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1896 West Virginia Gubernatorial Election

West Virginia · 2 candidates · See every 1896 Governor race

Who won the 1896 West Virginia Gubernatorial Election?

George W. Atkinson won the 1896 West Virginia Gubernatorial Election. George W. Atkinson received 105,588 popular votes (52.41%). The main challenger was Cornelius Clarkson Watts (46.44%).

See the full head-to-head between Atkinson and Watts

Atkinson +6.0 pts · won by 12,030 votes
George W. AtkinsonRepublicanWINNER52.41%
105,588 votes
Cornelius Clarkson WattsDemocratic46.44%
93,558 votes
Other candidates received the remaining 1.2% of the popular vote; only the leading candidates are individually recorded for this election.
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.