyndon Baines Johnson (incumbent) Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. 4,913,156 68.56% 43
Republican Barry Morris Goldwater William Edward Miller 2,243,559 31.31% 0
Socialist Labor Eric Hass Henning A. Blomen 6,085 0.08% 0
Socialist Workers Clifton DeBerry Edward Walter Shaw 3,215 0.04% 0
Totals 7,166,015 100.0% 43

New York City results

1964 Presidential Election in New York City Manhattan The Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Total
Democratic-
Liberal		 Lyndon B. Johnson 503,848403,014684,839541,41850,5242,183,64373.02%
80.52%74.69%74.80%66.28%54.36%
Republican Barry Goldwater 120,125135,780229,291274,35142,330801,87726.81%
19.20%25.16%25.05%33.59%45.54%
Socialist Labor Eric Hass 966552879748713,2160.11%
0.15%0.10%0.10%0.09%0.08%
Socialist Workers Clifton DeBerry 780248494311211,8540.06%
0.12%0.05%0.05%0.04%0.02%
TOTAL 625,719539,594915,503816,82892,9462,990,590100.00%

Results by county

County Lyndon Baines Johnson
Democratic		 Barry Morris Goldwater
Republican		 Eric Hass[7]
Socialist Labor		 Clifton DeBerry[7]
Socialist Workers		 Margin Total votes cast
#  % #  % #  % #  % #  %
Albany 114,827 78.03% 32,224 21.90% 66 0.04% 35 0.02% 82,603 56.13% 147,152
Allegany 10,329 57.26% 7,688 42.62% 10 0.06% 12 0.07% 2,641 14.64% 18,039
Bronx 403,014 74.69% 135,780 25.16% 552 0.10% 248 0.05% 267,234 49.53% 539,594
Broome 59,021 64.76% 32,048 35.16% 54 0.06% 16 0.02% 26,973 29.60% 91,139
Cattaraugus 21,994 66.78% 10,907 33.12% 22 0.07% 10 0.03% 11,087 33.67% 32,933
Cayuga 24,090 67.73% 11,453 32.20% 13 0.04% 10 0.03% 12,637 35.53% 35,566
Chautauqua 42,924 69.17% 19,069 30.73% 44 0.07% 19 0.03% 23,855 38.44% 62,056
Chemung 26,332 64.10% 14,716 35.82% 24 0.06% 10 0.02% 11,616 28.28% 41,082
Chenango 11,653 61.49% 7,293 38.48% 4 0.02% 2 0.01% 4,360 23.01% 18,952
Clinton 18,398 75.12% 6,078 24.82% 9 0.04% 7 0.03% 12,320 50.30% 24,492
Columbia 14,516 61.62% 9,023 38.30% 13 0.06% 6 0.03% 5,493 23.32% 23,558
Cortland 11,110 64.33% 6,149 35.61% 4 0.02% 7 0.04% 4,961 28.73% 17,270
Delaware 11,686 58.24% 8,359 41.66% 15 0.07% 4 0.02% 3,327 16.58% 20,064
Dutchess 50,179 62.94% 29,503 37.01% 29 0.04% 14 0.02% 20,676 25.93% 79,725
Erie 344,910 73.14% 125,962 26.71% 513 0.11% 191 0.04% 218,948 46.43% 471,576
Essex 10,739 64.75% 5,837 35.19% 5 0.03% 4 0.02% 4,902 29.56% 16,585
Franklin 12,467 71.94% 4,846 27.96% 10 0.06% 6 0.03% 7,621 43.98% 17,329
Fulton 15,846 68.46% 7,278 31.44% 18 0.08% 5 0.02% 8,568 37.02% 23,147
Genesee 15,713 65.91% 8,114 34.03% 8 0.03% 6 0.03% 7,599 31.87% 23,841
Greene 10,034 56.07% 7,842 43.82% 9 0.05% 9 0.05% 2,192 12.25% 17,894
Hamilton 1,603 55.80% 1,269 44.17% 1 0.03% 0 0.00% 334 11.63% 2,873
Herkimer 20,136 66.42% 10,159 33.51% 11 0.04% 11 0.04% 9,977 32.91% 30,317
Jefferson 25,175 70.10% 10,718 29.84% 9 0.03% 12 0.03% 14,457 40.25% 35,914
Kings 684,839 74.80% 229,291 25.05% 879 0.10% 494 0.05% 455,548 49.76% 915,503
