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 County results Heil: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% La Follette: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1938 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1938. Primary elections were held on September 20, 1938. Incumbent Progressive Governor Philip La Follette was defeated by Republican nominee Julius P. Heil.
Despite having a high initial popularity, La Follette's reputation had begun to deteriorate as his governorship ran its course. This all culminated in the disastrous 1937 special session, where La Follette attempted to force through a bill without public debate, and without the normal machinery of the legislative process. The bill, decried by critics as dictatorial, would have, among other things, fundamentally altered the system of checks and balances in Wisconsin by making it so that legislation would be written up by the executive and handed to the legislature to either approve or reject. Alongside this, the session passed through legislation reorganizing the state executive branch to remove redundant agencies to remove efficiency. This had been one of the final blows for the establishment, who had begun to talk of electoral fusion to defeat La Follette.
At Oshkosh, a committee was established by members of the Democratic, Republican, Union, and Progressive parties in the hope of defeating La Follette. In their goals they aligned with Robert Kirkland Henry, the former Democratic state treasurer, in that goal. Despite the bipartisan nature of this committee, it was still done in opposition to the leadership of both parties. Due to the nature of the primary system in Wisconsin, one candidate could not officially run under multiple party lines, so instead, the candidate would be required to give up one party to run under another, to the coalition hopefuls, that meant the party their candidate got the least votes in. [1]
Henry stood for both the Democratic and Republican nominations as part of a coalition movement designed to defeat Philip La Follette and the Progressive Party. If he had won both nominations, he intended to decline the nomination of the party in whose primary he received fewest votes. [1] [2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Philip La Follette (incumbent) | 136,291 | 80.21% | |
| Progressive | Glenn P. Turner | 33,631 | 19.79% | |
| Total votes | 169,922 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julius P. Heil | 126,820 | 55.83% | |
| Republican | Robert Kirkland Henry | 73,348 | 32.29% | |
| Republican | James G. Peterson | 20,262 | 8.92% | |
| Republican | Clun L. Miller | 6,729 | 2.96% | |
| Total votes | 227,159 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Kirkland Henry | 64,363 | 51.15% | |
| Democratic | Jerome F. Fox | 50,497 | 40.13% | |
| Democratic | Edward Ihlenfeldt | 10,984 | 6.73% | |
| Total votes | 125,844 | 100.00% | ||
Henry won the Democratic nomination but lost the Republican nomination to Julius P. Heil. On October 1, 1938, Henry withdrew from the election in favour of Heil. [10] On October 7, 1938, the Democratic state central committee met and nominated State Senator Harry W. Bolens, another proponent of a coalition, to replace Henry on the Democratic ticket. [11] [12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Frank W. Smith | 2,553 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 2,553 | 100.00% | ||
Major party candidates
Other candidates
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julius P. Heil | 543,675 | 55.39% | +25.97% | |
| Progressive | Philip La Follette (incumbent) | 353,381 | 36.00% | −10.37% | |
| Democratic | Harry W. Bolens | 78,446 | 7.99% | −13.71% | |
| Union | Frank W. Smith | 4,564 | 0.47% | −1.79% | |
| Socialist Labor [lower-alpha 1] | John Schleier, Jr. | 1,459 | 0.15% | +0.01% | |
| Scattering [lower-alpha 2] | 35 | 0.00% | |||
| Majority | 190,294 | 19.39% | |||
| Total votes | 981,560 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Progressive | Swing | +36.34% | |||
Iron County voted for the losing candidate for the first time in this election. Adams County, Burnett County, Jackson County, and Washburn County all voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1892.
