1932 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election

1932 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election

←  1930 November 8, 1932 1934  →

Nominee Thomas J. O'Malley Harry Dahl William Coleman Party Democratic Republican Socialist Popular vote 544,294 450,966 63,380 Percentage 51.11% 42.34% 5.95%

Lieutenant Governor before election Henry Huber Republican Elected Lieutenant Governor Thomas J. O'Malley Democratic

The 1932 Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1932, in order to elect the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. Democratic nominee Thomas J. O'Malley defeated Republican nominee Harry Dahl, Socialist nominee William Coleman and Prohibition nominee J. Keith Peckham. ^[1] This election marked the end of a 19 consecutive winning streak for Wisconsin Republicans as they had won every lieutenant gubernatorial election since 1894. This election also marked the first time a Democrat was elected lieutenant governor of Wisconsin in the 20th century.

Republican primary

The Republican primary election was held on September 20, 1932. Candidate Harry Dahl received a majority of the votes (56.74%) against incumbent four term lieutenant governor Henry Huber in a rematch of the previous primary, and was thus elected as the nominee for the general election. ^[2]

Results

1932 Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Harry Dahl	379,060	56.74%
	Republican	Henry Huber (incumbent)	288,971	43.26%
Total votes			668,031	100.00%

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary election was held on September 20, 1932. Candidate Thomas J. O'Malley received a majority of the votes (65.78%) against candidate Frank J. Grutza, and was thus elected as the nominee for the general election. ^[2]

Results

1932 Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. O'Malley	80,661	65.78%
	Democratic	Frank J. Grutza	41,957	34.22%
Total votes			122,618	100.00%

General election

On election day, November 8, 1932, Democratic nominee Thomas J. O'Malley won the election by a margin of 93,328 votes against his foremost opponent Republican nominee Harry Dahl, thereby gaining Democratic control over the office of lieutenant governor. O'Malley was sworn in as the 26th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin on January 2, 1933. ^[3]

Results

Wisconsin lieutenant gubernatorial election, 1932

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. O'Malley	544,294	51.11
	Republican	Harry Dahl	450,966	42.34
	Socialist	William Coleman	63,380	5.95
	Prohibition	J. Keith Peckham	3,296	0.31
		Scattering	3,085	0.29
Total votes			1,065,021	100.00
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. "Wisconsin blue book". library.wisc.edu. 1933. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
2. "Primary election tables". library.wisc.edu. 1933. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
3. "1932 Lt. Gubernatorial General Election Results - Wisconsin". uselectionatlas.org. May 30, 2024. Retrieved 2025-11-11.