Biggest governor landslides in Mississippi
The biggest landslide in a Mississippi governor’s race was in 1915, a margin of 85.2 points. Theodore G. Bilbo beat J. T. Lester, 50,541 to 4,046. Next widest are 1861 (77.7 points) and 1899 (74.8 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Mississippi has held, special elections included, see the Mississippi governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Mississippi governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Mississippi gubernatorial general election came in 1915, 85.2 points. Theodore G. Bilbo beat J. T. Lester, 50,541 to 4,046. Next are 1861 (77.7 points) and 1899 (74.8 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Mississippi governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1915 | Theodore G. Bilbo D def. J. T. Lester S | 50,541 – 4,046 | +85.2 points |
| 2 | 1861 | John J. Pettus D def. Jacob Thompson D | 30,169 – 3,556 | +77.7 points |
| 3 | 1899 | Andrew H. Longino D def. R K Prewitt P | 42,273 – 6,097 | +74.8 points |
| 4 | 1825 | David Holmes D def. Cowles Mead D | 7,846 – 1,499 | +68.0 points |
| 5 | 1971 | Bill Waller D def. Charles Evers I | 601,222 – 172,762 | +54.9 points |
| 6 | 1821 | Walter Leake D def. Charles B. Green D | 4,780 – 1,419 | +54.2 points |
| 7 | 1859 | John J. Pettus D def. Harvey W. Walter I | 34,559 – 10,308 | +54.1 points |
| 8 | 1863 | Charles Clark D def. Absolom M. West D | 16,428 – 4,863 | +49.6 points |
| 9 | 1895 | Anselm J. McLaurin D def. Frank Burkitt P | 46,870 – 18,167 | +44.1 points |
| 10 | 1967 | John Bell Williams D def. Rubel Phillips R | 315,318 – 133,379 | +40.5 points |
| 11 | 1845 | Albert G. Brown D def. Thomas B. Coopwood W | 28,310 – 12,852 | +36.1 points |
| 12 | 2015 | Phil Bryant R def. Robert Gray D | 480,399 – 234,858 | +33.9 points |
| 13 | 1869 | James L Alcorn R def. Lewis Dent R | 76,186 – 38,097 | +33.3 points |
| 14 | 1857 | William McWillie D def. Edward M. Yerger A | 27,377 – 14,095 | +32.0 points |
| 15 | 1847 | Joseph W. Matthews D def. Alexander Blackburn Bradford W | 26,995 – 13,997 | +31.2 points |
| 16 | 1829 | Gerard C. Brandon D def. George Winchester R | 7,344 – 3,991 | +29.6 points |
| 17 | 1963 | Paul B. Johnson Jr. D def. Rubel Phillips R | 225,456 – 138,515 | +23.9 points |
| 18 | 1819 | George Poindexter D def. Thomas Hinds D | 2,721 – 1,702 | +23.0 points |
| 19 | 1979 | William F. Winter D def. Gil Carmichael R | 413,620 – 263,702 | +22.2 points |
| 20 | 2011 | Phil Bryant R def. Johnny DuPree D | 544,851 – 348,617 | +22.0 points |
| 21 | 1881 | Robert Lowry D def. Benjamin King D | 77,727 – 52,009 | +19.8 points |
| 22 | 1827 | Gerard C. Brandon D def. Daniel Williams D | 5,482 – 3,519 | +18.1 points |
| 23 | 1849 | John A. Quitman D def. Luke Lea W | 33,117 – 22,996 | +18.0 points |
| 24 | 1823 | Walter Leake D def. David Dickson D | 3,996 – 2,511 | +17.4 points |
| 25 | 1873 | Adelbert Ames R def. James L Alcorn R | 73,324 – 52,857 | +16.2 points |