1956 United States presidential election in Minnesota

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1956 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Flag of Minnesota (1893-1957).svg
  1952 November 6, 1956 1960  
Turnout83.15% [1] Increase2.svg
  Dwight David Eisenhower 1952 crop.jpg Adlai Stevenson close-up.jpg
Nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower Adlai Stevenson
Party Republican Democratic (DFL)
Home state Pennsylvania [a] Illinois
Running mate Richard Nixon Estes Kefauver
Electoral vote110
Popular vote719,302617,525
Percentage53.68%46.08%

Minnesota Presidential Election Results 1956.svg
County Results

President before election

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

Elected President

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

The 1956 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Minnesota was won by the Republican Party candidate, incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower won the state over former Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson by a margin of 101,777 votes, or 7.6%, which made Minnesota 8% more Democratic than the nation-at-large. Eisenhower went on to win the election nationally, with 457 electoral votes and a landslide 15.4% lead over Stevenson in the popular vote. The 1956 presidential election was a rematch of the 1952 election, in which Eisenhower also defeated Stevenson, both nationally and in Minnesota. As of the 2024 presidential election , this is the last time Minnesota was carried in two consecutive elections by the Republican nominee.

The Democratic nomination campaign leading into 1956 presidential election may have had a major role in the end of the political career of Coya Knutson, the first woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, in a ploy to win a possible vice presidential nomination for its rising star, U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey, desperately attempted to ensure that Stevenson would win in the DFL Presidential Primary in Minnesota that year. However, Congresswoman Knutson, believing that the agricultural policy positions of U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee would have been more beneficial to her constituents, instead endorsed and campaigned on behalf of Kefauver. In part due to Knutson's efforts, Kefauver won the March 20th Minnesota Presidential Primary; as a result, when Stevenson was ultimately nominated, Kefauver was chosen as his running mate.

Two years later, shortly before the 1958 DFL state convention, a letter signed but not written by Knutson's husband was circulated to reporters. The contents of the letter played on anxieties over deviations from the rigid gender roles of the time, and its publication by newspapers essentially ensured Knutson's defeat in her bid for re-election that year. It has been alleged by several individuals, including Concordia College political science professor Harding Noblitt, Knutson biographer Gretchen Beito, and numerous people who were close to Knutson, that either DFL state leadership or local operatives wrote the letter and bribed Knutson's husband to sign it, as a means to exact retribution against the Congresswoman for denying Humphrey a shot at the vice presidential nomination in 1956. [3]

Sine 1956, Minnesota has only voted Republican in one more presidential race, when Richard Nixon won the state in his re-election bid in 1972. After 1956, no Republican presidential nominee would get over 70% of the vote in any Minnesota county again until Donald Trump in 2016.

Results

1956 United States presidential election in Minnesota [4]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower (incumbent)719,30253.68%11
Democratic (DFL) Adlai Stevenson 617,52546.08%0
Industrial Government Eric Hass 2,0800.16%0
Socialist Workers Farrell Dobbs 1,0980.08%0
Totals1,340,005100.00%11
Voter turnout83%

