1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Flag of Wisconsin (1866-1913).png
  1890 November 8, 1892 1894  
  George W Peck by Klein & Guttenstein (1).jpg Portrait of John Coit Spooner.jpg
Nominee George Wilbur Peck John Coit Spooner
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote178,095170,497
Percentage47.93%45.89%

1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Peck :     40-50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Spooner :     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Governor before election

George Wilbur Peck
Democratic

Elected Governor

George Wilbur Peck
Democratic

The 1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1892. Incumbent Democratic Governor George Wilbur Peck narrowly defeated Republican nominee John Coit Spooner, becoming the first Democratic governor of Wisconsin to be reelected since Nelson Dewey in 1849. [a]

Contents

During this era, Wisconsin leaned Republican but was competitive, with all but two gubernatorial elections since the Civil War having been decided by single digits. The Democrats had been swept to power in the state in 1890 due to backlash against the Bennett Law and other national Republican policies such as the McKinley Tariff. The state election was held at the same time as the presidential election, with Peck eking out a similar plurality to that of Grover Cleveland. After this election, however, the state would swing heavily in favor of the Republican Party as the existing Democratic Party's coalition disintegrated during the mid-1890s. Wisconsin would not elect another Democrat as governor until 1932.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

Other candidates

Results

1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election [1] [2] [b]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic George W. Peck (incumbent) 178,095 47.93% −3.93%
Republican John C. Spooner 170,49745.89%+3.18%
Prohibition Thomas C. Richmond13,1853.55%−0.09%
Populist Cyrus M. Butt 9,6382.59%+0.83%
Scattering20.00%
Blank1420.04%
Majority7,5982.04%
Turnout 371,559100.00%
Democratic hold Swing -7.12%

Results by county

Peck was the first Democrat since James B. Cross in 1857 to win Juneau County. However, Juneau County, along with Oconto County and Shawano County would not vote Democratic again until the next Democratic victory in 1932. Marinette County would also not vote Democratic again until 1934.

This was the last election until 1958 in which Clark County, Green County, and Waupaca County voted for the losing candidate. Even more impressively, however, this was the last time until 1978 that St. Croix County failed to vote for the statewide winner; its bellwether streak that would begin in the next election would reach 40 consecutive elections of voting for the winning candidate.

