The 1851 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1851. Democratic nominee Robert McClelland defeated Whig nominee Townsend E. Gidley with 58.28% of the vote.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

Results

1851 Michigan gubernatorial election[2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert McClelland 23,827 58.28% +4.30%
Whig Townsend E. Gidley 16,901 41.34% −4.31%
Scattering 156 0.38%
Majority 6,926 16.94%
Total votes 40,884 100.00%
Democratic hold Swing +8.61%

Results By County

County[2][3][4] Robert McClelland
Democratic		 Townsend E. Gidley
Whig		 Scattering
Write-in		 Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # %
Allegan 317 55.23% 239 41.64% 18 3.14% 78 13.59% 574
Allegan 399 56.52% 307 43.48% 0 0.00% 92 13.03% 706
Berrien 537 52.70% 470 46.12% 12 1.18% 67 6.58% 1,019
Branch 675 59.73% 444 39.29% 11 0.97% 231 20.44% 1,130
Calhoun 1,246[a] 55.70% 980 43.81% 11 0.49% 266 11.89% 2,237
Cass 549 56.08% 417 42.59% 13 1.33% 132 13.48% 979
Chippewa 22 56.41% 17 43.59% 0 0.00% 5 12.82% 39
Clinton 260 57.65% 191 42.35% 0 0.00% 69 15.30% 451
Eaton 498 56.14% 386 43.52% 3 0.34% 112 12.63% 887
Genesee 640 51.99% 591 48.01% 0 0.00% 49 3.98% 1,231
Hillsdale 1,035 58.11% 744 41.77% 2 0.11% 291 16.34% 1,781
Ingham 638 55.82% 499 43.66% 6 0.52% 139 12.16% 1,143
Ionia 482 57.86% 349[b] 41.90% 2 0.24% 133 15.97% 833
Jackson 1,284 48.33% 1,359 51.15% 14 0.53% -75 -2.82% 2,657
Kalamazoo 638 48.19% 676 51.06% 10 0.76% -38 -2.87% 1,324
Kent 748 54.96% 613 45.04% 0 0.00% 135 9.92% 1,361
Lapeer 460[a] 62.16% 280 37.84% 0 0.00% 180 24.32% 740
Lenawee 1,782 58.16% 1,278 41.71% 4 0.13% 504 16.45% 3,064
Livingston 799 61.89% 488 37.80% 4 0.31% 311 24.09% 1,291
Mackinac 59 89.39% 4 6.06% 3 4.55% 55 83.33% 66
Macomb 776 66.61% 386 33.13% 3 0.26% 390 33.48% 1,165
Marquette 53 86.89% 8 13.11% 0 0.00% 45 73.77% 61
Monroe 1,418 83.61% 278 16.39% 0 0.00% 1,140 67.22% 1,696
Montcalm 67 62.04% 41 37.96% 0 0.00% 26 24.07% 108
Newaygo 72 64.86% 39 35.14% 0 0.00% 33 29.73% 111
Oakland 1,726 56.20% 1,339 43.60% 6 0.20% 387 12.60% 3,071
Ottawa 277 72.14% 105 27.34% 2 0.52% 172 44.79% 384
Saginaw 220 62.50% 129 36.65% 3 0.85% 91 25.85% 352
Sanilac 82 82.83% 14 14.14% 3 3.03% 68 68.69% 99
Shiawassee 290 52.82% 253 46.08% 6 1.09% 37 6.74% 549
St. Clair 405 57.94% 293 41.92% 1 0.14% 112 16.02% 699
St. Joseph 747 57.59% 538 41.48% 12 0.93% 209 16.11% 1,297
Tuscola 23 29.87% 54 70.13% 0 0.00% -31 -40.26% 77
Van Buren 415 57.96% 298[b] 41.62% 3 0.42% 117 16.34% 716
Washtenaw 1,495 52.02% 1,376 47.88% 3 0.10% 119 4.14% 2,874
Wayne 2,693 65.49% 1,418 34.48% 1 0.02% 1,275 31.01% 4,112
Total23,82758.28%16,90141.34%1560.38%6,92616.94%40,884
Counties that flipped from Whig to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Whig

Notes

  1. 1 2 Dubin contains a typo for McCelland in this county.
  2. 1 2 Dubin contains a typo for Gidley in this county.

References

  1. ↑ Bingham, Stephen D. (1888). Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators. Thorp & Godfrey, state printers – via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 Michigan State Archives, 1851 Election Canvass
  3. 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. pp. 122–123. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  4. 1 2 The Whig Almanac and United States Register for 1852. New York: Greeley & McElrath. 1852. p. 62. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1851_Michigan_gubernatorial_election