1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Flag of Wisconsin (1866-1913).png
  1877 November 4, 1879 1881  
  William E. Smith.jpg Judge James G. Jenkins.png Reuben May.png
Nominee William E. Smith James Graham Jenkins Reuben May
Party Republican Democratic Greenback
Popular vote100,53575,03026,216
Percentage53.19%39.70%6.88%

1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Smith :     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Jenkins :     40-50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

Governor before election

William E. Smith
Republican

Elected Governor

William E. Smith
Republican

The 1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1879. Incumbent Republican Governor William E. Smith ran for re-election to a second term. The Democratic convention initially nominated Alexander Mitchell for Governor, but Mitchell declined the nomination; in his place, Milwaukee attorney James Graham Jenkins received the nomination. [1] Smith and Jenkins also faced a Greenback candidate and a nominee from the nascent Prohibition Party in the general election. [2] Smith ultimately won re-election in a landslide, winning 53% of the vote Jenkins's 40%. Reuben May, the Greenback nominee, received only 7% of the vote, a significant erosion from the Party's 15% in 1877.

Contents

Results

1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election [3] [4] [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican William E. Smith (inc.) 100,535 53.19% +8.98%
Democratic James G. Jenkins 75,03039.70%+0.13%
Greenback Reuben May 12,9966.88%−7.84%
Prohibition W. R. Bloomfield3870.20%−0.02%
Scattering570.03%
Majority25,50513.49%
Total votes189,005 100.00%
Republican hold Swing +8.85%

Results by county

Smith was the first Republican to ever carry Milwaukee County. Participating in its first election, Marinette County voted for Smith and would continue to vote for the statewide winner in every election until 1932. After voting for Jenkins in this election, Shawano County would not back the losing candidate again until 1942.