Results by county

CountyDwight D. Eisenhower
Republican
Adlai Stevenson
DFL
Eric Hass [5]
Industrial Government
Farrell Dobbs [5]
Socialist Workers
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %
Aitkin 2,76250.18%2,73349.65%30.05%60.11%290.53%5,504
Anoka 9,35944.37%11,69755.46%230.11%130.06%-2,338-11.09%21,092
Becker 4,60849.81%4,61949.93%150.16%90.10%-11-0.12%9,251
Beltrami 3,97450.97%3,80748.83%20.03%140.18%1672.14%7,797
Benton 3,59157.77%2,60941.97%80.13%80.13%98215.80%6,216
Big Stone 1,73744.25%2,18055.54%50.13%30.08%-443-11.29%3,925
Blue Earth 11,39867.50%5,46732.38%140.08%70.04%5,93135.12%16,886
Brown 7,96572.02%3,06727.73%110.10%160.14%4,89844.29%11,059
Carlton 4,16839.04%6,48460.73%160.15%90.08%-2,316-21.69%10,677
Carver 6,22672.49%2,33427.17%140.16%150.17%3,89245.32%8,589
Cass 4,00759.23%2,74840.62%40.06%60.09%1,25918.61%6,765
Chippewa 3,62351.32%3,43448.64%30.04%00.00%1892.68%7,060
Chisago 3,41355.47%2,73144.38%40.07%50.08%68211.09%6,153
Clay 6,78352.77%6,05747.12%80.06%70.05%7265.65%12,855
Clearwater 1,46440.11%2,17159.48%60.16%90.25%-707-19.37%3,650
Cook 1,07861.67%66838.22%10.06%10.06%41023.45%1,748
Cottonwood 4,61966.29%2,34433.64%40.06%10.01%2,27532.65%6,968
Crow Wing 6,65754.37%5,55645.38%150.12%150.12%1,1018.99%12,243
Dakota 13,11250.74%12,67249.04%350.14%200.08%4401.70%25,839
Dodge 3,20563.78%1,81436.10%40.08%20.04%1,39127.68%5,025
Douglas 5,11454.87%4,19445.00%70.08%50.05%9209.87%9,320
Faribault 6,88665.80%3,55433.96%220.21%30.03%3,33231.84%10,465
Fillmore 7,00467.09%3,42732.83%50.05%40.04%3,57734.26%10,440
Freeborn 7,63251.63%7,13848.29%70.05%40.03%4943.34%14,781
Goodhue 9,36565.25%4,96934.62%120.08%70.05%4,39630.63%14,353
Grant 2,06449.41%2,10750.44%50.12%10.02%-43-1.03%4,177
Hennepin 183,24855.01%149,34144.83%2660.08%2570.08%33,90710.18%333,112
Houston 4,53867.93%2,13331.93%60.09%30.04%2,40536.00%6,680
Hubbard 2,45362.69%1,45437.16%20.05%40.10%99925.53%3,913
Isanti 2,34847.35%2,60552.53%20.04%40.08%-257-5.18%4,959
Itasca 6,40842.22%8,73757.56%120.08%210.14%-2,329-15.34%15,178
Jackson 3,54352.23%3,23247.64%70.10%20.03%3114.59%6,784
Kanabec 1,95052.80%1,73647.01%30.08%40.11%2145.79%3,693
Kandiyohi 5,44544.25%6,83455.54%140.11%120.10%-1,389-11.29%12,305
Kittson 1,56941.31%2,22258.50%30.08%40.11%-653-17.19%3,798
Koochiching 2,75742.65%3,69557.15%60.09%70.11%-938-14.50%6,465
Lac qui Parle 3,27653.63%2,82646.27%40.07%20.03%4507.36%6,108
Lake 2,05539.96%3,07959.87%60.12%30.06%-1,024-19.91%5,143
Lake of the Woods 72340.69%1,04858.98%30.17%30.17%-325-18.29%1,777
Le Sueur 5,02658.45%3,55641.35%110.13%60.07%1,47017.10%8,599
Lincoln 2,06046.92%2,31652.76%100.23%40.09%-256-5.84%4,390
Lyon 5,18855.27%4,19044.64%20.02%60.06%99810.63%9,386
Mahnomen 87536.58%1,51363.25%20.08%20.08%-638-26.67%2,392
Marshall 2,51941.93%3,47857.90%80.13%20.03%-959-15.97%6,007
Martin 8,15271.16%3,28928.71%90.08%60.05%4,86342.45%11,456
McLeod 6,74368.61%3,06831.22%130.13%40.04%3,67537.39%9,828
Meeker 4,73858.52%3,34841.35%70.09%40.05%1,39017.17%8,097
Mille Lacs 3,31555.80%2,61944.08%30.05%40.07%69611.72%5,941
Morrison 5,04251.84%4,65347.84%170.17%150.15%3894.00%9,727
Mower 9,57050.66%9,21948.80%870.46%140.07%3511.86%18,890
