1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election


The 1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1947, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Fielding L. Wright, who had succeeded to the governorship a year prior following the death of Thomas L. Bailey, ran for election to a first full term. As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate won in a landslide so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election.

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Governor Fielding L. Wright defeated lawyer Paul B. Johnson Jr., the son of former Governor Paul B. Johnson Sr., and 3 other candidates. He received a majority of the vote, thereby eliminating the need for a runoff.

Results

General election

Campaign

In the general election, Wright ran against Republican George L. Sheldon, who served as Governor of Nebraska from 1907 until 1909. Sheldon moved to Mississippi after his service as governor and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, becoming an influential figure in the state Republican Party. However, the Republicans had such minimal influence in Mississippi at the time that Wright won in a landslide with almost 98% of the vote.

Results