1928 United States presidential election in Georgia

Main article: 1928 United States presidential election

1928 United States presidential election in Georgia

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Nominee Al Smith Herbert Hoover Party Democratic Republican Alliance Anti-Smith Democratic Home state New York California Running mate Joseph T. Robinson Charles Curtis Electoral vote 14 0 Popular vote 129,602 99,368 Percentage 56.56% 43.36%

County results Smith   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%   90-100% Hoover   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%

President before election Calvin Coolidge Republican Elected President Herbert Hoover Republican

The 1928 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 6, 1928, as part of the wider United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

With the exception of a handful of historically Unionist North Georgia counties – chiefly Fannin but also to a lesser extent Pickens, Gilmer and Towns – Georgia since the 1880s had been a one-party state dominated by the Democratic Party. Disfranchisement of almost all African-Americans and most poor whites had made the Republican Party virtually nonexistent outside of local governments in those few hill counties, ^[1] and the national Democratic Party served as the guardian of white supremacy against a Republican Party historically associated with memories of Reconstruction. The only competitive elections were Democratic primaries, which state laws restricted to whites on the grounds of the Democratic Party being legally a private club. ^[2]

However, with all other prominent Democrats sitting the election out, ^[3] the party nominated Alfred E. Smith, four-term Governor of New York as its nominee for 1928, with little opposition. Smith had been the favorite for the 1924 nomination, but had lost due to opposition to his Catholic faith and "wet" views on Prohibition: he wished to repeal or modify the Volstead Act.

Once Smith was nominated – despite his attempt to dispel fears by nominating "dry" Southern Democrat Joseph T. Robinson as his running mate ^[4] – extreme fear ensued in the South, which had no experience of the Southern and Eastern European Catholic immigrants who were Smith's local constituency. Southern fundamentalist Protestants believed that Smith would allow papal and priestly leadership in the United States, which Protestantism was a reaction against. ^[5]

Prior to this election, Georgia was, along with Texas, the only state that had never voted Republican for president, even during Reconstruction. In Georgia, many Protestant ministers were strongly opposed to Smith. ^[6] However, with the state’s large number of majority-black counties, there was great opposition to Hoover because of the strong Republican association with Reconstruction and black political power. ^[7]

The Smith/Robinson ticket carried the state of Georgia on election day, making Georgia– with Texas simultaneously voting Republican for the first time– now the only state to have never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. Nonetheless, Hoover did fare better than any other GOP presidential nominee in Georgia history, ^[8] and his vote percentage would not be beaten until Barry Goldwater carried the state in 1964, by when the national Democratic Party had become firmly linked with black civil rights. As in the rest of the South, Hoover’s gains were largely confined to areas with few blacks, where he gained up to fifty percent in Forsyth and Wilkes counties, and in other northern upcountry counties he gained over forty percent. Nevertheless, unlike most Black Belt areas where there was no pro-Hoover trend, ^[9] in some heavily black counties like Long, Effingham, and McDuffie, where the white voting population was substantially German Lutheran and intensely hostile to Catholicism, Hoover did make large gains, ^[7] meaning that Georgia was one of only two states where any counties with nonvoting black majorities deserted Smith. Hoover also made large gains from the newly developing urban middle class in Atlanta and Augusta, ^[9] where his gains on Coolidge were comparable to the most anti-Catholic upcountry areas.

Results

At the time, Georgia voters technically voted on their ballots for a slate of presidential electors, not for the candidates themselves, with each party selecting one elector to represent each of the state's 12 congressional districts, plus two at-large electors, for a total slate of 14 electors. Therefore, the vote totals for each presidential candidate here are equal to that of the individual elector who received the highest number of votes for their respective party.

