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1912 United States presidential election in Virginia

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Main article: 1912 United States presidential election
1912 United States presidential election in Virginia
← 1908 November 5, 1912 1916 →
 
Nominee Woodrow Wilson William Howard Taft Theodore Roosevelt
Party Democratic Republican Progressive
Home state New Jersey Ohio New York
Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Nicholas Murray Butler Hiram W. Johnson
Electoral vote 12 0 0
Popular vote 90,332 23,288 21,777
Percentage 65.95% 17.00% 15.90%
County Results
President before election

William Howard Taft
Republican

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elections in Virginia
Federal government
U.S. President
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
State government
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Senate
House of Delegates
State elections
Ballot measures
Statewide
Fairfax County
2016
Alexandria
Mayor
(List)
Henrico County
Commonwealth's Attorney
Norfolk
Mayor
Richmond
Mayor
Virginia Beach
Mayor
City Council

The 1912 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 5, 1912. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The 1900s had seen Virginia, like all former Confederate States, almost completely disenfranchise its black and poor white populations through the use of a cumulative poll tax and literacy tests.[1] So severe was the disenfranchising effect of the new 1902 Constitution that the electorate for the 1904 presidential election was halved compared to that of previous elections, and it has been calculated that a third of those who voted were state employees and officeholders.[1] The limited electorate meant Virginian politics was controlled by political machines — firstly one led by Thomas Staples Martin and after he died the Byrd Organization.

However, unlike the Deep South, historical fusion with the “Readjuster” Democrats,[2] defection of substantial proportions of the Northeast-aligned white electorate of the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia over free silver,[3] and an early move towards a “lily white” Jim Crow party[2] meant that in general elections the Republicans retained around one-third of the small statewide electorate,[4] with the majority of GOP support located in the western part of the state.

With the already minority state Republican Party divided between conservative incumbent President William Howard Taft and Progressive nominee, former President Theodore Roosevelt, it was clear that the gains Taft had long hoped for in the South would not be made at this election. Polls as early as July showed Virginia as completely safe for Democratic nominee and New Jersey Governor Wilson.[5] By October it was widely believed that only a few dissident officeholders were behind the Progressive Party.[6]

Ultimately Wilson won Virginia by 48.96 percentage points over Taft, with Roosevelt a close third. Wilson carried all but two counties, and won the largest popular-vote victory in Virginia since Andrew Jackson in 1832 — although Franklin D. Roosevelt would three times exceed his popular vote percentage. Wilson ultimately won the national election with 41.84 percent of the vote. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Floyd County did not vote for the Republican candidate.[7]

Results

[edit]
1912 United States presidential election in Virginia[8]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Woodrow Wilson 90,332 65.95% 12
Republican William Howard Taft (inc.) 23,288 17.00% 0
Progressive Theodore Roosevelt 21,777 15.90% 0
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 820 0.60% 0
Prohibition Eugene W. Chafin 709 0.52% 0
Socialist Labor Arthur E. Reimer 50 0.04% 0
Totals 136,976 100.00% 12

