1912 United States presidential election in New York

Last updated

1912 United States presidential election in New York
Flag of New York (1909-2020).svg
  1908 November 5, 1912 1916  
Turnout72.1% [1] Decrease2.svg 7.6 pp
  Woodrow Wilson-H&E.jpg Unsuccessful 1912.jpg Unsuccessful 1912 2.jpg
Nominee Woodrow Wilson William Howard Taft Theodore Roosevelt
Party Democratic Republican Progressive
Home state New Jersey Ohio New York
Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Nicholas Murray Butler Hiram Johnson
Electoral vote4500
Popular vote655,573455,487390,093
Percentage41.27%28.68%24.56%

New York Presidential Election Results 1912.svg
County Results

President before election

William Howard Taft
Republican

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

The 1912 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 5, 1912. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose 45 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Contents

New York was won by the Democratic nominees, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson and his running mate, Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall. Opposing him were the Republican nominees, incumbent President William Howard Taft and Vice President James S. Sherman, and the Progressive Party candidates, former President Theodore Roosevelt and his running mate California Governor Hiram Johnson. Also in the running was the Socialist Party candidate, Eugene V. Debs, who ran with Emil Seidel.

Wilson won New York with a plurality of 41.27% of the vote, Taft came in second, with 28.68%, and Roosevelt came in third, with 24.56%. Wilson's margin over Taft was thus 12.59%, whilst Debs came in fourth, with 3.99%. In terms of margin, Wilson finished 18.6 percentage points ahead of Taft nationally, but only 12.6 percentage points ahead of Taft in New York State, so New York State weighed in at about 6% more Republican than the nation in the 1912 presidential election. Wilson's vote margin of victory over Taft in the state was by 200,086 votes.

New York during the Fourth Party System was usually a Republican state in presidential elections. However the strong third party run by former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt as the Bull Moose Party candidate against the incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft split the Republican vote, enabling Woodrow Wilson as the Democratic candidate to win New York State's electoral votes in 1912 with a plurality of only 41% of the vote. Were Taft and Roosevelt voters united behind a single Republican candidate, they would have taken a combined majority of over 53% of the vote. This was the only presidential election during the Fourth Party System that New York voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Prior to 1912, New York had not given its electoral votes to a Democratic presidential candidate since Grover Cleveland in 1892. Wilson would lose New York State four years later in the midst of his re-election against Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, and the state would not vote Democratic again until 1932.

Results

1912 United States presidential election in New York [2]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Democratic Woodrow Wilson 655,57341.27%45
Republican William Howard Taft (incumbent)455,48728.68%0
Progressive Theodore Roosevelt 390,09324.56%0
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 63,4343.99%0
Prohibition Eugene W. Chafin 19,4551.22%0
Socialist Labor Arthur E. Reimer 4,2730.27%0
Totals1,588,315100.0%45

New York City results

1912 Presidential Election in New York City Manhattan The Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Total
Democratic Woodrow Wilson 166,157109,74828,0768,445312,42647.06%
47.79%44.86%50.32%53.60%
Progressive Theodore Roosevelt 98,98571,17314,9673,771188,89628.45%
28.47%29.09%26.82%23.93%
Republican William Howard Taft 63,10751,2399,2013,035126,58219.07%
18.15%20.94%16.49%19.26%
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 18,12411,4593,32932733,2395.01%
5.21%4.68%5.97%2.08%
Socialist Labor Arthur E. Reimer 930568117341,6490.25%
0.27%0.23%0.21%0.22%
Prohibition Eugene W. Chafin 3524761081451,0810.16%
0.10%0.19%0.19%0.92%
TOTAL347,655244,66355,79815,757663,873100.00%

