1944 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

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1944 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
Flag of Wisconsin (1913-1981).svg
  1940 November 7, 1944 1948  
  Dewey circa 1946 (cropped).jpg 1944 portrait of FDR (1)(small).jpg
Nominee Thomas E. Dewey Franklin D. Roosevelt
Party Republican Democratic
Home state New York New York
Running mate John W. Bricker Harry S. Truman
Electoral vote120
Popular vote674,532650,413
Percentage50.37%48.57%

Wisconsin Presidential Election Results 1944.svg
County Results

President before election

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic

Elected President

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic

The 1944 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1944 as part of the 1944 United States presidential election. State voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Politics in Wisconsin since the Populist movement had been dominated by the Republican Party. [1] The Democratic Party had been uncompetitive outside certain eastern German as the upper classes, along with the majority of workers who followed them, fled from William Jennings Bryan's agrarian and free silver sympathies. [2] Although the state did develop a strong Socialist Party to provide opposition to the GOP, Wisconsin developed the direct Republican primary in 1903 and this ultimately created competition between the "League" under Robert M. La Follette, and the conservative "Regular" faction. [3] This ultimately would develop into the Wisconsin Progressive Party in the late 1930s, which was opposed to the conservative German Democrats and to the national Republican Party, and allied with Franklin D. Roosevelt at the federal level.

During the 1940 presidential election, fought whilst the United States was still neutral in World War II, the conservative German counties, especially the "WOW counties" near Milwaukee and other counties along the Lake Michigan coast, turned abruptly away from Roosevelt. These counties viewed Russian Communism as a much greater threat to America than German Nazism, [4] and believed Roosevelt offered too much aid to Britain and France. [5] The result was that the historically Democratic German Catholic counties like Kewaunee and Calumet rivalled longtime GOP bastions like Waupaca and Waushara Counties as the most Republican in the state, and GOP nominee Wendell Willkie came within two points of carrying the state after Alf Landon had lost by two-to-one four years earlier.

Early Gallup polls in August showed Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey leading Roosevelt in Wisconsin [6] by as much as twelve percentage points at the end of the second week of that month. [7] The fact that the state's disintegrating Progressive Party was divided on whether to support Roosevelt did nothing to help the President, [8] neither did Dewey's claim that Roosevelt had close ties to Communists at home and abroad. [9]

Although wartime conditions limited campaigning in the state by the two Dutchess County natives, by mid-October polls had not changed from where they were two months previously. [10] At that time Governor Dewey visited Milwaukee on a rail trip to Minneapolis, [11] and more detailed opinion polls later in October said that powerful isolationist sentiment in rural Wisconsin and tighter unity of his opposition would ensure that Roosevelt had little hope of holding the state. [12]

Ultimately Dewey carried Wisconsin as polls had predicted he would, although by a substantially smaller margin of just 1.80 percentage points. Continuing trends in Third Party System Democratic counties around Green Bay and Appleton proved decisive in tipping the state, as Dewey tightened Willkie gains that would not be substantially reversed in the ensuing eighty years: even during Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 landslide, Republican Barry Goldwater did much better in this area than he did nationally.

Results

1944 United States presidential election in Wisconsin [13]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican Thomas E. Dewey 674,53250.37%12
Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent)650,41348.57%0
Socialist Norman Thomas 13,2050.99%0
Independent Edward A. Teichert 1,0020.07%0
Totals1,339,152100.0%12

