1900 Indiana gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:1900 Indiana gubernatorial election
Country:Indiana
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1896 Indiana gubernatorial election
Previous Year:1896
Next Election:1904 Indiana gubernatorial election
Next Year:1904
Nominee1:Winfield T. Durbin
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:331,531
Percentage1:50.5%
Nominee2:John W. Kern
Party2:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:306,272
Percentage2:46.7%
Map Size:250px
Governor
Before Election:James A. Mount
Before Party:Republican Party (United States)
After Election:Winfield T. Durbin
After Party:Republican Party (United States)

The 1900 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1900 in all 92 counties in the state of Indiana. Governor James A. Mount could not succeed himself to a second term. Winfield T. Durbin was elected governor over his Democratic opponent, John W. Kern. Mount died from a heart-attack just 2 days after Durbin's inauguration.

Nominations

Durbin (member of the Indiana Republican Central Committee) was nominated to run for governor in 1900, and easily won the convention vote.

Opinion was strongly against Democrats, and the leading members of the party refused to run for governor that year. The party fielded John Kern, a former state senator serving at the time as city solicitor of Indianapolis, to oppose Durbin.

General election

Durbin became the first governor to win by majority in twenty-five years. Durbin's primary goal as governor was to bring efficiency to the state, and reform the government to function more economically, and to enact progressive legislation.