Results by county

CountyThomas Woodrow Wilson
Democratic
William Howard Taft
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt
Progressive "Bull Moose"
Eugene Victor Debs [3]
Socialist
Eugene Wilder Chafin [3]
Prohibition
Arthur Elmer Reimer [3]
Socialist Labor
MarginTotal votes cast [4]
# %# %# %# %# %# %# %
Albany 17,23540.07%20,41847.47%4,48710.43%6251.45%1980.46%520.12%-3,183-7.40%43,015
Allegany 2,77728.15%3,66837.19%2,66427.01%2832.87%4494.55%230.23%-891-9.04%9,864
Broome 6,53335.79%7,94943.55%2,58614.17%3551.94%7984.37%310.17%-1,416-7.76%18,252
Cattaraugus 4,88634.02%4,82033.56%3,48724.28%6084.23%5373.74%250.17%660.46%14,363
Cayuga 4,69134.05%5,78842.01%2,42817.62%5263.82%2912.11%530.38%-1,097-7.96%13,777
Chautauqua 4,95422.68%7,89936.16%6,57730.11%1,3546.20%9474.34%1130.52%1,322 [lower-alpha 1] 6.05%21,844
Chemung 6,00846.27%3,31725.54%2,73321.05%4103.16%4943.80%230.18%2,69120.73%12,985
Chenango 3,34135.29%4,04342.71%1,60917.00%981.04%3663.87%90.10%-702-7.42%9,466
Clinton 3,32338.09%3,90344.74%1,20713.84%520.60%2152.46%230.26%-580-6.65%8,723
Columbia 4,59946.73%3,74138.01%1,31813.39%780.79%900.91%150.15%8588.72%9,841
Cortland 2,28330.86%2,95939.99%1,62922.02%700.95%4466.03%120.16%-676-9.13%7,399
Delaware 4,51138.45%4,73140.32%1,89516.15%3292.80%2552.17%120.10%-220-1.87%11,733
Dutchess 8,87143.43%8,91643.65%2,12610.41%2041.00%2821.38%260.13%-45-0.22%20,425
Erie 33,51839.38%19,18522.54%26,35330.96%4,7795.61%6800.80%5980.70%7,165 [lower-alpha 2] 8.42%85,113
Essex 2,07029.26%3,12744.20%1,72024.31%680.96%781.10%120.17%-1,057-14.94%7,075
Franklin 2,71132.30%3,93046.82%1,36316.24%740.88%2983.55%170.20%-1,219-14.52%8,393
Fulton 2,55025.90%3,74138.00%2,17322.07%1,04310.59%2702.74%690.70%-1,191-12.10%9,846
Genesee 2,65632.14%3,23139.10%2,06124.94%810.98%2252.72%100.12%-575-6.96%8,264
Greene 3,64748.82%2,71136.29%81810.95%931.24%1952.61%70.09%93612.53%7,471
Hamilton 49343.44%45440.00%16314.36%70.62%181.59%00.00%393.44%1,135
Herkimer 5,12237.72%4,66534.35%3,12923.04%4593.38%1631.20%420.31%4573.37%13,580
Jefferson 6,05434.35%6,69237.97%3,60320.44%6023.42%6353.60%380.22%-638-3.62%17,624
Kings 109,74844.86%51,23920.94%71,17329.09%11,4594.68%4760.19%5680.23%38,575 [lower-alpha 2] 15.77%244,663
Lewis 2,33938.39%2,06433.87%1,51224.82%310.51%1392.28%80.13%2754.52%6,093
Livingston 3,20335.70%3,72641.52%1,78619.89%510.57%2002.23%70.08%-523-5.82%8,973
Madison 3,16431.86%3,49035.15%2,70927.28%2902.92%2452.47%320.32%-326-3.29%9,930
Monroe 17,86333.34%16,88031.51%14,91927.85%2,9435.49%7051.32%2670.50%9831.83%53,577
Montgomery 4,50837.57%5,04042.00%1,89415.78%4083.40%1211.01%280.23%-532-4.43%11,999
Nassau 7,07338.14%4,60824.85%6,56335.39%1500.81%1420.77%100.05%510 [lower-alpha 2] 2.75%18,546
