1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas explained

See main article: 1908 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Country:	Arkansas
Flag Year:	1913
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1904 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Previous Year:	1904
Next Election:	1912 United States presidential election in Arkansas
Next Year:	1912
Election Date:	November 3, 1908
Image1:	William Jennings Bryan, 1860-1925 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	William Jennings Bryan
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:	Nebraska
Running Mate1:	John W. Kern
Electoral Vote1:	9
Popular Vote1:	87,015
Percentage1:	57.31%
Nominee2:	William Howard Taft
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:	Ohio
Running Mate2:	James S. Sherman
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	56,624
Percentage2:	37.30%
Map Size:	300px
President
Before Election:	Theodore Roosevelt
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	William Howard Taft
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose nine electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Since 1890, Arkansas had been a classic Jim Crow Southern state in which most blacks and poor whites had been disfranchised by poll taxes.^[1] This would confine significant Republican Party politics to the two Unionist Ozark counties of Newton and Searcy that remained controlled by the GOP at a local level throughout the “Solid South” era.^[2] Because the coinage of silver had been the dominant political issue apart from black disfranchisement ever since the poll tax was passed,^[3] the state would powerfully back “free silver” Democrat William Jennings Bryan in 1896.^[4] However, in the following elections disfranchisement affected poor whites more than blacks, with the result that the Republican Party became somewhat more competitive despite being still associated with Reconstruction.^[5] Bryan would later win Arkansas again in 1900. The GOP was helped in the earlier 1900s elections by the view that 1904 Democratic nominee Alton B. Parker had betrayed Bryan with his support for the gold standard.^[6]

By October polls made it clear that Arkansas would stay firmly with the “Solid South”,^[7] and this is what was observed: indeed Bryan improved on Parker's 1904 margin, winning the state against William Howard Taft by a margin of 20.01% (up from Parker's 15.1% in 1904) despite the dislike of Bryan's retreat from free silver.

Results

1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	William Jennings Bryan	87,015	57.31%	9
	Republican	William Howard Taft	56,624	37.30%	0
	Social Democratic	Eugene V. Debs	5,842	3.85%	0
	Prohibition	Eugene W. Chafin	1,026	0.68%	0
	Populist	Thomas E. Watson	1,026	0.68%	0
	Independence	Thomas L. Hisgen	289	0.19%	0
Totals			151,822	100.00%	9
Voter turnout					40%

