University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2017 Beyond Coattails: Explaining John Paul Hammerschmidt's Victory in 1966 Jesse Ray Sims University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the American Politics Commons, American Studies Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Sims, Jesse Ray, "Beyond Coattails: Explaining John Paul Hammerschmidt's Victory in 1966" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1968. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1968 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact
[email protected],
[email protected]. Beyond Coattails: Explaining John Paul Hammerschmidt’s Victory in 1966 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History by Jesse Sims University of Arkansas Bachelor of Arts in History, 2015 May 2017 University of Arkansas This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. ____________________________________ Dr. Patrick Williams Thesis Director ____________________________________ Dr. Michael Pierce Committee Member ____________________________________ Dr. Jeannie Whayne Committee Member Abstract This study examines the campaign issues, demographic factors, and voting trends that helped Republican John Paul Hammerschmidt defeat incumbent Democratic congressman James W. Trimble in Arkansas’s third congressional district in 1966. Much of the historiography addressing this election largely neglects the historic significance of Hammerschmidt’s successful campaign and the factors contributing to his victory. Instead, historians primarily write about the election of Republican Winthrop Rockefeller to the governor’s office that year.