# 1861 California gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1861 California gubernatorial election took place on September 4, 1861. Incumbent Governor John G. Downey was not a candidate for renomination, as his Democratic Party had violently ruptured over the issue of slavery and secession. Downey was a Lecompton Democrat, those who favored slavery in the Kansas Territory and who were running as now as the Breckenridge or "Chivalry" Democrats. These Chivalry Democrats supported Attorney General John McConnell. Anti-slavery or anti-secession Democrats were the "Unionist" Democrats who favored John Conness.
With the dire split in the Democratic Party, even more bitter than in 1859, former Republican nominee Leland Stanford won a plurality of the popular vote and became the first Republican governor of California. Both Stanford and Conness later served in the United States Senate.

## Results

California gubernatorial election, 1861 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Leland Stanford | 56,036 | 46.80% | +37.06% |
| | Southern Democratic | John McConnell | 32,751 | 27.35% | −31.77% |
| | Democratic | John Conness | 30,944 | 25.84% | −5.28% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,285 | 19.45% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 119,731 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +68.83% | |

### Results by county

| County | Leland Stanford Republican | Leland Stanford Republican | John R. McConnell Southern Democratic | John R. McConnell Southern Democratic | John Conness Democratic | John Conness Democratic | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Alameda | 1,932 | 69.02% | 356 | 12.72% | 511 | 18.26% | 1,421 | 50.77% | 2,799 |
| Amador | 1,299 | 38.39% | 827 | 24.44% | 1,258 | 37.17% | 41 | 1.21% | 3,384 |
| Butte | 1,732 | 42.53% | 1,106 | 27.16% | 1,234 | 30.30% | 498 | 12.23% | 4,072 |
| Calaveras | 1,980 | 38.39% | 1,572 | 30.48% | 1,606 | 31.14% | 374 | 7.25% | 5,158 |
| Colusa | 348 | 30.88% | 581 | 51.55% | 198 | 17.57% | -233 | -20.67% | 1,127 |
| Contra Costa | 959 | 60.50% | 330 | 20.82% | 296 | 18.68% | 629 | 39.68% | 1,585 |
| Del Norte | 172 | 38.31% | 213 | 47.44% | 64 | 14.25% | -41 | -9.13% | 449 |
| El Dorado | 2,775 | 43.72% | 1,370 | 21.59% | 2,202 | 34.69% | 573 | 9.03% | 6,347 |
| Fresno | 54 | 12.05% | 316 | 70.54% | 78 | 17.41% | -238 | -53.13% | 448 |
| Humboldt | 402 | 41.57% | 205 | 21.20% | 360 | 37.23% | 42 | 4.34% | 967 |
| Klamath | 198 | 26.98% | 301 | 41.01% | 235 | 32.02% | -66 | -8.99% | 734 |
| Lake | 92 | 29.39% | 167 | 53.35% | 54 | 17.25% | -75 | -23.96% | 313 |
| Los Angeles | 455 | 24.62% | 1,195 | 64.66% | 198 | 10.71% | -740 | -40.04% | 1,848 |
| Marin | 591 | 53.48% | 309 | 27.96% | 205 | 18.55% | 282 | 25.52% | 1,105 |
| Mariposa | 566 | 30.38% | 710 | 38.11% | 587 | 31.51% | -123 | -6.60% | 1,863 |
| Mendocino | 493 | 37.21% | 559 | 42.19% | 273 | 20.60% | -66 | -4.98% | 1,325 |
