1924 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

The 1924 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 4, 1924 as part of the 1924 United States presidential election. State voters chose thirteen electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1924 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

November 4, 1924

Nominee Robert M. La Follette Calvin Coolidge John W. Davis Party Independent Republican Democratic Home state Wisconsin Massachusetts West Virginia Running mate Burton K. Wheeler Charles G. Dawes Charles W. Bryan Electoral vote 13 0 0 Popular vote 453,678 311,614 68,115 Percentage 54.0% 37.1% 8.1%

County Results La Follette   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Coolidge   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%

President before election Calvin Coolidge Republican Elected President Calvin Coolidge Republican

Background

Wisconsin had 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] and in 1920 Wisconsin’s status as a one-party Republican state was solidified as James M. Cox won less than a sixth of the state’s presidential vote and Democrats claimed only four state legislative seats, all but one of which would be lost in 1922.

At the same time, the Republican Party both at the state and national levels was severely divided between an ascendant conservative faction and a progressive faction, whose leader was Wisconsin’s own veteran senator Robert M. La Follette.[8] After a fierce debate the Democratic Party nominated former Congressman John W. Davis of West Virginia,[9] who although West Virginia was a border state whose limited African-American population had not been disenfranchised as happened in all former Confederate States,[10] shared the extreme social conservatism of Southern Democrats of the time. Davis supported poll taxes, opposed women's suffrage, and believed in strictly limited government with no expansion in nonmilitary fields.[11]

The conservatism of the major-party nominees made La Follette mount a third-party challenge, which he had planned even beforehand.[12] Wisconsin’s Senator was formally nominated on July 4 by the "Conference for Progressive Political Action" and developed a platform dedicated to eliminating child labor and American interference in Latin American political affairs, along with a formal denunciation of the Ku Klux Klan.[13] La Follette also proposed major judicial reforms including amendments allowing congress to override judicial review and to re-enact laws declared unconstitutional.[14] La Follette also called for election of federal judges for ten-year terms.[15]

Vote

At the beginning of the campaign in July, La Follette listed nine states as “in” for him, including Wisconsin.[16] Although early opinion polls showed La Follette attracting large numbers of those German and Scandinavian-Americans who completely deserted Cox in 1920,[17] newer polls later in the fall showed Wisconsin as the only state La Follette was certain to carry.[18] These later polls proved correct, with La Follette carrying Wisconsin with 53.96 percent of the popular vote, but winning no other state.[19]

La Follette carried 62 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, with Coolidge gaining majorities only in the heavily Yankee and pro-establishment counties bordering Illinois, in Pepin County on the western border, and in Marinette and Florence Counties bordering Michigan.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time a third-party presidential candidate has carried a state outside the former Confederacy.[lower-alpha 1]

Results

1924 United States presidential election in Wisconsin[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Independent	Robert M. La Follette	453,678	53.96%	13
	Republican	Calvin Coolidge	311,614	37.06%	0
	Democratic	John W. Davis	68,115	8.10%	0
	Independent	William Z. Foster	3,773	0.45%	0
	Prohibition	Herman Faris	2,918	0.35%	0
	Independent	Frank Tetes Johns	458	0.05%	0
	Independent	William J. Wallace	270	0.03%	0
Totals			840,826	100.00%	13

