1856 Michigan gubernatorial election
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November 4, 1856
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 County results Bingham: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Felch: 50–60% 60–70% No Date/Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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The 1856 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1856. Incumbent Republican Kinsley S. Bingham defeated Democratic nominee Alpheus Felch with 56.87% of the vote.
General election
Candidates
Major party candidates
- Kinsley S. Bingham, Republican
- Alpheus Felch, Democratic
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kinsley S. Bingham (inc.) | 71,402 | 56.87% | +3.87% | |
| Democratic | Alpheus Felch | 54,085 | 43.08% | −3.88% | |
| Imperfect[a] | 48 | 0.04% | |||
| Scattering | 23 | 0.02% | |||
| Majority | 17,317 | 13.79% | |||
| Total votes | 125,558 | 100.00 | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +7.75% | |||
Results by county
No votes were recorded in the following organized counties: Cheboygan, Chippewa, Emmet, Mackinac, Newaygo, and Ontonagon. After this election, Grand Traverse County would not vote Democratic again until 1912.
| County[1][2][3][4] | Kinsley S. Bingham Republican |
Alpheus Felch Democratic |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Allegan | 1,531 | 58.35% | 1,092 | 41.62% | 439 | 16.73% | 2,624[b] |
| Allegan | 1,496 | 62.10% | 913 | 37.90% | 583 | 24.20% | 2,409 |
| Berrien | 1,941 | 54.28% | 1,634 | 45.69% | 307 | 8.59% | 3,576[b] |
| Branch | 2,604 | 65.74% | 1,356 | 34.23% | 1,248 | 31.51% | 3,961[c] |
| Calhoun | 3,500 | 60.89% | 2,246 | 39.07% | 1,254 | 21.82% | 5,748[d] |
| Cass | 1,699 | 58.26% | 1,210 | 41.50% | 489 | 16.77% | 2,916[e] |
| Clinton | 1,340 | 55.62% | 1,066 | 44.25% | 274 | 11.37% | 2,409[f] |
| Eaton | 1,853 | 58.99% | 1,288 | 41.01% | 565 | 17.99% | 3,141 |
| Genesee | 2,663 | 62.23% | 1,614 | 37.72% | 1,049 | 24.52% | 4,279[g] |
| Grand Traverse | 152 | 38.29% | 245 | 61.71% | -93 | -23.43% | 397 |
| Gratiot | 387 | 73.71% | 138 | 26.29% | 249 | 47.43% | 525 |
| Hillsdale | 3,435 | 70.14% | 1,462 | 29.86% | 1,973 | 40.29% | 4,897 |
| Houghton | 193 | 32.11% | 405 | 67.39% | -212 | -35.27% | 601[h] |
| Ingham | 1,844 | 54.09% | 1,565 | 45.91% | 279 | 8.18% | 3,409 |
| Ionia | 1,983 | 62.46% | 1,192 | 37.54% | 791 | 24.91% | 3,175 |
| Jackson | 2,971 | 57.51% | 2,194 | 42.47% | 777 | 15.04% | 5,166[c] |
| Kalamazoo | 2,807 | 62.74% | 1,667 | 37.26% | 1,140 | 25.48% | 4,474 |
| Kent | 2,946 | 53.14% | 2,596 | 46.83% | 350 | 6.31% | 5,544[g] |
| Lapeer | 1,564 | 59.99% | 1,043 | 40.01% | 521 | 19.98% | 2,607 |
| Lenawee | 4,496 | 60.36% | 2,953 | 39.64% | 1,543 | 20.71% | 7,449 |
| Livingston | 1,727 | 49.54% | 1,759 | 50.46% | -32 | -0.92% | 3,486 |
| Macomb | 2,205 | 54.08% | 1,872 | 45.92% | 333 | 8.17% | 4,077 |
| Marquette | 78 | 44.32% | 98 | 55.68% | -20 | -11.36% | 176 |
| Mason | 32 | 72.73% | 12 | 27.27% | 20 | 45.45% | 44 |
| Midland | 172 | 80.00% | 43 | 20.00% | 129 | 60.00% | 215 |
| Monroe | 1,767 | 50.34% | 1,743 | 49.66% | 24 | 0.68% | 3,510 |
| Montcalm | 405 | 58.95% | 282 | 41.05% | 123 | 17.90% | 687 |
| Oakland | 4,060 | 54.48% | 3,391 | 45.50% | 669 | 8.98% | 7,452[c] |
| Oceana | 83 | 79.81% | 21 | 20.19% | 62 | 59.62% | 104 |
| Ottawa | 1,393 | 57.71% | 1,012 | 41.92% | 381 | 15.78% | 2,414[i] |
| Saginaw | 1,037 | 45.40% | 1,247 | 54.60% | -210 | -9.19% | 2,284 |
| Sanilac | 805 | 79.94% | 202 | 20.06% | 603 | 59.88% | 1,007 |
| Shiawassee | 1,297 | 53.13% | 1,111 | 45.51% | 186 | 7.62% | 2,441[j] |
| St. Clair | 1,796 | 53.64% | 1,548 | 46.24% | 248 | 7.41% | 3,348[k] |
| St. Joseph | 2,301 | 60.31% | 1,513 | 39.66% | 788 | 20.66% | 3,815[b] |
| Tuscola | 435 | 62.41% | 262 | 37.59% | 173 | 24.82% | 697 |
| Van Buren | 1,706 | 61.48% | 1,069 | 38.52% | 637 | 22.95% | 2,775 |
| Washtenaw | 3,538 | 54.28% | 2,980 | 45.72% | 558 | 8.56% | 6,518 |
| Wayne | 5,160 | 46.07% | 6,041 | 53.93% | -881 | -7.87% | 11,201 |
| Total | 71,402 | 56.87% | 54,085 | 43.08% | 17,317 | 13.79% | 125,558 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Notes
- ↑ These are ballots that were intended for the main candidates but contained misspellings. The canvass does not list specific variations, it just groups these votes together.
- 1 2 3 Includes 1 Scattering vote
- 1 2 3 Includes 1 Imperfect vote
- ↑ Includes 1 Imperfect vote and 1 Scattering vote
- ↑ Includes 5 Imperfect votes and 2 Scattering votes
- ↑ Includes 2 Imperfect votes and 1 Scattering vote
- 1 2 Includes 2 Scattering votes
- ↑ Includes 3 Scattering votes
- ↑ Includes 9 Scattering votes
- ↑ Includes 33 Imperfect votes
- ↑ Includes 4 Imperfect votes
References
- 1 2 Michigan State Archives, Canvass of the Votes given for the office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Michigan at the General Election held on Tuesday the Fourth day of November A.D. 1856
- 1 2 "State Canvassers' Statement of Votes given for Governor and Lieutenant Governor". The Lansing State Republican. Vol. 2, no. 33. Lansing: Hosmer & Fitch. December 9, 1856. p. 1. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
- 1 2 Dubin, Michael J. (2003). United States Gubernatorial Elections, 1776-1860 The Official Results by State and County. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 124. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- 1 2 The Tribune Almanac and United States Register for 1857. New York: Greeley & McElrath. 1857. pp. 59–60. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