| County [13] [14] | Julius P. Heil Republican | Philip La Follette Progressive | Harry W. Bolens Democratic | All Others Various | Margin [lower-alpha 3] | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,180 | 44.13% | 1,379 | 51.57% | 104 | 3.89% | 11 | 0.41% | -199 | -7.44% | 2,674 |
| Ashland | 3,100 | 43.50% | 3,447 | 48.37% | 538 | 7.55% | 42 | 0.59% | -347 | -4.87% | 7,127 |
| Barron | 5,329 | 56.28% | 3,733 | 39.43% | 356 | 3.76% | 50 | 0.53% | 1,596 | 16.86% | 9,468 |
| Bayfield | 2,197 | 37.83% | 3,363 | 57.90% | 227 | 3.91% | 21 | 0.36% | -1,166 | -20.08% | 5,808 |
| Brown | 11,290 | 51.39% | 6,735 | 30.66% | 3,819 | 17.38% | 124 | 0.56% | 4,555 | 20.73% | 21,968 |
| Buffalo | 2,231 | 48.65% | 2,225 | 48.52% | 117 | 2.55% | 13 | 0.28% | 6 | 0.13% | 4,586 |
| Burnett | 1,417 | 39.46% | 1,964 | 54.69% | 176 | 4.90% | 34 | 0.95% | -547 | -15.23% | 3,591 |
| Calumet | 4,154 | 64.17% | 1,679 | 25.94% | 624 | 9.64% | 16 | 0.25% | 2,475 | 38.24% | 6,473 |
| Chippewa | 7,733 | 63.59% | 3,943 | 32.42% | 457 | 3.76% | 28 | 0.23% | 3,790 | 31.17% | 12,161 |
| Clark | 3,469 | 64.34% | 2,907 | 28.91% | 600 | 5.97% | 79 | 0.79% | 3,562 | 35.43% | 10,055 |
| Columbia | 6,358 | 57.00% | 4,176 | 37.44% | 601 | 5.39% | 20 | 0.18% | 2,182 | 19.56% | 11,155 |
| Crawford | 3,558 | 56.31% | 1,610 | 25.48% | 1,026 | 16.24% | 125 | 1.98% | 1,948 | 30.83% | 6,319 |
| Dane | 18,279 | 47.48% | 18,508 | 48.08% | 1,611 | 4.18% | 98 | 0.25% | -229 | -0.59% | 38,496 |
| Dodge | 11,432 | 64.75% | 4,444 | 25.17% | 1,729 | 9.79% | 51 | 0.29% | 6,988 | 39.58% | 17,656 |
| Door | 3,318 | 68.02% | 1,266 | 25.95% | 251 | 5.15% | 43 | 0.88% | 2,052 | 42.07% | 4,878 |
| Douglas | 8,422 | 42.93% | 9,508 | 48.47% | 1,515 | 7.72% | 173 | 0.88% | -1,086 | -5.54% | 19,618 |
| Dunn | 4,934 | 60.97% | 2,947 | 36.41% | 196 | 2.42% | 16 | 0.20% | 1,987 | 24.55% | 8,093 |
| Eau Claire | 7,117 | 53.57% | 5,599 | 42.14% | 532 | 4.00% | 38 | 0.29% | 1,518 | 11.43% | 13,286 |
| Florence | 760 | 40.69% | 977 | 52.30% | 111 | 5.94% | 20 | 1.07% | -217 | -11.62% | 1,868 |
| Fond du Lac | 12,255 | 61.76% | 4,896 | 24.67% | 2,544 | 12.82% | 148 | 0.75% | 7,359 | 37.09% | 19,843 |
| Forest | 1,687 | 42.09% | 1,798 | 44.86% | 495 | 12.35% | 28 | 0.70% | -111 | -2.77% | 4,008 |
| Grant | 7,357 | 59.55% | 3,983 | 32.24% | 960 | 7.77% | 54 | 0.44% | 3,374 | 27.31% | 12,354 |
| Green | 4,270 | 55.07% | 2,984 | 38.48% | 251 | 3.24% | 249 | 3.21% | 1,286 | 16.58% | 7,754 |
| Green Lake | 3,657 | 67.13% | 1,147 | 21.05% | 624 | 11.45% | 20 | 0.37% | 2,510 | 46.07% | 5,448 |
