1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

none June 2025 September 2023 1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin Wisconsin 1913 presidential no 1916 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 1916 1924 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 1924 November 2, 1920 x160px Warren G Harding-Harris & Ewing crop.jpg Warren G. Harding Republican Party (United States) Ohio Calvin Coolidge 13 498,576 71.09% James M. Cox 1920.jpg James M. Cox Democratic Party (United States) Ohio Franklin D. Roosevelt 0 113,422 16.17% Debs penitentiary.jpg Eugene V. Debs Socialist Party of America Indiana Seymour Stedman 0 80,635 11.50% 1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin results map by county.svg 300px County results Harding #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #aa0000 80–90% President Woodrow Wilson Democratic Party (United States) Warren G. Harding Republican Party (United States) The 1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 2, 1920, as part of the 1920 United States presidential election. State voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Wisconsin had ever since the decline of the Populist movement been substantially a one-party state dominated by the Republican Party.Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 0-313-21379-8 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.Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 0-8157-1909-4 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.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. 165-168 978-1-107-09509-0 The beginning of the 1910s would see a minor Democratic revival as many La Follette progressives endorsed Woodrow Wilson,Crews, Kenneth D.; 'Woodrow Wilson, Wisconsin, and the Election of 1912'; Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3: 'Presidents, Vice Presidents and Political Parties: Performance and Prospects' (Summer, 1982), pp. 369-376 but this flirtation would not be long-lasting as Wilson's "Anglophile" foreign policies were severely opposed by Wisconsin's largely German- and Scandinavian-American populace.Leary, William M. (jr.); 'Woodrow Wilson, Irish Americans, and the Election of 1916'; The Journal of American History, Vol. 54, No. 1 (June 1967), pp. 57-72 The 1918 mid-term elections saw the Midwestern farming community largely desert the Democratic Party due to supposed preferential treatment of Southern farmers:Morello, John A.; Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding, p. 64 0-275-97030-2 Democratic seats in the Midwest fell from thirty-four to seventeen,Hough, Jerry F.; Changing Party Coalitions: The Mystery of the Red State-Blue State Alignment, pp. 86-87 0-87586-409-0 whilst Scandinavian-Americans were also vigorously opposed to entering the war.Saldin, Robert P., 'World War I and the System of 1896' (2010); Political Science Faculty Publications, Paper 1, pp. 825-836 Furthermore, Democratic fear of Communism seen in the Palmer Raids and "Red Scare" led to ultimate nominee James M. Cox, then Governor of Ohio, to ban German-language instruction in public schools in 1919. Still more critical for German-Americans was the view that outgoing President Woodrow Wilson was deliberately trying to punish Germany and Austria for starting the war, especially via his disregard for the United Kingdom's continuing blockade of Germany.Lichtman, Allan J.; Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928, pp. 102, 115 Stressing Harding's German ancestry, the German press drummed up the view that a vote for Harding was a vote against the persecutions suffered by German-Americans during the war.Lubell, Samuel; The Future of American Politics, p. 135 Published 1952 by Harper and Brothers, New York Campaign As the campaign began after the Republican Party had nominated U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio and the Democratic Party former Ohio governor James M. Cox, a further blow to the Democrats came when the national economy suffered a major downturn following the wartime boom, resulting in plummeting agricultural prices that were especially problematic in the Midwest.Goldberg, David Joseph; Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s, p. 47 0-8018-6005-9 Whereas Cox travelled throughout the nation apart from the "Solid South" during September,Faykosh, Joseph D., Bowling