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The1896 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Incumbent Republican GovernorCharles H. Sheldon declined to run for re-election to a third term. Former Secretary of State Amund O. Ringsrud was nominated as Sheldon's replacement at the Republican convention. Ringrud's main opponent was businessmanAndrew E. Lee, who was nominated by a makeshift coalition ofPopulists,Free Silver Republicans, and Democrats. In the general election, Lee narrowly defeated Ringsrud, the first defeat for the Republican Party in a gubernatorial election since statehood.
In the lead-up to the Republican convention, which took place inAberdeen on July 8, 1896, several candidates either announced their candidacies for Governor or were seen as likely candidates:[1] former Secretary of State Amund O. Ringsrud, Lieutenant GovernorCharles N. Herreid, former State Representative Millard F. Greeley fromDeuel County,[2] and F. G. Hale, a member of theSouth Dakota Board of Regents.[3] As the convention approached, Ringsrud emerged as the frontrunner,[4] and ultimately won the nomination.[5]
After three straight elections in which the left-leaning vote in South Dakota was split, a fusion finally took place. The coalition was precipitated by the exodus ofFree Silver Republicans from theRepublican Party of South Dakota, led by U.S. SenatorRichard F. Pettigrew. Pettigrew and the Silver Republicans joined forces with the Populist Party at its convention,[6] which started on July 15, 1896, inHuron.[7] In the months preceding the convention, there was much speculation about whether prominent businessmanAndrew E. Lee would be the Populist nominee for Governor,[8] or whether another candidate—like F. M. Goodykoontz[9] or former territorial legislator H. B. Wynn[10]—would replace him. But when Pettigrew's forces joined with the Populists, Pettigrew began negotiating with Henry A. Loucks, a prominent leader in the Farmers' Alliance. The tentative agreement between Pettigrew and Loucks was to name Wynn as their nominee for Governor, and if this failed, to name Lee for Governor and Wynn for Treasurer. But Wynn's refusal to accept a position other than Governor, and Lee's refusal to accept any deal with Wynn, ultimately led the convention to nominate Lee for Governor.[11] Shortly after the convention, the Democratic Party endorsed the Populist slate of candidates, declining to hold its own convention. As a result, the People's Party was formed to contest the 1896 election.[6]
Populist candidatesJohn Edward Kelley andFreeman Knowles also won both of South Dakota's seats in theconcurrent U.S. House election.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Populist | Andrew E. Lee | 41,187 | 49.76% | +15.12% | |
| Republican | Amund O. Ringsrud | 40,868 | 49.37% | −3.27% | |
| Prohibition | J. F. Hanson | 722 | 0.87% | −0.45% | |
| Majority | 319 | 0.39% | −17.62% | ||
| Turnout | 82,777 | 100.00% | |||
| Populistgain fromRepublican | |||||
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