1920 United States presidential election in Washington (state)

none June 2025 September 2023 1920 United States presidential election in Washington (state) Washington 1923 presidential no 1916 United States presidential election in Washington (state) 1916 1924 United States presidential election in Washington (state) 1924 November 2, 1920 x160px Warren G Harding-Harris & Ewing crop.jpg Warren G. Harding Republican Party (United States) Ohio Calvin Coolidge 7 223,137 55.96% James M. Cox 1920.jpg James M. Cox Democratic Party (United States) Ohio Franklin D. Roosevelt 0 84,298 21.14% Parley Parker Christensen circa 1920 Crop Edit.jpg Parley P. Christensen Farmer–Labor Party (US) Illinois Max S. Hayes 0 77,246 19.37% 1920 United States presidential election in Washington results map by county.svg 350px County results Harding #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% President Woodrow Wilson Democratic Party (United States) Warren G. Harding Republican Party (United States) 1920 United States presidential election The 1920 United States presidential election in Washington took place on November 2, 1920, as part of the 1920 United States presidential election in which all 48 states participated. State voters chose seven electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting Democratic nominee James M. Cox and his running mate, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt, against Republican challenger U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding and his running mate, Governor Calvin Coolidge. By the beginning of 1920 skyrocketing inflation and President Woodrow Wilson's focus upon his proposed League of Nations at the expense of domestic policy had helped make the incumbent president very unpopularGoldberg, David Joseph; Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s, p. 44 0801860059 – besides which Wilson also had major health problems that had left First Lady Edith effectively running the nation. Political unrest observed in the Palmer Raids and the "Red Scare" further added to the unpopularity of the Democratic Party, since this global political turmoil produced considerable fear of alien revolutionaries invading the country.Leuchtenburg, William E.; The Perils of Prosperity, 1914–1932, p. 75 0226473724 Demand in the West for exclusion of Asian immigrants became even stronger than it had been before.Vought, Hans P.; The Bully Pulpit and the Melting Pot: American Presidents And The Immigrant, 1897–1933, p. 167 0865548870 Another issue was the anti-Cox position taken by the Ku Klux Klan because Cox was viewed by the Klan as too lenient towards Catholicism,Brake, Robert J.; 'The porch and the stump: Campaign strategies in the 1920 presidential election'; Quarterly Journal of Speech, 55(3), pp. 256-267 and Cox's inconsistent stance on newly passed Prohibition – he had been a "wet" but in August announced he would support Prohibition enforcement. The West had been the chief presidential battleground ever since the "System of 1896" emerged following that election.Faykosh, Joseph D., Bowling Green State University; The Front Porch of the American People: James Cox and the Presidential Election of 1920 (thesis), p. 68 For this reason, Cox chose to tour the entire nationFaykosh, The Front Porch of the American People (thesis), p. 69 and after touring the Pacific Northwest Cox went to California to defend his proposed League of Nations and to convince the region that large sums of money were being spent by Harding simply to put Republicans in the White House.'The Passing of Woodrow Wilson', The Round Table, 11:41 (November 1920), pp. 14-31 Cox argued that the League could have stopped the Asian conflicts – like the Japanese seizure of Shandong – but his apparent defence of Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area was very unpopular and large numbers of hecklers attacked the Democrat.Faykosh, The Front Porch of the American People (thesis), p. 74 Moreover, the only attention Cox received in the Western press was severe criticism, and he completely ignored charges against misadministration by the Wilson Administration, and in liberal, heavily unionized Washington State where strikes had been particularly extreme since the war ended, Cox's failure to address labour issues proved also very costly. Results + General Election ResultsAbstract of Votes Polled in the State of Washington at the General Election held November 2, 1920 Presidential Electors Washington Secretary of