The 1934 New York state election was held on November 6, 1934, to elect the
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
, the
lieutenant governor, the
state comptroller, the
attorney general, a
U.S. Senator, two
U.S. Representatives-at-large, the
chief judge
A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...
and two associate judges of the
New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the
New York State Assembly and the
New York State Senate.
History
The
Communist State Committee met on August 28, and nominated Israel Amter for governor.
The
Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
state convention met on July 1 at New York City, and nominated Charles Solomon for governor; and Norman Thomas for the U.S. Senate.
The
Democratic state convention met on September 27 at
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, and re-nominated the incumbents Lehman, Bray, Tremaine, Bennett, Loughran and Copeland; and completed the ticket endorsing two Republicans: Associate Judge Frederick E. Crane for Chief Judge and Supreme Court Justice Edward R. Finch for the Court of Appeals.
The
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
state convention met on September 28 at
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...
, and nominated New York City Park Commissioner
Robert Moses for governor on the third ballot after a struggle with the
Macy faction, defeating
Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalist ...
and
Seabury C. Mastick. Also nominated were Fred J. Douglas for lieutenant governor; Wilson R. Campbell, of
Steuben County, for comptroller; William T. Powers, of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, for attorney general; E. Harold Cluett for the U.S. Senate; Frederick E. Crane for chief judge; the incumbent Democrat John T. Loughran to succeed himself; and Charles B. Sears for the Court of Appeals, thus dropping fellow Republican Edward R. Finch who had been nominated by the Democrats in a common cross-endorsement deal for judicial officers.
The "Recovery Party" filed a petition to nominate state officers on October 9, 1934. The ticket was headed by Ex-Mayor of New York
John F. Hylan for governor. The ticket was not allowed on the ballot because of numerous forged signatures and thus not meeting the legal requirements.
''ALBANY COURT BARS HYLAN STATE TICKET AS NOT NOMINATED''
in NYT on October 26, 1934 (subscription required) Hylan did receive 15,208 write-in votes in New York City according to NYC Board of Elections records, but these were included in the state total of blank, void and scattering votes (141,700).
The "Constitutional Party" nominated Colonel Henry Breckinridge, a Democrat who opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's New Deal policy, for the U.S. Senate, and used the "Pine Tree of Liberty" as its emblem on the ballot.
Result
The whole Democratic ticket was elected in the third landslide in a row.
The incumbents Lehman, Bray, Tremaine, Bennett, Loughran and Copeland were re-elected.
The Law Preservation Party lost its automatic ballot access
Elections in the United States refers to the rules and procedures regulating the conditions under which a candidate, political party, or ballot measure is entitled to appear on voters' ballots. As the nation's election process is decentralized b ...
and disappeared.
Notes
Sources
*Result (Law Preservation only)
Vote for Prohibition candidates
at Prohibitionists.org
*Official Result
in NYT on December 11, 1934
New York Red Book 1935
See also
*New York gubernatorial elections
There have been 91 gubernatorial elections in the state of New York since 1777, with the most recent being held on November 8, 2022. The next election is scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026.
General information
Originally the term for go ...
*New York state elections
The results of elections in the state of New York have tended to be more Democratic-leaning than in most of the United States, with in recent decades a solid majority of Democratic voters, concentrated in New York City and some of its suburbs, i ...
{{1934 United States elections
November 1934 events