Green State University; The Front Porch of the American People: James Cox and the Presidential Election of 1920 (thesis), p. 69 Harding, despite having four times the budget, campaigned from his home in Marion, Ohio. A poll by the giant Rexall drug store chain – which in 1916 had been accurate enough to predict Wilson's razor-thin wins in New Hampshire and CaliforniaPietrusza, David; 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, p. 398 0-7867-2102-2 – suggested Harding would win 382 electoral votes,Bagby, Rexby; The Road to Normalcy: The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1920, pp. 158-159 0-8018-0045-5 and at the end of October, although no more opinion polls had been published, most observers were even more convinced that the Republicans would take complete control of all branches of government.'Republicans Going to Win: Prospects of a Complete Victory'; The Observer, October 31, 1920, p. 13 Polls were similarly confident in Wisconsin, despite forecasts of a big vote for imprisoned fifth-time Socialist nominee Eugene V. Debs.'Blaine Is Big Choice in Betting'; The Capital Times, November 2, 1920, p. 1 Expectations of a landslide were fully realized: whereas Charles Evans Hughes had carried Wisconsin by only 6.59 points in 1916, Harding won this arch-isolationist state by a nine-to-two majority. Wisconsin would prove to be Harding's fourth strongest state in the 1920 election terms of popular vote percentage after North Dakota, Vermont and Michigan.https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/stats.php?year=1920&f=0&off=0&elect=0 1920 Presidential Election Statistics Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections 2018-03-05 Wisconsin would prove Cox's weakest state in the largest landslide loss in United States presidential election history, and Debs' strongest state in his last campaign for the presidency. Despite Debs' substantial vote, Harding carried all Wisconsin's counties with absolute majorities, becoming the only candidate to ever win every single Wisconsin county in a presidential election, and Cox cracked twenty-three percent of the vote in just three counties. This would be the last time a Republican presidential candidate carried Iron County until Richard Nixon in 1972.Menendez, Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 337-342 0-7864-2217-3 Results + General Election ResultsWisconsin Historical Society, Certificate of Board of Canvassers of the State of Wisconsin - Presidential Electors - 1920State Printing Board Presidential Electors https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AQEHAMYTSP3ADT86/pages/ARFNAH6W2PPWQT8S Wisconsin Blue Book 1921 214–221One should exercise caution with using the 1921 Blue Book as a source for the 1920 election in Wisconsin; it contains a number of misprints that cause the county figures to not add up to the stated totals. The true figures can all be found in the 1920 Board of Canvassers reports, held at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.Party Pledged to Elector Votes Republican Party Warren G. Harding Mrs. Theodore Youmans498,576 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Z. G. Simmons497,664 Republican Party Warren G. Harding John Turner497,243 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Myron E. Keats497,099 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Sam Blum496,920 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Max Sell496,875 Republican Party Warren G. Harding William Mauthe496,821 Republican Party Warren G. Harding James T. Drought496,786 Republican Party Warren G. Harding John Fitzgibbons496,677 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Anton Kuckuk496,661 Republican Party Warren G. Harding David A. Bogue496,509 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Mrs. Al C. Anderson496,236 Republican Party Warren G. Harding John T. Murphy496,161 Democratic Party James M. Cox John C. Karel113,422 Democratic Party James M. Cox Anthony Szczerbinski113,298 Democratic Party James M. Cox Charles Mulberger113,236 Democratic Party James M. Cox Mrs. A. Tupper113,196 Democratic Party James M. Cox M. K. Reilly113,119 Democratic Party James M. Cox Vilas W. Whaley113,118 Democratic Party James M. Cox John W. Hogan112,962 Democratic Party James M. Cox H. A. Pfeffer112,790 Democratic Party James M. Cox John P. Diener112,765 Democratic