New York 166,15747.79%63,10718.15%98,98528.47%18,1245.21%3520.10%9300.27%67,172 [lower-alpha 2] 19.32%347,655
Niagara 7,64740.66%5,65430.06%4,25622.63%7664.07%4272.27%580.31%1,99310.60%18,808
Oneida 12,18236.17%11,24533.39%8,33224.74%1,2673.76%4541.35%1960.58%9372.78%33,676
Onondaga 15,82734.47%16,20235.29%10,69423.29%2,4305.29%6021.31%1620.35%-375-0.82%45,917
Ontario 4,73438.55%4,89739.88%2,27818.55%1661.35%1911.56%130.11%-163-1.33%12,279
Orange 9,40439.14%10,36443.14%3,50914.61%3981.66%2811.17%700.29%-960-4.00%24,026
Orleans 2,44833.94%2,98341.36%1,43219.86%731.01%2683.72%80.11%-535-7.42%7,212
Oswego 5,25632.84%5,99637.47%3,95024.68%1490.93%6273.92%250.16%-740-4.63%16,003
Otsego 5,33842.23%5,13840.65%1,69613.42%1250.99%3352.65%90.07%2001.58%12,641
Putnam 1,32141.13%1,26739.45%59318.46%90.28%200.62%20.06%541.68%3,212
Queens 28,07650.32%9,20116.49%14,96726.82%3,3295.97%1080.19%1170.21%13,109 [lower-alpha 2] 23.50%55,798
Rensselaer 11,68442.50%10,85339.48%3,73513.59%8593.12%2620.95%980.36%8313.02%27,491
Richmond 8,44553.60%3,03519.26%3,77123.93%3272.08%1450.92%340.22%4,674 [lower-alpha 2] 29.67%15,757
Rockland 4,24146.87%2,22124.55%2,30225.44%1781.97%870.96%190.21%1,939 [lower-alpha 2] 21.43%9,048
Saratoga 5,29636.16%6,40143.71%2,64018.03%310.21%2721.86%40.03%-1,105-7.55%14,644
Schenectady 5,34532.19%5,23031.49%2,22013.37%3,45620.81%2451.48%1110.67%1150.70%16,607
Schoharie 3,35551.58%2,39136.76%5808.92%410.63%1362.09%20.03%96414.82%6,505
Schuyler 1,41637.15%1,64943.26%52713.82%842.20%1283.36%80.21%-233-6.11%3,812
Seneca 2,57338.07%2,33634.57%1,08216.01%1982.93%5438.03%260.38%2373.50%6,758
St. Lawrence 5,32928.52%8,40444.98%4,22122.59%3411.82%3621.94%280.15%-3,075-16.46%18,685
Steuben 7,39638.97%5,98631.54%4,10921.65%6493.42%8134.28%270.14%1,4107.43%18,980
Suffolk 7,87840.08%5,59528.47%5,48427.90%3441.75%3191.62%350.18%2,28311.61%19,655
Sullivan 3,86447.75%3,03937.56%96111.88%1361.68%790.98%130.16%82510.19%8,092
Tioga 2,40037.31%2,64241.08%1,05216.36%1261.96%1993.09%130.20%-242-3.77%6,432
Tompkins 3,27240.38%2,23727.61%2,06825.52%1231.52%3774.65%260.32%1,03512.77%8,103
Ulster 8,51043.58%7,48538.33%2,95115.11%1510.77%4062.08%230.12%1,0255.25%19,526
Warren 2,80235.17%3,15539.60%1,60820.18%2553.20%1271.59%210.26%-353-4.43%7,968
Washington 3,55531.68%4,59340.94%2,60523.22%1981.76%2552.27%140.12%-1,038-9.26%11,220
Wayne 3,93433.26%4,77040.32%2,57421.76%820.69%4613.90%80.07%-836-7.06%11,829
Westchester 21,16039.40%15,84329.50%15,05128.02%1,3452.50%2890.54%230.04%5,3179.90%53,711
Wyoming 2,54132.05%2,83835.79%2,27028.63%610.77%2122.67%70.09%-297-3.74%7,929
Yates 1,45633.34%1,79541.10%90520.72%831.90%1152.63%130.30%-339-7.76%4,367
Totals655,57341.27%455,48728.68%390,09324.56%63,4343.99%19,4551.22%4,2730.27%200,086!12.79%1,588,315