Results by county

County	John Calvin Coolidge Republican		John William Davis Democratic		Robert Marion La Follette, Sr. Independent		Various candidates Other parties		Margin[lower-alpha 2]		Total votes cast[21]
	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%
Adams	779	28.99%	173	6.44%	1,724	64.16%	11	0.41%	-945	-35.17%	2,687
Ashland	2,272	32.44%	449	6.41%	4,204	60.02%	79	1.13%	-1,932	-27.58%	7,004
Barron	2,703	29.44%	377	4.11%	6,010	65.47%	90	0.98%	-3,307	-36.02%	9,180
Bayfield	1,675	36.41%	205	4.46%	2,601	56.54%	119	2.59%	-926	-20.13%	4,600
Brown	7,611	37.90%	2,328	11.59%	10,024	49.92%	117	0.58%	-2,413	-12.02%	20,080
Buffalo	1,324	33.05%	176	4.39%	2,474	61.76%	32	0.80%	-1,150	-28.71%	4,006
Burnett	958	30.34%	76	2.41%	2,088	66.12%	36	1.14%	-1,130	-35.78%	3,158
Calumet	938	18.59%	569	11.28%	3,503	69.42%	36	0.71%	-2,565	-50.83%	5,046
Chippewa	5,135	41.72%	560	4.55%	6,517	52.95%	96	0.78%	-1,382	-11.23%	12,308
Clark	3,130	31.27%	552	5.51%	6,208	62.02%	120	1.20%	-3,078	-30.75%	10,010
Columbia	4,724	40.41%	907	7.76%	5,968	51.05%	91	0.78%	-1,244	-10.64%	11,690
Crawford	1,687	29.82%	936	16.54%	2,977	52.62%	58	1.03%	-1,290	-22.80%	5,658
Dane	12,280	31.32%	2,081	5.31%	24,595	62.73%	252	0.64%	-12,315	-31.41%	39,208
Dodge	5,167	30.45%	2,019	11.90%	9,610	56.63%	175	1.03%	-4,443	-26.18%	16,971
Door	1,891	38.56%	235	4.79%	2,715	55.36%	63	1.28%	-824	-16.80%	4,904
Douglas	5,887	39.14%	638	4.24%	8,255	54.89%	259	1.72%	-2,368	-15.75%	15,039
Dunn	3,177	40.13%	284	3.59%	4,385	55.39%	70	0.88%	-1,208	-15.26%	7,916
Eau Claire	5,149	46.46%	629	5.68%	5,222	47.12%	83	0.75%	-73	-0.66%	11,083
Florence	594	50.21%	49	4.14%	523	44.21%	17	1.44%	71	6.00%	1,183
Fond du Lac	8,516	41.62%	2,222	10.86%	9,576	46.80%	146	0.71%	-1,060	-5.18%	20,460
Forest	1,104	40.74%	299	11.03%	1,259	46.46%	48	1.77%	-155	-5.72%	2,710
Grant	5,714	40.33%	1,518	10.71%	6,825	48.17%	112	0.79%	-1,111	-7.84%	14,169
Green	2,922	35.07%	423	5.08%	4,885	58.64%	101	1.21%	-1,963	-23.56%	8,331
Green Lake	1,988	37.45%	1,090	20.53%	2,187	41.19%	44	0.83%	-199	-3.75%	5,309
Iowa	3,291	40.07%	689	8.39%	4,133	50.32%	100	1.22%	-842	-10.25%	8,213
Iron	1,058	40.17%	84	3.19%	1,400	53.15%	92	3.49%	-342	-12.98%	2,634
Jackson	1,662	32.24%	255	4.95%	3,167	61.44%	71	1.38%	-1,505	-29.19%	5,155
Jefferson	4,250	31.22%	1,374	10.09%	7,885	57.93%	102	0.75%	-3,635	-26.71%	13,611
Juneau	1,917	31.10%	403	6.54%	3,785	61.40%	59	0.96%	-1,868	-30.30%	6,164
Kenosha	10,341	55.45%	1,517	8.13%	6,695	35.90%	96	0.51%	3,646	19.55%	18,649
Kewaunee	1,018	23.90%	395	9.27%	2,804	65.82%	43	1.01%	-1,786	-41.92%	4,260
La Crosse	5,733	32.49%	1,252	7.09%	10,543	59.74%	119	0.67%	-4,810	-27.26%	17,647
Lafayette	2,671	34.69%	1,265	16.43%	3,681	47.81%	82	1.07%	-1,010	-13.12%	7,699
Langlade	2,572	35.98%	926	12.95%	3,578	50.05%	73	1.02%	-1,006	-14.07%	7,149
Lincoln	1,857	26.84%	503	7.27%	4,465	64.54%	93	1.34%	-2,608	-37.70%	6,918
Manitowoc	4,828	29.54%	1,599	9.78%	9,814	60.04%	104	0.64%	-4,986	-30.50%	16,345
Marathon	5,577	29.22%	1,109	5.81%	12,193	63.88%	209	1.09%	-6,616	-34.66%	19,088
Marinette	4,911	54.68%	571	6.36%	3,411	37.98%	88	0.98%	1,500	16.70%	8,981
Marquette	1,109	31.19%	587	16.51%	1,820	51.18%	40	1.12%	-711	-19.99%	3,556
Milwaukee	50,730	34.27%	14,510	9.80%	81,697	55.19%	1,092	0.74%	-30,967	-20.92%	148,029
Monroe	2,661	26.70%	428	4.30%	6,747	67.71%	129	1.29%	-4,086	-41.00%	9,965
Oconto	2,562	33.12%	602	7.78%	4,506	58.25%	65	0.84%	-1,944	-25.13%	7,735
Oneida	1,769	33.07%	324	6.06%	3,196	59.74%	61	1.14%	-1,427	-26.67%	5,350
Outagamie	6,426	35.39%	1,255	6.91%	10,357	57.03%	122	0.67%	-3,931	-21.65%	18,160
Ozaukee	1,015	20.71%	592	12.08%	3,264	66.61%	29	0.59%	-2,249	-45.90%	4,900
Pepin	1,226	55.88%	206	9.39%	737	33.59%	25	1.14%	489	22.29%	2,194
Pierce	2,788	40.97%	298	4.38%	3,661	53.80%	58	0.85%	-873	-12.83%	6,805
Polk	2,793	37.57%	317	4.26%	4,251	57.18%	73	0.98%	-1,458	-19.61%	7,434
Portage	2,854	27.76%	2,010	19.55%	5,347	52.01%	69	0.67%	-2,493	-24.25%	10,280
Price	1,754	32.81%	323	6.04%	3,151	58.94%	118	2.21%	-1,397	-26.13%	5,346
Racine	13,040	50.21%	1,463	5.63%	11,298	43.51%	168	0.65%	1,742	6.71%	25,969
Richland	2,669	42.11%	898	14.17%	2,660	41.97%	111	1.75%	9	0.14%	6,338
Rock	14,815	60.92%	1,453	5.97%	7,923	32.58%	129	0.53%	6,892	28.34%	24,320
Rusk	1,932	39.11%	272	5.51%	2,677	54.19%	59	1.19%	-745	-15.08%	4,940
St. Croix	3,600	39.68%	718	7.91%	4,693	51.72%	62	0.68%	-1,093	-12.05%	9,073
Sauk	3,935	35.60%	555	5.02%	6,400	57.91%	162	1.47%	-2,465	-22.30%	11,052
Sawyer	990	37.53%	135	5.12%	1,487	56.37%	26	0.99%	-497	-18.84%	2,638
Shawano	2,063	23.01%	471	5.25%	6,337	70.69%	94	1.05%	-4,274	-47.67%	8,965
Sheboygan	6,974	34.56%	1,350	6.69%	11,714	58.04%	143	0.71%	-4,740	-23.49%	20,181
Taylor	1,389	29.49%	185	3.93%	3,079	65.37%	57	1.21%	-1,690	-35.88%	4,710
Trempealeau	2,083	31.26%	373	5.60%	4,148	62.24%	60	0.90%	-2,065	-30.99%	6,664
Vernon	2,670	30.41%	406	4.62%	5,599	63.78%	104	1.18%	-2,929	-33.36%	8,779
Vilas	873	42.11%	119	5.74%	1,038	50.07%	43	2.07%	-165	-7.96%	2,073
Walworth	7,484	57.22%	1,162	8.88%	4,335	33.14%	99	0.76%	3,149	24.07%	13,080
Washburn	1,422	38.91%	158	4.32%	2,043	55.90%	32	0.88%	-621	-16.99%	3,655
Washington	1,987	24.44%	980	12.05%	5,081	62.49%	83	1.02%	-3,094	-38.05%	8,131
Waukesha	7,026	45.45%	1,965	12.71%	6,348	41.06%	120	0.78%	678	4.39%	15,459
Waupaca	3,654	33.89%	665	6.17%	6,395	59.32%	67	0.62%	-2,741	-25.42%	10,781
Waushara	1,602	35.43%	249	5.51%	2,606	57.63%	65	1.44%	-1,004	-22.20%	4,522
Winnebago	11,239	48.70%	1,801	7.80%	9,891	42.86%	147	0.64%	1,348	5.84%	23,078
Wood	3,469	30.32%	548	4.79%	7,303	63.83%	122	1.07%	-3,834	-33.51%	11,442
Totals	311,614	37.06%	68,115	8.10%	453,678	53.96%	7,419	0.88%	-142,064	-16.90%	840,826

