1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1896 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1896. Republican nominee Daniel Lindsay Russell defeated Democratic nominee Cyrus B. Watson with 46.52% of the vote. This was the only election in North Carolina between 1872 and 1972 in which the Republican nominee won the governor's office, and the only one until 2016 in which no candidate received over 50% of the vote.

Democratic convention
The state Democratic Party convention was held on June 25, 1896.

Candidates

 * Cyrus B. Watson, former State Representative and former State Senator
 * Walter Clark, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
 * James C. MacRae
 * Lee Slater Overman, State Representative

Republican convention
The state Republican Party convention was held on May 15, 1896.

Candidates

 * Daniel Lindsay Russell, former U.S. Representative
 * Oliver H. Dockery, former U.S. Representative
 * James E. Boyd
 * James M. Moody, State Senator

Candidates
Major party candidates
 * Daniel Lindsay Russell, Republican
 * Cyrus B. Watson, Democratic

Other candidates
 * William A. Guthrie, People's
 * James R. Jones, National Prohibition
 * Jeremiah W. Holt, Prohibition