| Merced | 59 | 12.97% | 309 | 67.91% | 87 | 19.12% | -222 | -48.79% | 455 |
| Mono | 350 | 25.07% | 528 | 37.82% | 518 | 37.11% | -10 | -0.71% | 1,396 |
| Monterey | 499 | 48.03% | 235 | 22.62% | 305 | 29.36% | 194 | 18.67% | 1,039 |
| Napa | 767 | 48.03% | 553 | 34.63% | 277 | 17.35% | 214 | 13.40% | 1,597 |
| Nevada | 3,250 | 49.62% | 1,779 | 27.16% | 1,521 | 23.22% | 1,471 | 22.46% | 6,550 |
| Placer | 2,222 | 48.54% | 893 | 19.51% | 1,463 | 31.96% | 759 | 16.58% | 4,578 |
| Plumas | 659 | 37.06% | 517 | 29.08% | 602 | 33.86% | 57 | 3.21% | 1,778 |
| Sacramento | 3,264 | 45.16% | 1.127 | 15.59% | 2,836 | 39.24% | 428 | 5.92% | 7,227 |
| San Bernardino | 297 | 30.97% | 401 | 41.81% | 261 | 27.22% | -104 | -10.84% | 959 |
| San Diego | 122 | 46.21% | 90 | 34.09% | 52 | 19.70% | 32 | 12.12% | 264 |
| San Francisco | 10,728 | 70.82% | 1,243 | 8.21% | 3,178 | 20.98% | 7,550 | 49.84% | 15,149 |
| San Joaquin | 1,837 | 47.85% | 1,588 | 41.36% | 414 | 10.78% | 249 | 6.49% | 3,839 |
| San Luis Obispo | 176 | 36.82% | 200 | 41.84% | 102 | 21.34% | -24 | -5.02% | 478 |
| San Mateo | 702 | 59.24% | 100 | 8.44% | 383 | 32.32% | 319 | 26.92% | 1,185 |
| Santa Barbara | 131 | 22.17% | 24 | 4.06% | 436 | 73.77% | -305 | -51.61% | 591 |
| Santa Clara | 1,995 | 57.88% | 1,081 | 31.36% | 371 | 10.76% | 914 | 26.52% | 3,447 |
| Santa Cruz | 916 | 62.48% | 367 | 25.03% | 183 | 12.48% | 549 | 37.45% | 1,466 |
| Shasta | 626 | 26.87% | 628 | 26.95% | 1,076 | 46.18% | -448 | -19.23% | 2,330 |
| Sierra | 2,147 | 45.01% | 1,423 | 29.83% | 1,200 | 25.16% | 724 | 15.18% | 4,770 |
| Siskiyou | 1,168 | 36.90% | 717 | 22.65% | 1,280 | 40.44% | -112 | -3.54% | 3,165 |
| Solano | 1,449 | 55.86% | 689 | 26.56% | 456 | 17.58% | 760 | 29.30% | 2,594 |
| Sonoma | 1,608 | 44.63% | 1,616 | 44.85% | 379 | 10.52% | -8 | -0.22% | 3,603 |
| Stanislaus | 247 | 27.66% | 415 | 46.47% | 231 | 25.87% | -168 | -18.81% | 893 |
| Sutter | 558 | 39.32% | 570 | 40.17% | 291 | 20.51% | -12 | -0.85% | 1,419 |
| Tehama | 405 | 31.64% | 507 | 39.61% | 368 | 28.75% | -102 | -7.97% | 1,280 |
| Trinity | 888 | 39.07% | 608 | 26.75% | 777 | 34.18% | 111 | 4.88% | 2,273 |
| Tulare | 153 | 13.19% | 671 | 57.84% | 336 | 28.97% | -335 | -28.88% | 1,160 |
| Tuolumne | 2,025 | 43.67% | 1,636 | 35.28% | 976 | 21.05% | 389 | 8.39% | 4,637 |
| Yolo | 726 | 40.63% | 694 | 38.84% | 367 | 20.54% | 32 | 1.79% | 1,787 |
| Yuba | 2,014 | 46.86% | 1,425 | 33.15% | 859 | 19.99% | 589 | 13.70% | 4,298 |
| Total | 56,036 | 46.80% | 32,751 | 27.35% | 30,994 | 25.84% | 23,285 | 19.45% | 119,731 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Alameda
* Amador
* Butte
* Calaveras
* Contra Costa
* El Dorado
* Humboldt
* Marin
* Monterey
* Napa
* Nevada
* Placer
* Plumas
* Sacramento
* San Diego
* San Francisco
* San Joaquin
* San Mateo
* Santa Clara
* Santa Cruz
* Sierra
* Solano
* Trinity
* Tuolumne
* Yolo
* Yuba