1894 South Dakota gubernatorial election

1894 South Dakota gubernatorial election

← 1892 November 6, 1894 1896 →
 
Nominee Charles H. Sheldon Isaac Howe James A. Ward
Party Republican Populist Democratic
Popular vote 40,381 26,568 8,756
Percentage 52.64% 34.63% 11.41%

County results
Sheldon:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Howe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
No Vote:      

Governor of South Dakota before election

Charles H. Sheldon
Republican

Elected Governor of South Dakota

Charles H. Sheldon
Republican

The 1894 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1894. Incumbent Republican Governor Charles H. Sheldon ran for re-election to a second term. Despite facing a thread of defeat at the Republican convention, Sheldon was renominated unanimously. In the general election, he faced Populist nominee Isaac Howe, a Spink County Judge; James A. Ward, the former state chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party; and Prohibition nominee M. D. Alexander. The election was largely a replay of the gubernatorial elections of 1890 and 1892, with the Farmers' Alliance candidate placing second and the Democratic nominee placing a distant third. This time, however, Sheldon won an outright majority and the Democratic Party's vote share shrunk to just 11%, its worst performance in state history.