1859 Virginia gubernatorial election

1859 Virginia gubernatorial election

←  1855 May 26, 1859 1862 (U.S.) → 1863 (C.S.)  →

Nominee John Letcher William L. Goggin Party Democratic Opposition Popular vote 77,216 71,592 Percentage 51.89% 48.11%

County results Letcher:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     90-100% Goggin:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80% No Data/Vote:

Governor before election Henry A. Wise Democratic Elected Governor John Letcher Democratic

The 1859 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on May 26, 1859, to elect the governor of Virginia.

Campaign

In February 1859, Archibald Campbell and John Curtiss Underwood proposed a coalition between the Republican Party of Virginia and Whig Party. However, the Whigs refused to change their position on slavery. The Republicans did not run a gubernatorial candidate and the party told its members to abstain from the election. ^[1]

Results

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1859 ^{[2] [3]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Letcher	77,216	51.89%
	Opposition	William L. Goggin	71,592	48.11%
Total votes			148,808	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. Lowe 1973, p. 271-272.
2. Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. pp. 285–287. ISBN   9780786414390.
3. Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1655. ISBN   978-1-60426-536-1.

Works cited

• Lowe, Richard (1973). "The Republican Party in Antebellum Virginia, 1856-1860". The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. 81 (3). Virginia Historical Society: 259–79. doi:10.2307/4247810. JSTOR   4247810.