1912 United States presidential election in California
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Turnout | 71.68% (of registered voters) 45.11% (of eligible voters) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in California |
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The 1912 United States presidential election in California took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 13 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
California narrowly voted for the Progressive Party nominee, former president Theodore Roosevelt, over the Democratic nominee, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, though two electors cast their votes for Wilson. Although Roosevelt was the candidate of the “Bull Moose” Progressive Party nationally, in California and South Dakota he gained the support of the state Republican Party and acquired the "Republican" line, whilst the incumbent, and national GOP nominee William Howard Taft did not appear on the ballot and was a write-in candidate.[a] Roosevelt's running mate was incumbent Governor of California Hiram Johnson.
This was the fourth occasion in which California's electoral vote was split, rather than being awarded to a single candidate. The previous occasions when this happened were in 1880, 1892, and 1896.[2] This occurred because, at the time, electors were not awarded based upon the popular vote in the presidential preference vote. Instead, voters cast votes for individual electors, with the thirteen top vote-getters among elector nominees becoming elected the state's members of the United States Electoral College.[3] A split in the electoral vote would never again occur in California.
This was the closest presidential election in California history, with Roosevelt winning by just 174 votes out of 677,944 cast, a margin of 0.02567%. It remains the fourth-closest presidential race in any state in history, behind Florida in 2000, Maryland in 1832, and Maryland in 1904, the latter of which also involved Roosevelt.[b]
Although Wilson narrowly failed to win the state, he did become the first Democrat to carry Napa, Solano[c] and Marin Counties since James Buchanan in 1856, the first to carry San Mateo and Sierra County since Stephen A. Douglas in 1860, the first to win San Diego County since 1868, the first to ever carry Ventura County, which had been created in 1872, and the first to carry Calaveras County and Sutter County since 1876.[4] Since this election, Solano County has voted Democratic in all but six Republican landslide elections of 1920, 1924, 1928, 1972, 1980 and 1984.
With 41.83% of the popular vote, California would prove to be Roosevelt's second-strongest state in terms of popular vote percentage in the 1912 election after South Dakota.[5] California would not vote for the losing candidate again until 1960.
Results
[edit]Party | Pledged to | Elector | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | A. J. Wallace | 283,610 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Thomas F. Griffin | 283,436 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Charles S. Wheeler | 283,193 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | George C. Pardee | 283,057 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Marshall Stimson | 282,910 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Philip Bancroft | 282,888 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | John P. McLaughlin | 282,868 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Frank H. Devlin | 282,790 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Florence Collins Porter | 282,781 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | R. G. Fernald | 282,676 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | M. B. Harris | 282,671 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | Ralph W. Bull | 282,653 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | R. F. Del Valle | 282,651 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | J. W. Finney | 282,594 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Henry E. Monroe | 282,594 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | T. W. H. Shanahan | 282,579 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Clarence F. Lea | 282,578 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Joseph F. Tobin | 282,530 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | F. B. Lynch | 282,516 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Stephen J. Sill | 282,432 | |
