1840 North Carolina gubernatorial election

1840 North Carolina gubernatorial election

6 August 1840

Nominee John Motley Morehead Romulus M. Saunders Party Whig Democratic Popular vote 44,484 35,903 Percentage 55.33% 44.67%

County results Morehead:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Saunders:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100%

Governor before election Edward Bishop Dudley Whig Elected Governor John Motley Morehead Whig

The 1840 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on 6 August 1840 in order to elect the Governor of North Carolina. Whig nominee and former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives John Motley Morehead defeated Democratic nominee and former Attorney General of North Carolina Romulus M. Saunders.

General election

On election day, 6 August 1840, Whig nominee John Motley Morehead won the election by a margin of 8,581 votes against his opponent Democratic nominee Romulus M. Saunders, thereby retaining Whig control over the office of Governor. Morehead was sworn in as the 29th Governor of North Carolina on 1 January 1841.

Results

North Carolina gubernatorial election, 1840

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Motley Morehead	44,484	55.33
	Democratic	Romulus M. Saunders	35,903	44.67
Total votes			80,387	100.00
	Whig hold