The 1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Republican Governor

Coe I. Crawford Coe Isaac Crawford (January 14, 1858 – April 25, 1944) was an American attorney and politician from South Dakota. He served as the sixth Governor and as a U.S. Senator. Biography A native of Volney, Iowa, Crawford graduated from the Universi ...

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 Andrew Ericson Lee (March 18, 1847 – March 19, 1934) was an American politician who served as the third Governor of South Dakota. Biography Lee was born near Bergen in Norway and at a young age moved with his parents to the United States. His ...

. Though Vessey's performance was significantly reduced from Crawford's performance in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

, he still defeated Lee by a wide margin.

Primary elections

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on June 9, 1908.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

*John L. Browne,

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

* Robert S. Vessey,

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Results

Socialist primary

Candidates

*J. C. Knapp

Results

General election

Results

References

{{1908 United States elections

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

November 1908 events