Lewis 6,584 67.33% 3,185 32.57% 5 0.05% 5 0.05% 3,399 34.76% 9,779
Livingston 13,481 65.38% 7,120 34.53% 8 0.04% 10 0.05% 6,361 30.85% 20,619
Madison 14,313 61.75% 8,858 38.21% 9 0.04% 0 0.00% 5,455 23.53% 23,180
Monroe 205,226 71.86% 80,099 28.05% 170 0.06% 87 0.03% 125,127 43.81% 285,582
Montgomery 19,370 69.52% 8,471 30.40% 12 0.04% 8 0.03% 10,899 39.12% 27,861
Nassau 382,590 60.53% 248,886 39.37% 428 0.07% 211 0.03% 133,704 21.15% 632,115
New York 503,848 80.52% 120,125 19.20% 966 0.15% 780 0.12% 383,723 61.33% 625,719
Niagara 67,260 70.07% 28,663 29.86% 44 0.05% 18 0.02% 38,597 40.21% 95,985
Oneida 73,359 64.80% 39,737 35.10% 82 0.07% 32 0.03% 33,622 29.70% 113,210
Onondaga 128,630 66.99% 63,205 32.92% 128 0.07% 51 0.03% 65,425 34.07% 192,014
Ontario 19,922 64.72% 10,847 35.24% 7 0.02% 8 0.03% 9,075 29.48% 30,784
Orange 48,244 61.13% 30,610 38.78% 49 0.06% 21 0.03% 17,634 22.34% 78,924
Orleans 9,304 62.46% 5,567 37.37% 18 0.12% 7 0.05% 3,737 25.09% 14,896
Oswego 24,788 66.59% 12,415 33.35% 13 0.03% 10 0.03% 12,373 33.24% 37,226
Otsego 15,190 63.67% 8,643 36.23% 19 0.08% 7 0.03% 6,547 27.44% 23,859
Putnam 12,636 57.75% 9,219 42.14% 11 0.05% 13 0.06% 3,417 15.62% 21,879
Queens 541,418 66.28% 274,351 33.59% 748 0.09% 311 0.04% 267,067 32.70% 816,828
Rensselaer 51,170 71.01% 20,814 28.88% 55 0.08% 21 0.03% 30,356 42.13% 72,060
Richmond 50,524 54.36% 42,330 45.54% 71 0.08% 21 0.02% 8,194 8.82% 92,946
Rockland 46,173 63.74% 26,187 36.15% 53 0.07% 29 0.04% 19,986 27.59% 72,442
St. Lawrence 29,173 70.62% 12,102 29.30% 23 0.05% 24 0.06% 17,071 41.33% 41,307
Saratoga 29,264 68.57% 13,364 31.32% 56 0.08% 24 0.03% 15,900 37.26% 42,675
Schenectady 51,892 70.30% 21,848 29.60% 8 0.07% 3 0.03% 30,044 40.70% 73,820
Schoharie 7,187 63.09% 4,193 36.81% 3 0.04% 2 0.03% 2,994 26.28% 11,391
Schuyler 4,326 59.62% 2,925 40.31% 7 0.05% 6 0.04% 1,401 19.31% 7,256
Seneca 8,890 66.46% 4,473 33.44% 20 0.05% 12 0.03% 4,417 33.02% 13,376
Steuben 24,634 60.61% 15,988 39.34% 15 0.04% 8 0.02% 8,646 21.27% 40,645
Suffolk 180,598 55.51% 144,350 44.37% 277 0.09% 108 0.03% 36,248 11.14% 325,333
Sullivan 16,728 67.52% 8,006 32.31% 23 0.09% 18 0.07% 8,722 35.20% 24,775
Tioga 10,411 59.26% 7,147 40.68% 4 0.02% 5 0.03% 3,264 18.58% 17,567
Tompkins 16,103 63.90% 9,070 35.99% 12 0.05% 17 0.07% 7,033 27.91% 25,202
Ulster 35,486 59.82% 23,749 40.03% 60 0.10% 31 0.05% 11,737 19.78% 59,326
Warren 12,772 61.94% 7,834 37.99% 10 0.05% 4 0.02% 4,938 23.95% 20,620
Washington 13,826 62.87% 8,160 37.10% 3 0.01% 4 0.02% 5,666 25.76% 21,993
Wayne 18,729 63.83% 10,586 36.08% 14 0.05% 13 0.04% 8,143 27.75% 29,342
Westchester 243,723 61.98% 149,052 37.90% 318 0.08% 142 0.04% 94,671 24.07% 393,235
Wyoming 8,866 59.19% 6,099 40.71% 10 0.07% 5 0.03% 2,767 18.47% 14,980
Yates 4,983 57.52% 3,675 42.42% 5 0.06% 0 0.00% 1,308 15.10% 8,663
Totals4,913,15668.56%2,243,55931.31%6,0850.08%3,2150.04%2,669,59737.25%7,166,015

