1970 Georgia gubernatorial election

←  1966 November 3, 1970 1974 →

Nominee Jimmy Carter Hal Suit Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 620,419 424,983 Percentage 59.3% 40.6%

County results Carter:       50?60%       60?70%       70?80%       80?90%       >90% Suit:       50?60%       60?70%

Governor before election Lester Maddox Democratic Elected Governor Jimmy Carter Democratic

The 1970 Georgia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. It was known for electing little-known former state Senator Jimmy Carter Governor of Georgia after a hard battle in the Democratic primary.

This election is famous because Carter, who was often seen as one of the New South Governors , later ran for president in 1976 on his gubernatorial record and won.

As of 2024, this is the last time Fulton County voted for the Republican candidate.

Democratic Primary results [ change | change source ]

First round [ change | change source ]

• Jimmy Carter ? 388,280 (48.62%)
• Carl Sanders ? 301,659 (37.77%)
• Chevene B. "C. B." King ? 70,424 (8.82%)
• Ku Klux Klan leader Jesse Stoner ? 17,663 (2.21%)
• McKee Hargett ? 9,440 (1.18%)
• Thomas J. Irwin ? 4,184 (0.52%)
• Adam B. Matthews ? 3,332 (0.42%)

Runoff [ change | change source ]

A runoff was held on September 23: ^[1]

• Carter ? 506,462 (59.42%)
• Sanders ? 345,906 (40.58%)

Republican Primary results [ change | change source ]

• Harold Columbus "Hal" Suit (1922?1994) ? 62,868 (60.97%)
• James L. Bentley ? 40,251 (39.03%)

General election [ change | change source ]

References [ change | change source ]

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