1964 Alabama Democratic presidential elector primary

1964 Alabama Democratic presidential elector primary
← 1960 May 5, 1964 1968 →
10 nominees for the Democratic presidential electoral slate
Unpledged 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%	No results

The 1964 Alabama Democratic presidential elector primary was held on May 5, 1964, to choose the ten nominees for presidential electors to be listed on the general election ballot under the Democratic party label in the 1964 United States presidential election in Alabama. In 1960, Alabama was the only state where both presidential electors and DNC delegates were elected by popular vote.^[1] Instead of every candidate running in an at-large election, each candidate ran for a designated place, with the highest-placing candidates in each place receiving the nomination.

The election resulted in the nomination of ten unpledged electors not loyal to the national Democratic Party. Alabama was the only state in which Lyndon B. Johnson or electors pledged to him did not appear on the general election ballot in 1964.

Electoral slates

Unpledged electors

The following candidates were recruited to serve as unpledged electors:^[2]

Place 1: James Allen, 17th and 20th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama (1951–1955, 1963–1967)
Place 2: Edmund Blair, newspaper publisher and independent elector in 1960
Place 3: Albert Brewer, 58th Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives (1963–1967)
Place 4: Albert H. Evans, state senator from Alabama's 19th Senate district (1962–1966)
Place 5: MacDonald Gallion, 37th and 39th Attorney General of Alabama (1959–1963, 1967–1971)
Place 6: Jack Giles, director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations (1963–1964)
Place 7: Art Hanes, mayor of Birmingham, Alabama (1961–1963)
Place 8: Pete Matthews, state senator from Alabama's 34th Senate district (1962–1966)
Place 9: Frank Mizell, attorney and independent elector in 1960
Place 10: Jud Scott, businessman

Pledged electors

The following candidates were recruited to serve as loyalist electors:^[2]

Place 1: Joseph N. Langan, mayor of Mobile, Alabama (1955–1956, 1957–1958, 1963–1964, 1965–1967)
Place 2: J. E. Brantley, mayor of Banks, Alabama, loyalist elector in 1960
Place 3: Barrett Shelton, newspaper publisher
Place 4: John Sears Casey, state representative from Cleburne County (1959–1967)
Place 5: Elbert Bertram Haltom Jr., state senator from Alabama's 1st Senate district (1958–1962)
Place 6: H. Brandt Ayers, publisher of The Anniston Star
Place 7: E. W. Skidmore, state senator from Alabama's 11th Senate district (1950–1958, 1966–1970)
Place 8: C. G. Allen, loyalist elector in 1960
Place 9: Karl Harrison, loyalist elector in 1960
Place 10: J. K. Hardwick, mayor of Talladega, Alabama

Other candidates

The following candidates were not on either slate:^[2]

Place 1:
- Jerry Coe, former assistant attorney general
- John Crommelin, perennial candidate
Place 2
- Ralph Price, perennial candidate
- John Watts, businessman
Place 3: Oley B. Kelley, insurance man

Endorsements

Pledged

Politicians

John G. Burton, former mayor of Jasper, Alabama^[3]
J. Lister Hill, U.S. Senator from Alabama (1938–1969)^[4]
Albert Rains, U.S. Representative from Alabama's 5th congressional district (1945–1965)^[5]
James Record, chairman of the Madison County Commission^[6]
John Sparkman, U.S. Senator from Alabama (1946–1979)^[4]

Newspapers

Labor unions

AFL-CIO Alabama Labor Council^[9]

Political parties

Lauderdale County Democratic Executive Committee^[10]
Madison County Democratic Executive Committee^[6]

Unpledged

Politicians

George Wallace, 45th Governor of Alabama (1963–1967, 1971–1979, 1983–1987) and 1964 presidential primary candidate^[11]

Newspapers

Organizations

Alabama Citizen's Council^[12]

