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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1908 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 3, 1908 as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Ever since the decline of the Populist movement, Wisconsin had become almost a one-party state dominated by the Republican Party.[1] The Democratic Party became entirely uncompetitive outside certain German Catholic counties adjoining Lake Michigan as the upper classes, along with the majority of workers who followed them, completely fled from William Jennings Bryan’s agrarian and free silver sympathies.[2] As Democratic strength weakened severely after 1894 – although the state did develop a strong Socialist Party to provide opposition to the GOP – Wisconsin developed the direct Republican primary in 1903 and this ultimately created competition between the “League” under Robert M. La Follette, and the conservative “Regular” faction.[3]
When William Jennings Bryan was nominated for a third presidential bid, he visited Wisconsin in early August to urge the Democrats in the state legislature to support his state policies.[4] An earlier poll had suggest Bryan gaining a substantial part of the radical La Follette following,[5] and Bryan would ridicule new Republican nominee William Howard Taft in Milwaukee during the last week of September.[6]
Despite Bryan’s campaigns, October polls by the Chicago Record-Herald said that Wisconsin was certain to vote for Taft,[7] As things turned out, the Record-Herald polls were accurate, with Taft winning by eighty-one thousand votes, and carrying all but six counties. However, Taft's victory, while still large, was considerably narrower than the Republican victories in the state in the previous three elections.
Bryan had previously lost Wisconsin to William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.
Results
[edit]| Party | Pledged to | Elector | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | William C. Brumder | 247,747 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Frank M. Durkee | 247,696 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | John Dengler | 247,689 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | John M. Beffel | 247,683 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Robert H. DeLap | 247,681 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | W. T. Sarles | 247,681 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Florian Lampert | 247,679 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | C. F. Greenwood | 247,678 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Herbert L. Peterson | 247,678 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | John A. Stolper | 247,677 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | William Kohl | 247,675 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | D. E. Riordan | 247,668 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | O. K. Hawley | 247,666 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Ernest C. Zimmerman | 166,632 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Adolph J. Schmitz | 166,603 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Gilbert T. Hodges | 166,595 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Edward L. Luckow | 166,585 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | W. S. Henry | 166,583 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Edward C. Wall | 166,583 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | John Toohey | 166,574 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Patrick O'Meara | 166,571 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Thomas H. Ryan | 166,526 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Philip Sheridan | 166,503 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Frank J. Egerer | 166,488 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Emil Wittzack | 166,486 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Thomas Emmerton | 166,484 | |