Party James M. Cox Henry E. Fitch112,742 Democratic Party James M. Cox Earl Y. Sangster112,730 Democratic Party James M. Cox M. R. Strouse112,619 Democratic Party James M. Cox John O'Day112,531 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Cora Wuethrick80,635 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Casimir Kowalski80,629 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Richard Holtz80,601 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mrs. E. T. Melms80,597 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Louis Pauls80,555 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs John G. Justen80,554 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs R. W. Koehn80,554 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mrs. John H. Sims80,541 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Fred Heath80,513 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs G. P. Haus80,495 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mrs. Frank Hilger80,481 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Ray M. Empey53,101 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs F. E. Withrow52,213 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs J. Verchota27,886 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs A. C. Krueger27,069 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Marcia A. B. Smith8,647 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins David W. Emerson8,529 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Francis Baker8,517 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Peter T. James8,498 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Frank E. Cummings8,470 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Joseph V. Collins8,467 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Benjamin F. Skiff8,466 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins August F. Fehlandt8,445 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Walter R. Drought8,431 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins John H. Malloch8,425 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins William R. Nethercut8,425 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Lily Shimmin8,413 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Ole H. Caspers8,408 Write-in Scattering82Votes castBased on totals for highest elector on each ticket 701,362 Results by county County Warren G. HardingRepublican James M. CoxDemocratic Eugene V. DebsSocialist Aaron S. WatkinsProhibition Margin Total votescastBased on highest elector on each ticket # % # % # % # % # % Adams 1,528 75.42% 392 19.35% 60 2.96% 27 1.335% 1,136 56.07% 2,026Includes 19 Scattering votes Ashland 4,005 70.94% 1,081 19.15% 497 8.80% 63 1.12% 2,924 51.79% 5,646 Barron 6,887 84.09% 742 9.06% 336 4.10% 211 2.58% 6,145 75.03% 8,190Includes 14 Scattering votes Bayfield 2,536 73.34% 589 17.03% 257 7.43% 76 2.20% 1,947 56.30% 3,458 Brown 8,845 61.66% 3,877 27.03% 1,501 10.46% 122 0.85% 4,968 34.63% 14,345 Buffalo 3,082 85.40% 299 8.28% 172 4.77% 56 1.55% 2,783 77.11% 3,609 Burnett 2,025 79.57% 187 7.35% 275 10.81% 58 2.28% 1,750"DebsdCox" In this county where Debs ran second ahead of Cox, margin given is Hardin vote minus Debs vote and percentage margin Hading percentage minus Debs percentage. 68.76% 2,545 Calumet 3,730 78.26% 586 12.30% 415 8.71% 35 0.73% 3,144 65.97% 4,766 Chippewa 6,750 82.57% 1,103 13.49% 186 2.28% 136 1.66% 5,647 69.08% 8,175 Clark 6,246 79.74% 745 9.51% 692 8.83% 150 1.91% 5,501 70.23% 7,833 Columbia 7,394 83.25% 1,201 13.52% 157 1.77% 130 1.46% 6,193 69.73% 8,882 Crawford 3,600 74.27% 1,112 22.94% 70 1.44% 64 1.32% 2,488 51.33% 4,847"one" Includes 1 Scattering vote Dane 22,842 77.46% 4,879 16.55% 1,277 4.33% 490 1.66% 17,963 60.92% 29,488 Dodge 11,354 77.46% 2,293 15.64% 865 5.90% 146 1.00% 9,061 61.82% 14,658 Door 3,817 88.34% 385 8.91% 76 1.76% 43 1.00% 3,432 79.43% 4,321 Douglas 7,250 67.53% 2,111 19.66% 1,271 11.84% 104 0.97% 5,139 47.87% 10,736 Dunn 5,596 87.81% 491 7.70% 170 2.67% 113 1.77% 5,105 80.10% 6,373"three" Includes 3 Scattering votes Eau Claire 7,856 81.62% 1,193 12.39% 351 3.65% 225 2.34% 6,663 69.23% 9,625 Florence 912 86.86% 98"karel" The 1921 Blue Book contains a typo for Democratic elector Karel in this county 9.33% 30 2.86% 10 0.95% 814 77.52% 1,050 Fond du Lac 12,543 74.58% 3,409 20.27% 695 4.13% 172 1.02% 9,134 