Results by county

1944 United States presidential election in Wisconsin by county [14]
CountyThomas E. Dewey
Republican
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic
Norman Thomas
Socialist
Edward A. Teichert
Independent
MarginTotal votes cast
#%#%#%#%#%
Adams 1,57951.40%1,47848.11%100.33%50.16%1013.29%3,072
Ashland 3,18340.60%4,60958.80%420.54%50.06%-1,426-18.19%7,839
Barron 7,13755.66%5,58543.55%920.72%90.07%1,55212.10%12,823
Bayfield 2,47542.02%3,36257.08%480.81%50.08%-887-15.06%5,890
Brown 17,76250.14%17,57649.61%760.21%120.03%1860.53%35,426
Buffalo 3,41663.19%1,94836.03%390.72%30.06%1,46827.16%5,406
Burnett 2,11952.72%1,86846.48%260.65%60.15%2516.25%4,019
Calumet 5,61173.58%1,96625.78%460.60%30.04%3,64547.80%7,626
Chippewa 7,69153.59%6,56745.76%770.54%160.11%1,1247.83%14,351
Clark 7,94862.80%4,61236.44%890.70%80.06%3,33626.36%12,657
Columbia 7,86756.50%5,99743.07%550.40%50.04%1,87013.43%13,924
Crawford 4,19957.12%3,13042.58%210.29%10.01%1,06914.54%7,351
Dane 23,02137.96%37,07661.13%5300.87%240.04%-14,055-23.17%60,651
Dodge 14,10264.44%7,66735.04%1020.47%120.05%6,43529.41%21,883
Door 5,66868.25%2,59931.29%300.36%80.10%3,06936.95%8,305
Douglas 7,13235.20%12,98564.08%1340.66%120.06%-5,853-28.89%20,263
Dunn 5,98060.37%3,85338.90%690.70%30.03%2,12721.47%9,905
Eau Claire 9,47051.13%8,96248.39%860.46%20.01%5082.74%18,520
Florence 76545.59%89753.46%150.89%10.06%-132-7.87%1,678
Fond du Lac 16,78563.81%9,37835.65%1280.49%150.06%7,40728.16%26,306
Forest 1,39136.22%2,43663.44%100.26%30.08%-1,045-27.21%3,840
Grant 10,22662.56%6,09137.27%240.15%40.02%4,13525.30%16,345
Green 5,55657.28%4,10142.28%360.37%60.06%1,45515.00%9,699
Green Lake 4,57167.38%2,19032.28%170.25%60.09%2,38135.10%6,784
Iowa 4,60856.00%3,58543.57%300.36%50.06%1,02312.43%8,228
Iron 1,34531.51%2,89467.81%260.61%30.07%-1,549-36.29%4,268
Jackson 3,18250.86%3,04048.59%300.48%40.06%1422.27%6,256
Jefferson 10,24559.16%6,98840.35%760.44%80.05%3,25718.81%17,317
Juneau 4,73361.97%2,85737.41%420.55%50.07%1,87624.56%7,637
Kenosha 12,43639.96%18,32558.88%3371.08%230.07%-5,889-18.92%31,121
Kewaunee 4,15361.25%2,61138.51%150.22%10.01%1,54222.74%6,780
La Crosse 12,78450.93%12,24748.79%650.26%70.03%5372.14%25,103
Lafayette 4,42154.27%3,69645.37%260.32%40.05%7258.90%8,147
Langlade 4,03648.23%4,31051.50%190.23%40.05%-274-3.27%8,369
Lincoln 5,56464.71%2,93834.17%780.91%180.21%2,62630.54%8,598
Manitowoc 14,04753.52%11,94945.53%2170.83%340.13%2,0987.99%26,247
Marathon 15,78253.54%13,19244.75%4841.64%190.06%2,5908.79%29,477
Marinette 7,15952.21%6,48347.28%590.43%110.08%6764.93%13,712
Marquette 2,85373.47%1,01626.17%140.36%00.00%1,83747.31%3,883
Milwaukee 142,44840.15%205,28257.85%6,7051.89%3950.11%-62,834-17.71%354,830
Monroe 7,27764.09%4,01335.34%610.54%30.03%3,26428.75%11,354
Oconto 5,92357.38%4,34842.12%450.44%60.06%1,57515.26%10,322
Oneida 3,25344.06%4,07655.21%530.72%10.01%-823-11.15%7,383
Outagamie 18,29464.44%9,95535.07%1200.42%200.07%8,33929.37%28,389
Ozaukee 5,65560.66%3,57938.39%810.87%80.09%2,07622.27%9,323
Pepin 1,90264.28%1,02934.78%250.84%30.10%87329.50%2,959
Pierce 5,13762.40%3,03336.84%600.73%30.04%2,10425.56%8,233
Polk 5,32953.58%4,48945.14%1211.22%60.06%8408.45%9,945
Portage 5,40538.27%8,67861.44%360.25%60.04%-3,273-23.17%14,125
Price 3,25847.78%3,51551.55%400.59%60.09%-257-3.77%6,819
Racine 18,22041.11%25,69757.97%3900.88%180.04%-7,477-16.87%44,325
Richland 5,08861.85%3,10937.79%240.29%50.06%1,97924.06%8,226
Rock 18,47752.23%16,76647.39%1040.29%290.08%1,7114.84%35,376
Rusk 3,09248.40%3,23850.69%420.66%160.25%-146-2.29%6,388
Sauk 9,75162.72%5,69036.60%950.61%100.06%4,06126.12%15,546
Sawyer 2,42155.02%1,94744.25%260.59%60.14%47410.77%4,400
Shawano 8,73268.16%4,01531.34%570.44%70.05%4,71736.82%12,811
Sheboygan 15,29149.42%15,06248.68%5571.80%280.09%2290.74%30,938
St. Croix 5,66053.01%4,93046.17%800.75%80.07%7306.84%10,678
Taylor 3,19448.24%3,21548.56%2093.16%30.05%-21-0.32%6,621
Trempealeau 4,71951.06%4,49648.65%270.29%00.00%2232.41%9,242
Vernon 5,67651.04%5,40948.64%190.17%170.15%2672.40%11,121
Vilas 2,02148.91%2,07950.31%250.61%70.17%-58-1.40%4,132
Walworth 10,90165.34%5,69634.14%780.47%80.05%5,20531.20%16,683
Washburn 2,44153.85%2,05945.42%290.64%40.09%3828.43%4,533
Washington 8,92169.44%3,84029.89%770.60%90.07%5,08139.55%12,847
Waukesha 17,99557.44%13,03841.62%2780.89%150.05%4,95715.82%31,326
Waupaca 11,49574.44%3,87925.12%630.41%50.03%7,61649.32%15,442
Waushara 4,67575.54%1,48523.99%270.44%20.03%3,19051.54%6,189
Winnebago 19,31059.56%12,84139.61%2500.77%190.06%6,46919.95%32,420
Wood 9,56957.92%6,86141.53%810.49%90.05%2,70816.39%16,520
Totals674,53250.37%650,41348.57%13,2050.99%1,0020.07%24,1191.80%1,339,152

