1878 Michigan gubernatorial election
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November 5, 1878
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 County results Croswell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Barnes: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Smith: 30–40% 40–50% No Votes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Michigan |
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The 1878 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1878. Incumbent Republican Charles Croswell defeated Democratic nominee Orlando M. Barnes with 44.69% of the vote.
General election
Candidates
- Orlando M. Barnes, mayor of Lansing and former State Representative (Democratic)
- Charles Croswell, former State Senator and Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives (Republican)
- Henry S. Smith (Greenback)
- Watson Snyder (Prohibition)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Croswell (inc.) | 126,367 | 44.69% | −7.50% | |
| Democratic | Orlando M. Barnes | 78,548 | 27.78% | −17.07% | |
| Greenback | Henry S. Smith | 74,247 | 26.26% | +23.63% | |
| Prohibition | Watson Snyder | 3,574 | 1.26% | +0.99% | |
| Scattering | 25 | 0.01% | |||
| Blank | 4 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 47,819 | 16.91% | |||
| Total votes | 221,423 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +9.57% | |||
Results by county
No votes were recorded in Roscommon County. Emmet County voted Republican for the first time since 1854. Barry County, Kent County, Newaygo County, and St. Joseph County did not vote Republican for the first time since the party's founding in 1854. This was also first election in which Barry County and Newaygo County failed to back the winning candidate. St. Joseph County failed to back the winning candidate for the first time since 1839.
| County[1][2][3][4] | Charles Croswell Republican |
Orlando M. Barnes Democratic |
Henry S. Smith Greenback |
Watson Snyder Prohibition |
Margin[b] | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alcona | 215 | 47.46% | 219 | 48.34% | 18 | 3.97% | 1 | 0.22% | -4 | -0.88% | 453 |
| Allegan | 3,206 | 47.51% | 364 | 5.39% | 3,170 | 46.98% | 8 | 0.12% | 36[c] | 0.53% | 6,748 |
| Alpena | 618 | 42.95% | 719 | 49.97% | 101 | 7.02% | 1 | 0.07% | -101 | -7.02% | 1,439 |
| Antrim | 377 | 59.00% | 37 | 5.79% | 224 | 35.05% | 1 | 0.16% | 153[c] | 23.94% | 639 |
| Baraga | 133 | 39.23% | 205 | 60.47% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.29% | -72 | -21.24% | 339 |
| Barry | 2,224 | 42.03% | 553 | 10.45% | 2,386 | 45.09% | 129 | 2.44% | -162[d] | -3.06% | 5,292 |
| Bay | 1,387 | 28.30% | 1,592 | 32.48% | 1,909 | 38.95% | 11 | 0.22% | -317[e] | -6.47% | 4,901[f] |
| Benzie | 324 | 53.91% | 41 | 6.82% | 234 | 38.94% | 2 | 0.33% | 90[c] | 14.98% | 601 |
| Berrien | 3,241 | 47.07% | 2,199 | 31.93% | 1,434 | 20.82% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,042 | 15.13% | 6,886[g] |
| Branch | 3,013 | 46.82% | 362 | 5.63% | 2,966 | 46.09% | 94 | 1.46% | 47[c] | 0.73% | 6,435 |
| Calhoun | 3,422 | 44.70% | 1,517 | 19.81% | 2,427 | 31.70% | 290 | 3.79% | 995[c] | 13.00% | 7,656 |
| Cass | 2,325 | 50.09% | 1,414 | 30.46% | 899 | 19.37% | 4 | 0.09% | 911 | 19.63% | 4,642 |
| Charlevoix | 476 | 65.75% | 94 | 12.98% | 153 | 21.13% | 1 | 0.14% | 323[c] | 44.61% | 724 |
| Cheboygan | 262 | 36.04% | 276 | 37.96% | 189 | 26.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -14 | -1.93% | 727 |
| Chippewa | 272 | 46.90% | 308 | 53.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -36 | -6.21% | 580 |
| Clare | 249 | 42.64% | 171 | 29.28% | 156 | 26.71% | 8 | 1.37% | 78 | 13.36% | 584 |
