1976 Delaware gubernatorial election
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November 2, 1976 | |||||||||||||||||
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du Pont: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tribbitt: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1976 Delaware gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1976. Pitting incumbent Democratic Governor Sherman W. Tribbitt Against U.S. Representative Pete du Pont. Largely due to the state's unresolved financial problems, du Pont defeated Governor Tribbitt by a landslide margin of 57% to 42%. This is the last time that an incumbent governor of Delaware lost re-election.
Nominations
From 1972 to 1992 Delaware used a system of “challenge” primaries, in which a candidate for statewide office who received at least 35 percent of the convention vote could challenge the endorsed candidate in a primary. No such primaries were held in 1976.[1][2]
General election
Candidates
- Sherman W. Tribbitt, Democratic, incumbent Governor
- Pete du Pont, Republican, U.S. Representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district
- George W. Cripps, American, former Delaware Auditor of Accounts[3]
- Harry Conner, Prohibition
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pierre S. duPont IV | 130,531 | 56.86% | ||
| Democratic | Sherman W. Tribbitt (incumbent) | 97,480 | 42.46% | ||
| American | George W. Cripps | 1,255 | 0.55% | ||
| Prohibition | Harry Conner | 297 | 0.13% | ||
| Majority | 33,051 | 14.40% | |||
| Turnout | 229,563 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ America Votes 12, p. 82.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 104.
- ^ "Politics: Reports" (PDF). Ripon Forum. Vol. IX, no. 16. Washington, D.C. September 1973. p. 16. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "DE Governor, 1976". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Delaware Official Results 1976, p. 2.
- ^ America Votes 12, p. 78.
- ^ Glashan 1979, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 46.
Bibliography
- Lewis C. Wrightson, Commissioner of Elections (1977). Official Results of General Election, 1976 (PDF). State of Delaware. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2016.
- Glashan, Roy R. (1979). American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978. Meckler Books. ISBN 0-930466-17-9.
- Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
- Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V. (1977). America Votes 12: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1976. Washington, D.C.: Elections Research Center.