1928 United States presidential election in Georgia [10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Al Smith	129,602	56.56%	14
	Republican	Herbert Hoover	99,368 [lower-alpha 1]	43.36%	0
	Socialist	Norman Thomas	124 [lower-alpha 2]	0.05%	0
	Workers (Communist)	William Foster	64 [lower-alpha 2]	0.03%	0

Results by individual elector

State at-large

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	John S. Candler	Democratic Party	129,602	28.28
	C. C. Brantley	Democratic Party	129,595	28.28
	Charles Adamson	Republican Party	63,498	13.85
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,870	7.83
		Total	99,368	21.68
	Mary Harris Armor	Republican Party	63,495	13.85
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,871	7.83
		Total	99,366	21.68
	James M. Elder	Socialist Party of America	124	0.03
	M. Raoul Millis	Socialist Party of America	124	0.03
	L. W. War	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.01
	C. S. Knight	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.01
Total			458,307	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 1st congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Samuel B. Adams	Democratic Party	129,593	56.57
	Frank Durden	Republican Party	63,449	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,850	15.65
		Total	99,299	43.35
	Henry Applebaum	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Ernest Carl Fullerton	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,080	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 2nd congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	L. D. Passmore	Democratic Party	129,587	56.57
	J. M. Patterson	Republican Party	63,452	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,851	15.65
		Total	99,303	43.35
	Mildred Hicks	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Max Singer	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,078	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 3rd congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	E. A. Rogers	Democratic Party	129,588	56.57
	Charles E. Brown	Republican Party	63,452	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,850	15.65
		Total	99,302	43.35
	D. J. Eddridge	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Denny G. Katz	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,078	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 4th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	W. R. Jones	Democratic Party	129,598	56.57
	Henry O. Lovvorn	Republican Party	63,494	27.72
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,867	15.66
		Total	99,361	43.37
	J. F. Ligon	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	S. J. Letheis	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,147	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 5th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Edgar Watkins, Sr.	Democratic Party	129,591	56.57
	Mrs. Marvin Williams	Republican Party	63,450	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,853	15.65
		Total	99,303	43.35
	Mary Krause	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Nathan Mazer	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,082	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 6th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Edgar Blalock	Democratic Party	129,592	56.57
	George S. Jones	Republican Party	63,452	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,850	15.65
		Total	99,302	43.35
	T. J. Herrington	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Adam Wehmer	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,082	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 7th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	N. A. Morris	Democratic Party	129,591	56.57
	Fred D. Noble	Republican Party	63,450	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,851	15.65
		Total	99,301	43.35
	Frederick Tippens	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Sam Nasson	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,080	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 8th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Ernest Camp	Democratic Party	129,592	56.57
	Mrs. C. A. Vernoy	Republican Party	63,450	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,853	15.65
		Total	99,303	43.35
	Emily Hay	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	H. C. Boatner	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,083	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 9th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	B. P. Gaillard	Democratic Party	129,591	56.57
	W. A. Carlisle	Republican Party	63,452	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,850	15.65
		Total	99,302	43.35
	W. W. Edwards	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	Harry Harains	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,081	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 10th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	E. A. Tigner	Democratic Party	129,592	56.57
	E. J. Forrester	Republican Party	63,460	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,853	15.65
		Total	99,313	43.35
	W. B. Wall	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	W. G. McCoy	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,093	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 11th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	John W. Bennett	Democratic Party	129,591	56.57
	Dan T. Cowart	Republican Party	63,451	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,851	15.65
		Total	99,302	43.35
	T. H. Blizzard	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	O. R. Hutchinson	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,081	100.00
Source: [11]

From the 12th congressional district

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	J. W. Palmer	Democratic Party	129,592	56.57
	J. H. Rush	Republican Party	63,452	27.70
		Anti-Smith Democratic	35,845	15.65
		Total	99,297	43.35
	S. A. Alexander	Socialist Party of America	124	0.05
	J. K. Eiseler	Workers (Communist) Party	64	0.03
Total			229,077	100.00
Source: [11]