Notes

1. Due to conflicts over black civil rights and to their disenfranchisement, third-party “states’ rights” candidates carried four Confederate states in 1948, two in 1960 and five in 1968.
2. Because La Follette carried Wisconsin, and he and Coolidge were the top two candidates in the state and in every county, all margins given are Coolidge vote minus La Follette vote and all percentage margins Coolidge percentage minus La Follette 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. Moore, John A.; ‘The Original Supply Siders: Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge’; The Independent Review, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Spring 2014), pp. 597-618
9. Paulson, Arthur C.; Realignment and Party Revival: Understanding American Electoral Politics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century, p. 51 ISBN 0275968650
10. Ranney, Joseph A.; In the Wake of Slavery: Civil War, Civil Rights, and the Reconstruction of Southern Law; p. 141 ISBN 0275989720
11. Newman, Roger K.; The Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law, p. 153 ISBN 0300113005
12. Richardson, Danny G.; Others: "Fighting Bob" La Follette and the Progressive Movement: Third-Party Politics in the 1920s, p. 180 ISBN 0595481264
13. Richardson; Others, pp. 182-183
14. Moreno, Paul D.; The American State from the Civil War to the New Deal: The Twilight of Constitutionalism and the Triumph of Progressivism, p. 205 ISBN 1107067715
15. Parrish, Michael E.; Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Depression, 1920-1941, pp. 70-71 ISBN 0393311341
16. ‘La Follette’s Managers Claiming Nine States’; The Ridgway News (Ridgway, Illinois), July 24, 1924, p. 1
17. Tucker, Garland; High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge, and the 1924 Election, p. 191 ISBN 193711029X
18. Tucker; High Tide of American Conservatism, p. 231
19. "1924 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
20. "1924 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin". Retrieved August 18, 2016.
21. Wisconsin State Election Board; ‘Summary Vote for Presidential Electors, November 4, 1924’; Wisconsin Blue Book 1925 pp. 506-517