The 1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Republican Governor Coe I. Crawford opted to run for the U.S. Senate rather than run for re-election. State Senator Robert S. Vessey narrowly won the Republican primary over former State Representative John L. Browne and advanced to the general election, where he faced the Democratic nominee, former Governor Andrew E. Lee. Though Vessey's performance was significantly reduced from Crawford's performance in 1906, he still defeated Lee by a wide margin.
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Primary electionsEdit
Primary elections were held on June 9, 1908.
Democratic primaryEdit
CandidatesEdit
- Andrew E. Lee, former Governor
ResultsEdit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 7,567 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 7,657 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primaryEdit
CandidatesEdit
- John L. Browne, State Representative[2]
- Robert S. Vessey, State Senator[3]
ResultsEdit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 32,024 | 50.93% | |
| Republican | John L. Browne | 30,860 | 49.07% | |
| Total votes | 62,884 | 100.00% | ||
Socialist primaryEdit
CandidatesEdit
- J. C. Knapp
ResultsEdit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | J. C. Knapp | 451 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 451 | 100.00% | ||
General electionEdit
ResultsEdit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 62,989 | 55.34% | -9.97% | |
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 44,876 | 39.39% | +12.68% | |
| Prohibition | G. F. Knappen | 3,536 | 3.11% | -1.45% | |
| Socialist | J. C. Knapp | 2,542 | 2.15% | -1.25% | |
| Majority | 18,113 | 15.95% | -22.65% | ||
| Turnout | 113,943 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b c d Nelson, Nelson; Heinrich, Chad W., eds. (2005). "Chapter 8: Elections". Legislative Manual: South Dakota, 2005. Pierre, S.D. p. 631.
- ^ "John L. Browne". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Robert S. Vessey". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved 8 November 2020.