1870 Delaware gubernatorial election

1870 Delaware gubernatorial election

← 1866 November 8, 1870 1874 →
 
Nominee James Ponder Thomas B. Coursey
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 12,459 9,942
Percentage 55.62% 44.38%

Ponder:      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

Gove Saulsbury
Democratic

Elected Governor

James Ponder
Democratic

The 1870 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1870. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gove Saulsbury was unable to seek re-election. Former State Senator James Ponder ran as the Democratic candidate to succeed Saulsbury and faced Republican nominee Thomas B. Coursey. As Black Delawareans gained the right to vote, Republicans were confident about their chances, and the Democratic Party responded by presenting itself as the "white man's party." Ponder ultimately defeated Coursey by a wide margin, in part because of low Black turnout and a racist backlash against Black suffrage.[1]

  1. ^ Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware: From the Earliest Settlements to the Year 1907. Vol. 1. Lancaster, Pa.: Wickersham Company, Printers and Binders. p. 224.