1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election
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The 1900 Kentucky gubernatorial special election was held on November 6, 1900. Incumbent Democratic governor J. C. W. Beckham was elected to complete William Goebel's term with 49.88% of the vote.
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November 6, 1900
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  Beckham: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% Yerkes: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% 80â90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
In the 1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election, J. C. W. Beckham was the running mate of Democratic nominee William Goebel,[1] who lost the election to Republican nominee William S. Taylor.[2] On January 31, 1900, Democrats in the Kentucky General Assembly successfully overturned the election results, handing the governorship to Goebel.[3] However, having been shot the day before,[4] he died three days later,[5] so Beckham ascended to the governorship.[6]
General election
Candidates
- J. C. W. Beckham, Democratic, incumbent governor
- John W. Yerkes, Republican, member of the Republican National Committee,[7] former Republican state chairman,[8] former collector of internal revenue for Kentucky's 8th district[9][10]
- A. H. Cardin, Populist, farmer,[11] chairman of the Kentucky state central committee,[12] Union Labor candidate for governor in 1887
- James Doyle, Socialist Labor
- Walter T. Roberts, Social Democrat, physician[13]
- John D. White, Prohibition, lawyer, former U.S. representative
Campaign
Due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the 1899 election, a special election was held on November 6, 1900, to determine who would complete Goebel's unexpired term.[6] Beckham won the election over Republican John W. Yerkes by 3,689 votes.[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. C. W. Beckham (incumbent) | 233,052 | 49.88% | ||
| Republican | John W. Yerkes | 229,363 | 49.09% | ||
| Prohibition | John D. White | 2,269 | 0.49% | ||
| Populist | A. H. Cardin | 1,666 | 0.36% | ||
| Social Democratic | Walter T. Roberts | 456 | 0.10% | ||
| Socialist Labor | James Doyle | 408 | 0.09% | ||
| Majority | 3,689 | 0.79% | |||
| Turnout | 467,214 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