Results by county

1908 United States presidential election in Arkansas by county^[9]

County	William Jennings Bryan Democratic		William Howard Taft Republican		Eugene Victor Debs Socialist		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Arkansas		937		56.04%		672		40.19%		42		2.51%		21		1.26%		265		15.85%		1,672
	Ashley		1,100		55.25%		821		41.24%		45		2.26%		25		1.26%		279		14.01%		1,991
	Baxter		607		62.19%		300		30.74%		64		6.56%		5		0.51%		307		31.45%		976
	Benton		3,067		63.82%		1,527		31.77%		155		3.23%		57		1.19%		1,540		32.04%		4,806
	Boone		1,149		60.25%		681		35.71%		64		3.36%		13		0.68%		468		24.54%		1,907
	Bradley		906		71.96%		316		25.10%		30		2.38%		7		0.56%		590		46.86%		1,259
	Calhoun		554		69.34%		234		29.29%		8		1.00%		3		0.38%		320		40.05%		799
	Carroll		1,295		53.25%		1,051		43.22%		72		2.96%		14		0.58%		244		10.03%		2,432
	Chicot		438		40.29%		644		59.25%		2		0.18%		3		0.28%		-206		-18.95%		1,087
	Clark		1,206		52.07%		1,007		43.48%		27		1.17%		76		3.28%		199		8.59%		2,316
	Clay		1,527		56.35%		1,069		39.45%		106		3.91%		8		0.30%		458		16.90%		2,710
	Cleburne		506		54.47%		294		31.65%		55		5.92%		74		7.97%		212		22.82%		929
	Cleveland		771		61.48%		426		33.97%		39		3.11%		18		1.44%		345		27.51%		1,254
	Columbia		1,613		65.57%		817		33.21%		9		0.37%		21		0.85%		796		32.36%		2,460
	Conway		2,533		74.43%		818		24.04%		45		1.32%		7		0.21%		1,715		50.40%		3,403
	Craighead		1,653		64.47%		711		27.73%		165		6.44%		35		1.37%		942		36.74%		2,564
	Crawford		1,261		47.07%		1,339		49.98%		67		2.50%		12		0.45%		-78		-2.91%		2,679
	Crittenden		428		52.20%		382		46.59%		6		0.73%		4		0.49%		46		5.61%		820
	Cross		705		55.38%		507		39.83%		59		4.63%		2		0.16%		198		15.55%		1,273
	Dallas		721		50.17%		636		44.26%		33		2.30%		47		3.27%		85		5.92%		1,437
	Desha		518		65.40%		263		33.21%		6		0.76%		5		0.63%		255		32.20%		792
	Drew		1,123		60.44%		679		36.54%		40		2.15%		16		0.86%		444		23.90%		1,858
	Faulkner		1,771		67.01%		740		28.00%		93		3.52%		39		1.48%		1,031		39.01%		2,643
	Franklin		1,311		63.58%		565		27.40%		119		5.77%		67		3.25%		746		36.18%		2,062
	Fulton		741		62.69%		366		30.96%		63		5.33%		12		1.02%		375		31.73%		1,182
	Garland		1,340		52.04%		1,105		42.91%		105		4.08%		25		0.97%		235		9.13%		2,575
	Grant		524		74.64%		160		22.79%		16		2.28%		2		0.28%		364		51.85%		702
	Greene		1,606		71.60%		549		24.48%		82		3.66%		6		0.27%		1,057		47.12%		2,243
	Hempstead		1,779		55.09%		1,346		41.68%		27		0.84%		77		2.38%		433		13.41%		3,229
	Hot Spring		833		53.19%		686		43.81%		23		1.47%		24		1.53%		147		9.39%		1,566
	Howard		967		55.86%		610		35.24%		83		4.79%		71		4.10%		357		20.62%		1,731
	Independence		1,529		57.61%		948		35.72%		109		4.11%		68		2.56%		581		21.89%		2,654
	Izard		873		64.00%		392		28.74%		53		3.89%		46		3.37%		481		35.26%		1,364
	Jackson		1,055		51.77%		864		42.39%		101		4.96%		18		0.88%		191		9.37%		2,038
	Jefferson		1,585		50.72%		1,386		44.35%		125		4.00%		29		0.93%		199		6.37%		3,125
	Johnson		1,164		62.35%		544		29.14%		140		7.50%		19		1.02%		620		33.21%		1,867
	Lafayette		739		56.37%		552		42.11%		4		0.31%		16		1.22%		187		14.26%		1,311
	Lawrence		1,188		64.78%		583		31.79%		59		3.22%		4		0.22%		605		32.99%		1,834
	Lee		1,182		75.33%		354		22.56%		29		1.85%		4		0.25%		828		52.77%		1,569
	Lincoln		389		66.95%		159		27.37%		16		2.75%		17		2.93%		230		39.59%		581
	Little River		660		53.35%		435		35.17%		105		8.49%		37		2.99%		225		18.19%		1,237
	Logan		1,716		57.62%		1,151		38.65%		88		2.96%		23		0.77%		565		18.97%		2,978
	Lonoke		1,385		67.33%		592		28.78%		30		1.46%		50		2.43%		793		38.55%		2,057
	Madison		1,441		47.01%		1,541		50.28%		69		2.25%		14		0.46%		-100		-3.26%		3,065