Results by county

[edit]
1912 United States presidential election in Virginia by counties and independent cities[9][10][11]
Woodrow Wilson
Democratic 		William Howard Taft
Republican 		Theodore Roosevelt
Progressive "Bull Moose" 		Eugene V. Debs
Socialist 		Eugene W. Chafin
Prohibition 		Arthur E. Reimer
Socialist Labor 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Accomack County 1,825 86.33% 153 7.24% 110 5.20% 1 0.05% 25 1.18% 0 0.00% 1,672 79.09% 2,114
Albemarle County 1,215 80.84% 144 9.58% 126 8.38% 15 1.00% 3 0.20% 0 0.00% 1,071 71.26% 1,503
Alexandria County 394 48.70% 125 15.45% 263 32.51% 10 1.24% 15 1.85% 2 0.25% 131[a] 16.19% 809
Alleghany County 325 79.46% 32 7.82% 50 12.22% 0 0.00% 2 0.49% 0 0.00% 275[a] 67.24% 409
Amelia County 765 85.28% 64 7.13% 60 6.69% 8 0.89% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 701 78.15% 897
Amherst County 654 89.10% 28 3.81% 51 6.95% 0 0.00% 1 0.14% 0 0.00% 603[a] 82.15% 734
Appomattox County 346 58.15% 86 14.45% 153 25.71% 8 1.34% 2 0.34% 0 0.00% 193[a] 32.44% 595
Augusta County 1,556 62.74% 568 22.90% 272 10.97% 11 0.44% 73 2.94% 0 0.00% 988 39.84% 2,480
Bath County 329 60.48% 159 29.23% 39 7.17% 3 0.55% 11 2.02% 3 0.55% 170 31.25% 544
Bedford County 1,219 70.34% 142 8.19% 343 19.79% 9 0.52% 20 1.15% 0 0.00% 876[a] 50.55% 1,733
Bland County 290 47.08% 206 33.44% 118 19.16% 1 0.16% 1 0.16% 0 0.00% 84 13.64% 616
Botetourt County 889 55.29% 517 32.15% 191 11.88% 2 0.12% 9 0.56% 0 0.00% 372 23.13% 1,608
Brunswick County 643 84.16% 67 8.77% 43 5.63% 5 0.65% 6 0.79% 0 0.00% 576 75.39% 764
Buchanan County 524 46.05% 223 19.60% 389 34.18% 0 0.00% 2 0.18% 0 0.00% 135[a] 11.86% 1,138
Buckingham County 603 74.44% 97 11.98% 110 13.58% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 493[a] 60.86% 810
Campbell County 810 77.00% 97 9.22% 126 11.98% 11 1.05% 8 0.76% 0 0.00% 684[a] 65.02% 1,052
Caroline County 591 68.17% 144 16.61% 126 14.53% 0 0.00% 6 0.69% 0 0.00% 447 51.56% 867
Carroll County 765 38.48% 874 43.96% 346 17.40% 0 0.00% 3 0.15% 0 0.00% -109 -5.48% 1,988
Charles City County 121 66.85% 37 20.44% 23 12.71% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 84 46.41% 181
Charlotte County 609 66.34% 175 19.06% 123 13.40% 10 1.09% 1 0.11% 0 0.00% 434 47.28% 918
Chesterfield County 702 82.78% 61 7.19% 75 8.84% 8 0.94% 2 0.24% 0 0.00% 627[a] 73.94% 848
Clarke County 576 91.43% 39 6.19% 14 2.22% 1 0.16% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 537 85.24% 630
Craig County 336 60.76% 62 11.21% 150 27.12% 1 0.18% 4 0.72% 0 0.00% 186[a] 33.63% 553
Culpeper County 753 82.21% 108 11.79% 49 5.35% 1 0.11% 5 0.55% 0 0.00% 645 70.41% 916
Cumberland County 362 89.60% 10 2.48% 31 7.67% 1 0.25% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 331[a] 81.93% 404
Dickenson County 529 48.58% 398 36.55% 157 14.42% 5 0.46% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 131 12.03% 1,089
Dinwiddie County 512 78.65% 58 8.91% 75 11.52% 1 0.15% 3 0.46% 2 0.31% 437[a] 67.13% 651
Elizabeth City County 347 75.60% 43 9.37% 56 12.20% 8 1.74% 1 0.22% 4 0.87% 291[a] 63.40% 459
Essex County 278 77.01% 72 19.94% 11 3.05% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 206 57.06% 361
Fairfax County 992 74.14% 187 13.98% 150 11.21% 6 0.45% 3 0.22% 0 0.00% 805 60.16% 1,338
Fauquier County 1,187 81.25% 182 12.46% 87 5.95% 2 0.14% 3 0.21% 0 0.00% 1,005 68.79% 1,461
Floyd County 409 30.05% 222 16.31% 712 52.31% 5 0.37% 13 0.96% 0 0.00% -303[a] -22.26% 1,361
Fluvanna County 409 77.90% 53 10.10% 58 11.05% 5 0.95% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 351[a] 66.86% 525
Franklin County 1,238 54.73% 415 18.35% 601 26.57% 5 0.22% 3 0.13% 0 0.00% 637[a] 28.16% 2,262
Frederick County 922 74.66% 181 14.66% 112 9.07% 3 0.24% 16 1.30% 1 0.08% 741 60.00% 1,235
Giles County 725 58.19% 267 21.43% 247 19.82% 4 0.32% 3 0.24% 0 0.00% 458 36.76% 1,246
Gloucester County 510 79.69% 74 11.56% 56 8.75% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 436 68.13% 640