54.31% 16,819 Forest 1,429 75.13% 379 19.93% 72 3.79% 22 1.16% 1,050 55.21% 1,902 Grant 9,638 80.92% 1,971 16.55% 119 1.00% 183 1.54% 7,667 64.37% 11,911 Green 5,466 84.68% 633 9.81% 109 1.69% 247 3.83% 4,833 74.87% 6,455 Green Lake 3,457 75.45% 890 19.42% 179 3.91% 54 1.18% 2,567 56.02% 4,582Includes 2 Scattering votes Iowa 5,428 81.42% 942 14.13% 67 1.00% 230 3.45% 4,486 67.29% 6,667 Iron 1,714 77.70% 268 12.15% 179 8.11% 45 2.04% 1,446 65.55% 2,206 Jackson 3,652 85.93% 410 9.65% 106 2.49% 82 1.93% 3,242 76.28% 4,250 Jefferson 8,865 80.38% 1,844 16.72% 203 1.84% 117 1.06% 7,021 63.66% 11,029 Juneau 4,385 81.22% 774 14.34% 174 3.22% 66 1.22% 3,611 66.88% 5,399 Kenosha 9,791 77.81% 1,724 13.70% 990 7.87% 79 0.63% 8,067 64.11% 12,584 Kewaunee 2,622 78.81% 598 17.97% 97 2.92% 9 0.27% 2,024 60.84% 3,327"one" La Crosse 10,067 73.96% 2,588 19.01% 606 4.45% 350 2.57% 7,479 54.94% 13,612"one" Lafayette 4,893 76.11% 1,357 21.11% 45 0.70% 134 2.08% 3,536 55.00% 6,429 Langlade 4,059 68.65% 1,619 27.38% 189 3.20% 46 0.78% 2,440 41.27% 5,913 Lincoln 3,713 72.11% 838 16.28% 542 10.53% 56 1.09% 2,875 55.84% 5,149 Manitowoc 8,378 61.70% 2,018 14.86% 3,116 22.95% 67 0.49% 5,262"DebsdCox" 38.75% 13,579 Marathon 11,356 65.53% 2,133 12.31% 3,709 21.40% 131 0.76% 7,647"DebsdCox" 44.13% 17,329 Marinette 6,138 75.55% 1,314 16.17% 584 7.19% 88 1.08% 4,824 59.38% 8,124 Marquette 2,436 76.01% 687 21.44% 42 1.31% 31 0.97% 1,749 54.57% 3,205Includes 9 Scattering votes Milwaukee 73,410 51.58% 25,464 17.89% 42,914 30.16% 523 0.37% 30,496"DebsdCox" 21.43% 142,311 Monroe 6,784 83.15% 978"karel" 11.99% 206 2.52% 178 2.18% 5,806 71.16% 8,159"thirteen" Includes 13 Scattering votes Oconto 4,735 78.16% 1,030 17.00% 234 3.86% 59 0.97% 3,705 61.16% 6,058 Oneida 2,424 64.93% 833 22.31% 426 11.41% 50 1.34% 1,591 42.62% 3,733 Outagamie 11,140 74.69% 3,121 20.93% 510 3.42% 144 0.97% 8,019 53.76% 14,915 Ozaukee 3,523 75.60% 835 17.92% 279 5.99% 23 0.49% 2,688 57.68% 4,660 Pepin 1,817 84.91% 265 12.38% 36 1.68% 22 1.03% 1,552 72.52% 2,140 Pierce 4,441 82.62% 644 11.98% 167 3.11% 123 2.29% 3,797 70.64% 5,375 Polk 4,796 80.47% 752 12.62% 303 5.08% 109 1.83% 4,044 67.85% 5,960 Portage 5,527 65.39% 2,656 31.42% 199 2.35% 70 0.83% 2,871 33.97% 8,452 Price 2,990 74.23% 551 13.68% 441 10.95% 46 1.14% 2,439 60.55% 4,028 Racine 14,406 71.95% 3,650 18.23% 1,714 8.56% 251 1.25% 10,756 53.72% 20,021 Richland 3,862The 1921 Blue Book contains a typo for Republican elector Youmans in this county 76.63% 917 18.19% 82 1.63% 179 3.55% 2,945 58.43% 5,040 Rock 16,152 83.53% 2,447 12.65% 421 2.18% 317 1.64% 13,705 70.87% 19,337 Rusk 2,609 77.53% 441 13.11% 231 6.86% 81 2.41% 2,168 64.43% 3,365"three" Sauk 8,074 84.79% 946 9.93% 216 2.27% 286 3.00% 7,128 74.86% 9,522 Sawyer 1,668 79.28% 302 14.35% 98 4.66% 36 1.71% 1,366 64.92% 2,104 Shawano 5,836 73.64% 525 6.62% 1,496 18.88% 68 0.86% 4,340"DebsdCox" 54.76% 7,925 Sheboygan 11,994 68.95% 1,895 10.89% 3,416 19.64% 91 0.52% 8,578"DebsdCox" 49.31% 17,396 St. Croix 5,601 73.34% 1,638 21.45% 263 3.44% 135 1.77% 3,963 51.89% 7,637 Taylor 2,707 72.71% 282 7.57% 685 18.40% 49The 1921 Blue Book contains a typo for Prohibition elector Smith in this county 1.32% 2,022"DebsdCox" 54.31% 3,723 Trempealeau 4,748 84.05% 718 12.71% 70 1.24% 100 1.77% 4,030 71.50% 5,649"thirteen" Vernon 5,694 86.00% 629 9.50% 98 1.48% 200 3.02% 5,065 76.50% 6,621 Vilas 903 66.06% 255 18.65% 185 13.53% 24 1.76% 648 47.40% 1,367 Walworth 8,437 80.68% 1,631 15.60% 151 1.44% 239 2.29% 6,806 65.08% 10,458 Washburn 2,023 78.26% 352 13.62% 150 5.80% 60 2.32% 1,671 64.64% 2,585 Washington 5,949 76.78% 1,328 17.14% 421 5.43% 50 0.65% 4,621 59.64% 7,748 Waukesha 8,665 71.63% 2,759 22.81% 487 4.03% 186 1.54% 5,906 48.82% 12,097 Waupaca 8,302 83.04% 888 8.88% 697 6.97% 110 1.10% 7,414 74.16% 9,997 Waushara 4,176 85.17% 482 9.83% 196 4.00% 49 1.00% 3,694 75.34% 4,903 Winnebago 12,035 69.52% 3,397 19.62% 1,697 9.80% 179 1.03% 8,638 49.90% 17,311"three" Wood 6,863 70.60% 1,051 10.81% 1,665 17.13% 142 1.46% 5,198"DebsdCox" 53.47% 9,721Totals498,57671.09%113,42216.17%80,63511.50%8,6471.23%385,15454.92%701,362 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Brown Dane Kewaunee La Crosse Langlade Manitowoc Milwaukee Portage Racine Sawyer Waukesha See also United States presidential elections in Wisconsin Notes References Wisconsin Category:1920 Wisconsin elections 1920