1908 United States presidential election in Indiana

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1908 United States presidential election in Indiana
Flag of Indiana (1903-1917).png
  1904 November 3, 1908 1912  
  William Howard Taft, Bain bw photo portrait, 1908.jpg Unsuccessful 1908.jpg
Nominee William Howard Taft William Jennings Bryan
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Ohio Nebraska
Running mate James S. Sherman John W. Kern
Electoral vote150
Popular vote348,993338,262
Percentage48.40%46.91%

Indiana Presidential Election Results 1908.svg
County Results

President before election

Theodore Roosevelt
Republican

Elected President

William Howard Taft
Republican

The 1908 United States presidential election in Indiana took place on November 3, 1908. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Ever since the Civil War, partisan alliances in Indiana had been related to history of White settlement, with most of Southern Indiana and German-settled counties voting strongly Democratic, opposed to Yankee-settled Northern Indiana which voted Republican. [1] Between the end of the Civil War and the end of the Third Party System, elections in the state were always very close; although the state become more Republican when William Jennings Bryan’s free silver policy drove conservative Democrats to the Republican party for the following two decades and would lead to him to lose to William McKinley in 1896 and 1900. [2] However, until Alton B. Parker lost the state by thirteen points in 1904, Indiana’s strong Southern leanings meant its Democratic counties remained very loyal and the state remained much closer than the other “Lower North” states of Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. [3]

For 1908, third-time Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan nominated, under the advice of future Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, former Indianapolis city solicitor John W. Kern as his running mate in an effort to capture this electorally crucial state that had not voted for a popular vote loser since 1848. [4] However, Republican nominee, Secretary of War William Howard Taft would nonetheless achieve the fourth consecutive Republican win in the state by the narrow margin of 1.49 percentage points.

Results

1908 United States presidential election in Indiana [5]
PartyCandidateRunning matePopular voteElectoral vote
Count%Count%
Republican William Howard Taft of Ohio James Schoolcraft Sherman of New York 348,99348.40%15100.00%
Democratic William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska John Worth Kern of Indiana 338,26246.91%00.00%
Prohibition Eugene Wilder Chafin of Illinois Aaron Sherman Watkins of Ohio 18,8452.50%00.00%
Socialist Eugene Victor Debs of Indiana Benjamin Hanford of New York 13,4761.87%00.00%
Populist Thomas Edward Watson of Georgia Samuel Williams of Indiana 1,1930.17%00.00%
Socialist Labor August Gillhaus of New York Donald L. Munro of Virginia 6430.09%00.00%
Independence Thomas Louis Hisgen of Massachusetts John Temple Graves of Georgia 5140.07%00.00%
Total721,126100.00%15100.00%

