1910 Texas gubernatorial election

The 1910 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1910, in order to elect the Governor of Texas. Democrat Oscar Branch Colquitt, a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, won re-election to his first term as Governor of Texas.

Candidates

 * Oscar Branch Colquitt, member of the Texas Railroad Commission
 * Robert Vance Davidson, Texas Attorney General and former State Senator from Galveston
 * Cone Johnson, Tyler attorney and former State Senator
 * J. Marion Jones
 * William Poindexter, Cleburne judge, prohibition activist, and candidate for U.S. House in 1902 and 1904

In the early 20th century, winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to election, as Texas was a solidly Democratic state. However, before 1918, the primary was conducted under a single-round, first-past-the-post system, meaning that one did not have to achieve a majority of the votes to be nominated; a plurality under 50% was sufficient. Colquitt ran against three major opponents in the primary: William Poindexter, Cone Johnson, and R.V. Davidson. Colquitt finished ahead of the other candidates with 41% of the vote and a plurality, securing him the nomination and effectively, the governorship.

Primary results

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Candidates

 * Reddin Andrews, former president of Baylor University (Socialist)
 * Oscar Branch Colquitt, member of the Texas Railroad Commission (Democratic)
 * Andrew Jackson Houston, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Texas (Prohibition)
 * Carl Schmidt (Socialist Labor)
 * J.O. Terrell (Republican)

Campaign
Colquitt faced scattered opposition in the general election, and defeated his opponents with ease, winning just under 80% of the popular vote and keeping the governor's mansion in Democratic hands.