1952 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	1952 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Country:	Wisconsin
Flag Year:	1913
Type:	Presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1950 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	1950
Next Election:	1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
Next Year:	1954
Election Date:	November 4, 1952
Image1:	File:Walter J. Kohler Jr. Crop.png
Nominee1:	Walter J. Kohler Jr.
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	1,009,171
Percentage1:	62.48%
Nominee2:	William Proxmire
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	601,844
Percentage2:	37.26%
Map Size:	250px
Governor
Before Election:	Walter J. Kohler Jr.
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Walter J. Kohler Jr.
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1952 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1952.

Incumbent Republican Governor Walter J. Kohler Jr. defeated Democratic nominee William Proxmire with 62.50% of the vote. Kohler's share of the vote was the highest by a gubernatorial candidate since Philip La Follette in 1930; no candidate would match Kohler's share until Tommy Thompson in 1994.

Primary election

Primary elections were held on September 9, 1952.

Democratic party

Candidates

• William Proxmire, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly^[1]

Results

Republican party

Candidates

• Walter J. Kohler Jr., incumbent Governor

Results

General election

Candidates

• William Proxmire, Democratic
• Walter J. Kohler Jr., Republican
• M. Michael Essin, Independent

Results by county

After this election, Douglas County and Kenosha County would not vote Republican again until 1990.

