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1912 United States presidential election in Arizona

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1912 United States presidential election in Arizona

November 5, 1912 1916 →
 
Nominee Woodrow Wilson Theodore Roosevelt
Party Democratic Progressive
Home state New Jersey New York
Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Hiram Johnson
Electoral vote 3 0
Popular vote 10,324 6,949
Percentage 43.52% 29.29%

 
Nominee Eugene V. Debs William Howard Taft
Party Socialist Republican
Home state Indiana Ohio
Running mate Emil Seidel Nicholas M. Butler
Electoral vote 0 0
Popular vote 3,163 3,021
Percentage 13.33% 12.74%

County Results
Wilson
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%


President before election

William Howard Taft
Republican

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

The 1912 United States presidential election in Arizona took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose three representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. In Arizona, voters voted for electors individually instead of as a slate, as in the other states.

This was the first presidential election Arizona participated in, as it had been admitted as the 48th state on February 14 of the same year. The state was won by Democratic Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson, running with Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall, with 43.52% of the popular vote. Wilson defeated three other major candidates including former progressive Republican President Theodore Roosevelt who ran under the Progressive Party challenging then current Republican conservative President William Howard Taft and earning nearly 29% of the total vote. Another third party candidate, Eugene V. Debs ran under the Socialist Party of America garnering a large left wing voting base of 13%. President Taft finished fourth place at under 13% of the popular vote, the lowest support for a Republican nominee in Arizona state history due to his low approval ratings and a severe split in the GOP causing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the state despite receiving only 43.52% in total.[1]

In 1912, more than 87% of Arizonans voted for one of three economically left-leaning candidates (Wilson, Roosevelt, Debs). Only 13% of the state sided with the conservative incumbent President Taft, who moved further to the right during his one term presidency. Arizona also voted in large numbers for two major third party candidates; Theodore Roosevelt and Eugene Debs, both of whom won a combined 43% of the popular vote, nearly the same as Wilson's vote total. Roosevelt's 29.29% remains the best-ever third-party presidential performance in Arizona history.

Party division among Republican voters helped Wilson carry every single county in Arizona, winning all but three of them with less than a majority.

Arizona was one of only 14 states in which the combined total of Roosevelt and Taft would not have defeated Wilson. The others were the 11 former states of the Confederate States of America (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee) as well as the border states of Kentucky and Oklahoma. This makes Arizona the sole non-southern or border state in which Wilson would have won over the combined Republican vote (though Arizonan territory was claimed by the Confederacy in the Civil War).

Beginning with this election, Arizona voted for every presidential election winner until 1960.[2]

Results

[edit]
1912 United States presidential election in Arizona[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Woodrow Wilson 10,324 43.52%
Progressive Theodore Roosevelt 6,949 29.29%
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 3,163 13.33%
Republican William Howard Taft (incumbent) 3,021 12.74%
Prohibition Eugene Wilder Chafin 265 1.12%
Total votes 23,722 100%
General election results[3]
Party Pledged to Elector Votes
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Wiley E. Jones 10,324
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson V. T. Webb 10,174
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson John R. Hampton 10,130
Progressive Party Theodore Roosevelt E. S. Clark 6,949
Progressive Party Theodore Roosevelt John C. Greenway 6,879
Progressive Party Theodore Roosevelt Dwight B. Heard 6,873
Socialist Party of America Eugene V. Debs J. L. Brooks 3,163
Socialist Party of America Eugene V. Debs E. B. Simanton 3,139
Socialist Party of America Eugene V. Debs Paul E. White 3,132
Republican Party William Howard Taft Hoval A. Smith 3,021
Republican Party William Howard Taft Fred S. Breen 2,986
Republican Party William Howard Taft Walter Talbot 2,975
Prohibition Party Eugene Wilder Chafin Thomas F. Wilson 265
Prohibition Party Eugene Wilder Chafin J. Stanley Howard 221
Prohibition Party Eugene Wilder Chafin Roy E. Sibley 219
Total votes 23,722

Results by county

[edit]
County Thomas Woodrow Wilson[4]
Democratic
William Howard Taft[a]
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt[4]
Progressive/"Bull Moose"
Eugene Victor Debs[5]
Socialist
Eugene Wilder Chafin[5]
Prohibition
Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Apache 108 42.35% 56 21.96% 79 30.98% 10 3.92% 2 0.78% 255
Cochise 1,973 42.71% 403[a] 8.72% 1,396 30.22% 819 17.73% 28 0.61% 4,619
Coconino 339 39.65% 237[a] 27.72% 178 20.82% 96 11.23% 5 0.58% 855
Gila 779 38.09% 210[a] 10.27% 542 26.50% 501 24.50% 13 0.64% 2,045
Graham 540 51.09% 103[a] 9.74% 243 22.99% 164 15.52% 7 0.66% 1,057
Greenlee 652 55.54% 109[a] 9.28% 287 24.45% 122 10.39% 4 0.34% 1,174
Maricopa 2,606 45.97% 642[a] 11.32% 1,818 32.07% 472 8.33% 131 2.31% 5,669
Mohave 320 39.70% 69[a] 8.56% 228 28.29% 184 22.83% 5 0.62% 806
Navajo 287 39.05% 168[a] 22.86% 233 31.70% 40 5.44% 7 0.95% 735
Pima 693 38.41% 353[a] 19.57% 615 34.09% 109 6.04% 34 1.88% 1,804
Pinal 352 43.73% 80[a] 9.94% 311 38.63% 61 7.58% 1 0.12% 805
Santa Cruz 250 53.30% 56 11.94% 123 26.23% 38 8.10% 2 0.43% 469
Yavapai 1,001 42.38% 445[a] 18.84% 537 22.73% 358 15.16% 21 0.89% 2,362
Yuma 424 39.74% 90[a] 8.43% 359 33.65% 189 17.71% 5 0.47% 1,067
Totals 10,324 43.52% 3,021[a] 12.74% 6,949 29.29% 3,163 13.33% 265 1.12% 23,722

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n There exist differences between the Géoelections and Dave Leip totals in this county for the Taft ticket only. This table’s figures are the Leip totals.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "1912 Presidential Election Results Arizona".
  2. ^ Thomas, G. Scott; The Pursuit of the White House: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics and History, p. 420 ISBN 0313257957
  3. ^ General election returns, State of Arizona, November 5, 1912. State of Arizona official canvass.
  4. ^ a b Géoelections; 1912 Presidential Election Popular Vote Archived 2018-06-13 at the Wayback Machine (.xlsx file for €15)
  5. ^ a b Géoelections; 1912 Presidential Election Popular Vote for Eugene Debs (.xlsx file for €15)