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

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Year  |  | Elected  | Party  | Votes  | %  |  | Opponent  | Party  | Votes  | %  |  | Notes

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1792 |  | Joshua Clayton*  | Federalist | 2,209  | 48%  |  | Thomas Montgomery  | Republican | 1,902  | 42%  |  | [a]
1795 |  | Gunning Bedford Sr. | Federalist | 2,352  | 52%  |  | Archibald Alexander | Republican | 2,142  | 48%  |  |
1798 |  | Richard Bassett | Federalist | 2,490  | 53%  |  | David Hall | Republican | 2,068  | 44%  |  | [b]
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%  |  | [c]
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%  |  | [d]
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  | 48%  |  | Peter F. Causey | Whig | 5,978  | 48%  |  | [e]
1854 |  | Peter F. Causey | American | 6,941  | 53%  |  | William Burton | Democratic | 6,244  | 47%  |  |
1858 |  | William Burton | Democratic | 7,758  | 53%  |  | James S. Buckmaster  | People's | 7,554  | 47%  |  |
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%  |  | John H. Hoffecker | Temperance Reform  | 7,835  | 36%  |  |
1890 |  | Robert J. Reynolds | Democratic | 17,801  | 50%  |  | Harry A. Richardson | Republican | 17,258  | 49%  |  |
1894 |  | Joshua H. Marvil | Republican | 19,880  | 51%  |  | Ebe W. Tunnell | Democratic | 18,659  | 48%  |  |
1896 |  | Ebe W. Tunnell | Democratic | 15,507  | 44%  |  | John H. Hoffecker | Republican | 11,014  | 31%  |  | [f]
1900 |  | John Hunn | Republican | 22,421  | 54%  |  | Peter J. Ford  | Democratic | 18,808  | 45%  |  |
1904 |  | Preston Lea | Republican | 22,532  | 51%  |  | Caleb S. Pennewill  | Democratic | 19,780  | 45%  |  | [g]
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%  |  | [h]
1916 |  | John G. Townsend Jr. | Republican | 26,664  | 52%  |  | James H. Hughes | Democratic | 24,053  | 47%  |  |
1920 |  | William D. Denney | Republican | 51,895  | 56%  |  | Andrew J. Lynch  | Democratic | 41,038  | 43%  |  |
1924 |  | Robert P. Robinson | Republican | 53,046  | 59%  |  | Joseph Bancroft  | Democratic | 34,830  | 40%  |  |
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 McMullen | Democratic | 65,437  | 50%  |  | Harry L. Cannon  | Republican | 52,782  | 43%  |  | [i]
1940 |  | Walter W. Bacon | Republican | 70,909  | 52%  |  | Josiah Marvel Jr. | Democratic | 61,237  | 45%  |  | [j]
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%  |  | [k]
1976 |  | Pete du Pont | Republican | 130,531  | 57%  |  | Sherman W. Tribbitt*  | Democratic | 97,480  | 42%  |  |
1980 |  | Pete du Pont*  | Republican | 159,004  | 71%  |  | William J. Gordy  | Democratic | 64,217  | 29%  |  | [l]
1984 |  | Mike Castle | Republican | 135,250  | 56%  |  | William T. Quillen | Democratic | 108,315  | 44%  |  |
1988 |  | Mike Castle*  | Republican | 169,733  | 71%  |  | Jacob Kreshtool  | Democratic | 70,236  | 29%  |  |
1992 |  | Tom Carper | Democratic | 179,268  | 65%  |  | B. Gary Scott  | Republican | 90,747  | 33%  |  | [m]
1996 |  | Tom Carper*  | Democratic | 188,300  | 70%  |  | Janet Rzewnicki | Republican | 82,654  | 30%  |  |
2000 |  | Ruth Ann Minner | Democratic | 191,695  | 59%  |  | John M. Burris | Republican | 128,603  | 40%  |  | [n]
2004 |  | Ruth Ann Minner*  | Democratic | 185,687  | 51%  |  | Bill Lee | Republican | 167,115  | 46%  |  | [o]
2008 |  | Jack Markell | Democratic | 266,861  | 68%  |  | Bill Lee | Republican | 126,662  | 32%  |  | [p]
2012 |  | Jack Markell*  | Democratic | 275,991  | 69%  |  | Jeff Cragg  | Republican | 113,792  | 29%  |  | [q]
2016 |  | John Carney | Democratic | 248,404  | 58%  |  | Colin Bonini | Republican | 166,852  | 39%  |  | [r]
2020 |  | John Carney*  | Democratic | 292,903  | 59%  |  | Julianne Murray  | Republican | 190,312  | 39%  |  | [s]
2024 |  | Matt Meyer | Democratic | 279,585  | 56%  |  | Mike Ramone | Republican | 219,050  | 44%

## Notes

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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 Richard 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).
17. ^ Additional candidates were Mark Perri (Green Party, 4,575) and Jesse McVay (Libertarian, 3,668).
18. ^ Additional candidates were Andrew R. Groff (Green, 5,951) and Sean L. Groward (Libertarian, 4,577).
19. ^ Additional candidates were Kathy DeMatteis (Delaware Independent, 6,150) and John Machurek (Libertarian, 3,270).

## References

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* 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. National Journal Group. ISBN 0-89234-112-2.
* Martin, Roger A. (1984). A History of Delaware Through its Governors. Wilmington, Delaware: McClafferty Press.