1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 1947 Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary

| type = presidential

| country = Mississippi

| flag_image = Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).svg

| previous_election = 1943 Mississippi gubernatorial election

| previous_year = 1943

| next_election = 1951 Mississippi gubernatorial election

| next_year = 1951

| ongoing = no

| election_date = November 4, 1947

| registered =

| turnout =

| image1 = Fielding L. Wright, 1948.jpg

| candidate1 = Fielding L. Wright

| party1 = Democratic Party (United States)

| popular_vote1 = 182,771

| percentage1 = 51.71%

| image2 = Inauguration, Johnson, 1964 (12209883836) (cropped).jpg

| candidate2 = Paul B. Johnson Jr.

| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)

| popular_vote2 = 112,123

| percentage2 = 30.70%

| image3 = 3x4.svg

| candidate3 = Jesse M. Byrd

| party3 = Democratic Party (United States)

| popular_vote3 = 37,997

| percentage3 = 10.40%

| map_image = {{switcher|150px|Democratic primary results by county|150px|General election results by county|default=1}}

| map_size = 150px

| map_alt =

| map =

| map_caption = Wright: {{legend0|#afc6e9|30–40%}} {{legend0|#87aade|40–50%}} {{legend0|#5f8dd3|50–60%}} {{legend0|#3771c8|60–70%}} {{legend0|#2c5aa0|70–80%}} {{legend0|#214478|80–90%}} {{legend0|#0b1728|100%}}
Johnson: {{legend0|#87dede|40–50%}} {{legend0|#5fd3d3|50–60%}}
Byrd: {{legend0|#aa87de|40–50%}}

| title = Governor

| before_election = Fielding L. Wright

| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)

| after_election = Fielding L. Wright

| after_party = Democratic Party (United States)

}}

The 1947 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1947, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Fielding L. Wright, who had succeeded to the governorship a year prior following the death of Thomas L. Bailey, ran for election to a first full term.

As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate won in a landslide, so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election. In fact, this was the first election since 1881 in which the Republican Party even fielded a nominal candidate, former Governor of Nebraska George L. Sheldon, and the first since 1919 in which any opposition party did.

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, incumbent Governor Fielding L. Wright defeated lawyer Paul B. Johnson Jr., the son of former Governor Paul B. Johnson Sr., and three other candidates. He received a majority (55%) of the vote, thereby eliminating the need for a runoff.

=Results=

{{Election box begin no change | title=Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1947{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=384445|title=MS Governor D Primary 1947|publisher=Our Campaigns|accessdate=December 7, 2016}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Fielding L. Wright (incumbent)

|votes = 202,014

|percentage = 55.31

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Paul B. Johnson Jr.

|votes = 112,123

|percentage = 30.70

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jesse M. Byrd

|votes = 37,997

|percentage = 10.40

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Frank L. Jacobs

|votes = 8,750

|percentage = 2.40

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = William L. Spinks

|votes = 4,344

|percentage = 1.19

}}

{{Election box total no change|

|votes = 365,228

|percentage = 100.00

|change =

}}

General election

=Campaign=

In the general election, Wright ran against Republican George L. Sheldon, who served as Governor of Nebraska from 1907 until 1909. Sheldon moved to Mississippi after his service as governor and served a single term in the Mississippi House of Representatives, becoming an influential figure in the state Republican Party. However, the Republicans had such minimal influence in Mississippi at the time that Wright won in a landslide with almost 98% of the vote.

=Results=

{{Election box begin no change | title=Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1947{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=173270|title=MS Governor 1947|publisher=Our Campaigns|accessdate=December 7, 2016}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Fielding L. Wright (incumbent)

|votes = 166,095

|percentage = 97.59

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = George L. Sheldon

|votes = 4,102

|percentage = 2.41

}}