1966 Alabama gubernatorial election

The 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1966, and saw the election of Lurleen Wallace as the governor over U.S. Representative James D. Martin. Incumbent Democrat George Wallace was term limited and could not seek a second consecutive term; he later successfully ran again in 1970 and 1974 before being term-limited again, and then successfully ran again in 1982.

Candidates

 * Carl Elliott, former U.S. Representative
 * Richmond Flowers, Sr., Attorney General
 * Jim Folsom, former Governor
 * Bob Gilchrist, State Senator
 * Eunice Gore
 * John Malcolm Patterson, former Governor
 * Sherman Powell
 * A.W. Todd, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries
 * Lurleen Wallace, First Lady
 * Charles Woods, businessman

Results
The Democratic primary was handily won by Lurleen Wallace, who was running as the proxy of her husband, governor George Wallace. Wallace captured a majority of the vote cast in the first round of the primary and there was therefore no runoff necessary.

General election
Until 1966, the official election of the Democratic nominee had been a foregone conclusion. This election proved to be a significant departure from that trend, and the showing of James D. Martin proved to the best by a Republican candidate for governor in Alabama since Reconstruction.