1859 Virginia gubernatorial election

The 1859 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on May 26, 1859 to elect the governor of Virginia.

Campaign[edit]

In February 1859, Archibald Campbell and John Curtiss Underwood proposed a coalition between the Republican Party of Virginia and Whig Party. However, the Whigs refused to change their position on slavery. The Republicans did not run a gubernatorial candidate and the party told its members to abstain from the election.^[1]

Results[edit]

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1859^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Letcher	77,216	51.89%
	Opposition	William L. Goggin	71,592	48.11%
Total votes			148,808	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References[edit]

^ Lowe 1973, p. 271-272.
^ Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. pp. 285–287. ISBN 9780786414390.
^ Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1655. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.