Murray 3,26154.61%2,69545.13%60.10%90.15%5669.48%5,971
Nicollet 5,32266.81%2,63633.09%40.05%40.05%2,68633.72%7,966
Nobles 5,19656.23%4,03643.67%70.08%20.02%1,16012.56%9,241
Norman 2,33846.01%2,74053.93%20.04%10.02%-402-7.92%5,081
Olmsted 13,78965.62%7,17234.13%380.18%130.06%6,61731.49%21,012
Otter Tail 12,76465.88%6,57133.91%210.11%190.10%6,19331.97%19,375
Pennington 2,40844.93%2,94754.99%20.04%20.04%-539-10.06%5,359
Pine 3,20445.50%3,82954.38%40.06%40.06%-625-8.88%7,041
Pipestone 3,36260.76%2,16539.13%30.05%30.05%1,19721.63%5,533
Polk 6,84746.10%7,98053.73%140.09%120.08%-1,133-7.63%14,853
Pope 2,72551.33%2,57748.54%60.11%10.02%1482.79%5,309
Ramsey 80,70147.74%87,78451.93%3770.22%1770.10%-7,083-4.19%169,039
Red Lake 78233.35%1,55566.31%70.30%10.04%-773-32.96%2,345
Redwood 5,95666.13%3,03933.74%50.06%60.07%2,91732.39%9,006
Renville 5,72857.52%4,21342.31%70.07%100.10%1,51515.21%9,958
Rice 8,47165.24%4,48934.57%140.11%100.08%3,98230.67%12,984
Rock 3,26767.19%1,59132.72%20.04%20.04%1,67634.47%4,862
Roseau 1,90138.23%3,06261.57%10.02%90.18%-1,161-23.34%4,973
St. Louis 39,90238.84%62,19060.54%5290.51%1020.10%-22,288-21.70%102,723
Scott 4,14854.59%3,43145.16%110.14%80.11%7179.43%7,598
Sherburne 2,68159.75%1,79640.03%70.16%30.07%88519.72%4,487
Sibley 4,73769.23%2,09930.68%30.04%30.04%2,63838.55%6,842
Stearns 17,36463.70%9,82936.06%360.13%280.10%7,53527.64%27,257
Steele 6,43565.91%3,29333.73%300.31%60.06%3,14232.18%9,764
Stevens 2,60658.83%1,82241.13%20.05%00.00%78417.70%4,430
Swift 2,63741.43%3,72058.44%60.09%20.03%-1,083-17.01%6,365
Todd 5,07556.51%3,88243.22%160.18%80.09%1,19313.29%8,981
Traverse 1,46745.87%1,72453.91%40.13%30.09%-257-8.04%3,198
Wabasha 4,72866.89%2,30132.56%320.45%70.10%2,42734.33%7,068
Wadena 3,02863.52%1,73336.35%30.06%30.06%1,29527.17%4,767
Waseca 4,66367.69%2,21532.15%90.13%20.03%2,44835.54%6,889
Washington 9,56256.06%7,46243.75%210.12%110.06%2,10012.31%17,056
Watonwan 3,96367.62%1,88632.18%80.14%40.07%2,07735.44%5,861
Wilkin 2,33555.36%1,88144.59%20.05%00.00%45410.77%4,218
Winona 9,74361.30%6,04838.05%700.44%320.20%3,69523.25%15,893
Wright 7,25759.42%4,94440.48%50.04%70.06%2,31318.94%12,213
Yellow Medicine 3,59451.21%3,41648.67%70.10%10.01%1782.54%7,018
Totals719,30253.68%617,52546.08%2,0800.16%1,0980.08%101,7777.60%1,340,005

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

Notes

  1. Although he was born in Texas and grew up in Kansas before his military career, at the time of his election Eisenhower was president of Columbia University and was, officially, a resident of New York. During his first term as president, he moved his private residence to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and officially changed his residency to Pennsylvania. [2]

References

  1. "Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State". www.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  2. "The Presidents". David Leip. Retrieved September 27, 2017. Eisenhower's home state for the 1956 Election was Pennsylvania
  3. "Coya's story". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  4. "1956 Presidential Election Results, 1956". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Our Campaigns; MN US President Race, November 06, 1956