| Clinton | 2,446 | 42.93% | 2,124 | 37.28% | 1,100 | 19.31% | 27 | 0.47% | 322 | 5.65% | 5,697 |
| Delta | 572 | 68.18% | 260 | 30.99% | 7 | 0.83% | 0 | 0.00% | 312 | 37.19% | 839 |
| Eaton | 3,139 | 46.57% | 1,225 | 18.17% | 2,140 | 31.75% | 237 | 3.52% | 999[c] | 14.82% | 6,741 |
| Emmet | 402 | 43.79% | 361 | 39.32% | 155 | 16.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 41 | 4.47% | 918 |
| Genesee | 3,598 | 46.31% | 1,811 | 23.31% | 1,982 | 25.51% | 379 | 4.88% | 1,616[c] | 20.80% | 7,770 |
| Gladwin | 164 | 54.67% | 71 | 23.67% | 65 | 21.67% | 0 | 0.00% | 93 | 31.00% | 300 |
| Grand Traverse | 864 | 66.98% | 121 | 9.38% | 302 | 23.41% | 3 | 0.23% | 562[c] | 43.57% | 1,290 |
| Gratiot | 1,646 | 45.73% | 789 | 21.92% | 1,158 | 32.18% | 5 | 0.14% | 488[c] | 13.56% | 3,599[h] |
| Hillsdale | 3,875 | 51.19% | 743 | 9.82% | 2,913 | 38.48% | 39 | 0.52% | 962[c] | 12.71% | 7,570 |
| Houghton | 1,880 | 62.23% | 1,141 | 37.77% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 739 | 24.46% | 3,021 |
| Huron | 976 | 50.44% | 705 | 36.43% | 240 | 12.40% | 14 | 0.72% | 271 | 14.01% | 1,935 |
| Ingham | 3,141 | 42.02% | 2,647 | 35.41% | 1,586 | 21.22% | 101 | 1.35% | 494 | 6.61% | 7,475 |
| Ionia | 2,864 | 43.79% | 1,263 | 19.31% | 2,227 | 34.05% | 187 | 2.86% | 637[c] | 9.74% | 6,541 |
| Iosco | 465 | 49.36% | 314 | 33.33% | 161 | 17.09% | 2 | 0.21% | 151 | 16.03% | 942 |
| Isabella | 844 | 49.33% | 439 | 25.66% | 427 | 24.96% | 1 | 0.06% | 405 | 23.67% | 1,711 |
| Jackson | 3,051 | 35.09% | 1,829 | 21.04% | 3,570 | 41.06% | 244 | 2.81% | -519 | -5.97% | 8,694[d] |
| Kalamazoo | 3,480 | 50.35% | 2,286 | 33.08% | 1,074 | 15.54% | 71 | 1.03% | 1,194 | 17.28% | 6,911 |
| Kalkaska | 353 | 57.03% | 155 | 25.04% | 101 | 16.32% | 10 | 1.62% | 198 | 31.99% | 619 |
| Kent | 5,691 | 42.38% | 1,634 | 12.17% | 6,076 | 45.25% | 24 | 0.18% | -385[d] | -2.87% | 13,427[f] |
| Keweenaw | 482 | 58.78% | 307 | 37.44% | 29 | 3.54% | 0 | 0.00% | 175 | 21.34% | 820[f] |
| Lake | 312 | 57.88% | 105 | 19.48% | 122 | 22.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 190[c] | 35.25% | 539 |
| Lapeer | 2,619 | 53.64% | 1,906 | 39.03% | 349 | 7.15% | 9 | 0.18% | 713 | 14.60% | 4,883 |
| Leelanau | 394 | 46.03% | 306 | 35.75% | 156 | 18.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 88 | 10.28% | 856 |
| Lenawee | 4,710 | 45.16% | 2,864 | 27.46% | 2,421 | 23.21% | 435 | 4.17% | 1,846 | 17.70% | 10,430 |
| Livingston | 2,387 | 45.87% | 2,514 | 48.31% | 260 | 5.00% | 43 | 0.83% | -127 | -2.44% | 5,204 |
| Mackinac | 55 | 22.63% | 188 | 77.37% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -133 | -54.73% | 243 |
| Macomb | 2,036 | 40.09% | 2,391 | 47.09% | 615 | 12.11% | 36 | 0.71% | -355 | -6.99% | 5,078 |
| Manistee | 591 | 32.94% | 816 | 45.48% | 354 | 19.73% | 33 | 1.84% | -225 | -12.54% | 1,794 |
| Manitou | 33 | 16.75% | 154 | 78.17% | 10 | 5.08% | 0 | 0.00% | -121 | -61.42% | 197 |
| Marquette | 1,985 | 63.68% | 997 | 31.99% | 104 | 3.34% | 31 | 0.99% | 988 | 31.70% | 3,117 |
| Mason | 670 | 46.14% | 384 | 26.45% | 398 | 27.41% | 0 | 0.00% | 272[c] | 18.73% | 1,452 |
| Mecosta | 1,192 | 53.38% | 311 | 13.93% | 729 | 32.65% | 1 | 0.04% | 463[c] | 20.73% | 2,233 |
| Menominee | 729 | 56.64% | 473 | 36.75% | 85 | 6.60% | 0 | 0.00% | 256 | 19.89% | 1,287 |
| Midland | 607 | 46.73% | 130 | 10.01% | 554 | 42.65% | 8 | 0.62% | 53[c] | 4.08% | 1,299 |
| Missaukee | 169 | 66.80% | 37 | 14.62% | 47 | 18.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 122[c] | 48.22% | 253 |
| Monroe | 2,184 | 35.74% | 2,674 | 43.76% | 1,238 | 20.26% | 15 | 0.25% | -490 | -8.02% | 6,111 |
| Montcalm | 2,230 | 45.45% | 1,140 | 23.23% | 1,494 | 30.45% | 43 | 0.88% | 736[c] | 15.00% | 4,907 |
