1888 Illinois gubernatorial election

1888 Illinois gubernatorial election
	County results ; Fifer: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Palmer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election; Richard J. Oglesby; Republican	Elected Governor ; Joseph W. Fifer; Republican

The 1888 Illinois gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1888.

Republican nominee Joseph W. Fifer defeated Democratic nominee John M. Palmer with 49.15% of the vote.

Democratic nomination

The Democratic state convention was held on May 23, 1888, at Springfield.

Democratic gubernatorial nomination, 1st ballot, May 23, 1888^[1]^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John M. Palmer	567	72.78
	Democratic	William A. J. Sparks	210	26.96
	Democratic	Adlai Stevenson I	1	0.13
	Democratic	Murray F. Tuley	1	0.13
Total votes			779	100.00

Palmer's nomination was then made unanimous.

Clark E. Carr, unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for Governor in 1880
James A. Connolly former State Representative, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois
Joseph W. Fifer, former State Senator
John McNulta, former U.S. Congressman for Illinois's 13th congressional district
Richard J. Oglesby, incumbent Governor (not formally nominated)
John Irving Rinaker, chairman of the Board of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners of Illinois
John C. Smith, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
Francis M. Wright

The Republican state convention was held on May 2, 1888, at Springfield.

The results of the balloting were as follows:^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Republican gubernatorial nomination, 4th ballot, May 2, 1888
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joseph W. Fifer	606	71.55
	Republican	John McNulta	111	13.11
	Republican	James A. Connolly	58	6.85
	Republican	John I. Rinaker	32	3.78
	Republican	John C. Smith	17	2.01
	Republican	Francis M. Wright	14	1.65
	Republican	Clark E. Carr	9	1.06
Total votes			847	100.00

Fifer's nomination was then made unanimous.

John M. Palmer, Democratic
Joseph W. Fifer, Republican
David H. Harts, Prohibition, Prohibition nominee for Illinois's 14th congressional district in 1882
Willis W. Jones, Union Labor

Illinois gubernatorial election, 1888^[8]^[9]^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joseph W. Fifer	367,860	49.15%
	Democratic	John M. Palmer	355,313	47.47%
	Prohibition	David H. Harts	18,874	2.52%
	Union Labor Party	Willis W. Jones	6,394	0.85%
	Scattering		6	0.00%
Majority			12,547	1.68%
Turnout			748,447
	Republican hold		Swing

^ "Palmer for Governor". St. Paul daily globe. Saint Paul, Minn. May 24, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "For Governor of Illinois". Waterbury evening Democrat. Waterbury, Conn. May 24, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "Ready for the Fray". The Elgin Advocate. Elgin, Ill. May 26, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "All Shades of Politics". Rock Island daily Argus. Rock Island, Ill. May 3, 1888. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "State Politics". Elgin Daily Courier. Elgin, Illinois. May 3, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ "Illinois Republicans". Crawford avalanche. Grayling, Mich. May 10, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ Raum, Green B. (1900). History of Illinois Republicanism. Chicago: Rollins Publishing Company. p. 188.
^ Illinois Official Vote 1888, pp. 5–6.
^ "IL Governor, 1888". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
^ Journal of the Senate of the Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of the State of Illinois. Springfield, Ill.: Springfield Printing Co., State Printers. 1889. p. 33.

Compiled and Printed by the Secretary of State (1889). Official vote of the State of Illinois cast at the General Election held November 6, 1888. Springfield, Ill.: H. W. Rokker, State Printer and Binder.