County [3] [4] [5] William E. Smith
Republican
James G. Jenkins
Democratic
Reuben May
Greenback
W. R. Bloomfield
Prohibition
Scattering
Write-in
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Adams 68871.97%20121.03%677.01%00.00%00.00%48750.94%956
Ashland 17761.03%11338.97%00.00%00.00%00.00%6422.07%290
Barron 70971.47%28028.23%20.20%00.00%10.10%42943.25%992
Bayfield 8373.45%3026.55%00.00%00.00%00.00%5346.90%113
Brown 2,03046.15%2,25051.15%1172.66%00.00%20.05%-220-5.00%4,399
Buffalo 1,32461.58%81537.91%110.51%00.00%00.00%50923.67%2,150
Burnett 38794.62%225.38%00.00%00.00%00.00%36589.24%409
Calumet 77730.75%1,51960.11%2158.51%150.59%10.04%-742-29.36%2,527
Chippewa 81646.00%78544.25%1729.70%00.00%10.06%311.75%1,774
Clark 1,00566.87%34723.09%15110.05%00.00%00.00%65843.78%1,503
Columbia 2,76260.49%1,67336.64%1262.76%50.11%00.00%1,08923.85%4,566
Crawford 93846.74%75537.62%31415.65%00.00%00.00%1839.12%2,007
Dane 4,62350.21%4,07244.22%5015.44%60.07%60.07%5515.98%9,208
Dodge 2,67037.44%4,13958.03%3094.33%130.18%10.01%-1,469-20.60%7,132
Door 61359.86%949.18%31530.76%00.00%20.20%298 [a] 29.10%1,024
Douglas 3961.90%2438.10%00.00%00.00%00.00%1523.81%63
Dunn 1,35668.48%62131.36%30.15%00.00%00.00%73537.12%1,980
Eau Claire 1,48858.15%1,03140.29%391.52%00.00%10.04%45717.86%2,559
Fond du Lac 3,58444.65%3,83447.76%5837.26%240.30%20.02%-250-3.11%8,027
Grant 3,11157.18%1,70331.30%62511.49%00.00%20.04%1,40825.88%5,441
Green 2,00057.69%1,10431.84%36110.41%00.00%20.06%89625.84%3,467
Green Lake 1,09252.98%63730.91%33216.11%00.00%00.00%45522.08%2,061
Iowa 1,77550.31%1,44741.01%3058.65%00.00%10.03%3289.30%3,528
Jackson 1,83675.84%38715.99%1927.93%60.25%00.00%1,44959.85%2,421
Jefferson 2,30143.62%2,76052.32%2103.98%00.00%40.08%-459-8.70%5,275
Juneau 1,22751.79%92639.09%2169.12%00.00%00.00%30112.71%2,369
Kenosha 1,18054.60%96644.70%150.69%00.00%00.00%2149.90%2,161
Kewaunee 25422.18%88877.55%30.26%00.00%00.00%-634-55.37%1,145
La Crosse 2,23456.16%91022.88%79920.09%350.88%00.00%1,32433.28%3,978
Lafayette 1,67348.98%1,61947.39%1153.37%90.26%00.00%541.58%3,416
Lincoln 17263.70%4918.15%4918.15%00.00%00.00%12345.56%270
Manitowoc 1,89840.98%2,72858.91%50.11%00.00%00.00%-830-17.92%4,631
Marathon 66128.94%1,33458.41%28912.65%00.00%00.00%-673-29.47%2,284
Marinette 97879.64%24820.20%00.00%20.16%00.00%73059.45%1,228
Marquette 61443.55%74752.98%412.91%70.50%10.07%-133-9.43%1,410
Milwaukee 8,68257.19%6,41042.22%890.59%00.00%00.00%2,27214.97%15,181
Monroe 1,86257.31%99230.53%39512.16%00.00%00.00%87026.78%3,249
Oconto 86756.26%67343.67%10.06%00.00%00.00%19412.59%1,541
Outagamie 1,29830.88%2,50059.48%4059.64%00.00%00.00%-1,202-28.60%4,203
Ozaukee 51923.33%1,48566.74%2209.89%00.00%10.04%-966-43.42%2,225
Pepin 62977.85%17721.91%20.25%00.00%00.00%45255.94%808
Pierce 1,51469.71%33515.42%31814.64%00.00%50.23%1,17954.28%2,172
Polk 1,19679.79%30320.21%00.00%00.00%00.00%89359.57%1,499
Portage 1,42051.64%1,21844.29%983.56%130.47%10.04%2027.35%2,750
Price 3931.97%8166.39%21.64%00.00%00.00%-42-34.43%122
Racine 2,54756.57%1,76639.23%1643.64%250.56%00.00%78117.35%4,502
Richland 1,71362.91%58021.30%42815.72%00.00%20.07%1,13341.61%2,723
Rock 4,16968.80%1,60026.40%2183.60%691.14%40.07%2,56942.39%6,060
Sauk 2,38764.65%91724.84%38410.40%40.11%00.00%1,47039.82%3,692
Shawano 51541.97%69956.97%131.06%00.00%00.00%-184-15.00%1,227
Sheboygan 2,11342.61%2,13042.95%71414.40%00.00%20.04%-17-0.34%4,959
St. Croix 1,84655.94%1,38341.91%120.36%591.79%00.00%46314.03%3,300
Taylor 29653.53%25646.29%10.18%00.00%00.00%407.23%553
Trempealeau 1,69770.77%30112.55%37115.47%281.17%10.04%1,326 [a] 55.30%2,398
Vernon 2,09265.83%37711.86%70722.25%00.00%20.06%1,385 [a] 43.58%3,178
Walworth 3,28673.78%1,09524.58%551.23%170.38%10.02%2,19149.19%4,454
Washington 1,27735.88%2,19061.53%862.42%60.17%00.00%-913-25.65%3,559
Waukesha 2,57449.20%2,46847.17%1903.63%00.00%00.00%1062.03%5,232
Waupaca 1,83057.31%1,05332.98%2999.36%110.34%00.00%77724.33%3,193
Waushara 1,48783.73%1699.52%1126.31%00.00%80.45%1,31874.21%1,776
Winnebago 3,08648.32%2,43938.19%82712.95%330.52%20.03%64710.13%6,387
Wood 51939.98%37528.89%40331.05%00.00%10.08%116 [a] 9.93%1,298
Total100,53553.19%75,03039.70%12,9966.88%3870.20%570.03%25,50513.49%189,005

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Greenback to Republican

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Smith's margin over May

References

  1. Nesbit 1985, p. 577.
  2. "Capital Notes". Mineral Point Weekly Tribune. Mineral Point, Wis. September 25, 1879. p. 4. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Tabular Statement of the votes polled for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General and State Superintendent, for the term commencing on the first Monday of January A.D. 1880, at the general election held in the several towns, wards, villages and election districts in the State of Wisconsin, on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday, being the fourth day of November, A.D. 1879
  4. 1 2 Wisconsin Secretary of State (1880). "Appendix "P"". Annual Reports of the Secretary of State and Commissioners of Public Printing of the State of Wisconsin for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 1880. Madison, Wisconsin: David Atwood, State Printer. pp. 132–133.
  5. 1 2 Wisconsin Secretary of State (1880). "Table of Votes". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin. pp. 270–271.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Bibliography