Results by county

1908 United States presidential election in Indiana by county
CountyWilliam Howard Taft [6]
Republican
William Jennings Bryan [6]
Democratic
Eugene Wilder Chafin [6]
Prohibition
Eugene V. Debs [6]
Socialist
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %# %
Adams 1,72632.63%3,40464.36%1412.67%130.25%50.09%-1,678-31.73%5,289
Allen 9,46842.06%12,14553.95%3401.51%4942.19%660.29%-2,677-11.89%22,513
Bartholomew 3,30646.13%3,63750.75%1512.11%590.82%140.20%-331-4.62%7,167
Benton 1,93653.48%1,56643.26%1032.85%150.41%00.00%37010.22%3,620
Blackford 1,83543.10%2,21452.00%1663.90%420.99%10.02%-379-8.90%4,258
Boone 3,47148.22%3,52548.97%1662.31%110.15%250.35%-54-0.75%7,198
Brown 66334.60%1,17761.43%683.55%50.26%30.16%-514-26.83%1,916
Carroll 2,54647.46%2,59048.28%1522.83%681.27%90.17%-44-0.82%5,365
Cass 4,70045.44%5,23450.60%3493.37%380.37%230.22%-534-5.16%10,344
Clark 3,70646.56%4,08551.33%821.03%680.85%180.23%-379-4.76%7,959
Clay 3,76643.79%4,20448.88%1101.28%4995.80%220.26%-438-5.09%8,601
Clinton 3,62647.20%3,68047.90%2813.66%781.02%170.22%-54-0.70%7,682
Crawford 1,40344.50%1,53948.81%1264.00%822.60%30.10%-136-4.31%3,153
Daviess 3,42448.38%3,25345.97%1341.89%2042.88%620.88%1712.42%7,077
De Kalb 2,99142.41%3,68452.24%2874.07%630.89%270.38%-693-9.83%7,052
Dearborn 2,52041.81%3,36555.83%941.56%410.68%70.12%-845-14.02%6,027
Decatur 2,83850.62%2,56445.73%1592.84%390.70%70.12%2744.89%5,607
Delaware 7,01451.29%5,72541.86%4753.47%3162.31%1461.07%1,2899.43%13,676
Dubois 1,39728.88%3,34469.12%360.74%581.20%30.06%-1,947-40.24%4,838
Elkhart 6,24548.19%5,69743.96%5964.60%4003.09%210.16%5484.23%12,959
Fayette 2,39455.77%1,70039.60%1142.66%811.89%40.09%69416.17%4,293
Floyd 3,43143.85%4,06451.94%941.20%2262.89%100.13%-633-8.09%7,825
Fountain 2,89448.90%2,84648.09%1222.06%450.76%110.19%480.81%5,918
Franklin 1,67038.23%2,61659.89%741.69%70.16%10.02%-946-21.66%4,368
Fulton 2,42649.34%2,35047.79%1252.54%130.26%30.06%761.55%4,917
Gibson 3,75348.44%3,65647.19%2413.11%861.11%110.14%971.25%7,747
Grant 7,18149.42%5,81940.05%1,1407.85%3392.33%520.36%1,3629.37%14,531
Greene 4,14544.17%4,17244.45%840.90%9309.91%540.58%-27-0.29%9,385
Hamilton 4,42156.48%2,94737.65%4355.56%240.31%10.01%1,47418.83%7,828
Hancock 2,47243.50%3,04053.49%1462.57%220.39%30.05%-568-9.99%5,683
Harrison 2,41946.17%2,64650.51%1001.91%671.28%70.13%-227-4.33%5,239
Hendricks 3,23154.28%2,57143.19%1462.45%00.00%50.08%66011.09%5,953
Henry 4,35854.63%3,19740.07%3324.16%610.76%300.38%1,16114.55%7,978
Howard 4,42350.60%3,49740.01%5506.29%2552.92%160.18%92610.59%8,741
Huntington 3,97347.62%3,71244.49%4054.85%2412.89%130.16%2613.13%8,344
Jackson 2,63139.93%3,78357.41%1402.12%300.46%50.08%-1,152-17.48%6,589
Jasper 1,93955.19%1,49542.56%701.99%70.20%20.06%44412.64%3,513
Jay 3,25645.75%3,37047.35%4265.99%530.74%120.17%-114-1.60%7,117
Jefferson 2,99550.06%2,70845.26%1762.94%971.62%70.12%2874.80%5,983
Jennings 2,10051.23%1,87145.65%1012.46%210.51%60.15%2295.59%4,099
Johnson 2,51942.04%3,26854.54%1933.22%90.15%30.05%-749-12.50%5,992
Knox 4,24742.53%5,11651.24%1991.99%3753.76%480.48%-869-8.70%9,985
Kosciusko 4,37754.45%3,36241.82%2332.90%540.67%130.16%1,01512.63%8,039
La Porte 5,82449.52%5,68048.30%1261.07%1030.88%270.23%1441.22%11,760
Lagrange 2,35760.13%1,41436.07%1333.39%100.26%60.15%94324.06%3,920
Lake 9,49960.97%5,50235.32%1250.80%3031.94%1500.96%3,99725.66%15,579
Lawrence 3,88453.77%3,11843.16%931.29%1191.65%100.14%76610.60%7,224
Madison 7,48143.48%8,29648.22%4972.89%8945.20%360.21%-815-4.74%17,204
Marion 34,35148.67%34,07848.28%8391.19%1,0751.52%2370.34%2730.39%70,580