Goochland County 322 61.45% 114 21.76% 82 15.65% 6 1.15% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 208 39.69% 524
Grayson County 850 43.06% 832 42.15% 290 14.69% 1 0.05% 1 0.05% 0 0.00% 18 0.91% 1,974
Greene County 238 49.69% 141 29.44% 95 19.83% 0 0.00% 5 1.04% 0 0.00% 97 20.25% 479
Greensville County 294 73.32% 31 7.73% 72 17.96% 1 0.25% 3 0.75% 0 0.00% 222[a] 55.36% 401
Halifax County 1,260 68.63% 426 23.20% 127 6.92% 15 0.82% 8 0.44% 0 0.00% 834 45.42% 1,836
Hanover County 609 86.75% 87 12.39% 4 0.57% 0 0.00% 2 0.28% 0 0.00% 522 74.36% 702
Henrico County 952 81.02% 93 7.91% 105 8.94% 16 1.36% 6 0.51% 3 0.26% 847[a] 72.09% 1,175
Henry County 707 54.26% 216 16.58% 369 28.32% 8 0.61% 3 0.23% 0 0.00% 338[a] 25.94% 1,303
Highland County 313 49.53% 221 34.97% 84 13.29% 0 0.00% 14 2.22% 0 0.00% 92 14.56% 632
Isle of Wight County 708 80.09% 75 8.48% 101 11.43% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 607[a] 68.67% 884
James City County 128 82.05% 10 6.41% 15 9.62% 1 0.64% 2 1.28% 0 0.00% 113[a] 72.44% 156
King and Queen County 246 67.96% 68 18.78% 48 13.26% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 178 49.17% 362
King George County 256 62.90% 48 11.79% 103 25.31% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 153[a] 37.59% 407
King William County 305 69.48% 69 15.72% 63 14.35% 1 0.23% 1 0.23% 0 0.00% 236 53.76% 439
Lancaster County 479 82.02% 82 14.04% 16 2.74% 1 0.17% 6 1.03% 0 0.00% 397 67.98% 584
Lee County 1,023 44.13% 699 30.16% 577 24.89% 9 0.39% 10 0.43% 0 0.00% 324 13.98% 2,318
Loudoun County 1,386 78.39% 256 14.48% 87 4.92% 4 0.23% 35 1.98% 0 0.00% 1,130 63.91% 1,768
Louisa County 582 70.63% 91 11.04% 141 17.11% 6 0.73% 4 0.49% 0 0.00% 441[a] 53.52% 824
Lunenburg County 508 80.89% 66 10.51% 50 7.96% 4 0.64% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 442 70.38% 628
Madison County 402 59.38% 210 31.02% 63 9.31% 1 0.15% 1 0.15% 0 0.00% 192 28.36% 677
Mathews County 523 86.88% 45 7.48% 34 5.65% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 478 79.40% 602
Mecklenburg County 1,039 78.30% 191 14.39% 91 6.86% 1 0.08% 5 0.38% 0 0.00% 848 63.90% 1,327
Middlesex County 374 71.37% 128 24.43% 22 4.20% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 246 46.95% 524
Montgomery County 684 42.86% 349 21.87% 531 33.27% 2 0.13% 27 1.69% 3 0.19% 153[a] 9.59% 1,596
Nansemond County 544 81.56% 53 7.95% 65 9.75% 2 0.30% 3 0.45% 0 0.00% 479[a] 71.81% 667
Nelson County 706 72.71% 163 16.79% 95 9.78% 5 0.51% 2 0.21% 0 0.00% 543 55.92% 971
New Kent County 160 67.51% 30 12.66% 46 19.41% 0 0.00% 1 0.42% 0 0.00% 114[a] 48.10% 237
Norfolk County 1,089 62.44% 422 24.20% 215 12.33% 11 0.63% 4 0.23% 3 0.17% 667 38.25% 1,744
Northampton County 726 81.94% 83 9.37% 76 8.58% 1 0.11% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 643 72.57% 886
Northumberland County 471 75.36% 102 16.32% 52 8.32% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 369 59.04% 625
Nottoway County 683 81.70% 72 8.61% 70 8.37% 4 0.48% 7 0.84% 0 0.00% 611 73.09% 836
Orange County 619 80.92% 87 11.37% 57 7.45% 0 0.00% 2 0.26% 0 0.00% 532 69.54% 765
Page County 705 57.88% 339 27.83% 138 11.33% 10 0.82% 26 2.13% 0 0.00% 366 30.05% 1,218
Patrick County 698 46.85% 434 29.13% 350 23.49% 3 0.20% 4 0.27% 1 0.07% 264 17.72% 1,490
Pittsylvania County 1,558 64.22% 527 21.72% 321 13.23% 15 0.62% 5 0.21% 0 0.00% 1,031 42.50% 2,426
Powhatan County 230 56.93% 109 26.98% 51 12.62% 11 2.72% 3 0.74% 0 0.00% 121 29.95% 404
Prince Edward County 584 83.07% 72 10.24% 46 6.54% 0 0.00% 1 0.14% 0 0.00% 512 72.83% 703
Prince George County 204 69.15% 42 14.24% 48 16.27% 1 0.34% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 156[a] 52.88% 295
Prince William County 423 74.60% 40 7.05% 93 16.40% 5 0.88% 6 1.06% 0 0.00% 330[a] 58.20% 567
Princess Anne County 814 84.88% 82 8.55% 63 6.57% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 732 76.33% 959
Pulaski County 781 52.88% 196 13.27% 484 32.77% 13 0.88% 3 0.20% 0 0.00% 297[a] 20.11% 1,477
