1868 North Carolina gubernatorial election

1868 North Carolina gubernatorial election

April 21, 1868

Nominee William Woods Holden Thomas Samuel Ashe Party Republican Conservative Popular vote 92,235 73,600 Percentage 55.49% 44.28%

County results Holden:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Ashe:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Jonathan Worth Conservative Elected Governor William Woods Holden Republican

The 1868 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on April 21, 1868. Republican nominee William Woods Holden defeated Conservative nominee Thomas Samuel Ashe with 55.49% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• William Woods Holden, Republican
• Thomas Samuel Ashe, Conservative (Democratic)
  • Ashe is sometimes erroneously listed as a Democratic nominee, because the Conservative Party acted largely as the equivalent of the Democratic Party in North Carolina at times, and re-named itself the Democratic Party in 1876, but as of 1868, it was the Conservative Party banner under which Ashe ran. Ashe became the nominee only after Zebulon B. Vance and Augustus Merrimon had declined the Conservatives' nomination.

Other candidates

• Daniel R. Goodloe, Independent

Results

1868 North Carolina gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	William Woods Holden	92,235	55.49%
	Conservative	Thomas Samuel Ashe	73,600	44.28%
	Independent	Daniel R. Goodloe	310	0.19%
Majority			18,635
Turnout
	Republican gain from Conservative		Swing