| Iowa | 3,479 | 58.46% | 2,048 | 34.41% | 407 | 6.84% | 17 | 0.29% | 1,431 | 24.05% | 5,951 |
| Iron | 1,774 | 38.67% | 2,628 | 57.28% | 175 | 3.81% | 11 | 0.24% | -854 | -18.61% | 4,588 |
| Jackson | 2,267 | 47.26% | 2,274 | 47.40% | 240 | 5.00% | 16 | 0.33% | -7 | -0.15% | 4,797 |
| Jefferson | 8,324 | 64.07% | 3,385 | 26.05% | 1,244 | 9.58% | 39 | 0.30% | 4,939 | 38.02% | 12,992 |
| Juneau | 3,800 | 55.50% | 2,588 | 37.80% | 446 | 6.51% | 13 | 0.19% | 1,212 | 17.70% | 6,847 |
| Kenosha | 10,853 | 47.24% | 10,182 | 44.32% | 1,830 | 7.97% | 108 | 0.47% | 671 | 2.92% | 22,973 |
| Kewaunee | 3,972 | 66.01% | 1,276 | 21.21% | 736 | 12.23% | 33 | 0.55% | 2,696 | 44.81% | 6,017 |
| La Crosse | 10,946 | 59.19% | 6,624 | 35.82% | 892 | 4.82% | 32 | 0.17% | 4,322 | 23.37% | 18,494 |
| Lafayette | 3,948 | 52.17% | 2,548 | 33.67% | 1,059 | 13.99% | 12 | 0.16% | 1,400 | 18.50% | 7,567 |
| Langlade | 3,833 | 46.55% | 3,091 | 37.53% | 1,265 | 15.36% | 46 | 0.56% | 742 | 9.01% | 8,235 |
| Lincoln | 4,356 | 54.15% | 3,309 | 41.13% | 337 | 4.19% | 43 | 0.53% | 1,047 | 13.01% | 8,045 |
| Manitowoc | 10,391 | 52.76% | 6,997 | 35.53% | 1,955 | 9.93% | 350 | 1.78% | 3,394 | 17.23% | 19,693 |
| Marathon | 12,310 | 57.85% | 7,198 | 33.83% | 1,643 | 7.72% | 127 | 0.60% | 5,112 | 24.02% | 21,278 |
| Marinette | 6,370 | 56.78% | 3,657 | 32.60% | 1,149 | 10.24% | 42 | 0.37% | 2,713 | 24.18% | 11,218 |
| Marquette | 2,355 | 70.15% | 733 | 21.83% | 262 | 7.80% | 7 | 0.21% | 1,622 | 48.32% | 3,357 |
| Milwaukee | 118,617 | 51.94% | 87,916 | 38.50% | 20,272 | 8.88% | 1,575 | 0.69% | 30,701 | 13.44% | 228,380 |
| Monroe | 5,529 | 59.07% | 3,478 | 37.16% | 333 | 3.56% | 20 | 0.21% | 2,051 | 21.91% | 9,360 |
| Oconto | 4,800 | 52.67% | 3,169 | 34.77% | 1,087 | 11.93% | 58 | 0.64% | 1,631 | 17.90% | 9,114 |
| Oneida | 3,303 | 47.13% | 3,261 | 46.53% | 400 | 5.71% | 45 | 0.64% | 42 | 0.60% | 7,009 |
| Outagamie | 12,365 | 63.40% | 4,658 | 23.88% | 2,031 | 10.41% | 450 | 2.31% | 7,707 | 39.51% | 19,504 |
| Ozaukee | 4,143 | 63.52% | 1,464 | 22.45% | 884 | 13.55% | 31 | 0.48% | 2,679 | 41.08% | 6,522 |
| Pepin | 1,494 | 59.52% | 869 | 34.62% | 145 | 5.78% | 2 | 0.08% | 625 | 24.90% | 2,510 |
| Pierce | 3,249 | 51.38% | 2,770 | 43.80% | 229 | 3.62% | 76 | 1.20% | 479 | 7.57% | 6,324 |
| Polk | 3,323 | 44.59% | 3,876 | 52.01% | 217 | 2.91% | 37 | 0.50% | -553 | -7.42% | 7,453 |
| Portage | 5,243 | 46.06% | 4,068 | 35.73% | 2,024 | 17.78% | 49 | 0.43% | 1,175 | 10.32% | 11,384 |
| Price | 3,427 | 52.30% | 2,664 | 40.65% | 423 | 6.46% | 39 | 0.60% | 763 | 11.64% | 6,553 |
