The 1930 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1930, to elect the

Governor of Arkansas 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 r ...

, concurrently with the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

to Arkansas's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in other states and elections to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Harvey Parnell Harvey Parnell (February 28, 1880 – January 16, 1936) was an American farmer and politician from Southeast Arkansas. Parnell served in the Arkansas General Assembly for eight years, first in the Arkansas House of Representatives, and later servi ...

had won office in 1928, and was seeking reelection in 1930. During this period, it was customary for faithful governors to be reelected to a second term in Arkansas. In the Solid South, winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to election, a trend that resulted in Democratic control of the

Arkansas Governor's Mansion The Arkansas Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Arkansas and Arkansas' first family. The mansion is located at 1800 Center Street in Little Rock, and is included in the Governor's Mansion Historic District, a district ...

from 1874 to 1967. Parnell won a seven-candidate primary, and was nominated by the party. The

Republicans 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 ...

nominated James Livesay, a lawyer from

Foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

in Little River County. Parnell defeated Livesay in a

landslide election A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geol ...

, but would see his popularity decline sharply in the next two years, as the Dust Bowl and

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

damaged the Arkansas economy. Parnell's popular progressive programs from his first term would come under fire in his second term, with many claiming his highway modernization program and school reforms were bankrupting the state.

Democratic primary

Results

Republicans

Republicans did not hold primaries in Arkansas until the 1960s, instead nominating their candidates at the state convention. James Livesay, a lawyer and judge from

, was nominated as the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Third parties

General election

Results

References

* * * {{Portal bar, Politics, United States

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

November 1930 events