Results by county

County	Alfred Emmanuel Smith Democratic		Herbert Clark Hoover Republican/“Anti-Smith”		Margin		Total votes cast [12]
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Appling	415	41.75%	579	58.25%	-164	-16.50%	994
Atkinson	350	74.31%	121	25.69%	229	48.62%	471
Bacon	305	60.04%	203	39.96%	102	20.08%	508
Baker	462	82.35%	99	17.65%	363	64.71%	561
Baldwin	712	72.51%	270	27.49%	442	45.01%	982
Banks	422	53.76%	363	46.24%	59	7.52%	785
Barrow	479	41.19%	684	58.81%	-205	-17.63%	1,163
Bartow	830	49.76%	838	50.24%	-8	-0.48%	1,668
Ben Hill	1,006	68.62%	460	31.38%	546	37.24%	1,466
Berrien	735	87.50%	105	12.50%	630	75.00%	840
Bibb	2,289	52.42%	2,078	47.58%	211	4.83%	4,367
Bleckley	641	90.03%	71	9.97%	570	80.06%	712
Brantley	166	49.11%	172	50.89%	-6	-1.78%	338
Brooks	770	80.04%	192	19.96%	578	60.08%	962
Bryan	219	59.19%	151	40.81%	68	18.38%	370
Bulloch	1,258	76.47%	387	23.53%	871	52.95%	1,645
Burke	687	72.54%	260	27.46%	427	45.09%	947
Butts	846	85.11%	148	14.89%	698	70.22%	994
Calhoun	571	86.25%	91	13.75%	480	72.51%	662
Camden	274	50.65%	267	49.35%	7	1.29%	541
Campbell	425	56.52%	327	43.48%	98	13.03%	752
Candler	411	75.55%	133	24.45%	278	51.10%	544
Carroll	1,913	47.53%	2,112	52.47%	-199	-4.94%	4,025
Catoosa	562	48.16%	605	51.84%	-43	-3.68%	1,167
Charlton	415	72.17%	160	27.83%	255	44.35%	575
Chatham	5,534	51.14%	5,288	48.86%	246	2.27%	10,822
Chattahoochee	141	88.68%	18	11.32%	123	77.36%	159
Chattooga	920	45.63%	1,096	54.37%	-176	-8.73%	2,016
Cherokee	581	25.71%	1,679	74.29%	-1,098	-48.58%	2,260
Clarke	1,407	66.03%	724	33.97%	683	32.05%	2,131
Clay	405	87.85%	56	12.15%	349	75.70%	461
Clayton	612	49.72%	619	50.28%	-7	-0.57%	1,231
Clinch	717	83.37%	143	16.63%	574	66.74%	860
Cobb	1,426	45.46%	1,711	54.54%	-285	-9.09%	3,137
Coffee	1,176	66.55%	591	33.45%	585	33.11%	1,767
Colquitt	970	54.93%	796	45.07%	174	9.85%	1,766
Columbia	279	54.39%	234	45.61%	45	8.77%	513
Cook	689	74.41%	237	25.59%	452	48.81%	926
Coweta	1,656	87.85%	229	12.15%	1,427	75.70%	1,885
Crawford	358	88.18%	48	11.82%	310	76.35%	406
Crisp	523	56.54%	402	43.46%	121	13.08%	925
Dade	453	58.00%	328	42.00%	125	16.01%	781
Dawson	332	53.38%	290	46.62%	42	6.75%	622
Decatur	734	38.84%	1,156	61.16%	-422	-22.33%	1,890
DeKalb	2,293	49.09%	2,378	50.91%	-85	-1.82%	4,671
Dodge	677	71.26%	273	28.74%	404	42.53%	950
Dooly	744	82.67%	156	17.33%	588	65.33%	900
Dougherty	982	72.15%	379	27.85%	603	44.31%	1,361
Douglas	452	42.72%	606	57.28%	-154	-14.56%	1,058
Early	674	74.48%	231	25.52%	443	48.95%	905
Echols	314	91.55%	29	8.45%	285	83.09%	343
Effingham	163	20.63%	627	79.37%	-464	-58.73%	790
Elbert	1,052	53.05%	931	46.95%	121	6.10%	1,983
Emanuel	1,076	75.19%	355	24.81%	721	50.38%	1,431
Evans	489	71.81%	192	28.19%	297	43.61%	681
Fannin	811	31.92%	1,730	68.08%	-919	-36.17%	2,541
Fayette	367	65.89%	190	34.11%	177	31.78%	557
Floyd	1,494	46.34%	1,730	53.66%	-236	-7.32%	3,224
Forsyth	287	23.51%	934	76.49%	-647	-52.99%	1,221
Franklin	770	49.01%	801	50.99%	-31	-1.97%	1,571
Fulton	8,872	48.64%	9,368	51.36%	-496	-2.72%	18,240
Gilmer	529	34.33%	1,012	65.67%	-483	-31.34%	1,541
Glascock	123	35.34%	225	64.66%	-102	-29.31%	348
Glynn	549	40.73%	799	59.27%	-250	-18.55%	1,348
Gordon	740	41.60%	1,039	58.40%	-299	-16.81%	1,779
Grady	1,172	72.75%	439	27.25%	733	45.50%	1,611
Greene	627	71.90%	245	28.10%	382	43.81%	872
Gwinnett	970	47.74%	1,062	52.26%	-92	-4.53%	2,032
Habersham	1,105	44.04%	1,404	55.96%	-299	-11.92%	2,509
Hall	1,523	49.19%	1,573	50.81%	-50	-1.61%	3,096
Hancock	552	82.39%	118	17.61%	434	64.78%	670
Haralson	690	30.84%	1,547	69.16%	-857	-38.31%	2,237
Harris	551	79.28%	144	20.72%	407	58.56%	695
Hart	919	60.38%	603	39.62%	316	20.76%	1,522
Heard	493	55.83%	390	44.17%	103	11.66%	883
Henry	763	67.94%	360	32.06%	403	35.89%	1,123
Houston	323	77.83%	92	22.17%	231	55.66%	415
Irwin	917	84.99%	162	15.01%	755	69.97%	1,079
Jackson	859	51.22%	818	48.78%	41	2.44%	1,677
