1896 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election

1896 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election

← 1894 November 3, 1896 1898 →
 
Nominee James E. Harris Orlando Tefft
Party Populist Republican
Alliance Democratic
Popular vote 111,729 95,757
Percentage 51.7% 44.3%

Lieutenant Governor before election

Robert E. Moore
Republican

Elected Lieutenant Governor

James E. Harris
Populist

The 1896 Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896, and featured Populist and Democratic fusion nominee James E. Harris defeating his major rival, Republican nominee Orlando Tefft.[1] Other candidates who received two percent of the vote or less included Gold Democratic nominee Owen F. Biglin, Prohibition nominee Lucius O. Jones, Socialist Labor nominee Fred Herman, and National Silver nominee Oscar Kent.[1] Incumbent Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Robert E. Moore did not seek reelection.

With the victory of Populist/Democratic fusion candidate James E. Harris, this election became the first Nebraska lieutenant gubernatorial election in which a candidate affiliated with a party other than the Republican Party won the office of lieutenant governor. The success of the Populist/Democratic fusion candidates was helped in part by the popularity of William Jennings Bryan, a Nebraskan running for president on the Populist/Democratic ticket.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference results was invoked but never defined (see the help page).