| Social Democratic Party[b] | Eugene V. Debs | C. W. Staples | 28,170 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | J. E. Harris | 28,168 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | C. I. Sandquist | 28,168 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Julius Crary | 28,167 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Martin Georgenson | 28,167 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Robert Seidel | 28,167 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | John C. Boll | 28,165 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Walter Ramstack | 28,165 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | F. W. Hammond | 28,164 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Frank Metcalf | 28,164 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Joseph Paul | 28,164 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Henry Durham | 28,163 | |
| Social Democratic Party | Eugene V. Debs | Arne Peterson | 28,161 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Lincoln Abraham | 11,572 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Olav Repsdal | 11,564 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Truman T. Parker | 11,557 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | John W. Evans | 11,554 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Richard B. Griggs | 11,554 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Dyer Walters | 11,554 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Moritz A. Schmoyer | 11,552 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Charles L. Allen | 11,551 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Will E. Mack | 11,550 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | William R. Nethercut | 11,550 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Charles W. Lomas | 11,548 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | George W. Wilson | 11,525 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Henry Jorgenson | 11,516 | |
| Socialist Labor Party[c] | August Gillhaus | Fred Bartsch | 314 | |
| Socialist Labor Party | August Gillhaus | Carl Schulz | 313 | |
| Socialist Labor Party | August Gillhaus | Henry Boll | 312 | |
| Socialist Labor Party | August Gillhaus | Fred Kremer | 312 | |
| Write-in | Scattering | 99[d] | ||
| Votes cast[e] | 454,534 | |||
Results by county
[edit]| County[8] | William Howard Taft Republican |
William Jennings Bryan Democratic |
Eugene V. Debs Socialist |
Eugene W. Chafin Prohibition |
August Gillhaus Socialist Labor |
Margin | Total votes cast[f] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,167 | 68.97% | 436 | 25.77% | 32 | 1.89% | 56 | 3.31% | 1 | 0.06% | 731 | 43.20% | 1,692 |
| Ashland | 2,259 | 54.21% | 1,582 | 37.96% | 213 | 5.11% | 110 | 2.64% | 3 | 0.07% | 677 | 16.25% | 4,167 |
| Barron | 3,247 | 66.43% | 1,266 | 25.90% | 130 | 2.66% | 243 | 4.97% | 2 | 0.04% | 1,981 | 40.53% | 4,888 |
| Bayfield | 1,957 | 70.52% | 569 | 20.50% | 174 | 6.27% | 72 | 2.59% | 3 | 0.11% | 1,388 | 50.02% | 2,775 |
| Brown | 4,947 | 55.25% | 3,353 | 37.45% | 517 | 5.77% | 129 | 1.44% | 8 | 0.09% | 1,594 | 17.80% | 8,954 |
