Delaware gubernatorial elections

A table showing the results of general elections for the Governor of Delaware, beginning in 1792 when the Delaware Constitution of 1792 went into effect, providing for the popular election of Governors.

The Governor serves as head of the executive branch of the state's government. Beginning in 1792, the Governor was popularly elected, at first for a three year term, changing to a four year term in 1831. Elections were held the first Tuesday in October until 1831, when they were changed to the first Tuesday after November 1.

Governors of Delaware

Year		Elected	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Notes
1792		Joshua Clayton	Federalist	2,209	48%		Thomas Montgomery	Republican	1,902	42%		[1]
1795		Gunning Bedford, Sr.	Federalist	2,352	52%		Archibald Alexander	Republican	2,142	48%
1798		Richard Bassett	Federalist	2,490	52%		David Hall	Republican	2,068	44%		[2]
1801		David Hall	Republican	3,475	50%		Nathaniel Mitchell	Federalist	3,457	50%
1804		Nathaniel Mitchell	Federalist	4,391	52%		Joseph Haslet	Republican	4,050	48%
1807		George Truitt	Federalist	3,309	52%		Joseph Haslet	Republican	3,062	48%
1810		Joseph Haslet	Republican	3,664	50%		Daniel Rodney	Federalist	3,593	50%
1813		Daniel Rodney	Federalist	4,643	55%		James Riddle	Republican	3,768	45%
1816		John Clark	Federalist	4,008	53%		Manaen Bull	Republican	3,517	47%
1819		Henry Molleston	Federalist	3,823	55%		Manaen Bull	Republican	3,185	45%
1820		John Collins	Republican	3,970	53%		Jesse Green	Federalist	3,520	47%		[3]
1822		Joseph Haslet	Republican	3,784	50%		James Booth	Federalist	3,762	50%
1823		Samuel Paynter	Federalist	4,348	52%		David Hazzard	Republican	4,051	48%		[4]
1826		Charles Polk, Jr.	Federalist	4,333	51%		David Hazzard	Republican	4,238	49%
1829		David Hazzard	National Republican	4,215	51%		Allen Thompson	Democratic	4,046	49%
1832		Caleb P. Bennett	Democratic	4,220	50%		Arnold Naudain	Whig	4,166	50%
1836		Cornelius P. Comegys	Whig	4,693	52%		Nehemiah Clark	Democratic	4,276	48%
1840		William B. Cooper	Whig	5,850	54%		Warren Jefferson	Democratic	5,024	46%
1844		Thomas Stockton	Whig	6,140	50%		William Tharp	Democratic	6,095	50%
1846		William Tharp	Democratic	6,148	51%		Peter F. Causey	Whig	6,012	49%
1850		William H. H. Ross	Democratic	6,001	49%		Peter F. Causey	Whig	5,978	48%		[5]
1854		Peter F. Causey	American	6,941	53%		William Burton	Democratic	6,244	47%
1858		William Burton	Democratic	7,758	51%		James S. Buckmaster	People’s	7,554	49%
1862		William Cannon	Republican	8,155	50%		Samuel Jefferson	Democratic	8,044	50%
1866		Gove Saulsbury	Democratic	9,810	53%		James Riddle	Republican	8,598	47%
1870		James Ponder	Democratic	11,464	56%		Thomas B. Coursey	Republican	9,130	44%
1874		John P. Cochran	Democratic	12,488	53%		Isaac Jump	Republican	11,259	47%
1878		John W. Hall	Democratic	10,730	79%		Kensey J. Stewart	Greenback	2,835	21%
1882		Charles C. Stockley	Democratic	16,558	53%		Albert Curry	Republican	14,620	47%
1886		Benjamin T. Biggs	Democratic	13,942	64%		James R. Hoffecker	Temperance Reform	7,835	36%
1890		Robert J. Reynolds	Democratic	17,801	51%		Harry A. Richardson	Republican	17,258	49%
1894		Joshua H. Marvil	Republican	19,880	50%		Ebe W. Tunnell	Democratic	18,659	47%
1896		Ebe W. Tunnell	Democratic	15,507	44%		James R. Hoffecker	Republican	11,014	31%		[6]
1900		John Hunn	Republican	22,421	53%		Peter J. Ford	Democratic	18,808	45%
1904		Preston Lea	Republican	22,532	51%		Caleb S. Pennewill	Democratic	19,780	45%		[7]
1908		Simeon S. Pennewill	Republican	24,905	52%		Rowland G. Paynter	Democratic	22,794	48%
1912		Charles R. Miller	Republican	22,745	47%		Thomas M. Monaghan	Democratic	21,460	44%		[8]
1916		John G. Townsend, Jr.	Republican	26,664	52%		James H. Hughes	Democratic	24,053	47%
1920		William D. Denney	Republican	51,895	55%		Andrew J. Lynch	Democratic	41,038	44%
1924		Robert P. Robinson	Republican	53,046	60%		Joseph Bancroft	Democratic	34,830	39%
1928		C. Douglass Buck	Republican	63,716	61%		Charles M. Wharton	Democratic	40,346	39%
1932		C. Douglass Buck	Republican	60,903	54%		Landreth L. Layton	Democratic	50,401	45%
1936		Richard C. McMullen	Democratic	65,437	52%		Harry L. Cannon	Republican	52,782	42%		[9]
1940		Walter W. Bacon	Republican	70,909	52%		Josiah Marvel, Jr.	Democratic	61,237	45%		[10]
1944		Walter W. Bacon	Republican	63,829	51%		Isaac J. MacCollum	Democratic	62,156	49%
1948		Elbert N. Carvel	Democratic	75,339	54%		Hyland P. George	Republican	64,996	46%
1952		J. Caleb Boggs	Republican	88,977	52%		Elbert N. Carvel	Democratic	81,772	48%
1956		J. Caleb Boggs	Republican	91,965	52%		J. H.Tyler McConnell	Democratic	85,047	48%
1960		Elbert N. Carvel	Democratic	100,792	52%		John W. Rollins	Republican	94,043	48%
1964		Charles L. Terry, Jr.	Democratic	102,797	51%		David P. Buckson	Republican	97,374	49%
1968		Russell W. Peterson	Republican	104,474	51%		Charles L. Terry, Jr.	Democratic	102,360	49%
1972		Sherman W. Tribbitt	Democratic	117,274	51%		Russell W. Peterson	Republican	109,583	48%		[11]
1976		Pierre S. du Pont, IV	Republican	130,531	57%		Sherman W. Tribbitt	Democratic	97,480	42%
1980		Pierre S. du Pont, IV	Republican	159,004	71%		William J. Gordy	Democratic	64,217	29%		[12]
1984		Michael N. Castle	Republican	135,250	55%		William T. Quillen	Democratic	108,315	45%
1988		Michael N. Castle	Republican	169,733	71%		Jacob Kreshtool	Democratic	70,236	29%
1992		Thomas R. Carper	Democratic	179,268	66%		B. Gary Scott	Republican	90,747	34%		[13]
1996		Thomas R. Carper	Democratic	188,300	70%		Janet C. Rzewnicki	Republican	82,654	30%
2000		Ruth Ann Minner	Democratic	191,695	60%		John M. Burris	Republican	128,603	40%		[14]
2004		Ruth Ann Minner	Democratic	185,687	51%		William Swain Lee	Republican	167,115	46%		[15]
2008		Jack Markell	Democratic	266,861	68%		William Swain Lee	Republican	126,662	32%		[16]