Rappahannock County 356 75.11% 94 19.83% 9 1.90% 13 2.74% 2 0.42% 0 0.00% 262 55.27% 474
Richmond County 342 69.51% 110 22.36% 40 8.13% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 232 47.15% 492
Roanoke County 696 68.30% 108 10.60% 191 18.74% 9 0.88% 15 1.47% 0 0.00% 505[a] 49.56% 1,019
Rockbridge County 949 58.76% 433 26.81% 212 13.13% 13 0.80% 7 0.43% 1 0.06% 516 31.95% 1,615
Rockingham County 1,764 55.23% 937 29.34% 421 13.18% 25 0.78% 47 1.47% 0 0.00% 827 25.89% 3,194
Russell County 1,298 51.53% 588 23.34% 623 24.73% 6 0.24% 4 0.16% 0 0.00% 675[a] 26.80% 2,519
Scott County 1,311 44.26% 557 18.80% 1,075 36.29% 12 0.41% 6 0.20% 1 0.03% 236[a] 7.97% 2,962
Shenandoah County 1,336 52.25% 706 27.61% 493 19.28% 7 0.27% 12 0.47% 3 0.12% 630 24.64% 2,557
Smyth County 1,022 46.08% 609 27.46% 578 26.06% 6 0.27% 3 0.14% 0 0.00% 413 18.62% 2,218
Southampton County 861 85.00% 95 9.38% 49 4.84% 0 0.00% 8 0.79% 0 0.00% 766 75.62% 1,013
Spotsylvania County 389 63.15% 58 9.42% 158 25.65% 0 0.00% 11 1.79% 0 0.00% 231[a] 37.50% 616
Stafford County 347 51.56% 141 20.95% 183 27.19% 2 0.30% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 164[a] 24.37% 673
Surry County 360 77.42% 57 12.26% 37 7.96% 6 1.29% 5 1.08% 0 0.00% 303 65.16% 465
Sussex County 435 77.54% 59 10.52% 53 9.45% 0 0.00% 14 2.50% 0 0.00% 376 67.02% 561
Tazewell County 979 39.76% 586 23.80% 871 35.38% 19 0.77% 7 0.28% 0 0.00% 108[a] 4.39% 2,462
Warren County 571 77.16% 122 16.49% 39 5.27% 2 0.27% 6 0.81% 0 0.00% 449 60.68% 740
Warwick County 123 71.51% 17 9.88% 30 17.44% 1 0.58% 0 0.00% 1 0.58% 93[a] 54.07% 172
Washington County 1,721 51.92% 590 17.80% 996 30.05% 4 0.12% 4 0.12% 0 0.00% 725[a] 21.87% 3,315
Westmoreland County 341 74.95% 69 15.16% 43 9.45% 2 0.44% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 272 59.78% 455
Wise County 1,279 46.71% 851 31.08% 573 20.93% 34 1.24% 1 0.04% 0 0.00% 428 15.63% 2,738
Wythe County 1,110 46.27% 633 26.39% 650 27.09% 5 0.21% 1 0.04% 0 0.00% 460[a] 19.17% 2,399
York County 211 76.17% 34 12.27% 26 9.39% 3 1.08% 3 1.08% 0 0.00% 177 63.90% 277
Alexandria City 951 79.18% 132 10.99% 104 8.66% 11 0.92% 2 0.17% 1 0.08% 819 68.19% 1,201
Bristol City 405 71.55% 86 15.19% 64 11.31% 8 1.41% 3 0.53% 0 0.00% 319 56.36% 566
Buena Vista City 155 60.31% 43 16.73% 48 18.68% 8 3.11% 3 1.17% 0 0.00% 107[a] 41.63% 257
Charlottesville City 454 86.97% 39 7.47% 24 4.60% 4 0.77% 1 0.19% 0 0.00% 415 79.50% 522
Clifton Forge City 293 64.68% 63 13.91% 61 13.47% 34 7.51% 1 0.22% 1 0.22% 230 50.77% 453
Danville City 1,066 84.60% 93 7.38% 79 6.27% 11 0.87% 7 0.56% 4 0.32% 973 77.22% 1,260
Fredericksburg City 414 73.14% 51 9.01% 100 17.67% 0 0.00% 1 0.18% 0 0.00% 314[a] 55.48% 566
Hampton City 353 88.47% 13 3.26% 31 7.77% 1 0.25% 1 0.25% 0 0.00% 322[a] 80.70% 399
Lynchburg City 1,487 80.82% 111 6.03% 218 11.85% 19 1.03% 5 0.27% 0 0.00% 1,269[a] 68.97% 1,840
Newport News City 938 70.58% 100 7.52% 231 17.38% 53 3.99% 3 0.23% 4 0.30% 707[a] 53.20% 1,329
Norfolk City 3,539 83.70% 195 4.61% 451 10.67% 33 0.78% 10 0.24% 0 0.00% 3,088[a] 73.04% 4,228
Petersburg City 1,122 90.19% 75 6.03% 44 3.54% 2 0.16% 1 0.08% 0 0.00% 1,047 84.16% 1,244
Portsmouth City 1,529 79.02% 64 3.31% 321 16.59% 16 0.83% 1 0.05% 4 0.21% 1,208[a] 62.43% 1,935
Radford City 183 56.13% 36 11.04% 95 29.14% 8 2.45% 4 1.23% 0 0.00% 88[a] 26.99% 326
Richmond City 5,636 85.05% 405 6.11% 483 7.29% 91 1.37% 10 0.15% 2 0.03% 5,153[a] 77.76% 6,627
Roanoke City 1,913 69.74% 268 9.77% 502 18.30% 39 1.42% 16 0.58% 5 0.18% 1,411[a] 51.44% 2,743
Staunton City 632 64.23% 65 6.61% 287 29.17% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 345[a] 35.06% 984
Suffolk City 480 75.83% 71 11.22% 63 9.95% 2 0.32% 17 2.69% 0 0.00% 409 64.61% 633
Williamsburg City 113 81.29% 11 7.91% 14 10.07% 0 0.00% 1 0.72% 0 0.00% 99[a] 71.22% 139
Winchester City 447 66.03% 141 20.83% 63 9.31% 3 0.44% 22 3.25% 1 0.15% 306 45.20% 677
Totals 90,354 65.95% 23,287 17.00% 21,776 15.90% 820 0.60% 709 0.52% 50 0.04% 67,067 48.96% 136,996