Analysis

This is the only time in American history that the counties of Genesee,[8] Livingston,[9] Orleans,[10] and Wyoming[11] voted for the Democratic presidential nominee. It was also the first time in history that Chautauqua, Cortland, Essex, Ontario, Schuyler, and Washington counties voted Democratic, though not the last. Most of these counties were in the far western reaches of New York where the Whig Party was strongest in the Second Party System, before the rise of the Republican Party and during which Democrats regularly won more than a handful of upstate New York counties.[12]

Many counties ended long streaks of not voting Democratic: It was the first time since 1948 that Monroe County voted for a Democrat, the first time since 1936 that Richmond, Rockland, Schenectady, and Sullivan counties voted for a Democrat, the first time since 1932 that Rensselaer County voted for a Democrat, the first time since 1916 that Chemung, Greene, Hamilton, Otsego, and Schoharie counties voted for a Democrat, the first time since 1912 that Cattaraugus, Columbia, Herkimer, Lewis, Nassau, Putnam, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester counties voted for a Democrat, the first time since 1876 that Orange County voted for a Democrat, the first since 1872 that Dutchess county voted for a Democrat, and the first time since 1852 that numerous upstate counties voted for a Democrat, namely: Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Jefferson, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Warren, and Wayne counties. Finally, Fulton and Cayuga counties had not voted Democratic since 1844, and Saratoga county not since 1836 – 128 years prior.[13]

Unlike some analogous Northeastern counties where Johnson only won very narrowly, like Lancaster in Pennsylvania, Johnson won these normally Republican upstate counties by large margins over 25%.[5] Of these counties, Greene, Hamilton, Putnam, Steuben, Tioga, Allegany, and Wayne never voted Democratic since. Furthermore, Yates, Fulton, Chenango, Jefferson, Delaware, Herkimer, Lewis, Schoharie, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Oneida, Ontario, and Schuyler have only voted Democratic once since, for Bill Clinton in 1996.[13] This is one of two occasions between 1852 and 1992 that the Democratic candidate carried New York outside of the city (along with 1912), however, this was the only time they did so with a majority of the vote.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, p. 1072.
  2. ↑ Donaldson, Gary; Liberalism’s Last Hurrah: The Presidential Campaign of 1964; p. 190 ISBN 1510702369
  3. ↑ Edwards, Lee and Schlafly, Phyllis; Goldwater: The Man Who Made a Revolution; pp. 286-290 ISBN 162157458X
  4. ↑ Kelley, Stanley junior; ‘The Goldwater Strategy’; The Princeton Review; pp. 8-11
  5. 1 2 "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – New York
  7. 1 2 Our Campaigns; NY US President 1964
  8. ↑ The Political Graveyard; Genesee County, New York
  9. ↑ The Political Graveyard; Livingston County, New York
  10. ↑ "New York". Google Docs. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  11. ↑ Wyoming County, New York
  12. ↑ "Presidential election of 1832 - Map by counties". geoelections.free.fr. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "County Project (WIP)". Google Docs. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
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