1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election

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1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election
Flag of New Jersey.svg
  1843 October 8, 1844 1847  
  Charles C. Stratton.png J. R. Thomson (cropped).jpg
Nominee Charles C. Stratton John Renshaw Thomson
Party Whig Democratic
Popular vote37,98536,581
Percentage50.94%49.06%

1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election Results (Actual).png
Blue represents counties won by John Renshaw Thomson and Yellow represents counties won by Charles C. Stratton

Governor before election

Daniel Haines
Democratic

Elected Governor

Charles C. Stratton
Whig

The 1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on October 8, 1844. Whig nominee Charles C. Stratton defeated Democratic nominee John Renshaw Thomson with 50.94% of the vote.

Contents

Background

This was the first election held under the New Jersey Constitution of 1844, which was adopted on June 29 and reformed the state government, notably establishing an independent executive branch. Before 1844, New Jersey Governors were elected by a majority of the New Jersey Legislative Council and held office as a member of that body. [1] Although the new constitution formally lifted the constitutional property requirement for suffrage, it added race and sex requirements; only white males over the age of 21 were eligible to vote in this election. [2]

General election

Candidates

Results

1844 New Jersey gubernatorial election [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Whig Charles C. Stratton 37,985 50.94%
Democratic John Renshaw Thomson 36,58149.06%
Majority1,4041.88%
Turnout
Whig gain from Democratic

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References

  1. "1776 State Constitution" . Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  2. "1844 State Constitution" . Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  3. Kalb, Deborah (December 24, 2015). Guide to U.S. Elections. CQ Press. ISBN   9781483380353 . Retrieved February 17, 2016.