1908 United States presidential election in Florida explained

See main article: 1908 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1908 United States presidential election in Florida
Country:Florida
Flag Year:1900
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1904 United States presidential election in Florida
Previous Year:1904
Election Date:November 3, 1908
Next Election:1912 United States presidential election in Florida
Next Year:1912
Image1:Unsuccessful 1908.jpg
Nominee1:William Jennings Bryan
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Nebraska
Running Mate1:John W. Kern
Electoral Vote1:5
Popular Vote1:31,104
Percentage1:63.01%
Nominee2:William Howard Taft
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Ohio
Running Mate2:James S. Sherman
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:10,654
Percentage2:21.58%
Image3:EugeneVDebs.png
Nominee3:Eugene V. Debs
Party3:Socialist Party of America
Home State3:Indiana
Running Mate3:Ben Hanford
Electoral Vote3:0
Popular Vote3:3,747
Percentage3:7.59%
Map Size:400px
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 Florida was held on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice-president.With the disenfranchisement of African-Americans by a poll tax in 1889,[1] Florida become a one-party Democratic state, which it was to remain until the 1950s, apart from the anti-Catholic vote against Al Smith in 1928. Unlike southern states extending into the Appalachian Mountains or Ozarks, or Texas with its German settlements in the Edwards Plateau, Florida completely lacked upland or German refugee whites opposed to secession. Thus Florida's Republican Party between 1872 and 1888 was entirely dependent upon black votes, a fact is graphically seen when one considers that – although very few blacks in Florida had ever voted within the previous fifty-five years – at the time of the landmark court case of Smith v. Allwright, half of Florida's registered Republicans were still black.[2] Thus disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites left Florida as devoid of Republican adherents as Louisiana, Mississippi, or South Carolina.[3]

Florida was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. They defeated the Republican Party nominees, former Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York. Bryan won the state by a margin of 41.43%.

Nevertheless, Florida's one-party Democratic rule was to be marginally interrupted in the 1900s by considerable Socialist and Populist growth, centered in Tampa and Jacksonville, and southern Lee County with its "Koreshan Unity" sect[4] Immigrants and farmers fearing loss of tenure were able to give Eugene V. Debs, in the second of his five Presidential runs, over ten percent of the vote in several counties of South Florida, and Populist Thomas E. Watson substantial votes in many pineywoods counties.

1908 saw several major strikes in the state, notably of railcars in Pensacola,[4] and Debs was able to improve upon his 1904 vote to the extent of running second in five counties. However, Bryan still carried the state by a three-to-one margin over his nearest rival.

Bryan had previously won Florida twice against William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.

Results

1908 United States presidential election in Florida[5]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocratWilliam Jennings Bryan31,10463.01%5
RepublicanWilliam Howard Taft10,65421.58%0
SocialistEugene V. Debs3,7477.59%0
People'sThomas E. Watson1,9463.94%0
ProhibitionEugene W. Chafin1,3562.75%0
IndependenceThomas L. Hisgen5531.12%0
Totals49,360100.00%5