Notes

1. ^ An additional candidate was George Mitchell (458)
2. ^ An additional candidate was Barclay Townsend (185)
3. ^ This was a special election held on October 3, 1820 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Molleston.
4. ^ This was a special election held on October 7, 1823 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Joseph Haslet.
5. ^ An additional candidate was Thomas Lockwood (456).
6. ^ An additional candidate was John C. Higgins (7,154).
7. ^ Regular Republican candidate Joseph H. Chandler received 802 votes (2%).
   
8. ^ Additional candidates included George B. Hynson (3,019)
9. ^ Additional candidates included Isaac D. Short (8,400)
10. ^ Liberal Democratic candidate Ivan Culbertson received 2,975 votes (2%).
11. ^ Additional candidates were Virginia M. Lyndall (1,468) and Harry H. Conner (397).
12. ^ An additional candidate was Lawrence Levy.
13. ^ Additional candidates were Floyd E. McDowell, Sr. and Richar A. Cohen.
14. ^ An additional candidate was Floyd E. McDowell, Sr. (3,271).
15. ^ An additional candidate was Frank Infante (12,206).
16. ^ An additional candidate was Jeffrey Brown (1,681).

References

• Dublin, Michael J. United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860. 
• Glashan. American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. 
• Barone, Michael; Richard E. Cohen (2005). The Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group. ISBN 0-89234-112-2. 
• Martin, Roger A. (1984). A History of Delaware Through its Governors. Wilmington, Delaware: McClafferty Press. 

External links

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