Sept. 28, 1966:
Lester Maddox, a former Atlanta restaurant owner and staunch segregationist, easily wins the Democratic primary runoff for governor against liberal ex-Gov. Ellis Arnall.
Arnall, who led the six-candidate field in the initial Sept. 14 primary — where state Sen. Jimmy Carter finished third — had been favored to defeat Maddox. But Maddox benefited from widespread unhappiness with President Lyndon Johnson and widespread civil unrest; he used an ax handle as his campaign symbol — which he used to keep blacks out of his restaurant rather than permit desegregation.
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