1919 Mississippi gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:1919 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Type:presidential
Country:Mississippi
Flag Image:Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).svg
Previous Election:1915 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Previous Year:1915
Next Election:1923 Mississippi gubernatorial election
Next Year:1923
Ongoing:no
Election Date:November 4, 1919
Nominee1:Lee M. Russell
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:39,241
Percentage1:96.96%
Nominee2:J. T. Lester
Party2:Socialist Party of America
Popular Vote2:1,231
Percentage2:3.04%
Map Size:250px
Governor
Before Election:Theodore G. Bilbo
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Lee M. Russell
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1919 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1919, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat Theodore G. Bilbo was term-limited, and could not run for reelection to a second term. As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate won in a landslide in the general election so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election.

Democratic primary

No candidate received a majority in the Democratic primary, which featured 4 contenders, so a runoff was held between the top two candidates. The runoff election was won by Lieutenant Governor Lee M. Russell, who defeated Oscar G. Johnston.

Runoff

General election

In the general election, Russell easily defeated Socialist candidate J. T. Lester, who was also the party's nominee in 1915.