1966 Georgia gubernatorial election

However, one of Gray's associates, Roy V. Harris of Augusta, a member of the Georgia State Board of Regents, supported Maddox over Arnall.

Pursuant to Georgia law, as no candidate received a majority of votes in the primary, a runoff was held on September 27.

State House Speaker George T. Smith was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, after he defeated incumbent Peter Zack Geer in the primary.

The Atlanta Journal, which ultimately endorsed Callaway, claimed that key Republicans were a clique who hoped to build the party from the governor's office.

The Athens Daily News depicted traditional Georgia Republican leaders as "would-be politicians [who viewed the party as] personal property and who made no real effort to expand into a broad-based and effective political organization".

Persons opposed to the contingent election procedure filed an action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, contending that a contingent election would violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Democratic primary results by county:
Arnall
  • Arnall—20–30%
  • Arnall—30–40%
  • Arnall—40–50%
  • Arnall—50–60%
  • Arnall—60–70%
  • Arnall—70–80%
Maddox
  • Maddox—20–30%
  • Maddox—30–40%
  • Maddox—40–50%
  • Maddox—60–70%
Carter
  • Carter—30–40%
  • Carter—40-50%
Gray
  • Gray—20–30%
  • Gray—30–40%
  • Gray—40–50%
  • Gray—50–60%
  • Gray—60–70%
  • Gray—70–80%
Byrd
  • Gray—50–60%
Democratic primary runoff results by county:
Maddox
  • Maddox—50–60%
  • Maddox—60–70%
  • Maddox—70–80%
  • Maddox—80–90%
  • Maddox—<90%
Arnall
  • Arnall—50–60%
  • Arnall—60–70%
  • Arnall—70–80%
  • Arnall—80–90%