Results by county

William Jennings Bryan
Democratic
William Howard Taft
Republican
Eugene Victor Debs[6]
Socialist
Thomas Edward Watson
Populist
Eugene Wilder Chafin
Prohibition
Thomas Hisgen
Independence
MarginTotal votes cast[7]
align=center County%%%%%%%
Alachua1,23961.03%68633.79%251.23%261.28%381.87%160.79%55327.24%2,030
Baker15245.24%10430.95%5115.18%113.27%72.08%113.27%4814.29%336
Bradford72974.31%18018.35%191.94%131.33%383.87%20.20%54955.96%981
Brevard29450.78%22538.86%508.64%71.21%10.17%20.35%6911.92%579
Calhoun24135.23%33949.56%121.75%8412.28%20.29%60.88%-98-14.33%684
Citrus37183.56%337.43%265.86%81.80%61.35%00.00%33876.13%444
Clay35563.62%12221.86%223.94%183.23%386.81%30.54%23341.76%558
Columbia46552.13%27931.28%616.84%546.05%232.58%101.12%18620.85%892
Dade96160.59%27517.34%16010.09%1086.81%533.34%291.83%68643.25%1,586
De Soto99269.03%24416.98%1127.79%322.23%443.06%130.90%74852.05%1,437
Duval2,38166.84%64118.00%2336.54%1554.35%1002.81%521.46%1,74048.84%3,562
Escambia1,88756.23%71821.39%35110.46%2457.30%1013.01%541.61%1,16934.84%3,356
Franklin28356.94%11222.54%5611.27%306.04%91.81%71.41%17134.40%497
Gadsden56376.29%8912.06%344.61%344.61%121.63%60.81%47464.23%738
Hamilton45263.84%11616.38%8411.86%334.66%172.40%60.85%33647.46%708
Hernando26076.70%5716.81%144.13%51.47%30.88%00.00%20359.89%339
Hillsborough2,70373.17%3679.94%3669.91%691.87%1463.95%431.16%2,33663.23%3,694
Holmes43850.69%33739.00%404.63%323.70%80.93%91.04%10111.69%864
Jackson1,12266.43%35320.90%1347.93%553.26%100.59%150.89%76945.53%1,689
Jefferson56571.34%14918.81%232.90%303.79%212.65%40.51%41652.53%792
Lafayette48775.50%9013.95%152.33%81.24%446.82%10.16%39761.55%645
Lake48758.46%20024.01%627.44%333.96%455.40%60.72%28734.45%833
Lee26649.91%7213.51%10920.45%101.88%7413.88%20.38%15729.46%533
Leon69872.86%14314.93%444.59%394.07%252.61%90.94%55557.93%958
Levy41159.14%18927.19%649.21%142.01%111.58%60.86%22231.95%695
Liberty17664.47%6925.27%114.03%114.03%41.47%20.73%10739.20%273
Madison51185.88%325.38%233.87%193.19%71.18%30.50%47980.50%595
Manatee64470.85%9310.23%10411.44%363.96%283.08%40.44%54059.41%909
Marion1,35261.85%48222.05%1205.49%974.44%1165.31%190.87%87039.80%2,186
Monroe63054.03%22719.47%23920.50%262.23%312.66%131.11%39133.53%1,166
Nassau46675.04%9214.81%203.22%152.42%162.58%121.93%37460.23%621
Orange95259.17%48530.14%633.92%633.92%261.62%201.24%46729.03%1,609
Osceola19357.44%8124.11%123.57%4713.99%10.30%20.60%11233.33%336
Pasco43676.49%8114.21%213.68%172.98%152.63%00.00%35562.28%570
Polk1,25169.62%29016.14%1548.57%543.01%412.28%70.39%96153.48%1,797
Putnam79754.22%45430.88%1057.14%573.88%322.18%251.70%34323.34%1,470
St. Johns75856.07%34425.44%353.02%60.52%100.86%50.43%41430.63%1,158
St. Lucie28064.52%6314.52%14624.62%498.26%325.40%233.88%13439.90%593
Santa Rosa53566.63%21226.40%384.53%141.67%70.84%323.82%32340.23%838
Sumter34369.72%6212.60%285.69%357.11%224.47%20.41%28157.12%492
Suwannee59756.70%15014.25%22020.89%555.22%191.80%121.14%37735.81%1,053
Taylor25048.64%16031.13%417.98%489.34%122.33%30.58%9017.51%514
Volusia73658.18%44435.10%413.24%120.95%282.21%40.32%29223.08%1,265
Wakulla23969.48%5616.28%319.01%113.20%61.74%10.29%18353.20%344
Walton50451.85%36937.96%464.73%343.50%131.34%60.62%13513.89%972
Washington65255.77%28824.64%827.01%877.44%141.20%463.93%36431.13%1,169
Totals31,10463.01%10,65421.58%3,7477.59%1,9463.94%1,3562.75%5531.12%20,45041.43%49,360

See also

Notes and References

  1. [Joel H. Silbey|Silbey, Joel H.]
  2. See Price, Hugh Douglas; 'The Negro and Florida Politics, 1944-1954'; The Journal of Politics, Vol. 17, No. 2 (May, 1955), pp. 198-220
  3. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 208, 210
  4. Griffin, R. Steven; ‘Workers of the Sunshine State, Unite! The Florida Socialist Party during the Progressive Era, 1900-1920’ (thesis)
  5. Web site: 1908 Presidential General Election Results – Florida. 2012-02-24 . Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  6. Géoelections; Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1908 (.xlsx file for €30 including full minor party figures)
  7. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 156-161