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 County results Vessey: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Lee: 50–60% No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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The1908 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Incumbent Republican GovernorCoe I. Crawford opted torun for the U.S. Senate rather than run for re-election. State SenatorRobert S. Vessey narrowly won the Republican primary over former State Representative John L. Browne and advanced to the general election, where he faced the Democratic nominee, former GovernorAndrew E. Lee. Though Vessey's performance was significantly reduced from Crawford's performance in1906, he still defeated Lee by a wide margin.
Primary elections were held on June 9, 1908.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 7,567 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 7,657 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 32,024 | 50.93% | |
| Republican | John L. Browne | 30,860 | 49.07% | |
| Total votes | 62,884 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | J. C. Knapp | 451 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 451 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert S. Vessey | 62,989 | 55.34% | −9.97% | |
| Democratic | Andrew E. Lee | 44,876 | 39.39% | +12.68% | |
| Prohibition | G. F. Knappen | 3,536 | 3.11% | −1.45% | |
| Socialist | J. C. Knapp | 2,542 | 2.15% | −1.25% | |
| Majority | 18,113 | 15.95% | −22.65% | ||
| Turnout | 113,943 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
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