Marshall 2,94745.31%3,28750.54%1993.06%550.85%160.25%-340-5.23%6,504
Martin 1,66748.35%1,73350.26%340.99%110.32%30.09%-66-1.91%3,448
Miami 3,82045.26%4,17649.48%2332.76%1872.22%240.28%-356-4.22%8,440
Monroe 3,05151.48%2,78046.91%771.30%140.24%40.07%2714.57%5,926
Montgomery 4,42749.64%4,22747.39%1952.19%440.49%260.29%2002.24%8,919
Morgan 3,07450.98%2,78946.25%1212.01%440.73%20.03%2854.73%6,030
Newton 1,64556.47%1,19040.85%652.23%80.27%50.17%45515.62%2,913
Noble 3,50750.72%3,24946.99%1201.74%290.42%90.13%2583.73%6,914
Ohio 61949.13%62249.37%161.27%30.24%00.00%-3-0.24%1,260
Orange 2,43353.92%1,96143.46%701.55%440.98%40.09%47210.46%4,512
Owen 1,72644.53%2,02352.19%611.57%511.32%150.39%-297-7.66%3,876
Parke 3,02648.35%2,70743.25%3155.03%2043.26%70.11%3195.10%6,259
Perry 1,90343.93%2,35654.39%340.78%370.85%20.05%-453-10.46%4,332
Pike 2,35947.88%2,36047.90%591.20%1312.66%180.37%-1-0.02%4,927
Porter 2,94059.88%1,78936.44%781.59%591.20%440.90%1,15123.44%4,910
Posey 2,44442.49%3,08453.62%1472.56%691.20%80.14%-640-11.13%5,752
Pulaski 1,56144.20%1,83251.87%1012.86%140.40%240.68%-271-7.67%3,532
Putnam 2,62644.31%3,13152.83%1212.04%360.61%120.20%-505-8.52%5,926
Randolph 4,79260.90%2,60033.05%3804.83%871.11%90.11%2,19227.86%7,868
Ripley 2,66047.65%2,74949.25%881.58%761.36%90.16%-89-1.59%5,582
Rush 3,10252.96%2,54443.44%1913.26%130.22%70.12%5589.53%5,857
Scott 97942.96%1,24354.54%512.24%30.13%30.13%-264-11.58%2,279
Shelby 3,52944.54%4,03550.93%2523.18%951.20%120.15%-506-6.39%7,923
Spencer 2,92051.54%2,66246.98%611.08%180.32%50.09%2584.55%5,666
St. Joseph 11,22253.92%8,56241.14%2721.31%7053.39%520.25%2,66012.78%20,813
Starke 1,52152.18%1,30544.77%431.48%391.34%70.24%2167.41%2,915
Steuben 2,70462.00%1,45333.32%1824.17%130.30%90.21%1,25128.69%4,361
Sullivan 2,94235.67%4,65756.46%2252.73%3984.83%260.32%-1,715-20.79%8,248
Switzerland 1,44447.27%1,53750.31%581.90%140.46%20.07%-93-3.04%3,055
Tippecanoe 6,16453.42%4,98443.19%2892.50%650.56%370.32%1,18010.23%11,539
Tipton 2,39546.45%2,55649.57%1833.55%130.25%90.17%-161-3.12%5,156
Union 1,06654.25%80841.12%733.72%180.92%00.00%25813.13%1,965
Vanderburgh 9,11649.43%8,03343.56%1350.73%1,0345.61%1250.68%1,0835.87%18,443
Vermillion 2,56850.83%1,84436.50%2174.30%4078.06%160.32%72414.33%5,052
Vigo 10,22345.76%10,68547.82%2571.15%6903.09%4872.18%-462-2.07%22,342
Wabash 4,09153.55%3,11640.79%3374.41%871.14%90.12%97512.76%7,640
Warren 2,09265.09%1,04532.51%702.18%30.09%40.12%1,04732.58%3,214
Warrick 2,83948.37%2,78247.40%1382.35%1011.72%90.15%570.97%5,869
Washington 1,97642.58%2,57355.44%741.59%120.26%60.13%-597-12.86%4,641
Wayne 6,73157.34%4,50338.36%1791.52%3082.62%170.14%2,22818.98%11,738
Wells 2,18535.92%3,34554.99%4827.92%651.07%60.10%-1,160-19.07%6,083
White 2,42349.26%2,32647.29%1442.93%190.39%70.14%971.97%4,919
Whitley 2,30246.57%2,49350.43%1342.71%130.26%10.02%-191-3.86%4,943
Totals348,99348.40%338,26246.91%18,0362.50%13,4761.87%2,3590.33%10,7311.49%721,126

See also

References

  1. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 343 ISBN   9780691163246
  2. Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 352
  3. Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. McFarland. p. 37. ISBN   0786422173.
  4. Southwick, Leslie H. (1998). Presidential also-rans and running mates, 1788 through 1996 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. pp. 457–458. ISBN   0-7864-0310-1. OCLC   37379896.
  5. "1908 Presidential General Election Results — Indiana". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1908". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €30 including full minor party figures)