1857 Texas gubernatorial election

1857 Texas gubernatorial election

August 3, 1857

Nominee Hardin R. Runnels Sam Houston Party Democratic Know Nothing Popular vote 32,552 23,628 Percentage 57.9% 42.1%

Governor before election Elisha M. Pease Independent Elected Governor Hardin R. Runnels Democratic

The 1857 Texas gubernatorial election was held on August 3, 1857 to elect the Governor of Texas. The election pitted Lieutenant Governor Hardin Richard Runnels against former President of the Republic of Texas Sam Houston and Lieutenant Governor hopeful French Smith. Runnels won the election with 53% of the vote, becoming the only person to ever defeat Sam Houston in a political contest.

Results

General Election Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hardin Richard Runnels	32,552	57.94%
	Know Nothing	Sam Houston	23,628	42.06%
Total votes			61,180	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Know Nothing