| Muskegon | 1,730 | 54.56% | 558 | 17.60% | 880 | 27.75% | 3 | 0.09% | 850[c] | 26.81% | 3,171 |
| Newaygo | 964 | 39.90% | 282 | 11.67% | 1,147 | 47.48% | 19 | 0.79% | -183[d] | -7.57% | 2,416[i] |
| Oakland | 4,133 | 43.56% | 4,192 | 44.18% | 1,018 | 10.73% | 146 | 1.54% | -59 | -0.62% | 9,489 |
| Oceana | 920 | 49.36% | 179 | 9.60% | 743 | 39.86% | 22 | 1.18% | 177[c] | 9.50% | 1,864 |
| Ogemaw | 76 | 25.50% | 122 | 40.94% | 100 | 33.56% | 0 | 0.00% | -22[j] | -7.38% | 298 |
| Ontonagon | 184 | 37.86% | 236 | 48.56% | 65 | 13.37% | 1 | 0.21% | -52 | -10.70% | 486 |
| Osceola | 598 | 49.34% | 220 | 18.15% | 262 | 21.62% | 132 | 10.89% | 336[c] | 27.72% | 1,212 |
| Otsego | 251 | 44.66% | 118 | 21.00% | 191 | 33.99% | 2 | 0.36% | 60[c] | 10.68% | 562 |
| Ottawa | 2,390 | 45.98% | 1,056 | 20.32% | 1,719 | 33.07% | 32 | 0.62% | 671[c] | 12.91% | 5,198[k] |
| Presque Isle | 198 | 50.38% | 195 | 49.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 0.76% | 393 |
| Saginaw | 2,767 | 34.98% | 3,099 | 39.18% | 1,960 | 24.78% | 84 | 1.06% | -332 | -4.20% | 7,910 |
| Sanilac | 1,453 | 51.82% | 636 | 22.68% | 714 | 25.46% | 1 | 0.04% | 739 | 26.36% | 2,804 |
| Schoolcraft | 81 | 66.39% | 41 | 33.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 40 | 32.79% | 122 |
| Shiawassee | 2,522 | 46.62% | 1,679 | 31.04% | 1,005 | 18.58% | 203 | 3.75% | 843 | 15.58% | 5,410[h] |
| St. Clair | 2,999 | 43.63% | 2,404 | 34.97% | 1,466 | 21.33% | 2 | 0.03% | 595 | 8.66% | 6,874[l] |
| St. Joseph | 2,263 | 39.71% | 909 | 15.95% | 2,517 | 44.17% | 10 | 0.18% | -254[d] | -4.46% | 5,699 |
| Tuscola | 1,977 | 53.90% | 594 | 16.19% | 1,094 | 29.83% | 3 | 0.08% | 883[c] | 24.07% | 3,668 |
| Van Buren | 3,016 | 48.25% | 1,025 | 16.40% | 2,195 | 35.11% | 15 | 0.24% | 821[c] | 13.13% | 6,251 |
| Washtenaw | 3,338 | 41.09% | 3,239 | 39.87% | 1,302 | 16.03% | 244 | 3.00% | 99 | 1.22% | 8,124[h] |
| Wayne | 9,337 | 38.38% | 9,967 | 40.97% | 4,917 | 20.21% | 105 | 0.43% | -630 | -2.59% | 24,326 |
| Wexford | 590 | 51.80% | 111 | 9.75% | 437 | 38.37% | 1 | 0.09% | 153[c] | 13.43% | 1,139 |
| Total | 126,367 | 44.69% | 78,548 | 27.78% | 74,247 | 26.26% | 3,574 | 1.26% | 47,819 | 16.91% | 282,765 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Republican to Greenback
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Greenback
Notes
- ↑ Imperfect votes have been assigned to their respective intended candidates. Certified totals: Croswell 126,280; Barnes 78,503; Smith 73,313; Snyder 3,469; Imperfect 1,171; Scattering 25; Blank 4.
- ↑ Croswell over Barnes unless otherwise noted
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Croswell's margin over Smith
- 1 2 3 4 5 Smith's margin over Croswell
- ↑ Smith's margin over Barnes
- 1 2 3 Includes 2 Scattering votes
- ↑ Includes 12 Scattering votes
- 1 2 3 Includes 1 Scattering vote
- ↑ Includes 4 Scattering votes
- ↑ Barnes' margin over Smith
- ↑ Includes 1 Blank vote
- ↑ Includes 3 Blank votes
References
- 1 2 Michigan State Archives, Canvass of the Votes given at the General Election held in the State of Michigan on Tuesday, the Fifth day of November, A.D. 1878 for State Officers
- 1 2 "State Officers". The Lansing Semi-Weekly Republican. Lansing: W. S. George & Co. December 24, 1878. p. 3. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 Henderson, Don C. (1879). "Vote for Governor, 1854-1878". The Red Book for the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Michigan 1879-1880. Lansing: W. S. George & Co., State Printers and Binders. pp. 168–170. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 McPherson, Edward, ed. (1879). The Tribune Almanac and Political Register for 1879. New York: The Tribune Association. p. 77. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
