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 Burton: 50–60% Buckmaster: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Delaware |
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The 1858 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1858. Incumbent Know Nothing Governor Peter F. Causey was unable to seek re-election. His 1854 opponent, William Burton, once again ran as the Democratic nominee. James S. Buckmaster, the former State Treasurer, [1] ran as the People's Party [lower-alpha 1] candidate. Burton narrowly defeated Buckmaster to win back the governorship for the Democratic Party. [3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Burton | 7,758 | 50.67% | +3.31% | |
| People's Party | James S. Buckmaster | 7,554 | 49.33% | — | |
| Majority | 204 | 1.33% | -3.95% | ||
| Turnout | 15,312 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Know Nothing | |||||
Peter Foster Causey was an American merchant and politician from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the American Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.
William Burton was an American physician and politician from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as Governor of Delaware.
The 1816 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on October 1, 1816. Incumbent Federalist Governor Daniel Rodney was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Former State Representative John Clark ran as the Federalist nominee, and narrowly defeated Democratic-Republican nominee Manaen Bull to hold the office for his party.
The 1823 Delaware gubernatorial special election was held on October 7, 1823. A few months into his three-year term, Democratic-Republican Governor Joseph Haslet died in office, elevating State Senate Speaker Charles Thomas to the governorship and triggering a special election in 1823. Justice of the Peace David Hazzard ran as the Democratic-Republican nominee to succeed Thomas and faced State Senator Samuel Paynter, the Federalist nominee. Paynter narrowly defeated Hazzard, regaining the office for the Federalists.
The 1826 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on October 3, 1826. Incumbent Federalist Governor Samuel Paynter was barred from seeking re-election to a second consecutive term. State Senator Charles Polk Jr. ran as the Federalist nominee to succeed Paynter, while 1823 Democratic-Republican nominee David Hazzard once again ran as his party's nominee. Polk ended up defeating Hazzard by a narrow margin, barely holding onto the governorship for the Federalists.
The 1829 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on October 6, 1829. Incumbent Federalist Governor Charles Polk Jr. was barred from seeking re-election to a second consecutive term. David Hazzard, the two-time Democratic-Republican nominee for Governor, ran as the National Republican, or Anti-Jacksonian, candidate as the First Party System crumbled and new political parties were formed. He was opposed by Allan Thompson, the Jacksonian candidate. Hazzard ended up winning the governorship on his third try, narrowly beating out Thompson.
The 1832 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1832. This was the first gubernatorial election held under the 1831 constitution, which moved the state's general elections to November and extended the Governor's three-year term to four years, but preserved the bar on governors from succeeding themselves. Incumbent National Republican Governor David Hazzard was barred from seeking a second term. New Castle County Treasurer Caleb P. Bennett ran as the Democratic candidate to succeed Hazzard, while former State Representative Arnold Naudain ran as the National Republican candidate. Bennett narrowly defeated Naudain, winning by a margin of just 54 votes.
The 1836 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1836. Democratic Governor Caleb P. Bennett, elected in 1832 and died in office on May 9, 1836 and was succeeded by State Senate Speaker Charles Polk Jr., a Whig. Former State House Speaker and State Treasurer Cornelius P. Comegys ran as the Whig nominee to succeed Polk and faced Democratic nominee Nehemiah Clark in the general election. Continuing the streak of closely fought elections, Comegys narrowly defeated Clark, winning 52% of the vote to Clark's 48%.
The 1840 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1840. Whig Governor Cornelius Comegys was unable to seek re-election to a second term. Former State Representative William B. Cooper ran as the Whig nominee to succeed Comegys and faced Democratic nominee Warren B. Jefferson in the general election. Cooper won the largest victory in a gubernatorial election since 1819, and was ushered into office with a sizable Whig majority in the legislature.
