1900 United States presidential election in Florida

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1900 United States presidential election in Florida
Flag of Florida (1868-1900).png
  1896 November 6, 1900 1904  
  WilliamJBryan1902 3x4.jpg Mckinley (cropped).jpg Woolley-John-G-1898.tif
Nominee William Jennings Bryan William McKinley John G. Woolley
Party Democratic Republican Prohibition
Home state Nebraska Ohio Illinois
Running mate Adlai Stevenson I Theodore Roosevelt Henry B. Metcalf
Electoral vote400
Popular vote28,2737,3552,244
Percentage71.31%18.55%5.66%

Florida Presidential Election Results 1900.svg
County Results
Bryan
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%

The 1900 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 6, 1900. Florida voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-president.

Contents

The anti-Southern animus of the Harrison presidency meant Florida's large landowners felt the disfranchisement of blacks was urgent by 1889. [1] A poll tax was introduced in 1889 [2] as were the so-called “Myers” and “Dortch” laws which required voters in more populous settlements to register their voting precincts. [3] This dramatically cut voter registration amongst blacks and poorer whites, and since Florida completely lacked upland or German refugee whites opposed to secession, its Republican Party between 1872 and 1888 was entirely dependent upon black votes. Thus this disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites by a poll tax introduced in 1889 [4] left Florida as devoid of Republican adherents as Louisiana, Mississippi or South Carolina. [5] The Republican Party did not offer presidential electors in 1892, and it did not carry a single county in 1896.

Florida was won by the Democratic nominees, former U.S. Representative and 1896 Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and his running mate, former Vice President Adlai Stevenson I. They defeated the Republican nominees, incumbent President William McKinley of Ohio and his running mate Theodore Roosevelt of New York. Bryan won the state by a landslide margin of 52.76%.

With Bryan appealing to many pineywoods “crackers” who still paid the poll tax, he was able to improve upon his 1896 landslide. [6] The power of Baptist preachers in the settled northern part of the state, however, did produce considerable support for the Prohibition Party’s John G. Woolley in the white counties. [7] This stands as one of the ten occasions [a] when third or minor parties got over 5% of the vote in Florida. [8] This also marks the only time since its statehood that any president has won two terms without ever carrying Florida.

With 71.31% of the popular vote, Florida would prove to be Bryan's fourth strongest state in the 1900 presidential election only after South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana. [9]

Bryan had previously won Florida against McKinley four years earlier and would later win the state again in 1908 against William Howard Taft.

Results

1900 United States presidential election in Florida [8]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Democratic William Jennings Bryan 28,27371.31%4
Republican William McKinley (incumbent)7,75318.55%0
Prohibition John G. Woolley 2,2445.66%0
Populist Wharton Barker 1,1432.88%0
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 6341.60%0
Invalid or blank votes
Totals39,649100.00%4
Voter turnout

