1859 California lieutenant gubernatorial election

The 1859 California lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on 7 September 1859 in order to elect the lieutenant governor of California. Lecompton Democratic nominee and former member of the California State Assembly John G. Downey defeated regular Democratic nominee John Conness and Republican nominee James F. Kennedy.

1859 California lieutenant gubernatorial election

7 September 1859

Nominee John G. Downey John Conness James F. Kennedy Party Lecompton Democratic Democratic Republican Popular vote 59,051 31,051 11,148 Percentage 58.32% 30.67% 11.01%

County Results Downey:      40-50%      50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90%     >90% Conness:     50-60%

Lieutenant Governor before election Joseph Walkup Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor John G. Downey Lecompton Democratic

General election

On election day, 7 September 1859, Democratic nominee John G. Downey won the election by a margin of 28,000 votes against his foremost opponent and fellow Democratic nominee John Conness, thereby retaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. Downey was sworn in as the 6th lieutenant governor of California on 9 January 1860.

Results

California lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1859

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Lecompton Democratic	John G. Downey	59,051	58.32
	Democratic	John Conness	31,051	30.67
	Republican	James F. Kennedy	11,148	11.01
Total votes			101,250	100.00
	Lecompton Democratic gain from Democratic