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1906 North Dakota gubernatorial election

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1906 North Dakota gubernatorial election

← 1904 November 6, 1906 1908 →
 
Nominee John Burke Elmore Y. Sarles
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 34,424 29,309
Percentage 53.2% 45.3%

County Results


Burke:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%
Sarles:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      90-100%
No Votes:

     

Governor before election

Elmore Y. Sarles
Republican

Elected Governor

John Burke
Democratic

The 1906 North Dakota gubernatorial election, sometimes called 'The Revolution of 1906' was held on November 6, 1906.[1] This election marked a major shift in North Dakota politics as the incumbent, Republican Elmore Sarles, was defeated by a 53.20% majority vote for Democrat John Burke, who had garnered bipartisan support across the state of constituents tired of Sarles' administration, which was supported by the Republican political machine run by politician Alexander McKenzie.[2]

Background

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Incumbent Elmore Sarles had been a businessman prior to his election as the ninth governor of North Dakota in 1904, taking office in 1905. During his tenure in office, Sarles was frequently criticized for taking positions favoring big businesses, and for publicly drinking while the state constitution had enacted prohibition since its admission into the United States. Furthermore, Sarles was supported by a Republican political machine headed by Alexander McKenzie, who had been known for being a confidant of many top officials, and who had personally selected many candidates who later won state offices.

In the lead-up to the 1906 election, many newspapers began to publish articles and editorials railing against 'McKenzieism', and the Democrat candidate, John Burke, who had initially not wanted to run, used this as a campaign point, becoming very active, and winning over many Progressive Republicans who had been looking to oust the influence of McKenzie and Sarles.[1][3]

General election results

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1906 North Dakota gubernatorial election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic John Burke 34,424 53.20%
Republican Elmore Y. Sarles (incumbent) 29,309 45.29% −25.42%
Socialist L.F. Dow 978 1.51%
Majority 5,115 7.91%
Turnout 64,711
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

Results by county

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County Burke Sarles Dow Votes Total
Votes Votes Votes
Barnes 1,348 923 46 2,317
Benson 1,062 391 8 1,461
Billings 42 295 3 340
Bottineau 1,672 1,150 84 2,906
Burleigh 489 983 17 1,489
Cass 1,884 2,056 58 3,998
Cavalier 1,574 1,043 27 2,644
Dickey 330 676 18 1,024
Eddy 387 365 10 762
Emmons 274 600 9 883
Foster 617 260 5 882
Grand Forks 3,020 1,050 39 4,109
Griggs 736 238 15 989
Kidder 168 294 7 469
LaMoure 471 687 19 1,177
Logan 59 510 8 577
McHenry 1,014 1,072 42 2,128
McIntosh 19 426 3 448
McKenzie 211 336 12 559
McLean 364 1,636 40 2,040
Mercer 14 325 2 341
Morton 395 1,646 24 2,065
Nelson 849 664 16 1,529
Oliver 113 244 2 359
Pembina 1,607 911 5 2,523
Pierce 973 368 30 1,371
Ramsey 1,537 476 22 2,035
Ransom 488 900 18 1,406
Richland 1,436 993 17 2,446
Rolette 1,020 369 44 1,433
Sargent 515 713 32 1,260
Stark 282 492 7 781
Steele 579 218 6 803
Stutsman 1,177 1,061 14 2,252
Towner 1,192 404 10 1,606
Traill 1,072 534 24 1,630
Walsh 2,239 814 35 3,088
Ward 1,947 1,924 138 4,009
Wells 679 584 21 1,284
Williams 569 678 41 1,288
Total 34,424 29,309 978 64,711

References

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  1. ^ a b "Section 4: The Revolution of 1906". www.ndstudies.gov. State Historical Society of North Dakota. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "13: The Progressive Movement". History of North Dakota. UND Scholarly Commons. Grand Forks, North Dakota: University of North Dakota. 2017. pp. 255–275.
  3. ^ "Burke and Fisk Carry State" (Newspaper). Bismarck Daily Tribune. November 7, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "General Election" (PDF). North Dakota Secretary of State. 1906. Retrieved September 12, 2020.