The 1966 Florida gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1966. During the primary election, the results from the Democratic Party was close among three of the four candidates. Thus, the top two Democrat candidates – incumbent Governor of Florida William "Haydon" Burns and Mayor of Miami Robert King High – competed in a runoff election on May 24, 1966. In an upset outcome, Robert King High was chosen over W. Haydon Burns as the Democratic Gubernatorial nominee. In contrast, the Republican primary was rather uneventful, with businessman Claude Roy Kirk Jr. easily securing the Republican nomination against Richard Muldrew. In the general election, Claude Kirk won by a margin of 55.13%-44.86% against Robert King High, becoming the first Republican Governor of Florida since the Reconst