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 County results Byrne: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Johnson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in South Dakota | ||
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The1912 South Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912. Incumbent Republican GovernorRobert S. Vessey declined to run for re-election to a third term. Lieutenant GovernorFrank M. Byrne won the Republican primary to succeed Vessey, and then faced State SenatorEdwin S. Johnson, the Democratic nominee, in the general election. Byrne only narrowly defeated Johnson, winning just 49% of the vote to Johnson's 46%, the closest gubernatorial election since1898.
Primary elections were held on June 4, 1912.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edwin S. Johnson | 7,092 | 55.32% | |
| Democratic | P. F. Wickhem | 5,727 | 44.68% | |
| Total votes | 12,819 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank M. Byrne | 38,660 | 51.74% | |
| Republican | George W. Egan | 29,481 | 39.46% | |
| Republican | Loomis S. Cull | 6,576 | 8.80% | |
| Total votes | 74,717 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | O. W. Butterfield | 636 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 636 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | Samuel Lovett | 636 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 636 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank M. Byrne | 57,160 | 48.51% | −9.84% | |
| Democratic | Edwin S. Johnson | 53,850 | 45.70% | +9.81% | |
| Socialist | Samuel Lovett | 3,479 | 2.95% | — | |
| Prohibition | O. W. Butterfield | 3,339 | 2.83% | −1.42% | |
| Majority | 3,310 | 2.81% | −19.65% | ||
| Turnout | 117,828 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
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