1851 Virginia gubernatorial election

1851 Virginia gubernatorial election
← 1848 December 8, 1851 1855 →
 
Nominee Joseph Johnson George W. Summers
Party Democratic Whig
Popular vote 67,074 59,476
Percentage 53.00% 47.00%
County results
Johnson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Summers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Tie:      50%
     Unknown/No Votes
Governor before election

John B. Floyd
Democratic

Elected Governor

Joseph Johnson
Democratic

The 1851 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on December 8, 1851[1] to elect the governor of Virginia. It was the first gubernatorial election in Virginia in which the governor was elected by direct popular vote, instead of being selected by the state legislature.[2] The change was brought about by the adoption of the Virginia Constitution of 1851.[3]

  1. ^ "Research Notes Number 27: Virginia Election Returns" (PDF). Library of Virginia. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  2. ^ 1830 Virginia Constitution, Article IV, Section 1
  3. ^ "Virginia General Assembly, "Virginia Constitution, 1851," in Virginia Civics, Item #519". vagovernmentmatters.org. Retrieved November 28, 2018.