| Buffalo | 1,937 | 63.72% | 1,027 | 33.78% | 20 | 0.66% | 56 | 1.84% | 0 | 0.00% | 910 | 29.93% | 3,040 |
| Burnett | 1,181 | 72.14% | 296 | 18.08% | 65 | 3.97% | 94 | 5.74% | 1 | 0.06% | 885 | 54.06% | 1,637 |
| Calumet | 1,576 | 46.33% | 1,711 | 50.29% | 85 | 2.50% | 30 | 0.88% | 0 | 0.00% | -135 | -3.97% | 3,402 |
| Chippewa | 3,526 | 59.07% | 2,203 | 36.91% | 90 | 1.51% | 148 | 2.48% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,323 | 22.16% | 5,969 |
| Clark | 3,491 | 65.74% | 1,576 | 29.68% | 90 | 1.69% | 153 | 2.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,915 | 36.06% | 5,310 |
| Columbia | 4,072 | 60.12% | 2,363 | 34.89% | 140 | 2.07% | 198 | 2.92% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,709 | 25.23% | 6,773 |
| Crawford | 2,041 | 54.25% | 1,586 | 42.16% | 63 | 1.67% | 72 | 1.91% | 0 | 0.00% | 455 | 12.09% | 3,762 |
| Dane | 9,441 | 52.42% | 7,818 | 43.41% | 257 | 1.43% | 488 | 2.71% | 5 | 0.03% | 1,623 | 9.01% | 18,011[g] |
| Dodge | 4,015 | 39.66% | 5,883 | 58.12% | 63 | 0.62% | 162 | 1.60% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,868 | -18.45% | 10,123 |
| Door | 2,463 | 73.92% | 778 | 23.35% | 37 | 1.11% | 52 | 1.56% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,685 | 50.57% | 3,332[h] |
| Douglas | 3,509 | 55.88% | 1,715 | 27.31% | 653 | 10.40% | 257 | 4.09% | 146 | 2.32% | 1,794 | 28.57% | 6,280 |
| Dunn | 3,297 | 74.36% | 914 | 20.61% | 119 | 2.68% | 104 | 2.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,383 | 53.74% | 4,434 |
| Eau Claire | 3,980 | 64.50% | 1,859 | 30.12% | 158 | 2.56% | 174 | 2.82% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,121 | 34.37% | 6,171 |
| Florence | 541 | 81.11% | 102 | 15.29% | 5 | 0.75% | 19 | 2.85% | 0 | 0.00% | 439 | 65.82% | 667 |
| Fond du Lac | 5,872 | 50.86% | 5,194 | 44.99% | 230 | 1.99% | 243 | 2.10% | 5 | 0.04% | 678 | 5.87% | 11,545[h] |
| Forest | 1,023 | 71.69% | 324 | 22.70% | 46 | 3.22% | 31 | 2.17% | 3 | 0.21% | 699 | 48.98% | 1,427 |
| Grant | 4,989 | 55.08% | 3,696 | 40.81% | 83 | 0.92% | 289 | 3.19% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,293 | 14.28% | 9,057 |
| Green | 2,617 | 54.49% | 1,856 | 38.64% | 121 | 2.52% | 209 | 4.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 761 | 15.84% | 4,803 |
| Green Lake | 2,094 | 55.15% | 1,608 | 42.35% | 32 | 0.84% | 63 | 1.66% | 0 | 0.00% | 486 | 12.80% | 3,797 |
| Iowa | 2,986 | 56.18% | 2,077 | 39.08% | 12 | 0.23% | 238 | 4.48% | 2 | 0.04% | 909 | 17.10% | 5,315 |
| Iron | 1,134 | 73.97% | 314 | 20.48% | 42 | 2.74% | 43 | 2.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 820 | 53.49% | 1,533 |
| Jackson | 2,603 | 77.91% | 631 | 18.89% | 40 | 1.20% | 65 | 1.95% | 2 | 0.06% | 1,972 | 59.02% | 3,341 |
| Jefferson | 3,207 | 40.41% | 4,492 | 56.60% | 71 | 0.89% | 162 | 2.04% | 2 | 0.03% | -1,285 | -16.19% | 7,936[g] |
| Juneau | 2,454 | 57.58% | 1,691 | 39.68% | 37 | 0.87% | 78 | 1.83% | 2 | 0.05% | 763 | 17.90% | 4,262 |
| Kenosha | 3,409 | 54.50% | 2,006 | 32.07% | 601 | 9.61% | 239 | 3.82% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,403 | 22.43% | 6,255 |
| Kewaunee | 1,590 | 46.48% | 1,731 | 50.60% | 63 | 1.84% | 37 | 1.08% | 0 | 0.00% | -141 | -4.12% | 3,421 |
| La Crosse | 4,382 | 50.14% | 4,054 | 46.38% | 112 | 1.28% | 190 | 2.17% | 2 | 0.02% | 328 | 3.75% | 8,740 |
| Lafayette | 2,832 | 55.92% | 2,100 | 41.47% | 24 | 0.47% | 107 | 2.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 732 | 14.45% | 5,064[h] |
