Virginia gubernatorial election, 1851

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1851

December 1, 1851

Nominee Joseph Johnson Thomas Flournoy Party Democratic Whig Popular vote 65,257 57,040 Percentage 53.46 46.54

Governor before election John B. Floyd Democratic Elected Governor Joseph Johnson Democratic

The 1851 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on December 1, 1851 to elect the governor of Virginia. It was the first gubernatorial election in Virginia in which the governor was elected by direct popular vote, instead of being elected by the state legislature.^[1]

Results

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1851[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Johnson	65,257	53.46
	Whig	George W. Summers	57,040	46.54
Total votes			122,297	100
	Democratic hold

References

1. 1830 Virginia Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
2. "Our Campaigns - VA Governor Race -Dec 01, 1851". Retrieved May 3, 2016.