Results

Place	Unpledged electors			Pledged electors			Others			Total

	Candidate	Votes	%	Candidate	Votes	%	Candidate	Votes	%
1st	James Allen	516,027	83.02%	Joseph N. Langan	83,968	13.51%	Jerry Koe John Crommelin	11,475 10,114	1.85% 1.63%	621,584
2nd	Edmund Blair	460,663	79.40%	J. E. Brantley	98,741	17.02%	Ralph Price John Watts	11,268 9,496	1.94% 1.64%	580,168
3rd	Albert Brewer	504,716	82.71%	Barrett Shelton	87,997	14.42%	Oley B. Kelley	17,537	2.87%	610,250
4th	Albert Evans	477,854	79.56%	John Sears Casey	122,786	20.44%	—			600,640
5th	MacDonald Gallion	512,745	83.70%	Elbert Bertram Haltom Jr.	99,863	16.30%	—			612,608
6th	Jack Giles	481,763	81.60%	H. Brandt Ayers	108,662	18.40%	—			590,425
7th	Art Hanes	493,975	82.11%	E. W. Skidmore	107,619	17.89%	—			601,594
8th	Pete Matthews	421,499	77.34%	C. G. Allen	123,496	22.66%	—			544,995
9th	Frank Mizell	490,992	81.67%	Karl Harrison	110,168	18.33%	—			601,160
10th	Jud Scott	483,133	81.01%	J. K. Hardwick	113,258	18.99%	—			596,391

References

↑ Wortsman, Gene (11 May 1960). "Alabama Is Most Democratic State In Choosing Electors, Delegates". Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
1 2 3 "Pledged, Unpledged Elector Candidates". Birmingham Post-Herald. 4 May 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ "Former Jasper Mayor Endorses Pledged Elector Candidates". The LaFayette Sun. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
1 2 Pearson, Ted (5 April 1964). "Unpledged slate expected to win but scrap brewing". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ "Rains Urges Support Of Pledged Electors". The LaFayette Sun. 22 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
1 2 Austin, Bill J. (12 April 1964). "Madison County Demo Committee Endorses Pledged Elector Slate". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "State Papers Divided On Choice Of Electors". The Dothan Eagle. Associated Press. 30 April 1965. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ "The Presidential Electors Issue". The Opelika-Auburn News. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ Pearson, Ted (26 April 1964). "State labor ignores Wallace in primary". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ "The Lauderdale County Democratic Executive Committee". Birmingham Post-Herald. 27 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
1 2 "Unpledged Electors Endorsed". The Clayton Record. 16 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
↑ "Council Endorses Unpledged Slate". Alabama Journal. 13 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[1] Wortsman, Gene (11 May 1960). "Alabama Is Most Democratic State In Choosing Electors, Delegates". Birmingham Post-Herald. Retrieved 7 April 2025.

[Candidates-2] 1 2 3 "Pledged, Unpledged Elector Candidates". Birmingham Post-Herald. 4 May 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[3] "Former Jasper Mayor Endorses Pledged Elector Candidates". The LaFayette Sun. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[ScrapBrewing-4] 1 2 Pearson, Ted (5 April 1964). "Unpledged slate expected to win but scrap brewing". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[5] "Rains Urges Support Of Pledged Electors". The LaFayette Sun. 22 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[Madison-6] 1 2 Austin, Bill J. (12 April 1964). "Madison County Demo Committee Endorses Pledged Elector Slate". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[PapersSplit-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "State Papers Divided On Choice Of Electors". The Dothan Eagle. Associated Press. 30 April 1965. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[8] "The Presidential Electors Issue". The Opelika-Auburn News. 29 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[9] Pearson, Ted (26 April 1964). "State labor ignores Wallace in primary". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[10] "The Lauderdale County Democratic Executive Committee". Birmingham Post-Herald. 27 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[WallaceEndorsed-11] 1 2 "Unpledged Electors Endorsed". The Clayton Record. 16 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

[12] "Council Endorses Unpledged Slate". Alabama Journal. 13 April 1964. Retrieved 12 September 2025.

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