State 5–10 Olympia, WashingtonBiennial Report, Election Division https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3026180&view=1up&seq=325 Party Pledged to Elector Votes Republican Party Warren G. Harding Emma Smith De Voe223,137 Republican Party Warren G. Harding J. P. Todd222,805 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Peter McGregor222,564 Republican Party Warren G. Harding Luther Weedin222,224 Republican Party Warren G. Harding A. C. Rundle222,202 Republican Party Warren G. Harding George J. Stewart222,153 Republican Party Warren G. Harding H. L. Geary222,079 Democratic Party James M. Cox George N. Adams84,298 Democratic Party James M. Cox Charles D. McCarthy83,975 Democratic Party James M. Cox Mary B. Harker83,874 Democratic Party James M. Cox John Reid83,813 Democratic Party James M. Cox J. W. Austin83,734 Democratic Party James M. Cox George W. Roupe83,604 Democratic Party James M. Cox Jim P. Goodwin83,458 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen Viola C. Crahan77,246 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen Elizabeth Sullivan77,088 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen Louis E. Bradley77,068 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen L. H. Richards76,987 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen Edith Downing76,873 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen C. E. Richards76,834 Farmer–Labor Party Parley P. Christensen Dortha Ing76,822 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mary M. Brown8,913 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs B. H. Miller8,749 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Herman Meyer8,723 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Joseph O'Reilly8,721 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Lalla Rogers8,703 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Walter Price8,680 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs W. H. Maynick8,597 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Lucy C. Cotrael3,800 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Arthur S. Caton3,790 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Mattie Reynolds3,784 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Olin L. Fowler3,754 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins W. A. Davis3,750 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins W. E. Haycox3,749 Prohibition Party Aaron S. Watkins Emmett D. Nichols3,712 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox Andrew Rynning1,321 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox James F. Stark1,316 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox George B. Sargent1,297 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox Frederick Kurtzman1,284 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox Daniel L. Barnet1,272 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox Joseph Tottenhoff1,258 Socialist Labor Party Wesley W. Cox Abraham L. Bearcliff1,247Votes castBased on totals for highest elector on each ticket 398,715 Results by county CountyWarren G. HardingRepublicanJames M. CoxDemocraticParley P. ChristensenFarmer–LaborEugene V. DebsSocialistAaron S. WatkinsProhibitionWilliam W. CoxSocialist LaborMarginTotal votescastBased on highest elector on each ticket#%#%#%#%#%#%#%Adams1,52567.15%51522.68%1677.35%421.85%170.75%50.22%1,01044.47%2,271Asotin1,21064.84%49726.63%613.27%492.63%462.47%30.16%71338.21%1,866Benton2,00152.01%97525.34%76419.86%511.33%501.30%60.16%1,02626.67%3,847Chelan3,88558.55%1,54023.21%95714.42%1101.66%1321.99%110.17%2,34535.34%6,635Clallam 1,77553.76%48914.81%96629.25%431.30%200.61%90.27%809"farmerlabor" In this county where Christensen ran second ahead of James Cox, margin given is Harding vote minus Christensen vote and percentage margin Harding percentage minus Christensen percentage.24.50%3,302Clarke 4,85252.20%2,94131.64%1,12712.12%2342.52%1251.34%160.17%1,91120.56%9,295Columbia 1,37664.18%66230.88%572.66%361.68%100.47%30.14%71433.30%2,144Cowlitz2,26761.49%80121.72%46412.58%1153.12%340.92%60.16%1,46639.76%3,687Douglas1,58757.86%91833.47%1716.23%451.64%190.69%30.11%66924.39%2,743Ferry 59243.56%50537.16%21415.75%413.02%30.22%40.29%876.40%1,359Franklin 83944.46%57130.26%39721.04%623.29%140.74%40.21%26814.20%1,887Garfield 86966.03%37028.12%624.71%70.53%80.61%00.00%49937.92%1,316Grant 1,37858.24%68428.91%2169.13%602.54%281.18%00.00%69429.33%2,366Grays Harbor5,92050.94%3,37829.07%1,97817.02%2402.07%810.70%250.22%2,54221.87%11,622Island 