Jasper	632	81.87%	140	18.13%	492	63.73%	772
Jeff Davis	315	63.64%	180	36.36%	135	27.27%	495
Jefferson	798	43.02%	1,057	56.98%	-259	-13.96%	1,855
Jenkins	409	55.20%	332	44.80%	77	10.39%	741
Johnson	632	69.00%	284	31.00%	348	37.99%	916
Jones	414	80.54%	100	19.46%	314	61.09%	514
Lamar	672	84.21%	126	15.79%	546	68.42%	798
Lanier	303	68.71%	138	31.29%	165	37.41%	441
Laurens	1,987	80.87%	470	19.13%	1,517	61.74%	2,457
Lee	287	86.45%	45	13.55%	242	72.89%	332
Liberty	201	49.75%	203	50.25%	-2	-0.50%	404
Lincoln	445	51.86%	413	48.14%	32	3.73%	858
Long	166	29.28%	401	70.72%	-235	-41.45%	567
Lowndes	1,413	70.33%	596	29.67%	817	40.67%	2,009
Lumpkin	560	59.51%	381	40.49%	179	19.02%	941
Macon	819	76.04%	258	23.96%	561	52.09%	1,077
Madison	474	47.35%	527	52.65%	-53	-5.29%	1,001
Marion	365	76.20%	114	23.80%	251	52.40%	479
McDuffie	304	44.38%	381	55.62%	-77	-11.24%	685
McIntosh	141	43.93%	180	56.07%	-39	-12.15%	321
Meriwether	1,515	84.07%	287	15.93%	1,228	68.15%	1,802
Miller	322	76.12%	101	23.88%	221	52.25%	423
Milton	183	29.19%	444	70.81%	-261	-41.63%	627
Mitchell	1,358	90.47%	143	9.53%	1,215	80.95%	1,501
Monroe	801	70.88%	329	29.12%	472	41.77%	1,130
Montgomery	337	77.47%	98	22.53%	239	54.94%	435
Morgan	803	79.43%	208	20.57%	595	58.85%	1,011
Murray	982	47.03%	1,106	52.97%	-124	-5.94%	2,088
Muscogee	2,098	57.14%	1,574	42.86%	524	14.27%	3,672
Newton	873	55.57%	698	44.43%	175	11.14%	1,571
Oconee	344	53.42%	300	46.58%	44	6.83%	644
Oglethorpe	813	79.86%	205	20.14%	608	59.72%	1,018
Paulding	690	34.66%	1,301	65.34%	-611	-30.69%	1,991
Peach	572	73.33%	208	26.67%	364	46.67%	780
Pickens	543	29.16%	1,319	70.84%	-776	-41.68%	1,862
Pierce	523	64.73%	285	35.27%	238	29.46%	808
Pike	714	75.00%	238	25.00%	476	50.00%	952
Polk	886	37.73%	1,462	62.27%	-576	-24.53%	2,348
Pulaski	639	85.89%	105	14.11%	534	71.77%	744
Putnam	682	92.29%	57	7.71%	625	84.57%	739
Quitman	174	80.93%	41	19.07%	133	61.86%	215
Rabun	590	65.85%	306	34.15%	284	31.70%	896
Randolph	803	81.94%	177	18.06%	626	63.88%	980
Richmond	2,086	29.01%	5,104	70.99%	-3,018	-41.97%	7,190
Rockdale	472	75.16%	156	24.84%	316	50.32%	628
Schley	328	80.99%	77	19.01%	251	61.98%	405
Screven	300	29.82%	706	70.18%	-406	-40.36%	1,006
Seminole	371	77.13%	110	22.87%	261	54.26%	481
Spalding	1,734	80.80%	412	19.20%	1,322	61.60%	2,146
Stephens	438	61.86%	270	38.14%	168	23.73%	708
Stewart	732	89.27%	88	10.73%	644	78.54%	820
Sumter	1,237	80.80%	294	19.20%	943	61.59%	1,531
Talbot	536	87.87%	74	12.13%	462	75.74%	610
Taliaferro	446	88.49%	58	11.51%	388	76.98%	504
Tattnall	460	36.77%	791	63.23%	-331	-26.46%	1,251
Taylor	590	62.57%	353	37.43%	237	25.13%	943
Telfair	2,057	86.10%	332	13.90%	1,725	72.21%	2,389
Terrell	897	88.55%	116	11.45%	781	77.10%	1,013
Thomas	1,240	60.37%	814	39.63%	426	20.74%	2,054
Tift	736	59.02%	511	40.98%	225	18.04%	1,247
Toombs	615	52.74%	551	47.26%	64	5.49%	1,166
Towns	517	37.63%	857	62.37%	-340	-24.75%	1,374
Treutlen	392	85.96%	64	14.04%	328	71.93%	456
Troup	1,557	61.69%	967	38.31%	590	23.38%	2,524
Turner	328	38.41%	526	61.59%	-198	-23.19%	854
Twiggs	571	88.53%	74	11.47%	497	77.05%	645
Union	623	17.82%	2,873	82.18%	-2,250	-64.36%	3,496
Upson	721	76.54%	221	23.46%	500	53.08%	942
Walker	1,053	37.09%	1,786	62.91%	-733	-25.82%	2,839
Walton	1,135	72.80%	424	27.20%	711	45.61%	1,559
Ware	1,416	51.40%	1,339	48.60%	77	2.79%	2,755
Warren	247	49.20%	255	50.80%	-8	-1.59%	502
Washington	1,142	70.76%	472	29.24%	670	41.51%	1,614
Wayne	488	54.16%	413	45.84%	75	8.32%	901
Webster	174	74.04%	61	25.96%	113	48.09%	235
Wheeler	312	75.54%	101	24.46%	211	51.09%	413
White	274	32.54%	568	67.46%	-294	-34.92%	842
Whitfield	1,154	41.16%	1,650	58.84%	-496	-17.69%	2,804
Wilcox	459	68.00%	216	32.00%	243	36.00%	675
Wilkes	747	48.35%	798	51.65%	-51	-3.30%	1,545
Wilkinson	487	68.21%	227	31.79%	260	36.41%	714
Worth	952	75.44%	310	24.56%	642	50.87%	1,262
Totals	129,602	56.56%	99,368	43.36%	30,234	13.19%	229,158

