1928 Tennessee gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1928 United States gubernatorial elections.

1928 Tennessee gubernatorial election

November 6, 1928

Nominee Henry Hollis Horton Raleigh Hopkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 195,546 124,733 Percentage 61.06% 38.95%

County results Horton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Hopkins:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Henry Hollis Horton Democratic Elected Governor Henry Hollis Horton Democratic

The 1928 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1928. Incumbent Democratic governor Austin Peay died in office on October 2, 1927. Tennessee’s Democratic Speaker of the Senate, Henry Hollis Horton became governor according to Tennessee’s gubernatorial succession law. In the general election, Henry defeated Republican nominee Raleigh Hopkins with 61.1% of the vote.

In the primary election, Horton turned to Austin Peay's longtime adviser, Luke Lea, publisher of the Nashville Tennessean, to help him win re-election. Lea's rivals, Memphis political boss E. H. Crump and Nashville political boss Hilary Howse endorsed Hill McAlister, who had been defeated by Peay in 1926. A third candidate, Lewis S. Pope also sought the Democratic nomination and had the backing of Peay's widow. After a hard-fought primary campaign, Horton won the nomination with 97,333 votes to 92,017 for McAlister and 27,779 for Pope.^[1]

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on August 2, 1928.^[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Henry Hollis Horton, incumbent governor
• Hill McAlister, Tennessee State Treasurer
• Lewis S. Pope
• D. W. Dodson

Results

Democratic primary results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry Hollis Horton (incumbent)	97,333	44.72
	Democratic	Hill McAlister	92,017	42.27
	Democratic	Lewis S. Pope	27,779	12.76
	Democratic	D. W. Dodson	543	0.25
Total votes			217,672	100.00

General election

Candidates

• Henry Hollis Horton, Democratic
• Raleigh Hopkins, Republican

Results

1928 Tennessee gubernatorial election^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Henry Hollis Horton (incumbent)	195,546	61.06%
	Republican	Raleigh Hopkins	124,733	38.95%
Majority			70,813
Turnout
	Democratic hold		Swing

See also

• 1928 United States presidential election in Tennessee
• 1928 United States Senate election in Tennessee

References

1. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 312-318.
2. Guide to U.S. elections - CQ Press, Congressional Quarterly, inc. CQ Press. 2005. ISBN 9781568029818. Retrieved June 10, 2020.