1968 Alabama Democratic presidential primary

1968 Alabama Democratic presidential primary

May 7, 1968 June 4, 1968 (runoff)
50 Democratic National Convention delegates (45 pledged, 5 unpledged)
Candidate George Wallace (not running for nomination) Uncommitted Home state Alabama — Delegate count 31 18 First round 390,047 56.68% 10 PD 310,435 44.32% 2 PD Runoff 134,614 81.00% 3 PD 31,586 19.00% 1 PD
Wallace   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Uncommitted   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% No race

For the state primary that chose the Democratic nominees for electors to the Electoral College, see 1968 Alabama Democratic presidential elector primary.

See also: 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries

A presidential primary was held in the U.S. state of Alabama on May 7, 1968, with runoff elections in some congressional districts on June 4, to elect delegates representing Alabama to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. A substantial number of Alabama's national convention delegates were pledged to former Governor George Wallace as a favorite son candidate, despite his wishes. Wallace did not seek or want the national Democratic nomination, instead opting for a third-party run. Despite the state having its congressional maps redrawn after losing a seat in the 1960 United States census, Alabama continued to use its nine old congressional districts from the 1950s for the purpose of electing delegates while simultaneously using the new eight districts for U.S. House of Representatives seats.

Of Alabama's fifty national delegate slots, only sixteen were up for election in May and June. Five of the thirty-four remaining delegates were party officers, or superdelegates, with twenty-nine running unopposed for their respective nominations. Alabama's forty-five pledged delegates were split equally among its nine old congressional districts and elected to designated places. On May 7, 1968, twelve delegates were elected in the first round, ten pledged to Wallace, and two uncommitted. The last four delegates were elected in the runoff; three for Wallace, and one uncommitted. On June 5, the day after the Democratic runoff, The Birmingham News determined that thirty-one delegates were pledged to George Wallace, eighteen were uncommitted, and one, Joe Reed of Montgomery, was pledged to Hubert Humphrey.

The state's fifty delegates were worth thirty-two votes, with most delegates only receiving a half vote. By the 1968 Democratic National Convention, delegates pledged to Wallace from Alabama numbered 9½ votes, and 20½ uncommitted. Many delegates who refused to sign the loyalty pledge to the national party were refused from being seated and were replaced. At the roll call, Alabama's votes numbered 23 for Hubert Humphrey, 3½ for Ted Kennedy, 1½ for Crimson Tide head coach Bear Bryant, half a vote each for Wallace and governor of North Carolina Dan K. Moore, with three abstentions.

Results

An asterisk denotes a delegate elected, two asterisks denotes a delegate candidate advancing to a runoff.

Runoff results by old congressional district

Old CD and place	Pledged to George Wallace			Uncommitted			Total
	Candidate	Votes	%	Candidate	Votes	%
1st, place 1	J. A. Kahalley*	27,722	56.22%	—	—	—	49,314
	Ellis V. Ollinger	21,592	43.78%
1st, place 2	Dan C. Alexander*	35,945	73.73%	—	—	—	48,751
	Frank O. Alonzo	12,806	26.27%
6th, place 5	J. R. Stallworth*	22,350	68.33%	F. N. Nixon	10,359	31.67%	32,709
8th, place 5	E. M. Frazier	14,199	40.08%	Jim O'Connor*	21,227	59.92%	35,426
Source: The Associated Press

First round results by old congressional district

Place	Pledged to George Wallace			Uncommitted			Total
	Candidate	Votes	%	Candidate	Votes	%
1st, place 1	J. A. Kahalley**	23,059	45.30%	Roosevelt Johnson	7,922	15.56%	50,904
	Ellis V. Ollinger**	19,923	39.14%	—	—	—
1st, place 2	Dan C. Alexander**	25,280	49.65%	Annye H. Braxton	12,380	24.31%	50,920
	Frank O. Alonzo**	13,260	26.04%	—	—	—
2nd, place 1	Bob Coburn Jr.*	23,934	66.07%	Collins W. Harris	12,290	33.93%	36,224
3rd, place 1	Hilton Parish*	25,768	77.38%	Carl L. Raybon	7,531	22.62%	33,299
3rd, place 3	Frank P. Samples**	20,730	56.84%	Ezell Webb	8,303	22.76%	36,474
	—	—	—	Henry O. Williams	7,441	20.40%
3rd, place 5	W. Ray Lolley*	26,253	73.20%	Aaron Sellers	9,613	26.80%	35,866
4th, place 2	Earl Goodwin*	25,857	74.08%	Frank Embry	9,048	25.92%	34,905
4th, place 4	—	—	—	Joe J. Phillips*	22,268	65.19%	34,157
	—	—	—	T. J. Clemons	11,889	34.81%
5th, place 5	Robert H. Wilder*	16,077	57.84%	Billy J. Gallaher	11,720	42.16%	27,797
6th, place 5	J. R. Stallworth**	15,551	45.86%	F. N. Nixon**	11,194	33.01%	33,909
	—	—	—	James W. Powell	7,164	21.13%
8th, place 2	Murray W. Beasley*	25,553	70.64%	George Castile	10,618	29.36%	36,171
8th, place 3	Mrs. E. M. Frazier*	18,830	54.75%	Wiley Layton	15,560	45.25%	34,390
8th, place 5	E. M. Frazier**	16,204	45.34%	Jim O'Connor**	13,335	37.31%	35,741
	—	—	—	Mariola Jernigan	6,202	17.35%
9th, place 1	—	—	—	Alan T. Drennon*	37,693	50.39%	74,800
	—	—	—	Jess Lanier	37,107	49.61%
9th, place 2	Robert C. Gafford*	46,647	64.37%	Reuben Davis	20,277	27.98%	72,471
	—	—	—	Henry Ulys Creel	5,547	7.65%
9th, place 4	Hubert Kilgore*	47,121	65.04%	James M. Tanner	25,333	34.96%	72,454
Source: Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1971 (p. 396–410)

See also

• 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries
• 1968 United States presidential election
• 1968 United States presidential election in Alabama
• 1968 United States elections