1846 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election

The 1846 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on 3 August 1846 in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Illinois. Democratic nominee Joseph Wells defeated Whig nominee Nathaniel G. Wilcox and Free Soil nominee Abraham Smith.

1846 Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election

3 August 1846

Nominee Joseph Wells Nathaniel G. Wilcox Abraham Smith Party Democratic Whig Free Soil Popular vote 57,457 36,155 5,179 Percentage 58.13% 36.58% 5.24%

Lieutenant Governor before election John Moore Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Joseph Wells Democratic

General election

On election day, 3 August 1846, Democratic nominee Joseph Wells won the election by a margin of 21,302 votes against his foremost opponent Whig nominee Nathaniel G. Wilcox, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. Wells was sworn in as the 10th lieutenant governor of Illinois on 9 December 1846.

Results

Illinois lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1846

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Wells	57,457	58.13
	Whig	Nathaniel G. Wilcox	36,155	36.58
	Free Soil	Abraham Smith	5,179	5.24
	Write-in		53	0.05
Total votes			98,844	100.00
	Democratic hold

See also

• 1846 Illinois gubernatorial election