| Langlade | 1,921 | 57.22% | 1,340 | 39.92% | 33 | 0.98% | 63 | 1.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 581 | 17.31% | 3,357 |
| Lincoln | 2,308 | 53.89% | 1,813 | 42.33% | 99 | 2.31% | 63 | 1.47% | 0 | 0.00% | 495 | 11.56% | 4,283 |
| Manitowoc | 4,126 | 45.37% | 3,952 | 43.45% | 950 | 10.45% | 62 | 0.68% | 5 | 0.05% | 174 | 1.91% | 9,095 |
| Marathon | 5,258 | 50.69% | 4,703 | 45.34% | 276 | 2.66% | 133 | 1.28% | 3 | 0.03% | 555 | 5.35% | 10,373 |
| Marinette | 3,454 | 63.49% | 1,597 | 29.36% | 154 | 2.83% | 235 | 4.32% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,857 | 34.14% | 5,440 |
| Marquette | 1,555 | 64.42% | 798 | 33.06% | 17 | 0.70% | 44 | 1.82% | 0 | 0.00% | 757 | 31.36% | 2,414 |
| Milwaukee | 28,625 | 38.94% | 26,00 | 35.37% | 17,496 | 23.80% | 1,277 | 1.74% | 57 | 0.08% | 2,625 | 3.57% | 73,506[i] |
| Monroe | 3,304 | 58.11% | 2,155 | 37.90% | 91 | 1.60% | 136 | 2.39% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,149 | 20.21% | 5,686 |
| Oconto | 3,020 | 64.78% | 1,453 | 31.17% | 114 | 2.45% | 74 | 1.59% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,567 | 33.61% | 4,662 |
| Oneida | 1,536 | 58.92% | 688 | 26.39% | 354 | 13.58% | 28 | 1.07% | 1 | 0.04% | 848 | 32.53% | 2,607 |
| Outagamie | 5,079 | 52.34% | 4,286 | 44.17% | 118 | 1.22% | 209 | 2.15% | 12 | 0.12% | 793 | 8.17% | 9,704 |
| Ozaukee | 1,216 | 38.47% | 1,856 | 58.72% | 60 | 1.90% | 28 | 0.89% | 1 | 0.03% | -640 | -20.25% | 3,161 |
| Pepin | 1,010 | 67.42% | 447 | 29.84% | 5 | 0.33% | 36 | 2.40% | 0 | 0.00% | 563 | 37.58% | 1,498 |
| Pierce | 2,988 | 71.62% | 978 | 23.44% | 56 | 1.34% | 150 | 3.60% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,010 | 48.18% | 4,172 |
| Polk | 2,788 | 71.99% | 816 | 21.07% | 124 | 3.20% | 145 | 3.74% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,972 | 50.92% | 3,873 |
| Portage | 3,269 | 56.42% | 2,362 | 40.77% | 50 | 0.86% | 112 | 1.93% | 1 | 0.02% | 907 | 15.65% | 5,794 |
| Price | 1,738 | 65.26% | 609 | 22.87% | 236 | 8.86% | 79 | 2.97% | 1 | 0.04% | 1,129 | 42.40% | 2,663 |
| Racine | 5,490 | 52.65% | 3,688 | 35.37% | 794 | 7.61% | 429 | 4.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,802 | 17.28% | 10,428[j] |
| Richland | 2,464 | 54.80% | 1,689 | 37.57% | 51 | 1.13% | 291 | 6.47% | 1 | 0.02% | 775 | 17.24% | 4,496 |
| Rock | 7,839 | 66.73% | 3,227 | 27.47% | 264 | 2.25% | 391 | 3.33% | 12 | 0.10% | 4,612 | 39.26% | 11,747[k] |
| Rusk | 1,431 | 67.82% | 532 | 25.21% | 96 | 4.55% | 48 | 2.27% | 3 | 0.14% | 899 | 42.61% | 2,110 |
| Sauk | 3,854 | 57.06% | 2,571 | 38.07% | 35 | 0.52% | 294 | 4.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,283 | 19.00% | 6,754 |
| Sawyer | 815 | 70.81% | 299 | 25.98% | 19 | 1.65% | 18 | 1.56% | 0 | 0.00% | 516 | 44.83% | 1,151 |
| Shawano | 3,349 | 63.90% | 1,750 | 33.39% | 40 | 0.76% | 102 | 1.95% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,599 | 30.51% | 5,241 |
| Sheboygan | 5,948 | 52.41% | 4,405 | 38.81% | 752 | 6.63% | 245 | 2.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,543 | 13.59% | 11,350 |
| St. Croix | 3,228 | 62.29% | 1,773 | 34.21% | 83 | 1.60% | 98 | 1.89% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,455 | 28.08% | 5,182 |
| Taylor | 1,627 | 60.80% | 924 | 34.53% | 82 | 3.06% | 42 | 1.57% | 1 | 0.04% | 703 | 26.27% | 2,676 |
| Trempealeau | 3,733 | 75.31% | 1,085 | 21.89% | 22 | 0.44% | 117 | 2.36% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,648 | 53.42% | 4,957 |
| Vernon | 4,114 | 69.72% | 1,561 | 26.45% | 38 | 0.64% | 188 | 3.19% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,553 | 43.26% | 5,901 |