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax In this county or city where Roosevelt ran second ahead of Taft, the margin given is Wilson vote minus Roosevelt vote.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kousser, J. Morgan (1974). The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880-1910. Yale University Press. pp. 178–181. ISBN 0-300-01696-4.
  2. ^ a b Heersink, Boris; Jenkins, Jeffrey A. (March 19, 2020). Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968. Cambridge University Press. pp. 217–221. ISBN 978-1107158436.
  3. ^ Moger, Allen. "The Rift in Virginia Democracy in 1896". The Journal of Southern History. 4 (3): 295–317. doi:10.2307/2191291. JSTOR 2191291.
  4. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 210, 242 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
  5. ^ "Out Here in Kansas". The Salina Evening Journal. Salina, Kansas. July 20, 1912. p. 4.
  6. ^ "Editorial Snapshots". Shenandoah Herald. Woodstock, Virginia. October 4, 1912. p. 2.
  7. ^ Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. McFarland. pp. 326–330. ISBN 0786422173.
  8. ^ Leip, Dave. "1912 Presidential General Election Results – Virginia". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  9. ^ Robinson, Edgar Eugene (1947). The Presidential Vote; 1896-1932 (Second ed.). Stanford University Press. pp. 354–361.
  10. ^ "1912 Presidential Election Popular Vote for Theodore Roosevelt". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)
  11. ^ "1912 Presidential Election Popular Vote for Eugene Debs". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €15)
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