Analysis

Although Theodore Roosevelt finished strong for a third-party candidate with 24.56% of the vote, New York was not amongst his strongest states. New York's Republican Party organization [5] and traditional Republican voters proved to be mostly loyal to President Taft as the official Republican nominee. While Roosevelt came in second place nationally ahead of Taft, Taft beat Roosevelt in New York State and finished second in the state behind Wilson. While Taft won the most counties in New York state, 32 compared to Wilson's 29, Roosevelt failed to win a single county in New York state. As a result, Roosevelt was the last candidate to claim an electoral vote in a presidential election without winning any county in his home state until Mitt Romney 100 years later. [lower-alpha 3] Debs performed best in upstate Schenectady County, where he broke 20% of the vote, and it was the only county in the state where Debs finished third, ahead of Roosevelt. In the more sparsely populated rural counties of Upstate New York, Debs tended to be beaten down into fifth place by Prohibition candidate Chafin. While Debs got 3.99% of New York state's vote compared to Chafin's 1.22%, Debs finished below Chafin in 34 of the state's 61 counties.

Wilson won many counties in New York which have been Republican bastions for most of history. However, aside from Schoharie County, every upstate county won by Wilson was won with a plurality of less than fifty percent of the vote and some with less than forty percent. He was the first Democrat to win Cattaraugus County since 1836, Herkimer, Tompkins, and Steuben counties since 1852, Lewis County since 1876, Monroe and Nassau counties for the first time ever, Oneida, Suffolk, Sullivan, and Otsego counties since 1884, and Putnam County since 1868.

Wilson won pluralities in several suburban counties surrounding New York City and in Long Island, as well as several in upstate New York, that would not vote Democratic again until Lyndon B. Johnson swept the state in the 1964 Democratic landslide, namely Cattaraugus, Columbia, Herkimer, Lewis, Nassau, Putnam, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Tompkins, Ulster, and Westchester counties.

Johnson alone has since won Putnam [6] and Steuben Counties. [7] Despite Wilson's relatively strong showing on the county map, upstate New York nevertheless remained one of the most loyally Republican regions in the nation in the 1912 election, and the majority of counties in the region still favored Taft. Taft's most significant wins in the state were his victories in Albany County, home to the state capital of Albany, and Onondaga County, home to the city of Syracuse, while most of his victories came from the many rural counties upstate. However, due to the Republican split, Wilson became the first Democrat to carry the state outside of New York City since 1852, albeit with a 15,000-vote plurality. This would not occur again until 1964.

See also

Notes

  1. In this county where Roosevelt ran second ahead of Wilson, the margin and percentage margin given are those between Taft and Roosevelt (Taft positive).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 In this county where Roosevelt ran second ahead of Taft, the margins given are those between Wilson and Roosevelt and percentage margin Wilson percentage minus Roosevelt percentage.
  3. James B. Weaver, the Populist candidate in 1892, is the only other case since the Civil War: he won five states but no county in his home state of Iowa.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election</span> 32nd quadrennial election

The 1912 United States presidential election was the 32nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1912. Democratic Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey unseated incumbent Republican President William Howard Taft while defeating former President Theodore Roosevelt and Socialist Party nominee Eugene V. Debs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 5, 1912 as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. This was the first time that Arizona and New Mexico took part in a presidential election having been admitted to the Union earlier in the year. Voters chose 38 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Montana</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Montana took place on November 5, 1912 as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Massachusetts</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose 18 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Vermont</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in New Jersey</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 5, 1912. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Wisconsin</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 5, 1912 as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 13 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Minnesota</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 5, 1912 as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Minnesota voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Ohio</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Ohio took place on November 5, 1912 as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 24 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Connecticut</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Connecticut took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose seven representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Maine</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Maine took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Maine was won by the Democratic nominees, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson and Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall. Wilson and Marshall defeated incumbent President William Howard Taft, and his running mate Vice President James S. Sherman and Progressive Party candidates, former President Theodore Roosevelt and his running mate California Governor Hiram Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose eight representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Oregon</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose five representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Missouri</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Missouri took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose 18 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Michigan</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Louisiana</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Louisiana took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose ten representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Kentucky</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Kentucky took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Kentucky voters chose 13 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Kansas</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Kansas took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Indiana</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Indiana took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 15 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1912 United States presidential election in Illinois</span>

The 1912 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 29 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

References

  1. Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, p. 1072.
  2. "1912 Presidential Election Results - New York". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Géoelections; 1912 Presidential Election Popular Vote for Eugene Debs (xlsx file for €15)
  4. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 275-280 ISBN   9780804716963
  5. Robinson; Edgar Eugene; 'Distribution of the Presidential Vote of 1912'; The American Journal of Sociology; 20(1) (1914); pp. 18-30
  6. The Political Graveyard; Putnam County, New York
  7. The Political Graveyard; Steuben County, New York