1970 Arizona gubernatorial election

1970 Arizona gubernatorial election
	County results ; Williams: 50–60% 60–70% Castro: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Governor before election; Jack Williams; Republican	Elected Governor ; Jack Williams; Republican

The 1970 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Governor Jack Williams ran for reelection to a third term as governor. United States Ambassador to Bolivia Raúl Héctor Castro won the Democratic nomination, and narrowly lost the general election to Williams by 1.78%. Williams was sworn into his third and final term as Governor on January 5, 1971.

Due to a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 1968, the length of the term of Governor of Arizona was changed from two years to four years, effective with the 1970 gubernatorial election. Thus, Williams became the first Governor of Arizona to serve a 4-year term.^[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Jack Williams, incumbent Governor

Democratic primary

Candidates

Raúl Héctor Castro, United States Ambassador to Bolivia, former United States Ambassador to El Salvador
Jack Ross, car dealer
George Nader, former Mayor

Results

Democratic primary results^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raúl Héctor Castro	63,294	51.99%
	Democratic	Jack Ross	30,921	25.40%
	Democratic	George Nader	27,534	22.62%
Total votes			121,749	100.00

General election

Results overview

Arizona gubernatorial election, 1970^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jack Williams (incumbent)	209,356	50.89%	-6.95%
	Democratic	Raúl Héctor Castro	202,053	49.11%	+6.95%
Majority			7,303	1.78%
Turnout			411,409
	Republican hold		Swing

Results by county

County results^[2]
County	Jack Williams (incumbent) Republican		Raul H. Castro Democratic		Total votes
County	#	%	#	%	Total votes
Apache	1,745	50.9%	1,684	49.1%	1,745
Cochise	5,712	41.2%	8,138	58.8%	13,850
Coconino	4,471	50.9%	4,305	49.1%	8,776
Gila	2,951	37.6%	4,907	62.4%	7,858
Graham	2,078	47.0%	2,343	53.0%	4,421
Greenlee	822	26.9%	2,239	73.1%	3,061
Maricopa	133,336	58.0%	96,525	42.0%	229,861
Mohave	2,846	50.4%	2,797	49.6%	5,643
Navajo	4,335	56.6%	3,330	43.4%	7,665
Pima	32,750	37.2%	55,245	62.8%	87,995
Pinal	5,786	42.4%	7,861	57.6%	13,647
Santa Cruz	824	28.0%	2,123	72.0%	2,947
Yavapai	7,052	63.3%	4,093	36.7%	11,145
Yuma	4,814	43.3%	6,297	56.7%	11,111
Totals	209,522	50.9%	201,887	49.1%	411,409

References

^ Goff, John S. (1983). Arizona Biographical Dictionary. Cave Creek, AZ: Black Mountain Press. p. 104. OCLC 10740532.
^ ^a ^b ^c Scammon, Richard M. (1972). America Votes 9: A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-87187-033-9.

[1] Goff, John S. (1983). Arizona Biographical Dictionary. Cave Creek, AZ: Black Mountain Press. p. 104. OCLC 10740532.

[AmericaVotes-2] Scammon, Richard M. (1972). America Votes 9: A Handbook of Contemporary American Election Statistics. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-87187-033-9.

[1]

[2]