1896 Montana gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1896 United States gubernatorial elections.

1896 Montana gubernatorial election

November 3, 1896

Nominee Robert Burns Smith Alexander C. Botkin Party Democratic Republican Alliance Populist Silver Republican Popular vote 36,688 14,993 Percentage 70.99% 29.01%

County results Smith:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Botkin:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election John E. Rickards Republican Elected Governor Robert Burns Smith Democratic

The 1896 Montana gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896.

Democratic and Populist nominee Robert Burns Smith defeated Republican and Silver Republican nominee Alexander C. Botkin with 70.99% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• Robert Burns Smith, Democratic and Populist, former city attorney of Helena,^[1] Populist nominee for Montana's at-large congressional district in 1894
• Alexander C. Botkin, Republican and Silver Republican, incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Results

By 8 a.m. the following day, the chairman of the central committee for the state's Democratic party announced that, in his estimation, Robert Burns Smith had won the election "handsomely".^[2]

1896 Montana gubernatorial election^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert Burns Smith	36,688	70.99%
	Republican	Alexander C. Botkin	14,993	29.01%
Majority			21,695	41.98%
Turnout			51,681
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

References

1. "Gov. Robert Burns Smith". www.nga.org. National Governors Association. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
2. Cockrill 1896, p. 1.
3. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 63.
4. "MT Governor, 1896". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
5. Dubin 2010, p. 20.
6. Glashan 1979, pp. 180–181.

Bibliography

• Cockrill, W. M. (November 4, 1896). "Robert B. Smith". The Anaconda Standard.
• Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
• Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
• Dubin, Michael J. (2010). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1861-1911. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. ISBN 978-0-7864-4722-0.