| Racine | 16,764 | 52.01% | 12,850 | 39.86% | 2,516 | 7.81% | 105 | 0.33% | 3,914 | 12.14% | 32,235 |
| Richland | 4,250 | 73.01% | 1,276 | 21.92% | 283 | 4.86% | 12 | 0.21% | 2,974 | 51.09% | 5,821 |
| Rock | 15,612 | 59.68% | 9,051 | 34.60% | 1,454 | 5.56% | 41 | 0.16% | 6,561 | 25.08% | 26,158 |
| Rusk | 3,011 | 56.31% | 1,997 | 37.35% | 314 | 5.87% | 25 | 0.47% | 1,014 | 18.96% | 5,347 |
| Sauk | 6,654 | 58.71% | 4,227 | 37.29% | 434 | 3.83% | 19 | 0.17% | 2,427 | 21.41% | 11,334 |
| Sawyer | 2,131 | 52.72% | 1,465 | 36.24% | 439 | 10.86% | 7 | 0.17% | 666 | 16.48% | 4,042 |
| Shawano | 5,518 | 58.29% | 3,422 | 36.15% | 489 | 5.17% | 37 | 0.39% | 2,096 | 22.14% | 9,466 |
| Sheboygan | 14,616 | 66.31% | 3,705 | 16.81% | 3,418 | 15.51% | 304 | 1.38% | 10,911 | 49.50% | 22,043 |
| St. Croix | 3,836 | 47.06% | 3,543 | 43.47% | 699 | 8.58% | 73 | 0.90% | 293 | 3.59% | 8,151 |
| Taylor | 2,762 | 45.56% | 2,792 | 46.06% | 454 | 7.49% | 54 | 0.89% | -30 | -0.49% | 6,062 |
| Trempealeau | 3,502 | 48.87% | 3,168 | 44.21% | 479 | 6.68% | 17 | 0.24% | 334 | 4.66% | 7,166 |
| Vernon | 5,327 | 60.34% | 3,234 | 36.63% | 249 | 2.82% | 19 | 0.22% | 2,093 | 23.71% | 8,829 |
| Vilas | 2,047 | 52.33% | 1,548 | 39.57% | 306 | 7.82% | 11 | 0.28% | 499 | 12.76% | 3,912 |
| Walworth | 8,211 | 74.66% | 2,203 | 20.03% | 563 | 5.12% | 21 | 0.19% | 6,008 | 45.63% | 10,998 |
| Washburn | 1,880 | 45.45% | 2,081 | 50.31% | 160 | 3.87% | 15 | 0.36% | -201 | -4.86% | 4,136 |
| Washington | 7,594 | 70.38% | 2,356 | 21.84% | 793 | 7.35% | 47 | 0.44% | 5,238 | 48.54% | 10,790 |
| Waukesha | 15,363 | 71.55% | 5,198 | 24.21% | 861 | 4.01% | 49 | 0.23% | 10,165 | 47.34% | 21,471 |
| Waupaca | 7,502 | 64.41% | 3,720 | 31.94% | 385 | 3.31% | 40 | 0.34% | 3,782 | 32.47% | 11,647 |
| Waushara | 3,592 | 69.06% | 1,449 | 27.86% | 150 | 2.88% | 10 | 0.19% | 2,143 | 41.20% | 5,201 |
| Winnebago | 14,020 | 60.40% | 6,845 | 29.49% | 2,083 | 8.97% | 264 | 1.14% | 7,175 | 30.91% | 23,212 |
| Wood | 6,508 | 51.30% | 5,302 | 41.79% | 768 | 6.05% | 109 | 0.86% | 1,206 | 9.51% | 12,687 |
| Total | 543,675 | 55.39% | 353,381 | 36.00% | 78,446 | 7.99% | 6,058 | 0.62% | 190,294 | 19.39% | 981,560 |
Robert MarionLa Follette Sr., was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. A Republican for most of his life, he ran for president of the United States as the nominee of his own Progressive Party in the 1924 presidential election. Historian John D. Buenker describes La Follette as "the most celebrated figure in Wisconsin history".