	Marion		705		60.83%		370		31.92%		81		6.99%		3		0.26%		335		28.90%		1,159
	Miller		1,035		56.19%		722		39.20%		36		1.95%		49		2.66%		313		16.99%		1,842
	Mississippi		930		41.10%		1,167		51.57%		155		6.85%		11		0.49%		-237		-10.47%		2,263
	Monroe		912		46.01%		1,022		51.56%		41		2.07%		7		0.35%		-110		-5.55%		1,982
	Montgomery		553		46.59%		522		43.98%		87		7.33%		25		2.11%		31		2.61%		1,187
	Nevada		890		45.32%		784		39.92%		47		2.39%		243		12.37%		106		5.40%		1,964
	Newton		377		37.74%		582		58.26%		36		3.60%		4		0.40%		-205		-20.52%		999
	Ouachita		1,166		43.20%		1,505		55.76%		14		0.52%		14		0.52%		-339		-12.56%		2,699
	Perry		608		54.14%		445		39.63%		65		5.79%		5		0.45%		163		14.51%		1,123
	Phillips		1,194		74.91%		393		24.65%		3		0.19%		4		0.25%		801		50.25%		1,594
	Pike		568		47.22%		601		49.96%		21		1.75%		13		1.08%		-33		-2.74%		1,203
	Poinsett		843		64.11%		462		35.13%		2		0.15%		8		0.61%		381		28.97%		1,315
	Polk		824		49.70%		628		37.88%		165		9.95%		41		2.47%		196		11.82%		1,658
	Pope		1,664		64.75%		811		31.56%		78		3.04%		17		0.66%		853		33.19%		2,570
	Prairie		1,103		55.88%		812		41.13%		41		2.08%		18		0.91%		291		14.74%		1,974
	Pulaski		3,893		50.33%		3,533		45.68%		228		2.95%		81		1.05%		360		4.65%		7,735
	Randolph		1,348		70.35%		517		26.98%		28		1.46%		23		1.20%		831		43.37%		1,916
	Saline		899		66.94%		369		27.48%		53		3.95%		22		1.64%		530		39.46%		1,343
	Scott		893		55.92%		481		30.12%		175		10.96%		48		3.01%		412		25.80%		1,597
	Searcy		597		42.89%		636		45.69%		141		10.13%		18		1.29%		-39		-2.80%		1,392
	Sebastian		3,035		52.90%		2,050		35.73%		620		10.81%		32		0.56%		985		17.17%		5,737
	Sevier		1,073		57.75%		526		28.31%		199		10.71%		60		3.23%		547		29.44%		1,858
	Sharp		940		69.89%		317		23.57%		78		5.80%		10		0.74%		623		46.32%		1,345
	St. Francis		619		41.91%		755		51.12%		80		5.42%		23		1.56%		-136		-9.21%		1,477
	Stone		496		61.92%		267		33.33%		34		4.24%		4		0.50%		229		28.59%		801
	Union		1,407		71.60%		535		27.23%		11		0.56%		12		0.61%		872		44.38%		1,965
	Van Buren		797		50.64%		667		42.38%		39		2.48%		71		4.51%		130		8.26%		1,574
	Washington		2,748		58.36%		1,704		36.19%		185		3.93%		72		1.53%		1,044		22.17%		4,709
	White		1,718		57.88%		887		29.89%		176		5.93%		187		6.30%		831		28.00%		2,968
	Woodruff		1,046		56.18%		752		40.39%		51		2.74%		13		0.70%		294		15.79%		1,862
	Yell		1,743		58.16%		1,040		34.70%		194		6.47%		20		0.67%		703		23.46%		2,997
Totals	87,020	57.31%	56,684	37.33%	5,842	3.85%	2,299	1.51%	30,336	19.98%	151,845

See also

• United States presidential elections in Arkansas

Notes and References

1. Book: Perman, Michael. Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888-1908. 65. 0807860255.
2. See Book: Urwin, Cathy Kunzinger. Agenda for Reform: Winthrop Rockefeller as Governor of Arkansas, 1967-71. 32. 1557282005.
3. Book: Dougan, Michael B.. Arkansas Odyssey: The Saga of Arkansas from Prehistoric Times to Present: a History. 305, 307. 9780914546658.
4. Niswonger. Richard L.. Arkansas and the Election of 1896. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 34. 1. Spring 1975. 41–78.
5. Bemko. Dior Jurij. From the new freedom to the New Deal: Southern politics, 1900-1932. 13. 921682. Texas A&M University Press. 1991.
6. Bemko. From the new freedom to the New Deal (Thesis), p. 15
7. News: Poll Gives Taft Lead of 27 Votes. Boston Globe. October 18, 1908. 1.
8. Web site: Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. 1908 Presidential General Election Results — Arkansas.
9. Web site: Géoelections. Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1908. (.xlsx file for €30 including full minor party figures)