# 1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

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The 1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on April 6, 1812.
Incumbent Democratic-Republican Governor Elbridge Gerry was defeated by Federalist nominee Caleb Strong.

## General election
### Candidates

* Elbridge Gerry, incumbent Governor (Democratic-Republican)
* Caleb Strong, former Governor (Federalist)

### Results

1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Federalist | Caleb Strong | 52,696 | 50.60% |
| | Democratic-Republican | Elbridge Gerry (incumbent) | 51,326 | 49.28% |
| | Scattering | | 124 | 0.12% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,370 | 1.32% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 104,146 | |
| | Federalist gain from Democratic-Republican | Federalist gain from Democratic-Republican | Swing | |

## Analysis

Although the Federalists in Massachusetts had successfully taken the house and the governor's seat from the Democratic-Republican party in the 1812 election cycle, these gains did not translate into control of the Massachusetts State Senate, which remained in the hands of the Democratic-Republicans. The cause for this laid in new constitutionally mandated electoral district boundaries that the state had adopted prior to the election. The Republican-controlled legislature had created district boundaries designed to enhance their party's control over state and national offices, leading to some oddly shaped legislative districts. Although Gerry was unhappy about the highly partisan districting (according to his son-in-law, he thought it "highly disagreeable"), he signed the legislation. The shape of one of the state senate districts in Essex County was compared to a salamander by a local Federalist newspaper in a political cartoon, calling it a "Gerry-mander". Ever since, the creation of such districts has been called gerrymandering.
On May 30, 1812, Nathaniel Ames wrote in his diary that "Strong declared Governor by majority of 600! and not near so many as the illegal vote of Boston."