1863 Maine gubernatorial election

1863 Maine gubernatorial election

September 14, 1863

Nominee Samuel Cony Bion Bradbury Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 68,339 50,687 Percentage 57.42% 42.58%

County results Cony:      50-60%      60-70% Bradbury:      50-60%

Governor before election Abner Coburn Republican Elected Governor Samuel Cony Republican

The 1863 Maine gubernatorial election took place on September 14, 1863 in order to elect the governor of Maine. Republican candidate Samuel Cony won his first one-year term as governor against Democratic candidate Bion Bradbury.

Candidates

Republican Party

• Samuel Cony, the Republican nominee, was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, having been elected in 1862. He had previously been a member of the Democratic party, serving as the Maine State Treasurer from 1850 to 1854, on the Executive Council of Maine in 1839, and in the Maine House of Representatives from 1835 to 1836.

Democratic Party

• Bion Bradbury, the Democratic nominee, was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, having been elected in 1861.

During his campaign, Bradbury claimed that president Abraham Lincoln had violated the Constitution by suspending habeas corpus, and was a vocal opponent of emancipation. While a controversy occurred where General Samuel J. Anderson claimed in an interview that Bradbury would withdraw Maine's troops from the American Civil War, Bradbury denied this and accused Anderson of libel.

Election

Statewide

1863 Maine gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Samuel Cony	68,339	57.42
	Democratic	Bion Bradbury	50,687	42.58
Total votes			119,026	100.00
	Republican hold