Notes

1. Hoover vote is a fusion of Republican and Anti-Smith Democratic votes. Hoover received 63,498 Republican votes and 35,870 Anti-Smith Democrat votes.
2. These write-in votes were not separated by county and only given as a statewide total.

References

1. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210 ISBN   9780691163246
2. Springer, Melanie Jean; How the States Shaped the Nation: American Electoral Institutions and Voter Turnout, 1920-2000, p. 155 ISBN   022611435X
3. Warren, Kenneth F.; Encyclopedia of U.S. campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior: A-M, Volume 1, p. 620 ISBN   1412954894
4. Nelson, Michael (1991); Historic documents on presidential elections, 1787-1988, p. 296
5. Whisenhunt, Donald W.; President Herbert Hoover, p. 69 ISBN   1600214762
6. Orwat, Stephen F.; The 1928 Presidential Election in the South: The Question of Southern Conservative Values (1994), p. 62
7. Key, V.O. junior; Southern Politics in State and Nation; p. 329 ISBN   087049435X
8. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Georgia". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
9. Phillips, The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 212
10. "1928 Presidential General Election Results – Georgia". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
11. Georgia's Official Register, 1929 (PDF). Atlanta, Georgia: Stein Printing Company. pp. 479–480.
12. "GA US President Race, November 06, 1928". Our Campaigns.