1808 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1808 occurred on October 11, 1808. Incumbent governor Thomas McKean, a former Democratic Republican who had faced impeachment by members of his own party during the prior term, was not a candidate. Democratic-Republican candidate Simon Snyder, former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives defeated Federalist candidate and former U.S. Senator James Ross to become Governor of Pennsylvania. Snyder, with the aid of a supportive press, campaigned as a "New School Democrat" and attempted to ally himself with James Madison. He painted the former McKean administration as elitist and advocated for popular democracy, governmental intervention in the economy, and infrastructural support for Western Pennsylvania counties.

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1808

October 11, 1808

Nominee Simon Snyder James Ross Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Popular vote 67,975 39,575 Percentage 60.9% 35.5%

County Results Snyder:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Ross:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

Governor before election Thomas McKean Independent Elected Governor Simon Snyder Democratic-Republican

Results

Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1808[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic-Republican	Simon Snyder	67,975	60.93
	Federalist	James Ross	39,575	35.47
	Federalist	John Spayd*	4,006	3.59
	N/A	Others	8	0.01
Total votes			111,564	100.00

*Note: Although Spayd ran as a Federalist, Ross was the only Federalist to carry any counties, as shown on the map.

References

1. "PA Governor General Election". OurCampaigns. Retrieved 3 July 2012.