The 1844 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1844. Whig Governor William B. Cooper was unable to seek re-election to a second term. Thomas Stockton, the former New Castle County Register in Chancery, ran as the Whig nominee to succeed Cooper. He faced former State Senator William Tharp, the Democratic nominee. Despite the state's strong financial condition, Whigs came close to losing their grip on power; Stockton only defeated Tharp by 45 votes, or 0.37%. However, Stockton died a year into his term, on March 2, 1846, elevating the Speaker of the State Senate, Joseph Maull, to the governorship, and triggering a special election in 1846. Maull, served just two months before he, too died, elevating State House Speaker William Temple to the governorship.
The 1846 Delaware gubernatorial special election was held on November 3, 1846. A year into the term of Whig Governor Thomas Stockton, elected in 1844, he died, elevating State Senate Speaker Joseph Maull to the governorship. Maull, in turn, also died, making State House Speaker William Temple Governor. Former State Representative Peter F. Causey ran as the Whig nominee to succeed Temple, and faced former State Senator William Tharp, the Democratic nominee from 1844. Tharp narrowly defeated Causey, returning the Governorship to the Democratic Party.
The 1850 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1850. Incumbent Democratic Governor William Tharp was unable to seek re-election. Banker William H. H. Ross ran as the Democratic nominee to succeed Tharp and he faced former State Representative Peter F. Causey, the 1846 Whig nominee, and Temperance nominee Thomas Lockwood. Ross defeated Causey by a narrow margin, winning by just 23 votes and falling short of a majority.
The 1854 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1854. Incumbent Democratic Governor William H. H. Ross was unable to seek re-election. His 1850 opponent, former State Representative Peter F. Causey, ran as the American Party candidate, and faced former Kent County Sheriff William Burton, the Democratic nominee. Causey ultimately defeated Burton by a slim, but decisive, margin.
The 1862 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1862. Incumbent Democratic Governor William Burton was unable to seek re-election. Samuel Jefferson ran to succeed him as the Democratic nominee, and he faced National Union candidate William Cannon, the former State Treasurer. Cannon narrowly defeated Jefferson, and in so doing, was the last Republican-affiliated candidate to be elected Governor until 1894.
The 1866 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1866. On March 1, 1865, Republican Governor William Cannon died in office, elevating State Senate Speaker Gove Saulsbury, a Democrat, to the governorship. Saulsbury ran for re-election in 1866, the first Governor to do so since Joshua Clayton in 1792. He faced Republican nominee James Riddle, a prominent industrialist. Saulsbury defeated Riddle by a decisive margin, ushering in a large Democratic majority in both houses of the legislature.
The 1870 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1870. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gove Saulsbury was unable to seek re-election. Former State Senator James Ponder ran as the Democratic candidate to succeed Saulsbury and faced Republican nominee Thomas B. Coursey. As Black Delawareans gained the right to vote, Republicans were confident about their chances, and the Democratic Party responded by presenting itself as the "white man's party." Ponder ultimately defeated Coursey by a wide margin, in part because of low Black turnout and a racist backlash against Black suffrage.
The 1874 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1874. Incumbent Democratic Governor James Ponder was unable to seek re-election. Former county judge John P. Cochran ran as the Democratic nominee to succeed Ponder and faced the Republican nominee, Dr. Isaac Jump. Cochran ultimately defeated Jump, but by a significantly reduced margin from 1870.
The 1878 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1878. Incumbent Democratic Governor John P. Cochran was unable to seek re-election. Former State Senator John W. Hall ran as the Democratic nominee to succeed Cochran. The Republican Party, chastened by its long string of defeats, failed to run a statewide candidate. Instead, the Greenback Party stepped in, and Kensey Johns Stewart ran as the Greenback nominee. The absence of the Republican Party on the ballot caused turnout to crash, and Hall defeated Stewart by the largest margin in state history.
The 1882 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1882. Incumbent Democratic Governor John W. Hall was unable to seek re-election. Former State Senator Charles C. Stockley ran as the Democratic nominee to succeed Hall and faced Republican nominee Albert Curry. The Republican Party campaigned on organizing a new constitutional convention and launched a vigorous statewide effort. However, Stockley defeated Curry by a decisive margin and a unanimously Democratic state legislature was elected alongside him, securing the Party's dominance in the state for another four years.
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