See also

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References

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  2. Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 ISBN   0815719094
  3. Hansen, John Mark; Shigeo Hirano, and Snyder, James M. Jr.; 'Parties within Parties: Parties, Factions, and Coordinated Politics, 1900-1980'; in Gerber, Alan S. and Schickler, Eric; Governing in a Polarized Age: Elections, Parties, and Political Representation in America, pp. 165-168 ISBN   978-1-107-09509-0
  4. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 387-388 ISBN   978-0-691-16324-6
  5. Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 47, 159
  6. Gallup, George; 'Three More Midwest States Throw Support to Dewey'; The Washington Post , August 9, 1944, p. 2
  7. Gallup, George; 'Dewey Leads 32-State Poll'; The Washington Post, August 13, 1944, p. B5
  8. 'How Wisconsin Looks to Gould Lincoln'; Daily Boston Globe , October 3, 1944, p. 5
  9. Fried, Richard M.; '"Operation Polecat": Thomas E. Dewey, the 1948 Election, and the Origins of McCarthyism'; Journal of Policy History, Vol. 22, Issue 1, (January 2010), pp. 1-22
  10. 'Dewey Gains in Midwest Farm States: Gallup'; The Washington Post, October 11, 1944, p. 1
  11. Folliard, Edward T.; 'Dewey Leaves Today on New Midwest Tour'; The Washington Post, October 23, 1944, p. 3
  12. Catledge, Turner; 'Isolationism Dims Wisconsin Picture: Labor Backers of Roosevelt Have Task of Overcoming Strong Trend to Dewey'; The New York Times , October 22, 1944, p. 39
  13. "1944 Presidential General Election Results – Wisconsin" . Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  14. "WI US President Race, November 07, 1944". Our Campaigns.