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 County Results
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| Elections in Florida |
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The 1968 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 5, 1968. Florida voters chose fourteen electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Nixon obtained his support in Central Florida, Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey got his support from Southern Florida, and third-party candidate George Wallace got his support from the Florida Panhandle, or Northern Florida. This was one of the better states for George Wallace, due to the Northern part of the state being against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which Lyndon Johnson had signed into law. This led to Democratic party gains in support from black voters. The party simultaneously lost the great majority of white voters. One exception to this abandonment by white voters came in the Jewish sections of Miami.[1]
As of the 2020 presidential election[update], this is the last election in which Escambia County, Clay County, Okaloosa County, and Santa Rosa County did not support the Republican candidate.[2]
Background[edit]
Between the imposition of a poll tax in 1889 and the migration of numerous northerners seeking a hotter climate in the 1940s,[3] Florida had been a one-party Democratic state, lacking any traditional white Republicanism due to the absence of mountains or German "Forty-Eighter" settlements. So late as the landmark court case of Smith v. Allwright (1944), half of Florida's registered Republicans were still black,[4] although very few blacks in Florida had ever voted within the previous fifty-five years. When new migrants from traditionally Republican northern states took up residence in Central Florida and brought with them their Republican voting habits at presidential level,[5]
1964 saw a complete reversal of the 1950s voting pattern of a largely Republican south and central Florida and continuing Democratic loyalty in the North, with almost zero correlation between 1960 and 1964 county returns.[6]
Following his landslide sweep of the northern states, Lyndon Johnson's Great Society at first appeared to be helping him in Florida;[7] however, the relationship soured quickly as the Democratic Party factionalized. In 1966, via a campaign portraying his opponent as a dangerous liberal, Claude R. Kirk defeated Miami Mayor Robert King Hugh to become (alongside Winthrop Rockefeller) the first GOP Governor of any Confederate State since Alfred A. Taylor in 1922.[8]
Campaign[edit]
45% of white voters supported Nixon, 32% supported Wallace, and 23% supported Humphrey.[9][10][11]
Results[edit]
| Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote | Electoral vote |
Running mate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | Vice-presidential candidate | Home state | Electoral vote | ||||
| Richard Nixon | Republican | New York | 886,804 | 40.53% | 14 | Spiro Agnew | Maryland | 14 |
| Hubert Humphrey | Democratic | Minnesota | 676,794 | 30.93% | 0 | Edmund Muskie | Maine | 0 |
| George Wallace | American Independent | Alabama | 624,207 | 28.53% | 0 | Curtis LeMay | California | 0 |
| Total | 2,187,805 | 100% | 14 | 14 | ||||
| Needed to win | 270 | 270 | ||||||
Results by county[edit]
| County | Richard M. Nixon Republican |
Hubert H. Humphrey Democratic |
George C. Wallace American Independent Party |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alachua | 9,670 | 34.02% | 10,060 | 35.39% | 8,696 | 30.59% | -390 | -1.37% | 28,426 |
| Baker | 294 | 10.72% | 487 | 17.75% | 1,962 | 71.53% | -1,475[b] | -53.78% | 2,743 |
| Bay | 5,121 | 21.07% | 4,020 | 16.54% | 15,161 | 62.39% | -10,040[c] | -41.32% | 24,302 |
| Bradford | 718 | 15.18% | 1,173 | 24.79% | 2,840 | 60.03% | -1,667[b] | -35.24% | 4,731 |
