1870 Delaware gubernatorial election

Last updated

1870 Delaware gubernatorial election
Flag of Delaware.svg
  1866 November 8, 1870 1874  
  JamesPonder.gif 3x4.svg
Nominee James Ponder Thomas B. Coursey
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote12,4599,942
Percentage55.62%44.38%

Governor before election

Gove Saulsbury
Democratic

Elected Governor

James Ponder
Democratic

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. [1]

Contents

General election

Results

1870 Delaware gubernatorial election [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic James Ponder 12,459 55.62% +2.33%
Republican Thomas B. Coursey9,94244.38%-2.33%
Majority2,51711.24%+4.65%
Turnout 22,401100.00%
Democratic hold

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Woods Holden</span> North Carolina politician (1818–1892)

William Woods Holden was an American politician who served as the 38th and 40th governor of North Carolina. He was appointed by President Andrew Johnson in 1865 for a brief term and then elected in 1868. He served until 1871 and was the leader of the state's Republican Party during the Reconstruction Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gove Saulsbury</span> American politician

Gove Saulsbury was an American physician and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and he served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware. He led opposition to civil rights for African Americans in Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ponder</span> American politician

James Ponder was an American merchant and politician from Milton in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Saulsbury</span> American lawyer and politician

Eli Saulsbury was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S. Senator from Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willard Saulsbury Sr.</span> American politician

Willard Saulsbury Sr. was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as Attorney General of Delaware, U.S. Senator from Delaware and Chancellor of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1870 South Carolina gubernatorial election</span> Election

The 1870 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on October 19, 1870 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Governor Robert Kingston Scott easily won reelection based entirely on the strength of the black vote in the state. The election was significant because white conservatives of the state claimed it showed that political harmony between the white and black races was impossible and only through a straightout Democratic attempt would they be able to regain control of state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Delaware</span> Overview of the procedure of elections in the U.S. state of Delaware

Delaware has three county boards of election which are charged with the calculation and certification of election results, election dispute resolution, validation of qualified voter rolls and of materials used during elections, such as voting machines. Delaware also has a State Election Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Delaware Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 Delaware gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, to elect the governor of Delaware. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jack Markell won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Jeff Cragg in a landslide by a margin of over 40 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

The 1972 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972. Democratic nominee Sherman W. Tribbitt defeated incumbent Republican Governor Russell W. Peterson with 51.27% of the vote. This was the last time a Democrat won statewide office in Delaware until 1992, when Tom Carper won the gubernatorial election over Republican B. Gary Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

The 1952 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

The 1948 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1829 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1854 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1858 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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, ran as the People's Party candidate. Burton narrowly defeated Buckmaster to win back the governorship for the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1862 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1866 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1874 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1878 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1882 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1916 Delaware gubernatorial election</span>

The 1916 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916. Incumbent Republican Governor Charles R. Miller declined to run for re-election. At the time, the Republican Party was in the middle of a schism that had first developed during the 1912 presidential election. However, the schism did not affect the gubernatorial nomination; though there were rumors that the state party convention might seek to nominate Governor Miller for a second term, former State Representative John G. Townsend Jr. was seen as the frontrunner heading into the convention. He received the nomination without much difficulty and the Republican Party solidified around him its gubernatorial nominee. The Democratic Party nominated former Secretary of State James H. Hughes, and both Townsend and Hughes advanced to the general election.

References

  1. Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware: From the Earliest Settlements to the Year 1907. Vol. 1. Lancaster, Pa.: Wickersham Company, Printers and Binders. p. 224.
  2. 1871 House Journal, pp. 52–53

Bibliography