Republican Party (Progressive) | Theodore Roosevelt | M. A. Luce | 282,383 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | George W. Mordecai | 282,325 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | E. L. Doheny | 282,309 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Mary Bourn Tucker | 282,215 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | Mary E. Foy | 282,213 | |
Democratic Party | Woodrow Wilson | George M. Cooley | 282,198 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | W. M. Boyd | 79,201 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Job Harriman | 78,910 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Dr. A. E. Briggs | 78,905 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | H. F. Whitley | 78,867 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | T. W. Williams | 78,860 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | James Andrews | 78,813 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Rose Walker | 78,791 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Jennie Ream | 78,757 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | H. J. Duffy | 78,740 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Ida Kinney | 78,735 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | J. R. Cothran | 78,709 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Ethel Lynn | 78,689 | |
Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Mary Garbutt | 78,534 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Annie E. K. Bidwell | 23,366 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Stephen H. Taft | 23,265 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Frank Willard Emerson | 23,144 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Ellsworth L. Rich | 23,053 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Lucy S. Blanchard | 23,052 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | William P. Fassett | 23,040 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Frederick Head | 23,010 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Stella B. Irvine | 23,004 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Henry French | 23,001 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Simeon P. Meads | 22,997 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Byron E. Paddock | 22,995 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Edward F. Van Vlear | 22,988 | |
Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Thomas K. Bear | 22,983 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Anson S. Blake | 3,914 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Fred A. Dodge | 3,908 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Arthur E. Miller | 3,903 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Jotham Bixby | 3,902 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Charles N. Felton | 3,896 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Norman Bridge | 3,783 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Ross Campbell | 3,753 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Charles E. Clinch | 3,677 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Mrs. K. M. Flynn | 3,582 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Joseph Martin | 3,525 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Robert Sweeney | 3,313 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Simon Levi | 3,057 | |
Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Andrea Sbarboro | 2,847 | |
Write-in | Scattering | 4,417 | ||
Votes cast[d] | 677,944 |
Results by county
[edit]County | Theodore Roosevelt Republican/Progressive "Bull Moose" |
Woodrow Wilson Democratic |
Eugene V. Debs Socialist |
Eugene W. Chafin Prohibition |
William Howard Taft Republican (write-in) |
Scattering Write-in |
Margin | Total votes cast[e] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Alameda | 31,542 | 47.47% | 24,418 | 36.75% | 9,332 | 14.04% | 1,160 | 1.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 7,124 | 10.72% | 66,452 |
Alpine | 36 | 45.00% | 34 | 42.50% | 2 | 2.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 8 | 10.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 2.50% | 80 |
Amador | 684 | 27.33% | 1,622 | 64.80% | 135 | 5.39% | 57 | 2.28% | 5 | 0.20% | 0 | 0.00% | -938 | -37.48% | 2,503 |
Butte | 3,365 | 38.14% | 4,028 | 45.66% | 930 | 10.54% | 489 | 5.54% | 10 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | -663 | -7.52% | 8,822 |
Calaveras | 750 | 24.28% | 1,869 | 60.51% | 399 | 12.92% | 66 | 2.14% | 5 | 0.16% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,119 | -36.23% | 3,089 |
