This was the first gubernatorial election held following ratification of the Constitution of Indiana. The short turnaround between the adjournment of the constitutional convention on June 29 and the date of the election left a narrow window for electioneering.[3] Of the roughly 12,000 eligible voters, more than 9,000 cast ballots for governor, indicating substantial popular interest in the election.[4]
Posey, a Federalist and a slaveholder, was unpopular, politically isolated, and too ill to actively campaign. He had opposed the movement for statehood as premature, for which he was accused of seeking to retain his position as the unelected territorial governor.[7] With his residence in Jeffersonville, he was too far from the territorial capital in Corydon to effectively respond to events. Jennings conducted a campaign typical of the era, speaking to voters directly at log rollings, militia musters, and other public functions, while maintaining the pretense of indifference to his election expected of nineteenth-century candidates.[8] Posey's surrogates attempted to link Jennings to the recent unpopular congressional salary increase and the non-payment of militiamen during the War of 1812. Charges that Jennings had pursued statehood against the wishes of the western counties failed to mobilize the electorate against the new constitution. On Election Day, Jennings defeated Posey with strong support from voters in the eastern counties, while Posey performed well in the western part of the state.[9]
The original manuscript returns appear to be lost. Records kept by the Indiana House of Representatives show topline figures for Jennings and Posey, noted above, but omit the county-level data.[2]Phil Lampi locates complete or partial data for eight out of fifteen counties.[11]
Riker, Dorothy (December 1932). "Jonathan Jennings". Indiana Magazine of History. 28 (4): 223–239.
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