88351.19%28516.52%48828.29%523.01%150.87%20.12%395"farmerlabor"22.90%1,725Jefferson1,12861.57%32217.58%32117.52%361.97%221.20%30.16%80644.00%1,832King 58,58454.69%17,36916.21%26,76824.99%3,0812.88%6900.64%6320.59%31,816"farmerlabor"29.70%107,124Kitsap4,98949.41%1,35013.37%3,32632.94%3253.22%850.84%230.23%1,663"farmerlabor"16.47%10,098Kittitas2,83754.54%1,11921.51%1,05420.26%1342.58%410.79%170.33%1,71833.03%5,202Klickitat1,64959.38%74526.83%29810.73%451.62%391.40%10.04%90432.55%2,777Lewis6,16054.59%2,21219.60%2,52022.33%2592.30%1171.04%170.15%3,640"farmerlabor"32.26%11,285Lincoln3,03865.04%1,39529.87%1443.08%551.18%340.73%50.11%1,64335.17%4,671Mason 99756.04%38321.53%35119.73%251.41%191.07%40.22%61434.51%1,779Okanogan 2,78454.98%1,26024.88%80915.98%1282.53%661.30%170.34%1,52430.09%5,064Pacific2,60765.57%87421.98%3729.36%872.19%280.70%80.20%1,73343.59%3,976Pend Oreille1,07954.30%65132.76%1678.40%673.37%120.60%110.55%42821.54%1,987Pierce 22,04851.89%8,25919.44%10,83625.50%7791.83%4361.03%1330.31%11,212"farmerlabor"26.39%42,491San Juan 83366.64%19615.68%17213.76%372.96%100.80%20.16%63750.96%1,250Skagit5,32051.62%1,84017.85%2,75626.74%2082.02%1591.54%230.22%2,564"farmerlabor"24.88%10,306Skamania40952.71%24731.83%8711.21%243.09%70.90%20.26%16220.88%776Snohomish10,79352.48%3,05614.86%6,14629.88%3561.73%1810.88%350.17%4,647"farmerlabor"22.59%20,567Spokane 26,21960.55%13,41230.97%2,3735.48%7771.79%3600.83%1600.37%12,80729.58%43,301Stevens3,28255.68%1,45224.64%91415.51%1752.97%611.03%100.17%1,83031.05%5,894Thurston3,89952.77%1,36718.50%1,84925.03%1141.54%1471.99%120.16%2,050"farmerlabor"27.75%7,388Wahkiakum49457.64%16419.14%758.75%10912.72%30.35%121.40%33038.51%857Walla Walla5,95767.60%2,33826.53%3493.96%790.90%740.84%150.17%3,61941.07%8,812Whatcom9,15757.52%2,28814.37%3,74423.52%4813.02%2051.29%450.28%5,413"farmerlabor"34.00%15,920Whitman6,34464.68%2,80628.61%4254.33%1191.21%991.01%160.16%3,53836.07%9,809Yakima11,57159.39%4,06220.85%3,30116.94%2261.16%3031.56%210.11%7,50938.54%19,484Totals223,13755.96%84,29821.14%77,24619.47%8,9132.24%3,8000.95%1,3210.33%138,83934.82%398,715 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican 20em Adams Asotin Columbia Douglas Ferry Franklin Grant Island King Kitsap Kittitas Lincoln Mason Okanogan Pend Oreille Pierce San Juan Skagit Spokane Stevens Walla Walla Whitman Analysis By October, it was clear that the Northwest – where Charles Evans Hughes had carried only Oregon in 1916 – was strongly in favor of the Republicans: in Washington Harding led a combined poll of male and female voters 680 to Cox's 256.'First Straw Vote Favors Harding'; Boston Daily Globe, September 26, 1920, p. 6 A week later polls strongly suggested Cox would not register a majority in any antebellum free or postbellum state, and in Washington he was trailing four to one out of around 2,100 people polled.'Harding Leads in the Straw Vote: Cox Weak in North and West in Rexall Balloting'; Boston Daily Globe, October 3, 1920, p. Although there were some gains by the Democratic ticket in later polls, with Cox approaching a 1-to-2 ratio to Harding's support at the end of October,'Cox Gains in Straw Vote: Late Returns Give Him Missouri – Some Other States Close'; The New York Times, October 31, 1920, p. 6 a minimum forty thousand vote plurality was predicted by the Washington Post at the same time.Harding 363 Votes, Cox 168, Is Result Obtained From Estimates by 47 Editors The Washington Post October 31, 1920 1 Ultimately Harding took Washington in a landslide beyond the late-October polls' prediction, defeating Cox by a 138,839 vote margin. Parley Christensen, the nominee of the recently created Farmer–Labor Party, performed very well in the state and nearly drove Cox into third place, with only 7,052 votes between the two. Harding proved the third and last Republican, following on from Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 and William Howard Taft in 1908, to sweep every county in Washington State. This feat has been equaled only by Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who ironically was Cox's running mate in this election, in both 1932 and 1936. This would prove the last election until Richard Nixon in 1968 when the Republican Party carried Ferry County.Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, pp. 332-333 0786422173 See also United States presidential elections in Washington (state) Notes References 2 Washington Category:1920 Washington (state) elections 1920