| Vilas | 794 | 70.70% | 278 | 24.76% | 33 | 2.94% | 18 | 1.60% | 0 | 0.00% | 516 | 45.95% | 1,123 |
| Walworth | 4,151 | 62.20% | 1,960 | 29.37% | 73 | 1.09% | 488 | 7.31% | 2 | 0.03% | 2,191 | 32.83% | 6,674 |
| Washburn | 1,114 | 69.06% | 396 | 24.55% | 69 | 4.28% | 34 | 2.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 718 | 44.51% | 1,613 |
| Washington | 2,588 | 48.54% | 2,625 | 49.23% | 77 | 1.44% | 41 | 0.77% | 1 | 0.02% | -37 | -0.69% | 5,332 |
| Waukesha | 4,758 | 55.91% | 3,206 | 37.67% | 198 | 2.33% | 345 | 4.05% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,552 | 18.24% | 8,510 |
| Waupaca | 4,785 | 71.93% | 1,483 | 22.29% | 143 | 2.15% | 239 | 3.59% | 2 | 0.03% | 3,302 | 49.64% | 6,652 |
| Waushara | 2,821 | 79.73% | 507 | 14.33% | 82 | 2.32% | 114 | 3.22% | 14 | 0.40% | 2,314 | 65.40% | 3,538 |
| Winnebago | 6,797 | 52.24% | 5,511 | 42.36% | 287 | 2.21% | 413 | 3.17% | 3 | 0.02% | 1,286 | 9.88% | 13,011 |
| Wood | 3,013 | 50.92% | 2,498 | 42.22% | 274 | 4.63% | 132 | 2.23% | 0 | 0.00% | 515 | 8.70% | 5,917 |
| Total | 247,747 | 54.51% | 166,632 | 36.66% | 28,170 | 6.20% | 11,572 | 2.55% | 314 | 0.07% | 81,115 | 17.85% | 454,534 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The 1909 Blue Book gives the totals as Taft 247,747; Bryan 166,662; Debs 28,147; Chafin 11,565; Gillhaus 318; Scattering 2. Based on the Board of Canvassers report, with the exception of Taft, these numbers are simply incorrect. For the other parties, no elector on any ticket received those numbers of votes. Indeed, the Blue Book is an unreliable source for Wisconsin election data from about 1890 to 1920 and its figures frequently differ from the figures listed in the Board of Canvassers reports.
- ^ In Wisconsin, the Socialist Party was still referred to as the Social Democratic Party in 1908
- ^ The Socialist Labor Party ran only 4 electors on its Wisconsin ticket
- ^ Includes 39 votes for August Gillhaus and 32 votes for Donald R. Monroe; these were the Socialist Labor nominees for President and Vice President, respectively. Since voters in Wisconsin chose electors directly, these were votes Gillhaus and Monroe as electors, not as presidential candidates.
- ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
- ^ Based on highest elector on each ticket
- ^ a b Includes 2 Scattering votes
- ^ a b c Includes 1 Scattering vote
- ^ Includes 51 Scattering votes
- ^ Includes 27 Scattering votes
- ^ Includes 14 Scattering votes
References
[edit]- ^ Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 ISBN 0313213798
- ^ Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0815719094
- ^ Hansen, John Mark; Shigeo Hirano, and Snyder, James M. Jr.; ‘Parties within Parties: Parties, Factions, and Coordinated Politics, 1900-1980’; in Gerber, Alan S. and Schickler, Eric; Governing in a Polarized Age: Elections, Parties, and Political Representation in America, pp. 165-168 ISBN 978-1-107-09509-0
- ^ ‘LaFollette Country!’; The Idaho Recorder, August 6, 1908, p. 7
- ^ ‘La Follette’s Part in the Coming Campaign: Looks like a Case of Bob and Bryan’; The Indianapolis News, July 18, 1908, p. 12
- ^ ‘Bryan Ridivules Taft in Milwaukee: Says Republican Candidate Is not in Sympathy with Convention Principles’; The Gazette (York, Pennsylvania), September 27, 1908, p. 1
- ^ ‘Wisconsin for Taft: The Record-Herald Poll Suggests a Majority of 87,000’; The Hutchinson News, October 20, 1908, p. 1
- ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Statement of Board of Canvassers of the State of Wisconsin for General Election held November 3, 1908