| Brevard | 37,124 | 48.02% | 18,281 | 23.65% | 21,909 | 28.34% | 15,215[c] | 19.68% | 77,314 |
| Broward | 106,122 | 54.50% | 56,613 | 29.07% | 31,992 | 16.43% | 49,509 | 25.43% | 194,727 |
| Calhoun | 356 | 11.38% | 398 | 12.72% | 2,375 | 75.90% | -1,977[b] | -63.18% | 3,129 |
| Charlotte | 6,056 | 50.58% | 3,647 | 30.46% | 2,270 | 18.96% | 2,409 | 20.12% | 11,973 |
| Citrus | 2,767 | 38.71% | 1,775 | 24.83% | 2,606 | 36.46% | 161[c] | 2.25% | 7,148 |
| Clay | 3,251 | 35.14% | 1,954 | 21.12% | 4,046 | 43.74% | -795[c] | -8.60% | 9,251 |
| Collier | 5,362 | 50.85% | 2,230 | 21.15% | 2,952 | 28.00% | 2,410[c] | 22.85% | 10,544 |
| Columbia | 1,553 | 21.13% | 1,750 | 23.81% | 4,046 | 55.06% | -2,296[b] | -31.25% | 7,349 |
| Dade | 135,222 | 37.02% | 176,689 | 48.37% | 53,391 | 14.62% | -41,467 | -11.35% | 365,302 |
| DeSoto | 1,103 | 26.94% | 937 | 22.89% | 2,054 | 50.17% | -951[c] | -23.23% | 4,094 |
| Dixie | 217 | 10.39% | 325 | 15.57% | 1,546 | 74.04% | -1,221[b] | -58.47% | 2,088 |
| Duval | 51,585 | 30.89% | 54,834 | 32.84% | 60,559 | 36.27% | -5,725[b] | -3.43% | 166,978 |
| Escambia | 15,089 | 22.07% | 16,281 | 23.81% | 37,000 | 54.12% | -20,719[b] | -30.31% | 68,370 |
| Flagler | 360 | 20.25% | 601 | 33.80% | 817 | 45.95% | -216[b] | -12.15% | 1,778 |
| Franklin | 529 | 16.86% | 699 | 22.28% | 1,909 | 60.85% | -1,210[b] | -38.57% | 3,137 |
| Gadsden | 1,337 | 14.76% | 3,274 | 36.15% | 4,446 | 49.09% | -1,172[b] | -12.94% | 9,057 |
| Gilchrist | 183 | 12.12% | 208 | 13.77% | 1,119 | 74.11% | -911[b] | -60.34% | 1,510 |
| Glades | 261 | 23.92% | 230 | 21.08% | 600 | 55.00% | -339[c] | -31.08% | 1,091 |
| Gulf | 364 | 9.58% | 711 | 18.71% | 2,725 | 71.71% | -2,014[b] | -53.00% | 3,800 |
| Hamilton | 337 | 12.34% | 820 | 30.03% | 1,574 | 57.63% | -754[b] | -27.60% | 2,731 |
| Hardee | 1,278 | 28.34% | 703 | 15.59% | 2,529 | 56.08% | -1,251[c] | -27.74% | 4,510 |
| Hendry | 900 | 27.04% | 791 | 23.76% | 1,638 | 49.20% | -738[c] | -22.16% | 3,329 |
| Hernando | 2,053 | 34.42% | 1,524 | 25.55% | 2,387 | 40.02% | -334[c] | -5.60% | 5,964 |
| Highlands | 4,560 | 42.95% | 2,582 | 24.32% | 3,475 | 32.73% | 1,085[c] | 10.22% | 10,617 |
| Hillsborough | 49,441 | 34.77% | 45,848 | 32.24% | 46,913 | 32.99% | 2,528[c] | 1.78% | 142,202 |
| Holmes | 377 | 7.00% | 312 | 5.79% | 4,700 | 87.21% | -4,323[c] | -80.21% | 5,389 |
| Indian River | 6,518 | 51.25% | 3,179 | 24.99% | 3,022 | 23.76% | 3,339 | 26.26% | 12,719 |
| Jackson | 1,236 | 10.02% | 2,472 | 20.05% | 8,622 | 69.93% | -6,150[b] | -49.88% | 12,330 |
| Jefferson | 459 | 14.84% | 1,066 | 34.48% | 1,567 | 50.68% | -501[b] | -16.20% | 3,092 |
| Lafayette | 137 | 9.28% | 215 | 14.56% | 1,125 | 76.17% | -910[b] | -61.61% | 1,477 |
| Lake | 11,763 | 47.42% | 4,599 | 18.54% | 8,442 | 34.03% | 3,321[c] | 13.39% | 24,804 |
| Lee | 14,376 | 46.23% | 7,978 | 25.66% | 8,741 | 28.11% | 5,635[c] | 18.12% | 31,095 |
| Leon | 9,288 | 28.49% | 10,440 | 32.02% | 12,878 | 39.50% | -2,438[b] | -7.48% | 32,606 |
| Levy | 745 | 18.81% | 767 | 19.36% | 2,449 | 61.83% | -1,682[b] | -42.47% | 3,961 |
| Liberty | 154 | 8.96% | 242 | 14.09% | 1,322 | 76.95% | -1,080[b] | -62.86% | 1,718 |
| Madison | 654 | 13.81% | 1,378 | 29.10% | 2,703 | 57.09% | -1,325[b] | -27.99% | 4,735 |
| Manatee | 18,247 | 52.51% | 8,286 | 23.85% | 8,214 | 23.64% | 9,961 | 28.66% | 34,747 |
| Marion | 7,468 | 32.66% | 5,798 | 25.36% | 9,600 | 41.98% | -2,132[c] | -9.32% | 22,866 |
| Martin | 5,179 | 50.63% | 2,580 | 25.22% | 2,471 | 24.15% | 2,599 | 25.41% | 10,230 |
| Monroe | 5,094 | 34.19% | 5,534 | 37.14% | 4,271 | 28.67% | -440 | -2.95% | 14,899 |
| Nassau | 1,301 | 19.91% | 1,598 | 24.46% | 3,634 | 55.63% | -2,036[b] | -31.17% | 6,533 |
| Okaloosa | 5,525 | 26.54% | 3,059 | 14.69% | 12,237 | 58.77% | -6,712[c] | -32.23% | 20,821 |
| Okeechobee | 862 | 28.66% | 542 | 18.02% | 1,604 | 53.32% | -742[c] | -24.66% | 3,008 |