Results by county

CountyWilliam Jennings Bryan
Democratic
William McKinley
Republican
John Granville Woolley
Prohibition
Wharton Barker
Populist
Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist
MarginTotal votes cast [10]
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Alachua 1,34676.83%33419.06%170.97%502.85%90.51%1,01257.76%1,752
Baker 19858.41%11233.04%164.75%82.37%30.89%8625.37%339
Bradford 73463.39%27623.83%1018.82%211.83%131.14%45839.55%1,158
Brevard 51373.60%12117.36%446.30%182.58%20.29%39256.24%697
Calhoun 19667.12%3511.99%3010.27%289.59%31.03%16155.14%292
Citrus 41392.19%163.57%184.02%10.22%00.00%395 [b] 88.17%448
Clay 30871.13%9121.02%81.85%194.39%71.62%21750.12%433
Columbia 66366.70%25225.35%151.53%444.49%60.61%41141.35%994
Dade 80658.62%38928.29%1007.33%543.96%161.17%41730.33%1,375
De Soto 52663.99%13416.30%273.28%323.89%10312.53%39247.69%822
Duval 1,85766.49%77327.68%240.86%1033.69%311.11%1,08438.81%2,793
Escambia 1,43563.47%43219.11%34615.30%301.33%180.80%1,00344.36%2,261
Franklin 23956.10%14634.27%255.87%133.05%30.70%9321.83%426
Gadsden 68491.32%618.14%00.00%40.53%00.00%62383.18%749
Hamilton 32268.08%9620.30%387.87%132.69%142.90%22647.78%473
Hernando 25288.11%186.29%103.50%51.75%10.35%23481.82%286
Hillsborough 2,25769.55%34910.76%51415.84%361.11%892.74%1,743 [b] 53.71%3,245
Holmes 33972.75%6914.81%469.87%81.72%40.86%27057.94%466
Jackson 97878.43%17814.27%141.12%534.25%241.92%80064.15%1,247
Jefferson 71182.29%14316.55%40.46%60.69%00.00%56865.74%864
Lafayette 32689.07%215.74%133.55%61.64%00.00%30583.33%366
Lake 49270.49%14320.49%415.90%172.45%20.29%34950.00%698
Lee 27881.29%3911.40%205.85%20.58%30.88%23969.88%342
Leon 93280.28%16213.95%433.70%211.81%30.26%77066.32%1,161
Levy 38367.31%15727.59%40.70%234.04%20.35%22639.72%569
Liberty 12788.19%106.94%64.17%10.69%00.00%11781.25%144
Madison 51076.92%446.64%8312.65%71.07%121.83%427 [b] 64.27%663
Manatee 53581.68%609.16%426.10%91.31%426.10%47572.52%655
Marion 1,13275.02%26417.50%322.13%523.47%191.27%86857.52%1,509
Monroe 74766.28%25222.36%564.97%504.44%221.95%49543.92%1,127
Nassau 44170.56%14923.84%111.77%172.73%50.80%29246.72%625
Orange 85761.65%40228.92%523.75%564.04%181.30%45532.73%1,390
Osceola 26671.89%4211.35%4712.63%112.96%61.61%219 [b] 59.26%370
Pasco 49284.68%325.51%437.40%142.41%00.00%44977.28%581
Polk 98379.60%13310.77%90.73%241.94%866.96%850 [b] 68.83%1,235
Putnam 64865.32%25025.20%565.63%242.41%171.71%39840.12%992
St. John's 76470.35%23421.55%151.39%534.92%111.02%53048.80%1,086
Santa Rosa 51988.42%386.47%81.36%142.39%81.36%48181.95%587
Sumter 34381.28%5312.56%81.90%143.33%20.48%29068.72%422
Suwannee 67771.41%15316.14%768.04%343.60%50.53%52455.27%948
Taylor 25360.38%10525.06%51.20%5312.74%00.00%14835.32%419
Volusia 75567.47%25522.79%605.34%403.56%131.16%50044.68%1,119
Wakulla 25485.81%103.38%3210.81%00.00%00.00%222 [b] 75.00%296
Walton 38267.97%13924.73%305.34%111.96%00.00%24343.24%562
Washington 38749.05%29136.88%556.97%445.58%121.52%9612.17%789
Totals28,26071.05%7,46318.76%2,2445.64%1,1432.87%6340.51%20,79752.29%39,775

See also

Notes

  1. 1860, 1892, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1924, 1948, 1968 and 1992 are the others
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 In this county where Woolley ran second ahead of McKinley, margin given is Bryan vote minus Woolley vote and percentage margin Bryan percentage minus Woolley percentage.

References

  1. Perman, Michael; Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888-1908, pp. 67-68
  2. Brooker, Russell; The American Civil Rights Movement 1865-1950: Black Agency and People of Good Will, p. 61 ISBN   0739179926
  3. Ogden, Frederick D. (1958); The Poll Tax in the South, p. 118
  4. Silbey, Joel H. and Bogue, Allan G.; The History of American Electoral Behavior, p. 210 ISBN   140087114X
  5. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 ISBN   9780691163246
  6. Granthan, Dewey W.; The Life and Death of the Solid South: A Political History, p. 39 ISBN   0813148723
  7. Link, William A.; The Paradox of Southern Progressivism, 1880-1930, pp. 32-33 ISBN   0807862991
  8. 1 2 Leip, David. "1900 Presidential General Election Results – Florida". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  9. "1900 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  10. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 156-161 ISBN   9780804716963