1840 Maine gubernatorial election

1840 Maine gubernatorial election

← 1839 September 14, 1840 1841 →

Nominee Edward Kent John Fairfield Party Whig Democratic Electoral vote (Elected) Popular vote 45,574 45,507 Percentage 49.98% 49.91%

County results Kent:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Fairfield:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% No Data/Vote:

Governor before election John Fairfield Democratic Elected Governor Edward Kent Whig

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v t e

A gubernatorial election was held in Maine on September 14, 1840. The former mayor of Bangor Edward Kent, the Whig nominee, defeated the incumbent governor John Fairfield, the Democratic nominee.^[1]

The election took place in advance of the 1840 United States presidential election, with the Maine state elections attracting national attention for their potential to foretell the outcome of the national contest. A fierce partisan campaign ensued, in which the Whigs sought to capitalize on the grassroots enthusiasm for their national ticket, headed by the former major general and United States senator from Ohio, William Henry Harrison by donning log cabin badges and other emblems of Harrison's presidential campaign. On election day, early returns variously showed either Kent or Fairfield narrowly ahead, with neither candidate conceding defeat. Democrats alleged that 28 votes cast for Hannibal Hamlin, the Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives from Maine's 6th congressional district, had been intended for Fairfield which with the addition of other contested votes from unincorporated areas would give him a narrow majority. The legislature found that Kent had outpolled Fairfield by fewer than 70 votes, less than a majority of the total electorate, with 98 votes for other candidates. The election was referred to the Senate, where the Whig majority elected Kent.^[2]

• Fairfield, John (1922). Staples, Arthur G. (ed.). The Letters of John Fairfield. Lewiston, ME: Lewiston Journal Company.
• Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860: The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. ISBN 0786414391.