1857 Iowa gubernatorial election

1857 Iowa gubernatorial election

13 October 1857

Nominee Ralph P. Lowe Ben M. Samuels Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 38,498 36,088 Percentage 50.93% 47.74%

County results Lowe:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      90-100% Samuels:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% No Data/Votes:

Governor before election James W. Grimes Whig Elected Governor Ralph P. Lowe Republican

The 1857 Iowa gubernatorial election was held on 13 October 1857 in order to elect the Governor of Iowa. Republican nominee Ralph P. Lowe defeated Democratic nominee Ben M. Samuels and American Party nominee W. T. Henry.^[1] Marking the first time the recently formed Republican Party won the Iowa Governorship. It was also the first gubernatorial election held under the 1857 Iowa constitution.

General election

On election day, 13 October 1857, Republican nominee Ralph P. Lowe won the election by a margin of 2,410 votes against his foremost opponent Democratic nominee Ben M. Samuels, thereby gaining Republican control over the office of Governor. Lowe was sworn in as the 4th Governor of Iowa on 14 January 1858.^[2]

Results

Iowa gubernatorial election, 1857^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ralph P. Lowe	38,498	50.93
	Democratic	Ben M. Samuels	36,088	47.74
	Know Nothing	W. T. Henry	1,004	1.33
Total votes			75,590	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

1. "Ralph Phillips Lowe". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
2. "IA Governor". ourcampaigns.com. March 4, 2005. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
3. Iowa General Assembly. Journal of the House of Representatives. 1858 sess., 47, accessed 27 November 2023