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  Beckham: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Belknap: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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 Government |
The 1903 Kentucky gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1903. The incumbent Democratic governor, J. C. W. Beckham, defeated Republican nominee Morris B. Belknap to a win a term in his own right.
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]
Upon Goebel's death, Beckham ascended to the governorship. 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 fewer than 4,000 votes.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. C. W. Beckham (incumbent) | 233,052 | 49.89% | +1.41% | |
| Republican | John W. Yerkes | 229,363 | 49.09% | +1.02% | |
| Prohibition | John D. White | 2,269 | 0.49% | N/A | |
| Populist | A. H. Cardin | 1,666 | 0.36% | -0.37% | |
| Social Democratic | Walter T. Roberts | 456 | 0.10% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | James Doyle | 408 | 0.09% | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,689 | 0.80% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Although the Constitution of Kentucky prohibited governors from serving consecutive terms, Beckham announced that he would seek a full term as governor in 1903. His candidacy was challenged in court, but the court ruled Beckham had not served a full first term and so was eligible to run.[8]
Beckham's record of reconciliation and of supporting non-controversial reforms prevented significant opposition when he won the party's nomination. His record also deprived his Republican opponent, Morris B. Belknap, of any significant campaign issue in the general election.[9] Belknap touted his business management experience, contrasting it with charges that Governor Beckham had mismanaged the state's eleemosynary institutions. Belknap lacked name recognition outside Louisville; he was a poor public speaker and unable to make the race truly competitive.[8] The New York Times reported that Belknap was "an athlete as well as a politician and a millionaire businessman".[10]
Election day was a rowdy one throughout Kentucky as a judge supporting Belknap was shot by a sheriff at a polling place in Louisville.[11] Beckham defeated Belknap and three minor candidates.[12] Beckham won the majority of the popular vote, marking the first time in sixteen years that the Democrats had gained a majority of the votes cast.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | J. C. W. Beckham (incumbent) | 229,014 | 52.12% | ||
| Republican | Morris B. Belknap | 202,862 | 46.17% | ||
| Prohibition | T. P. Demaree | 4,830 | 1.10% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Alfred Schmitz | 2,044 | 0.47% | ||
| Socialist | Adam Nagel | 615 | 0.14% | ||
| Majority | 26,152 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
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