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.[1]

General election

Results

1866 Delaware gubernatorial election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Gove Saulsbury (inc.) 9,810 53.29% +3.63%
Republican James Riddle 8,598 46.71% -3.63%
Majority 1,212 6.58% +5.90%
Turnout 18,408 100.00%
Democratic hold

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. pp. 220–221.
  2. ^ 1867 House Journal, p. 73

Bibliography

  • Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
  • Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
  • Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1439-0.
  • Delaware House Journal, 71st General Assembly, 1st Reg. Sess. (1867).