1846 Delaware gubernatorial special election

1846 Delaware gubernatorial special election

November 3, 1846

Nominee William Tharp Peter F. Causey Party Democratic Whig Popular vote 6,148 6,012 Percentage 50.56% 49.44%

Tharp:      50–60%

Governor before election William Temple Whig Elected Governor William Tharp Democratic

The 1846 Delaware gubernatorial special election was held on November 3, 1846. A year into the term of Whig Governor Thomas Stockton, elected in 1844, he died, elevating State Senate Speaker Joseph Maull to the governorship. Maull, in turn, also died, making State House Speaker William Temple Governor. Former State Representative Peter F. Causey ran as the Whig nominee to succeed Temple, and faced former State Senator William Tharp, the Democratic nominee from 1844. Tharp narrowly defeated Causey, returning the Governorship to the Democratic Party.

General election

Results

1846 Delaware gubernatorial special election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	William Tharp	6,148	50.56%	+0.74%
	Whig	Peter F. Causey	6,012	49.44%	−0.74%
Majority			136	1.12%	+0.75%
Turnout			12,160	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Whig

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.