1847 Mississippi gubernatorial election

1847 Mississippi gubernatorial election

←  1845 November 1, 1847 1849  →

Nominee Joseph W. Matthews Alexander Blackburn Bradford Party Democratic Whig Popular vote 26,995 13,997 Percentage 64.8% 33.6%

County results Matthews:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90–100% Bradford:      50–60%     60–70% No data/vote:

Governor before election Albert G. Brown Democratic Elected Governor Joseph W. Matthews Democratic

The 1847Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on November 1, 1847, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Joseph W. Matthews, a Democrat won against Whig Alexander Blackburn Bradford. ^{[1] [2]}

General election

With the question of slavery in the background, Mississippi politics slowly became dominated by the issue. Joseph W. Matthews, an outspoken defender of slavery and military leader, was nominated as the Democratic candidate. Alexander B. Bradford, major of the Mississippi militia in the Mexican-American War and lawyer, was nominated for the Whig ticket, a party with a reputation for infrastructure improvements and a moderate slavery stance. Matthews won by a two-to-one margin. ^{[2] [3]}

Results

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1847 ^{[1] [4]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph W. Matthews	26,995	64.8%
	Whig	Alexander Blackburn Bradford	13,997	33.6%
		Scattering	682 [a]	1.6%
Total votes			41,674	100.00
	Democratic hold

Notes

1. Of the scattering votes, 615 were cast for Jefferson Davis. ^[4]

References

1. Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books. pp. 168–169.
2. Rowland, Dunbar (1925). History of Mississippi, the Heart of the South. Vol. 1. S. J. Clarke publishing Company.
3. Busbee, Westley F. (2015). Mississippi: A History (1st ed.). John Wiley and Sons. p. 166.
4. Dublin, Michael J. (2011). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860 : The Official Results by State and County. McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers. p. 133. ISBN   9780786453245.