Julius Peter Heil was an American politician and the 30th governor of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1943.
Gardner Robert Withrow was an American union representative and Progressive Republican politician from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He served ten terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing western Wisconsin from 1931 to 1939, then again from 1949 to 1961. During his first term, he represented Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, for the other nine terms he represented Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. Before being elected to congress, he served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1927). He was a fourth cousin of Abraham Lincoln.
The Progressive Party was a political party created as a vehicle for Robert M. La Follette, Sr. to run for president in the 1924 election. It did not run candidates for other offices, and it disappeared after the election. The party advocated progressive positions such as government ownership of railroads and electric utilities, cheap credit for farmers, the outlawing of child labor, stronger laws to help labor unions, more protection of civil liberties, an end to American imperialism in Latin America, and a referendum before any president could lead the nation into war.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler.
Robert Kirkland Henry was a banker and politician from Wisconsin. As a Democrat, he served as Wisconsin State Treasurer. As a Republican, he served in the United States House of Representatives.
John Charles Schafer was an American railroad operator and Republican politician from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 4th congressional district from 1923 to 1933, and from 1939 to 1941. Initially a member of the progressive faction of Republicans, Schafer fell out with progressive leadership after the death of U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and then became a supporter of the stalwart faction. Late in his career, he drifted into extreme anti-communism and was a defender of the Nazi German American Bund in the lead-up to World War II.
Frank Bateman Keefe was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 6th congressional district from 1939 to 1951. He previously served six years as district attorney of Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
Florian Lampert Jr. was an American businessman and progressive Republican politician from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 12 years, representing Wisconsin's 6th congressional district from December 1918 until his death in 1930. Earlier in his career, he served as sheriff of Winnebago County, Wisconsin.
From March 12 to May 17, 1940, voters of the Republican Party chose delegates to nominate a candidate for president at the 1940 Republican National Convention. The nominee was selected at the convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 24–28, 1940.
The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics.
Charles Henry Crownhart Sr. was an American lawyer, jurist, and progressive Republican politician from Wisconsin. He was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1922 until his death in 1930. Earlier, he served as revisor of Wisconsin's statutes (1919–1922), chairman of the Wisconsin Industrial Commission (1911–1915), chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin (1910–1911), and district attorney of Douglas County, Wisconsin (1901–1905). He was a friend, legal advisor, and campaign manager for progressive governor and U.S. senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette.
The 1932 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 8, 1932 as part of the 1932 United States presidential election. State voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 1922 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1922. Primary elections were held on September 5, 1922.
The 1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1942.
The 1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Primary elections were held on September 17, 1940.
The 1930 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1930. Primary elections were held on September 16, 1930. Incumbent Republican Governor Walter J. Kohler Sr. was defeated in the Republican primary. Republican nominee Philip La Follette defeated Democratic nominee Charles E. Hammersley with 64.76% of the vote.
The 1934 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1934. Primary elections were held on September 18, 1934. Incumbent Democratic Governor Albert G. Schmedeman was defeated by Progressive nominee Philip La Follette.
The 1902 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1902.
The 1904 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1904.