Colusa | 810 | 29.26% | 1,760 | 63.58% | 111 | 4.01% | 84 | 3.03% | 3 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | -950 | -34.32% | 2,768 |
Contra Costa | 3,539 | 42.38% | 3,290 | 39.40% | 1,300 | 15.57% | 181 | 2.17% | 40 | 0.48% | 0 | 0.00% | 249 | 2.98% | 8,350 |
Del Norte | 376 | 44.60% | 323 | 38.32% | 104 | 12.34% | 40 | 4.74% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 53 | 6.29% | 843 |
El Dorado | 776 | 28.40% | 1,613 | 59.04% | 278 | 10.18% | 49 | 1.79% | 16 | 0.59% | 0 | 0.00% | -837 | -30.64% | 2,732 |
Fresno | 8,839 | 42.71% | 8,891 | 42.96% | 2,278 | 11.01% | 590 | 2.85% | 95 | 0.46% | 3 | 0.01% | -52 | -0.25% | 20,696 |
Glenn | 906 | 37.21% | 1,325 | 54.41% | 126 | 5.17% | 67 | 2.75% | 11 | 0.45% | 0 | 0.00% | -419 | -17.21% | 2,435 |
Humboldt | 3,609 | 42.20% | 2,887 | 33.76% | 1,781 | 20.83% | 177 | 2.07% | 93 | 1.09% | 5 | 0.06% | 722 | 8.44% | 8,552 |
Imperial | 1,420 | 42.17% | 1,295 | 38.46% | 446 | 13.25% | 193 | 5.73% | 13 | 0.39% | 0 | 0.00% | 125 | 3.71% | 3,367 |
Inyo | 431 | 26.49% | 806 | 49.54% | 305 | 18.75% | 77 | 4.73% | 8 | 0.49% | 0 | 0.00% | -375 | -23.05% | 1,627 |
Kern | 3,647 | 33.88% | 5,569 | 51.73% | 1,300 | 12.08% | 182 | 1.69% | 67 | 0.62% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,922 | -17.85% | 10,765 |
Kings | 1,419 | 35.94% | 1,967 | 49.82% | 406 | 10.28% | 156 | 3.95% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -548 | -13.88% | 3,948 |
Lake | 649 | 30.10% | 1,118 | 51.86% | 266 | 12.34% | 123 | 5.71% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -469 | -21.75% | 2,156 |
Lassen | 559 | 39.59% | 644 | 45.61% | 148 | 10.48% | 34 | 2.41% | 27 | 1.91% | 0 | 0.00% | -85 | -6.02% | 1,412 |
Los Angeles | 75,593 | 45.73% | 55,110 | 33.34% | 19,895 | 12.04% | 8,190 | 4.95% | 2,181 | 1.32% | 4,327 | 2.62% | 20,483 | 12.39% | 165,296 |
Madera | 943 | 38.98% | 1,154 | 47.71% | 226 | 9.34% | 89 | 3.68% | 1 | 0.04% | 6 | 0.25% | -211 | -8.72% | 2,419 |
Marin | 2,750 | 42.97% | 2,849 | 44.52% | 733 | 11.45% | 68 | 1.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -99 | -1.55% | 6,400 |
Mariposa | 306 | 26.15% | 689 | 58.89% | 138 | 11.79% | 17 | 1.45% | 20 | 1.71% | 0 | 0.00% | -393 | -32.74% | 1,170 |
Mendocino | 2,237 | 39.61% | 2,507 | 44.39% | 752 | 13.31% | 141 | 2.50% | 11 | 0.19% | 0 | 0.00% | -270 | -4.78% | 5,648 |
Merced | 1,571 | 37.16% | 1,978 | 46.78% | 441 | 10.43% | 228 | 5.39% | 10 | 0.24% | 0 | 0.00% | -407 | -9.63% | 4,228 |
Modoc | 608 | 35.47% | 941 | 54.90% | 119 | 6.94% | 45 | 2.63% | 1 | 0.06% | 0 | 0.00% | -333 | -19.43% | 1,714 |
Mono | 106 | 28.73% | 182 | 49.32% | 67 | 18.16% | 11 | 2.98% | 3 | 0.81% | 0 | 0.00% | -76 | -20.60% | 369 |
Monterey | 3,081 | 42.02% | 3,392 | 46.26% | 557 | 7.60% | 301 | 4.11% | 1 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | -311 | -4.24% | 7,332 |
Napa | 2,432 | 42.52% | 2,662 | 46.55% | 478 | 8.36% | 126 | 2.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 21 | 0.37% | -230 | -4.02% | 5,719 |
Nevada | 1,381 | 34.40% | 1,851 | 46.11% | 648 | 16.14% | 111 | 2.77% | 23 | 0.57% | 0 | 0.00% | -470 | -11.71% | 4,014 |
Orange | 5,143 | 45.03% | 4,406 | 38.58% | 896 | 7.85% | 852 | 7.46% | 123 | 1.08% | 1 | 0.01% | 737 | 6.45% | 11,421 |
Placer | 1,913 | 43.91% | 1,823 | 41.84% | 481 | 11.04% | 125 | 2.87% | 15 | 0.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 90 | 2.07% | 4,357 |
Plumas | 762 | 42.78% | 742 | 41.66% | 236 | 13.25% | 30 | 1.68% | 11 | 0.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 20 | 1.12% | 1,781 |
Riverside | 5,146 | 50.94% | 2,963 | 29.33% | 1,036 | 10.25% | 834 | 8.25% | 124 | 1.23% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,183 | 21.61% | 10,103 |
Sacramento | 7,534 | 39.23% | 9,869 | 51.39% | 1,553 | 8.09% | 213 | 1.11% | 36 | 0.19% | 0 | 0.00% | -2,335 | -12.16% | 19,205 |
San Benito | 1,054 | 40.96% | 1,253 | 48.70% | 179 | 6.96% | 74 | 2.88% | 13 | 0.51% | 0 | 0.00% | -199 | -7.73% | 2,573 |
San Bernardino | 6,202 | 40.42% | 5,835 | 38.03% | 1,901 | 12.39% | 1,233 | 8.04% | 172 | 1.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 367 | 2.39% | 15,343 |
San Diego | 7,922 | 36.46% | 9,731 | 44.79% | 2,873 | 13.22% | 1,139 | 5.24% | 63 | 0.29% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,809 | -8.33% | 21,728 |
San Francisco | 38,610 | 38.17% | 48,953 | 48.40% | 12,354 | 12.21% | 1,158 | 1.14% | 65 | 0.06% | 8 | 0.01% | -10,343 | -10.23% | 101,148 |
San Joaquin | 4,314 | 31.40% | 7,969 | 58.00% | 995 | 7.24% | 426 | 3.10% | 35 | 0.25% | 0 | 0.00% | -3,655 | -26.60% | 13,739 |
