New York gubernatorial elections


There have been 90 gubernatorial elections in the state of New York since 1777. The next one will be held on November 3, 2022.

General information

Originally the term was three years long and began on July 1, the election being held in the last week of April or May 1. In 1817, following the resignation of Daniel D. Tompkins after serving only eight months of his term, there was a new election, since the 1777 Constitution did not give the Lt. Gov. the right to succeed to the governor's office, and DeWitt Clinton was elected for a whole three-year-term. The New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821 reduced the term to two years – beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31 – and moved the election to the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Due to this measure, DeWitt Clinton's own second term was cut short by half a year. Beginning with the election in 1876, the term was increased to three years again, beginning with the election in 1894 reduced to two years, and since the election in 1938 has its present duration of four years.
Although the candidates for Lieutenant Governor have always run on tickets with the governor's candidates, until the election of 1950 they were elected on separate ballots, so on several occasions the governor and his lieutenant were elected of opposing tickets.
In only 15 of the total 89 elections the incumbent ran and was defeated.
The elected candidates are shown in bold face in the tables below.

Recent elections

2018

2014

2010

2006

2002

Older elections

1966-1998

Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1938. The term is four years.
Note: 4,985,932 ballots were cast in this election. Out of them, 250,696 were declared blank, void or missing.
Note: Prior to 2018, this election had the highest number of votes ever received by any Governor of NY.

1938-1962

1894-1936

Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1894. The term was two years.
Note: This was the last time the running mate of the elected governor was defeated, Democrat Smith having Republican Lowman as lieutenant for the duration of this term.
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Note: William Sulzer had been elected governor as a Democrat at the previous election, but was impeached. Martin Glynn had been elected Lt. Gov and succeeded to the governorship upon Sulzer's impeachment.
Note: , in NYT on December 16, 1910
Note: The majority faction of the Democratic Party were then known as "Silver Democrats", and the "National Democrats" were the "Gold Democrats".
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Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1846, amended in 1874. The term was three years.
Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1846. The term was two years.
The tickets: in NYT on October 30, 1870
Note: John T. Hoffman was a Democrat, Robert H. Pruyn a Republican. The "Conservative Union" ticket was nominated by the Democrats in an attempt to attract Republicans, especially Democrats who had joined the Republican Union and remained Republicans after the Civil War, to return to the Democratic Party.
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Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1821. The term was two years. Until 1840, elections were held during three days beginning on the first Monday in November. Since 1841, until today, all regular elections have been held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The elected candidate takes office on January 1 of the following calendar year.
Gubernatorial elections under the State Constitution of 1777. The term was three years, the election held in the last week of April or on May 1.
Note:
Note: Governor Tompkins was elected US Vice President in November 1816, and he resigned in February 1817. Article XVII of the New York State Constitution of 1777 said that "...as often as the seat of government shall become vacant, a wise and descreet freeholder of this State shall be, by ballot, elected governor,... which elections shall be always held at the times and places of choosing representatives in assembly..." This meant that, whenever a vacancy occurred, the Lt. Gov. did not succeed to the governor's office but administrated the state only until the end of the yearly term of the New York State Assembly on June 30, the successor being elected in April.
Note: Lt. Gov. Broome died in August 1810, and the 1777 Constitution provided for new elections if a vacancy occurred either in the Governor's or the Lieutenant Governor's office. See 1817 general election.
Note: Aaron Burr was the sitting US Vice President.
Note: John Jay received more votes than George Clinton, but on technicalities the votes of Otsego, Tioga and Clinton counties were disqualified and not counted, giving Clinton a slight majority. Under the Constitution of 1777, the votes were canvassed by a joint committee of the state legislature, six members each from the assembly and the senate. The members were David Gelston, Thomas Tillotson, Melancton Smith, David Graham, Pierre Van Cortlandt, Jr., David McCarty, Jonathan N. Havens, Samuel Jones, Isaac Roosevelt, Leonard Gansevoort, and Joshua Sands. The state constitution said that the cast votes shall be delivered to the secretary of state "by the sheriff or his deputy". The ballots from Otsego County were forwarded to the secretary of state by Sheriff Smith who was holding over in office until the appointment of a successor after his term had expired. The ballot box from Clinton County was delivered to the secretary of state's office by a person without deputation who had received the box from the sheriff. The ballot box from Tioga County was delivered to the secretary of state by the clerk of the special deputy appointed by the sheriff. The canvass committee disagreed on whether to allow these ballots to be counted. The question was referred to the U.S. Senators from New York, Federalist Rufus King and Dem.-Rep. Aaron Burr, for arbitration. King said all votes ought to be canvassed. Burr said that the ballots from Clinton County ought to be allowed, and the ones from Otsego and Tioga Counties should be rejected. Thereupon, a majority of the canvass committee rejected the ballots from all three counties and declared George Clinton duly elected governor by a majority of 108 votes. The minority protested in writing. In Otsego County, John Jay had a majority of about 400, and discounting the small majorities for Clinton in Tioga and Clinton Counties, would have won the election. Clinton was accused by the Federalists of usurpation and the canvass committee of having made a partisan decision against the wishes of the electorate.
Note: Clinton and Van Cortlandt were re-elected unopposed.
Note: Clinton and Van Cortlandt were re-elected unopposed.
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