1956 United States presidential election in Rhode Island

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1956 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Flag of Rhode Island.svg
  1952 November 6, 1956 1960  
  Dwight David Eisenhower 1952 crop.jpg Adlai Stevenson close-up.jpg
Nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower Adlai Stevenson
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Pennsylvania [1] [2] Illinois
Running mate Richard Nixon Estes Kefauver
Electoral vote40
Popular vote225,819161,790
Percentage58.26%41.73%

Rhode Island Presidential Election Results 1956.svg
Rhode Island Presidential Election Municipality Results 1956.svg

President before election

Dwight Eisenhower
Republican

Elected President

Dwight Eisenhower
Republican

The 1956 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

Rhode Island voted for the Republican nominee, incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower of Pennsylvania, over the Democratic nominee, former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. Eisenhower ran with incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon of California, while Stevenson's running mate was Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee.

Eisenhower won Rhode Island by a margin of 16.53%. Eisenhower's 225,819 votes is the most received by a Republican presidential candidate in the state's history. Eisenhower is also the last Republican to carry the state twice, as starting in 1960, Rhode Island would become reliably Democratic. In fact, it has only voted for the party on two more occasions, both amidst 49-state Republican landslides nationally. This is the last time a Republican has won a majority of the votes in Providence County (Nixon won it with a plurality in 1972). This is also the most recent presidential election when Rhode Island would vote more Republican than the nation as a whole, or more Republican than Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania or Texas. It was the last election until 2024 when Rhode Island voted to the right of Delaware, Oregon or Washington state.

To date, this is the last time that the cities of Central Falls and Pawtucket voted Republican.

Results

1956 United States presidential election in Rhode Island [3]
PartyCandidateRunning matePopular voteElectoral vote
Count%Count%
Republican Dwight David Eisenhower of Pennsylvania (incumbent) Richard Nixon of California (incumbent)225,81958.26%4100.00%
Democratic Adlai Stevenson II of Illinois Estes Kefauver of Tennessee 161,79041.73%00.00%
N/AOthersOthers20.01%00.00%
Total387,611100.00%4100.00%

By county

CountyDwight D. Eisenhower
Republican
Adlai Stevenson
Democratic
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %
Bristol 10,07059.88%6,74840.12%00.00%3,32219.76%16,818
Kent 31,54865.94%16,29834.06%00.00%15,25031.88%47,846
Newport 16,06363.00%9,43337.00%20.00%6,63026.00%25,498
Providence 153,86055.80%121,86144.20%00.00%31,99911.60%275,721
Washington 14,27865.71%7,45034.29%00.00%6,82831.42%21,728
Totals225,81958.26%161,79041.74%20.00%64,02916.52%387,611

Counties flipped from Democratic to Republican

See also

References

  1. Although he was born in Texas and grew up in Kansas before his military career, at the time of the 1952 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. "The Presidents". David Leip. Retrieved September 27, 2017. Eisenhower's home state for the 1956 Election was Pennsylvania
  3. "1956 Presidential General Election Results - Rhode Island" . Retrieved February 15, 2024.