The 1966 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York. Republican incumbent Nelson Rockefeller was re-elected to a third term in office over Frank D. O'Connor, Paul L. Adams, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr.
As of 2026, this is the last time Manhattan (New York County) voted for a Republican candidate in a statewide election.
Background
Governor Nelson Rockefeller angered conservatives by refusing to support Republican nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 presidential election, and the nascent Conservative Party of New York placed a strong third in the 1965 New York City mayoral election. Polling showed Rockefeller behind potential Democratic nominees Eugene Nickerson, Frank D. O'Connor, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Howard J. Samuels, or Robert F. Wagner Jr. The Liberal Party of New York also opposed Rockefeller, who fought for control of the Republican Party with New York City mayor John Lindsay and U.S. senator Jacob Javits, more liberal politicians whom the party had supported in prior elections. Party chairman Donald S. Harrington viewed the governor as "too conservative."
Democratic nomination
Candidates
- Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (also running as Liberal)
- Howard J. Samuels, industrialist and 1962 candidate for governor
Declined
- Robert F. Wagner Jr., former mayor of New York City
- Eugene Nickerson, Nassau County executive
Liberal nomination
Candidates
- James Farmer, national director of the Congress of Racial Equality (nominated at convention)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity commission, former U.S. representative from Manhattan, and son of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Rejected
- Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (also running as Democratic)
Campaign
Members of the party wanted to run an independent campaign rather than cross-endorsing another party's nominee, and a canvass of party units showed they wanted an independent candidate.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. lobbied the party's leadership for their nomination for months with support from David Dubinsky, who produced polling showing Roosevelt receiving at least one-fourth of the vote.
Despite O'Connor's earlier vote against cross-endorsements as a state legislator, he courted the Liberals by appointing Eldon R. Clingan to his staff and promising Alex Rose that if he were cross-endorsed, the Liberals would be equals in his campaign. O'Connor was also close to party bosses Charles A. Buckley and Irwin Steingut, whom the Liberals opposed, and Roosevelt claimed O'Connor was secretly promised the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in exchange for withdrawing from the 1965 New York City mayoral election. President Lyndon B. Johnson and vice president Hubert Humphrey pressured the Liberals to support O'Connor. Although O'Connor was supported by former Liberal party chairman Adolf A. Berle, Rose criticized Berle as "not even a member of our organization." On August 9, the Liberal Policy Committee voted unanimously to not support him. After O'Connor was rejected, Roosevelt supporters felt he had secured the nomination, but Louis Stulberg and other leaders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union opposed Roosevelt over his decision to leave the party after the 1949 election.
Convention results
At the convention, Leo Koch nominated James Farmer to oppose Roosevelt, but Roosevelt won the party's nomination easily. Murray Kempton claimed that the convention was under the thumb of its chair, "comrade secretary" Ben Davidson. Harrington was selected as the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.
Conservative nomination
Candidates
- Paul L. Adams, academic dean of Roberts Wesleyan College
- John J. O'Leary
- Donald H. Serrell
General election
Candidates
- Paul L. Adams, academic dean of Roberts Wesleyan College (Conservative)
- Running mate: Kieran O'Doherty, founding chair of the Conservative Party and 1962 U.S. Senate nominee
- Milton Herder (Socialist Labor)
- Frank D. O'Connor, president of the New York City Council and former Queens district attorney (Democratic)
- Running mate: Howard J. Samuels, industrialist and 1962 candidate for governor
- Nelson Rockefeller, incumbent governor since 1959 (Republican)
- Running mate: Malcolm Wilson, incumbent lieutenant governor since 1959
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity commission, former U.S. representative from Manhattan, and son of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Liberal)
- Running mate: Donald S. Harrington, Unitarian Universalist minister and chair of the Liberal Party
- Judith White (Socialist Workers)
This was the last gubernatorial election to have no parties utilize electoral fusion.
Results
Roosevelt received the highest number of votes for any Liberal gubernatorial nominee in history. However, the Liberals received fewer votes than the Conservatives and fell from Row C to Row D.