1920 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1920 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1920 in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Former Democratic state representative Pat Morris Neff won comfortably in a four-way race against Republican nominee J. G. Culbertson, American Party of Texas nominee T. H. McGregor, and Black and Tan Republican nominee Hickerson Capers.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Joseph W. Bailey, former U.S. Senator
• Benjmain F. Looney
• Pat Morris Neff, McLennan County prosectuor and former Speaker of the Texas House
• R. Ewing Thomason

Results

In the primary, held on July 24, 1920, former Senator Joseph W. Bailey won the most votes, with Neff in second place; with neither candidate achieving 50%, a runoff was required.

Runoff results

In the runoff, Neff won by just under 18 percentage points against Bailey, or 79,373 raw votes, making him the Democratic nominee and the presumptive governor; Texas — in this era — was a Democratic-dominated southern state in which the primary was almost always the deciding race in the election.

General election

Neff faced numerous opponents in the general election, including T.H. McGregor of the American Party, a party established by formerly impeached and convicted Texas governor "James "Pa" Ferguson for the purposes of running for president in the concurrent presidential election. Neff received 60.0% of the vote, a lower share than usual for most Democrats in Texas at the time, but this was due large, multi-candidate field rather than the more typical 1-on-1 between a Democrat and a Republican.

Candidates

• Pat Morris Neff (Democratic), former County Attorney for McLennan County.
• John G. Culbertston (Republican), businessman and president of the Witchita Falls Motor Company.
• Temple H. McGregor (American), former member of the Texas Senate
• Lee Lightfoot Rhodes (Socialist), former member of the Texas House of Representatives.
• Hickson C. Capers (Black and Tan Republican), printer.

Results