1912 Tennessee gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1912 United States gubernatorial elections.

The 1912 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1912. Incumbent Republican governor Ben W. Hooper defeated former Democratic governor Benton McMillin with 50.10% of the vote.

1912 Tennessee gubernatorial election

← 1910 November 5, 1912 1914 →

Nominee Ben W. Hooper Benton McMillin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 124,641 116,610 Percentage 50.10% 46.87%

County results Hooper:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McMillin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Ben W. Hooper Republican Elected Governor Ben W. Hooper Republican

Background

State Republicans were divided between supporters of William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, with the latter's supporters, led by John Chiles Houk, breaking from the party and nominating William Poston for governor on a Progressive ticket. State Democrats also remained divided, with Regular Democrats nominating former governor Benton McMillin, and Independent Democrats supporting Hooper and the Fusion ticket. On election day, Hooper won with 124,641 votes to 116,610 for McMillin, and 4,483 for Poston.^[1]

General election

Candidates

• Ben W. Hooper, Republican
• Benton McMillin, Democratic

Results

1912 Tennessee gubernatorial election^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Ben W. Hooper (incumbent)	124,641	50.10%
	Democratic	Benton McMillin	116,610	46.87%
	Progressive	William F. Poston	4,483	1.80%
	Socialist	C.G. Harold	3,053	1.23%
Majority			8,031	3.23%
Turnout
	Republican hold		Swing

See also

• 1912 United States presidential election in Tennessee

References

1. Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 266–288.
2. Guide to U.S. elections - CQ Press, Congressional Quarterly, inc. CQ Press. 2005. ISBN 9781568029818. Retrieved September 5, 2020.