The 1954 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1954. Incumbent Governor John Howard Pyle, the first Republican elected to the office in two decades, ran for reelection for a third term.

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1954 Arizona gubernatorial election

← 1952 November 2, 1954 1956 →

Nominee Ernest McFarland John Howard Pyle Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 128,104 115,866 Percentage 52.5% 47.5%

County results McFarland:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Pyle:      50–60%

Governor before election John Howard Pyle Republican Elected Governor Ernest McFarland Democratic

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Former U.S. Senator Ernest McFarland defeated Governor John Howard Pyle by a narrow margin. McFarland had lost his bid for reelection to the United States Senate to Barry Goldwater in 1952, with McFarland subsequently deciding to run for the office of governor.

The Democratic primary took place on September 7, 1954. Due to the Republican Party tidal wave led by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, incumbent U.S. Senator Ernest McFarland lost his bid for reelection to the United States Senate to Barry Goldwater. He subsequently decided to run for the office of Governor of Arizona and challenge incumbent Republican Governor John Howard Pyle, the first Republican to hold the office for more than two decades. McFarland was challenged in the primary by State Senator William F. Kimball, but McFarland easily won.