1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election
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The 1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Republican Governor Coe I. Crawford opted to run for the U.S. Senate rather than run for re-election. State Senator Robert S. Vessey narrowly won the Republican primary over former State Representative John L. Browne and advanced to the general election, where he faced the Democratic nominee, former Governor Andrew E. Lee. Though Vessey's performance was significantly reduced from Crawford's performance in 1906, he still defeated Lee by a wide margin.
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November 3, 1908
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 County results Vessey: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% Lee: 50â60% No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections
Primary elections were held on June 9, 1908.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Andrew E. Lee, former Governor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 7,567 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 7,657 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- John L. Browne, State Representative[2]
- Robert S. Vessey, State Senator[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 32,024 | 50.93% | |
| Republican | John L. Browne | 30,860 | 49.07% | |
| Total votes | 62,884 | 100.00% | ||
Socialist primary
Candidates
- J. C. Knapp
Results
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 62,989 | 55.34% | â9.97% | |
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 44,876 | 39.39% | +12.68% | |
| Prohibition | G. F. Knappen | 3,536 | 3.11% | â1.45% | |
| Socialist | J. C. Knapp | 2,542 | 2.15% | â1.25% | |
| Majority | 18,113 | 15.95% | â22.65% | ||
| Turnout | 113,943 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||