As a result of his win in the state, Wilson became the first Democratic presidential candidate to outright carry North Dakota, although Grover Cleveland did receive an electoral vote under a fusion ticket run in the state's first presidential election two decades earlier. He would later win the state again four years later. This election marks the last time four different candidates won at least one county within one individual state. This feat would be shared by Kansas in the same election; however, the only other occurrences in presidential election history have been in Missouri in 1860, and in Illinois and Virginia in 1824.
Primary elections
The first state-wide presidential preference primaries were held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912. Under North Dakota law, a candidate could be placed on a party's primary ballot by petition. A candidate needed the signatures of 5% of registered Republicans in each congressional district. Three days were allowed to object to signatures.[2] Only John Burke appeared on the Democratic Party ballot. The Republican Party ballot included William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Robert M. La Follette.[3]
A primary for the Democratic presidential candidate was held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912. Only John Burke appeared on the ballot for the Democratic primary, allowing him to receive all 9,357 votes.[3]
1912 North Dakota Democratic presidential primary[3]
A primary for the Republican presidential candidate was held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912.[3] The state's progressive organization, led by Senator Asle Gronna, had committed to La Follette in 1911, while the conservative faction of the party under L. B. Hanna supported Roosevelt.[4] La Follette committees had been active for months in nearly every precinct, whereas Roosevelt organizers were slow to establish a presence in the state. John F. Bass, brother of New Hampshire governor Robert P. Bass, was sent to manage Roosevelt's campaign in the state, which displeased some of his supporters who viewed Bass as an outsider.[5]
La Follette won the primary with 34,123 votes to Roosevelt's 23,669 and Taft's 1,876,[3] bounding all 10 delegates to vote for him in the convention.[6] Following Roosevelt's defeat, Bass claimed that "our reports indicate that practically all the Democrats have voted for La Fol-lette. If the Democrats had stayed out of the Republican primary there is no question that Roosevelt would have won."[5]
According to an analysis of some of the early returns by The New York Times, La Follette received approximately 80 percent of the Norwegian vote in the six big valley counties and drew strong support in the communities where he had spoken during the week before the primary.[5]
1912 North Dakota Republican presidential primary[3]
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