1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

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 thirteen electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

November 2, 1920

Nominee Warren G. Harding James M. Cox Eugene V. Debs Party Republican Democratic Socialist Home state Ohio Ohio Indiana Running mate Calvin Coolidge Franklin D. Roosevelt Seymour Stedman Electoral vote 13 0 0 Popular vote 498,576 113,422 80,635 Percentage 71.10% 16.17% 11.5%

County Results Harding   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%

President before election Woodrow Wilson Democratic Elected President Warren G. Harding Republican

Background

Wisconsin had ever since the decline of the Populist movement been substantially 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]

The beginning of the 1910s would see a minor Democratic revival as many La Follette progressives endorsed Woodrow Wilson,[4] 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.[5] The 1918 mid-term elections saw the Midwestern farming community largely desert the Democratic Party due to supposed preferential treatment of Southern farmers:[6] Democratic seats in the Midwest fell from thirty-four to seventeen,[7] whilst Scandinavian-Americans were also vigorously opposed to entering the war.[8] 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.[7] 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.[9] Stressing Harding's German ancestry, the German press drummed up the view that

a vote for Harding is a vote against the persecutions suffered by German-Americans during the war.[10]

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.[11] Whereas Cox travelled throughout the nation apart from the "Solid South" during September,[12] Harding, despite having four times the budget, campaigned from his home in Marion, Ohio.

Vote

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 California[13] – suggested Harding would win 382 electoral votes,[14] 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.[15] Polls were similarly confident in Wisconsin, despite forecasts of a big vote for imprisoned fifth-time Socialist nominee Eugene V. Debs.[16] Expectations of a landslide were fully realised: 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.[17] 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.[17] 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.[18]

Results

1920 United States presidential election in Wisconsin[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Warren G. Harding	498,576	71.10%	13
	Democratic	James M. Cox	113,422	16.17%	0
	Socialist	Eugene V. Debs	80,635	11.50%	0
	Prohibition	Aaron Watkins	8,647	1.23%	0
Totals			701,280	100.0%	13

Results by county

County	Warren Gamaliel Harding Republican		James Middleton Cox Democratic		Eugene Victor Debs Socialist		Aaron Sherman Watkins Prohibition		Margin		Total votes cast[lower-alpha 1]
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Adams	1,528	76.13%	392	19.53%	60	2.99%	27	1.35%	1,136	56.60%	2,007
Ashland	4,005	70.87%	1,081	19.13%	497	8.79%	68	1.20%	2,924	51.74%	5,651
Barron	6,887	84.23%	742	9.08%	336	4.11%	211	2.58%	6,145	75.16%	8,176
Bayfield	2,536	73.34%	589	17.03%	257	7.43%	76	2.20%	1,947	56.30%	3,458
Brown	8,867	61.72%	3,877	26.99%	1,501	10.45%	122	0.85%	4,990	34.73%	14,367
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[lower-alpha 2]	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	74.29%	1,112	22.95%	70	1.44%	64	1.32%	2,488	51.34%	4,846
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	87.85%	491	7.71%	170	2.67%	113	1.77%	5,105	80.14%	6,370
Eau Claire	7,856	81.62%	1,193	12.39%	351	3.65%	225	2.34%	6,663	69.23%	9,625
Florence	912	86.94%	97	9.25%	30	2.86%	10	0.95%	815	77.69%	1,049
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	75.48%	890	19.43%	179	3.91%	54	1.18%	2,567	56.05%	4,580
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	78.83%	598	17.98%	97	2.92%	9	0.27%	2,024	60.85%	3,326
La Crosse	10,067	73.96%	2,588	19.01%	606	4.45%	350	2.57%	7,479	54.95%	13,611
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[lower-alpha 2]	38.75%	13,579
Marathon	11,356	65.53%	2,133	12.31%	3,709	21.40%	131	0.76%	7,647[lower-alpha 2]	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	76.22%	687	21.50%	42	1.31%	31	0.97%	1,749	54.72%	3,196
Milwaukee	73,410	51.58%	25,464	17.89%	42,914	30.16%	523	0.37%	30,496[lower-alpha 2]	21.43%	142,311
Monroe	6,784	83.29%	977	12.00%	206	2.53%	178	2.19%	5,807	71.30%	8,145
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	3,952	77.04%	917	17.88%	82	1.60%	179	3.49%	3,035	59.16%	5,130
Rock	16,152	83.53%	2,447	12.65%	421	2.18%	317	1.64%	13,705	70.87%	19,337
Rusk	2,609	77.60%	441	13.12%	231	6.87%	81	2.41%	2,168	64.49%	3,362
St. Croix	5,601	73.34%	1,638	21.45%	263	3.44%	135	1.77%	3,963	51.89%	7,637
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	73.73%	525	6.63%	1,496	18.90%	58	0.73%	4,340[lower-alpha 2]	54.83%	7,915
Sheboygan	11,994	68.95%	1,895	10.89%	3,416	19.64%	91	0.52%	8,578[lower-alpha 2]	49.31%	17,396
Taylor	2,707	72.69%	282	7.57%	685	18.39%	50	1.34%	2,022[lower-alpha 2]	54.30%	3,724
Trempealeau	4,748	84.24%	718	12.74%	70	1.24%	100	1.77%	4,030	71.50%	5,636
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	2,073	78.64%	352	13.35%	151	5.73%	60	2.28%	1,721	65.29%	2,636
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	69.53%	3,397	19.63%	1,697	9.80%	179	1.03%	8,638	49.91%	17,308
Wood	6,863	70.60%	1,051	10.81%	1,665	17.13%	142	1.46%	5,198[lower-alpha 2]	53.47%	9,721
Totals	498,576	71.10%	113,422	16.17%	80,635	11.50%	8,647	1.23%	385,154	54.92%	701,280

Notes

1. These totals are for the highest elector for each slate.[20]
2. In this county where Debs ran second ahead of Cox, margin given is Hardin vote minsu Debs vote and percentage margin Hading percentage minus debs percentage.

References

1. Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 ISBN 0313213798
2. Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN 0815719094
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. Morello, John A.; Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding, p. 64 ISBN 0275970302
7. Hough, Jerry F.; Changing Party Coalitions: The Mystery of the Red State-Blue State Alignment, pp. 86-87 ISBN 0875864090
8. Saldin, Robert P., 'World War I and the System of 1896' (2010); Political Science Faculty Publications, Paper 1, pp. 825-836
9. Lichtman, Allan J.; Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928, pp. 102, 115
10. Lubell, Samuel; The Future of American Politics, p. 135 Published 1952 by Harper and Brothers, New York
11. Goldberg, David Joseph; Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s, p. 47 ISBN 0801860059
12. 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
13. Pietrusza, David; 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, p. 398 ISBN 0786721022
14. Bagby, Rexby; The Road to Normalcy: The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1920, pp. 158-159 ISBN 0801800455
15. 'Republicans Going to Win: Prospects of a Complete Victory'; The Observer, October 31, 1920, p. 13
16. ‘Blaine Is Big Choice in Betting’; The Capital Times, November 2, 1920, p. 1
17. "1920 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
18. Menendez, Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 337-342 ISBN 0786422173
19. "1920 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin". Retrieved August 18, 2016.
20. Wisconsin State Election Board; ‘Presidential Electors’; Wisconsin Blue Book 1921 pp. 214-221