County [1] [2] George W. Peck
Democratic
John C. Spooner
Republican
Thomas C. Richmond
Prohibition
Cyrus M. Butt
Populist
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %
Adams 40828.94%96768.58%221.56%130.92%-559-39.65%1,410
Ashland 2,44448.52%2,39647.57%1442.86%531.05%480.95%5,037
Barron 78124.70%1,78456.42%1966.20%39912.62%-1,003-31.72%3,162 [c]
Bayfield 1,39147.80%1,42148.83%682.34%301.03%-30-1.03%2,910
Brown 3,68254.61%2,84242.15%1812.68%370.55%84012.46%6,742
Buffalo 1,39645.43%1,51349.24%632.05%1013.29%-117-3.81%3,073
Burnett 557.70%40356.44%16523.11%9112.75%-238 [d] -33.33%714
Calumet 1,87164.63%91931.74%240.83%812.80%95232.88%2,895
Chippewa 2,57351.27%1,95038.85%1903.79%3066.10%62312.41%5,019
Clark 1,72843.54%2,04651.55%1553.91%401.01%-318-8.01%3,969
Columbia 2,99444.45%3,28848.82%4046.00%490.73%-294-4.37%6,735
Crawford 1,61246.52%1,72749.84%521.50%742.14%-115-3.32%3,465
Dane 6,73846.88%6,58845.83%9766.79%710.49%1501.04%14,374 [e]
Dodge 6,83370.39%2,63127.10%2022.08%410.42%4,20243.29%9,707
Door 1,02037.39%1,57457.70%662.42%682.49%-554-20.31%2,728
Douglas 2,23139.02%2,93251.29%1943.39%3606.30%-701-12.26%5,717
Dunn 1,27929.86%2,17650.81%2215.16%60714.17%-897-20.94%4,283
Eau Claire 2,41942.45%2,70947.54%3916.86%1793.14%-290-5.09%5,698
Florence 19829.95%44767.62%111.66%50.76%-249-37.67%661
Fond du Lac 5,31854.67%4,07741.91%2402.47%930.96%1,24112.76%9,728
Forest 23949.90%22146.14%142.92%51.04%183.76%479
Grant 3,69043.92%4,20650.07%4335.15%710.85%-516-6.14%8,401 [e]
Green 2,07140.88%2,31145.62%3637.17%3216.34%-240-4.74%5,066
Green Lake 1,81753.88%1,43442.53%992.94%220.65%38311.36%3,372
Iowa 2,34646.93%2,26045.21%3647.28%290.58%861.72%4,999
Jackson 1,18934.07%2,06659.20%2085.96%270.77%-877-25.13%3,490
Jefferson 4,67661.74%2,66835.23%2132.81%170.22%2,00826.51%7,574
Juneau 2,01448.68%1,92946.63%1463.53%481.16%852.05%4,137
Kenosha 1,95951.74%1,60842.47%721.90%130.34%3519.27%3,786 [f]
Kewaunee 2,03978.42%53020.38%70.27%240.92%1,50958.04%2,600
La Crosse 3,81644.17%3,71342.98%3524.07%7588.77%1031.19%8,639
Lafayette 2,29546.34%2,36747.79%2144.32%771.55%-72-1.45%4,953
Langlade 1,29858.76%85338.61%462.08%120.54%44520.14%2,209
Lincoln 1,47950.22%98133.31%852.89%40013.58%49816.91%2,945
Manitowoc 4,34765.06%2,25433.73%280.42%530.79%2,09331.32%6,682
Marathon 3,82064.72%1,90132.21%741.25%1071.81%1,91932.51%5,902
Marinette 1,98546.56%1,81742.62%2024.74%2596.08%1683.94%4,263
Marquette 1,20556.33%87540.91%532.48%60.28%33015.43%2,139
Milwaukee 24,46548.23%24,48048.26%4950.98%1,2822.53%-15-0.03%50,722
Monroe 2,47946.00%2,53046.95%2705.01%1102.04%-51-0.95%5,389
Oconto 1,52151.44%1,26842.88%391.32%1294.36%2538.56%2,957
Oneida 1,32251.90%1,14344.88%361.41%461.81%1797.03%2,547
Outagamie 4,61260.30%2,71835.53%2212.89%981.28%1,89424.76%7,649
Ozaukee 2,12175.80%62022.16%100.36%471.68%1,50153.65%2,798
Pepin 53535.88%86057.68%865.77%100.67%-325-21.80%1,491
Pierce 1,24430.79%2,31957.40%3007.43%1774.38%-1,075-26.61%4,040
Polk 59924.48%1,45059.26%1837.48%2158.79%-851-34.78%2,447
Portage 2,60550.72%2,26544.10%2184.24%480.93%3406.62%5,136
Price 89142.82%1,09052.38%733.51%271.30%-199-9.56%2,081
Racine 3,76244.11%3,92446.01%3534.14%4895.73%-162-1.90%8,528
Richland 1,69638.57%2,20050.03%2335.30%2686.10%-504-11.46%4,397
Rock 4,25138.78%6,01754.88%5785.27%1171.07%-1,766-16.11%10,963
Sauk 3,18346.30%3,25047.27%3985.79%440.64%-67-0.97%6,875
Sawyer 33042.09%41152.42%374.72%60.77%-81-10.33%784
Shawano 2,05555.63%1,32635.90%471.27%2667.20%72919.73%3,694
Sheboygan 5,14256.99%3,61840.10%991.10%1641.82%1,52416.89%9,023
St. Croix 2,21842.78%2,51248.45%3887.48%671.29%-294-5.67%5,185
Taylor 92153.99%72442.44%301.76%311.82%19711.55%1,706
Trempealeau 1,52638.61%2,11353.47%2746.93%390.99%-587-14.85%3,952
Vernon 1,41727.34%3,07159.25%2404.63%4558.78%-1,654-31.91%5,183
Walworth 2,14832.34%3,91158.89%5087.65%741.11%-1,763-26.55%6,641
Washburn 32238.29%47256.12%323.80%151.78%-150-17.84%841
Washington 2,65060.93%1,67238.45%200.46%70.16%97822.49%4,349
Waukesha 3,62547.96%3,60347.67%2413.19%831.10%220.29%7,558 [g]
Waupaca 2,20637.16%3,38557.02%3045.12%420.71%-1,179-19.86%5,937
Waushara 78825.74%2,09768.51%1444.70%321.05%-1,309-42.76%3,061
Winnebago 5,95550.17%5,30544.70%3372.84%2722.29%6505.48%11,869
Wood 2,25054.97%1,75942.98%531.29%310.76%49112.00%4,093
Total178,09547.93%170,49745.89%13,1853.55%9,6382.59%7,5982.04%371,559

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Notes

  1. William A. Barstow's reelection in 1855 was declared illegitimate by the state Supreme Court in early 1856, although Barstow had begun serving the new term before being forced to resign.
  2. The Blue Book is an unreliable source for election data in Wisconsin from about 1890 to 1920. In this case, it has the correct totals but contains many mistakes in the county figures.
  3. Includes 2 Blank votes
  4. Spooner's margin over Richmond
  5. 1 2 Includes 1 Scattering vote
  6. Includes 134 Blank votes
  7. Includes 6 Blank votes

References

  1. 1 2 Wisconsin Historical Society, Tabular Statement of votes given for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent, Railroad Commissioner and Commissioner of Insurance, at the General Election held in the several towns, wards, villages and election districts in the several counties of the State of Wisconsin on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday being the 8th day of November, A.D. 1892
  2. 1 2 Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Tabular Statement of votes given for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent, Railroad Commissioner and Commissioner of Insurance, at the General Election held in the several towns, wards, villages and election districts in the several counties of the State of Wisconsin on the Tuesday next succeeding the first Monday being the 8th day of November, A.D. 1892". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The Milwaukee Litho. & Engr. Co. pp. 300–301.