| Orange | 50,874 | 50.54% | 22,548 | 22.40% | 27,247 | 27.07% | 23,627[c] | 23.47% | 100,669 |
| Osceola | 4,172 | 43.90% | 1,870 | 19.68% | 3,462 | 36.43% | 710[c] | 7.47% | 9,504 |
| Palm Beach | 62,191 | 53.19% | 32,837 | 28.08% | 21,894 | 18.73% | 29,354 | 25.11% | 116,922 |
| Pasco | 9,743 | 42.36% | 6,292 | 27.36% | 6,966 | 30.29% | 2,777[c] | 12.07% | 23,001 |
| Pinellas | 109,235 | 51.71% | 68,209 | 32.29% | 33,814 | 16.01% | 41,026 | 19.42% | 211,258 |
| Polk | 27,839 | 36.98% | 15,898 | 21.12% | 31,540 | 41.90% | -3,701[c] | -4.92% | 75,277 |
| Putnam | 2,955 | 26.80% | 2,920 | 26.49% | 5,150 | 46.71% | -2,195[c] | -19.91% | 11,025 |
| St. Johns | 3,880 | 34.31% | 2,748 | 24.30% | 4,682 | 41.40% | -802[c] | -7.09% | 11,310 |
| St. Lucie | 7,281 | 43.02% | 5,232 | 30.92% | 4,410 | 26.06% | 2,049 | 12.10% | 16,923 |
| Santa Rosa | 2,567 | 20.19% | 1,600 | 12.58% | 8,549 | 67.23% | -5,982[c] | -47.04% | 12,716 |
| Sarasota | 30,160 | 63.73% | 10,127 | 21.40% | 7,041 | 14.88% | 20,033 | 42.33% | 47,328 |
| Seminole | 10,821 | 44.69% | 6,120 | 25.27% | 7,275 | 30.04% | 3,546[c] | 14.65% | 24,216 |
| Sumter | 910 | 17.96% | 1,277 | 25.21% | 2,879 | 56.83% | -1,602[b] | -31.62% | 5,066 |
| Suwannee | 845 | 14.13% | 1,182 | 19.76% | 3,955 | 66.12% | -2,773[b] | -46.36% | 5,982 |
| Taylor | 794 | 15.71% | 941 | 18.62% | 3,318 | 65.66% | -2,377[b] | -47.04% | 5,053 |
| Union | 179 | 10.78% | 290 | 17.46% | 1,192 | 71.76% | -902[b] | -54.30% | 1,661 |
| Volusia | 28,024 | 39.91% | 24,987 | 35.58% | 17,209 | 24.51% | 3,037 | 4.33% | 70,220 |
| Wakulla | 247 | 10.49% | 440 | 18.68% | 1,668 | 70.83% | -1,228[b] | -52.15% | 2,355 |
| Walton | 963 | 13.45% | 1,064 | 14.86% | 5,135 | 71.70% | -4,071[b] | -56.84% | 7,162 |
| Washington | 528 | 10.71% | 722 | 14.64% | 3,682 | 74.66% | -2,960[b] | -60.02% | 4,932 |
| Totals | 886,804 | 40.53% | 676,794 | 30.93% | 624,207 | 28.53% | 210,010 | 9.60% | 2,187,805 |
Notes[edit]
- ^ Although he was born in California and he served as a U.S. Senator from California, in 1968 Richard Nixon's official state of residence was New York, because he moved there to practice law after his defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election. During his first term as president, Nixon re-established his residency in California. Consequently, most reliable reference books list Nixon's home state as New York in the 1968 election and his home state as California in the 1972 (and 1960) election.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab In this county where Nixon ran third behind Wallace, margin given is Humphrey vote minus Wallace vote and percentage margin Humphrey percentage minus Wallace percentage.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z In this county where Humphrey ran third behind Wallace, margin given is Nixon vote minus Wallace vote and percentage margin Nixon percentage minus Wallace percentage.
References[edit]
- ^ Phillips, Kevin P. The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 281-282 ISBN 1400852293
- ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
- ^ Silbey, Joel H. and Bogue, Allan G.; The History of American Electoral Behavior, p. 210 ISBN 140087114X
- ^ See Price, Hugh Douglas; "The Negro and Florida Politics, 1944-1954", in The Journal of Politics, Vol. 17, No. 2 (May, 1955), pp. 198-220
- ^ Seagull, Louis M.; Southern Republicanism, p. 73 ISBN 0470768762
- ^ Lamis, Alexander P.; The Two-Party South, p. 180 ISBN 0195065794
- ^ Grantham, Dewey W.; The Life and Death of the Solid South: A Political History, pp. 172-173 ISBN 0813148723
- ^ Grantham; The Life and Death of the Solid South, p. 165
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 147.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 295.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 335.
Works cited[edit]
- Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.