San Luis Obispo | 2,373 | 42.73% | 2,248 | 40.48% | 704 | 12.68% | 214 | 3.85% | 13 | 0.23% | 1 | 0.02% | 125 | 2.25% | 5,553 |
San Mateo | 2,825 | 40.44% | 3,246 | 46.47% | 827 | 11.84% | 80 | 1.15% | 7 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | -421 | -6.03% | 6,985 |
Santa Barbara | 3,395 | 46.78% | 2,819 | 38.84% | 619 | 8.53% | 357 | 4.92% | 68 | 0.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 576 | 7.94% | 7,258 |
Santa Clara | 10,868 | 46.97% | 9,173 | 39.64% | 2,068 | 8.94% | 824 | 3.56% | 173 | 0.75% | 33 | 0.14% | 1,695 | 7.33% | 23,139 |
Santa Cruz | 3,059 | 42.77% | 2,875 | 40.20% | 892 | 12.47% | 323 | 4.52% | 3 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 184 | 2.57% | 7,152 |
Shasta | 1,636 | 34.93% | 2,040 | 43.55% | 938 | 20.03% | 54 | 1.15% | 16 | 0.34% | 0 | 0.00% | -404 | -8.63% | 4,684 |
Sierra | 483 | 41.71% | 515 | 44.47% | 133 | 11.49% | 13 | 1.12% | 10 | 0.86% | 4 | 0.35% | -32 | -2.76% | 1,158 |
Siskiyou | 1,740 | 34.99% | 2,465 | 49.57% | 633 | 12.73% | 104 | 2.09% | 29 | 0.58% | 2 | 0.04% | -725 | -14.58% | 4,973 |
Solano | 3,353 | 41.95% | 3,650 | 45.66% | 781 | 9.77% | 169 | 2.11% | 40 | 0.50% | 0 | 0.00% | -297 | -3.72% | 7,993 |
Sonoma | 5,806 | 40.89% | 6,500 | 45.78% | 1,494 | 10.52% | 367 | 2.58% | 32 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | -694 | -4.89% | 14,199 |
Stanislaus | 3,143 | 39.78% | 3,127 | 39.58% | 749 | 9.48% | 864 | 10.94% | 17 | 0.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 16 | 0.20% | 7,900 |
Sutter | 846 | 41.11% | 1,063 | 51.65% | 79 | 3.84% | 65 | 3.16% | 5 | 0.24% | 0 | 0.00% | -217 | -10.54% | 2,058 |
Tehama | 1,218 | 36.01% | 1,595 | 47.16% | 388 | 11.47% | 168 | 4.97% | 13 | 0.38% | 0 | 0.00% | -377 | -11.15% | 3,382 |
Trinity | 343 | 34.44% | 461 | 46.29% | 182 | 18.27% | 9 | 0.90% | 1 | 0.10% | 0 | 0.00% | -118 | -11.85% | 996 |
Tulare | 4,283 | 42.21% | 4,293 | 42.31% | 1,233 | 12.15% | 265 | 2.61% | 73 | 0.72% | 0 | 0.00% | -10 | -0.10% | 10,147 |
Tuolumne | 755 | 28.76% | 1,459 | 55.58% | 363 | 13.83% | 38 | 1.45% | 8 | 0.30% | 2 | 0.08% | -704 | -26.82% | 2,625 |
Ventura | 2,055 | 42.52% | 2,108 | 43.62% | 426 | 8.81% | 169 | 3.50% | 71 | 1.47% | 4 | 0.08% | -53 | -1.10% | 4,833 |
Yolo | 1,332 | 33.35% | 2,239 | 56.06% | 301 | 7.54% | 113 | 2.83% | 9 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | -907 | -22.71% | 3,994 |
Yuba | 1,132 | 43.36% | 1,242 | 47.57% | 186 | 7.12% | 34 | 1.30% | 17 | 0.65% | 0 | 0.00% | -110 | -4.21% | 2,611 |
Total | 283,610 | 41.834% | 283,436 | 41.808% | 79,201 | 11.68% | 23,366 | 3.45% | 3,914 | 0.58% | 4,417 | 0.65% | 174 | 0.026% | 677,944 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
[edit]- Amador
- Butte
- Calaveras
- Fresno
- Kern
- Kings
- Lassen
- Madera
- Marin
- Mendocino
- Merced
- Modoc
- Mono
- Monterey
- Napa
- Nevada
- Sacramento
- San Benito
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Mateo
- Shasta
- Sierra
- Siskiyou
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Sutter
- Tehama
- Tulare
- Trinity
- Tuolumne
- Ventura
- Yolo
- Yuba
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Other incumbent Presidents not on the ballot in all states have been Benjamin Harrison in Florida in 1892, Taft in South Dakota during this 1912 election, Harry S. Truman in Alabama in 1948, and Lyndon B. Johnson also in Alabama in 1964.
- ^ Although Roosevelt won Maryland by fifty-one votes, voters in Maryland in those days voted for individual electors and only one Republican, elector, Charles Bonaparte, survived the tally. The other seven top vote recipients were Democrats.
- ^ "Southern Democrat" John Breckinridge (Buchanan's Vice-President) did carry Solano County in 1860
- ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
- ^ Based on the highest elector on each ticket
References
[edit]- ^ "Historical Voter Registration and Participation in Statewide General Elections 1910-2018" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "DIVIDED ELECTORAL VOTES". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe. November 11, 1912. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ "NEITHER SIDE WINS STATE". Newspapers.com. Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 16, 1912. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 153-155 ISBN 0786422173
- ^ "1912 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Statement of the Vote of California at the General Election held November 5, 1912. Sacramento, California. pp. 4–13. Retrieved July 15, 2024.