1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Republican nominee Daniel Lindsay Russell defeated Democratic nominee Cyrus B. Watson with 46.52% of the vote. This was the only election in North Carolina between 1872 and 1972 in which the Republican nominee won the governor's office,[1] and the only one until 2016 in which no candidate received over 50% of the vote.

1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election

← 1892 November 3, 1896 1900 →
 
Nominee Daniel Lindsay Russell Cyrus B. Watson William A. Guthrie
Party Fusion Democratic Populist
Popular vote 154,025 145,286 30,943
Percentage 46.5% 43.9% 9.4%

County results
Russell:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Watson:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Guthrie:      30–40%

Governor before election

Elias Carr
Democratic

Elected Governor

Daniel Lindsay Russell
Republican

Democratic convention

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The state Democratic Party convention was held on June 25, 1896.[2]

Candidates

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Results

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Democratic convention results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cyrus B. Watson 592 65.41
Democratic Walter Clark 173 19.12
Democratic James C. MacRae 133 14.70
Democratic Lee Slater Overman 7 0.77
Total votes 905 100.00

Republican convention

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The state Republican Party convention was held on May 15, 1896.[2]

Candidates

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Results

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Republican convention results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Daniel Lindsay Russell 120 42.71
Republican Oliver H. Dockery 113 40.21
Republican James E. Boyd 22 7.83
Republican James M. Moody 22 7.83
Total votes 281 100.00

General election

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Candidates

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Major party candidates

  • Daniel Lindsay Russell, Republican
  • Cyrus B. Watson, Democratic

Other candidates

  • William A. Guthrie, People's
  • James R. Jones, National Prohibition
  • Jeremiah W. Holt, Prohibition

Results

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1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Daniel Lindsay Russell 154,025 46.52%
Democratic Cyrus B. Watson 145,286 43.89%
Populist William A. Guthrie 30,943 9.35%
Independent James R. Jones 553 0.17%
Prohibition Jeremiah W. Holt 246 0.07%
Majority 8,739
Turnout
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

References

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  1. ^ Ourcampaigns.com
  2. ^ a b c d "North Carolina Manual". 1991. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. ^ NCpedia biography: Cyrus Barksdale Watson
  4. ^ Kalb, Deborah (December 24, 2015). Guide to U.S. Elections. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved July 28, 2020.