County	Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican		William Proxmire Democratic		M. Michael Essin Independent		Scattering Write-in		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		2,438		71.60%		955		28.05%		12		0.35%		0		0.00%		1,483		43.55%		3,405
	Ashland		4,732		58.29%		3,340		41.14%		46		0.57%		0		0.00%		1,392		17.15%		8,118
	Barron		10,673		72.64%		3,954		26.91%		65		0.44%		0		0.00%		6,719		45.73%		14,692
	Bayfield		3,808		63.27%		2,163		35.94%		48		0.80%		0		0.00%		1,645		27.33%		6,019
	Brown		30,913		69.66%		13,429		30.26%		31		0.07%		1		0.00%		17,484		39.40%		44,374
	Buffalo		4,397		74.11%		1,518		25.59%		18		0.30%		0		0.00%		2,879		48.53%		5,933
	Burnett		2,869		66.88%		1,409		32.84%		12		0.28%		0		0.00%		1,460		34.03%		4,290
	Calumet		7,195		80.52%		1,730		19.36%		11		0.12%		0		0.00%		5,465		61.16%		8,936
	Chippewa		12,443		69.69%		5,382		30.14%		30		0.17%		0		0.00%		7,061		39.55%		17,855
	Clark		10,091		76.37%		3,074		23.26%		48		0.36%		0		0.00%		7,017		53.11%		13,213
	Columbia		11,798		71.44%		4,706		28.50%		10		0.06%		0		0.00%		7,092		42.95%		16,514
	Crawford		5,455		72.12%		2,105		27.83%		4		0.05%		0		0.00%		3,350		44.29%		7,564
	Dane		40,167		50.81%		38,699		48.95%		182		0.23%		9		0.01%		1,468		1.86%		79,057
	Dodge		19,692		74.30%		6,788		25.61%		22		0.08%		2		0.01%		12,904		48.69%		26,504
	Door		7,967		84.17%		1,484		15.68%		14		0.15%		0		0.00%		6,483		68.49%		9,465
	Douglas		10,789		52.03%		9,854		47.52%		92		0.44%		0		0.00%		935		4.51%		20,735
	Dunn		8,023		73.54%		2,873		26.34%		13		0.12%		0		0.00%		5,150		47.21%		10,909
	Eau Claire		14,967		62.56%		8,916		37.27%		40		0.17%		0		0.00%		6,051		25.29%		23,923
	Florence		1,247		67.51%		594		32.16%		6		0.32%		0		0.00%		653		35.35%		1,847
	Fond du Lac		23,788		76.25%		7,343		23.54%		67		0.21%		0		0.00%		16,445		52.71%		31,198
	Forest		2,050		55.66%		1,624		44.09%		9		0.24%		0		0.00%		426		11.57%		3,683
	Grant		14,976		81.67%		3,339		18.21%		22		0.12%		0		0.00%		11,637		63.46%		18,337
	Green		8,640		77.44%		2,512		22.52%		5		0.04%		0		0.00%		6,128		54.93%		11,157
	Green Lake		6,497		82.54%		1,364		17.33%		10		0.13%		0		0.00%		5,133		65.21%		7,871
	Iowa		6,603		74.12%		2,298		25.79%		8		0.09%		0		0.00%		4,305		48.32%		8,909
	Iron		1,809		42.24%		2,456		57.34%		18		0.42%		0		0.00%		-647		-15.11%		4,283
	Jackson		4,231		61.56%		2,633		38.31%		5		0.07%		4		0.06%		1,598		23.25%		6,873
	Jefferson		14,031		67.60%		6,713		32.34%		11		0.05%		0		0.00%		7,318		35.26%		20,755
	Juneau		6,314		77.26%		1,852		22.66%		6		0.07%		0		0.00%		4,462		54.60%		8,172
	Kenosha		20,194		51.27%		19,100		48.49%		92		0.23%		0		0.00%		1,094		2.78%		39,386
	Kewaunee		6,763		80.68%		1,610		19.21%		9		0.11%		0		0.00%		5,153		61.48%		8,382
	La Crosse		20,147		63.80%		11,369		36.00%		64		0.20%		0		0.00%		8,778		27.80%		31,580
	Lafayette		6,141		71.63%		2,427		28.31%		4		0.05%		1		0.01%		3,714		43.32%		8,573
	Langlade		6,549		71.10%		2,636		28.62%		26		0.28%		0		0.00%		3,913		42.48%		9,211
	Lincoln		7,165		71.88%		2,784		27.93%		19		0.19%		0		0.00%		4,381		43.95%		9,968
	Manitowoc		19,383		62.56%		11,563		37.32%		36		0.12%		2		0.01%		7,820		25.24%		30,984
	Marathon		22,178		61.97%		13,313		37.20%		295		0.82%		3		0.01%		8,865		24.77%		35,789
	Marinette		10,263		66.89%		5,058		32.96%		23		0.15%		0		0.00%		5,205		33.92%		15,344
	Marquette		3,484		83.27%		695		16.61%		5		0.12%		0		0.00%		2,789		66.66%		4,184
	Milwaukee		209,887		48.68%		219,550		50.92%		1,283		0.30%		449		0.10%		-9,663		-2.24%		431,169
	Monroe		9,443		76.41%		2,906		23.51%		8		0.06%		2		0.02%		6,537		52.89%		12,359
	Oconto		8,205		73.81%		2,883		25.94%		28		0.25%		0		0.00%		5,322		47.88%		11,116
	Oneida		6,504		64.86%		3,508		34.99%		15		0.15%		0		0.00%		2,996		29.88%		10,027
	Outagamie		28,074		77.30%		8,172		22.50%		73		0.20%		0		0.00%		19,902		54.80%		36,319
	Ozaukee		8,522		66.03%		4,372		33.88%		12		0.09%		0		0.00%		4,150		32.16%		12,906
	Pepin		2,383		76.13%		741		23.67%		6		0.19%		0		0.00%		1,642		52.46%		3,130
	Pierce		7,446		76.44%		2,275		23.35%		20		0.21%		0		0.00%		5,171		53.08%		9,741
	Polk		7,761		69.39%		3,406		30.45%		18		0.16%		0		0.00%		4,355		38.94%		11,185
	Portage		9,220		57.79%		6,714		42.08%		20		0.13%		1		0.01%		2,506		15.71%		15,955
	Price		4,928		67.24%		2,352		32.09%		49		0.67%		0		0.00%		2,576		35.15%		7,329
	Racine		31,456		55.61%		24,999		44.20%		102		0.18%		6		0.01%		6,457		11.42%		56,563
	Richland		6,904		77.45%		2,006		22.50%		4		0.04%		0		0.00%		4,898		54.95%		8,914
	Rock		28,891		66.93%		14,231		32.97%		41		0.09%		3		0.01%		14,660		33.96%		43,166
	Rusk		4,718		68.21%		2,173		31.42%		26		0.38%		0		0.00%		2,545		36.79%		6,917
	Sauk		12,811		73.16%		4,677		26.71%		19		0.11%		3		0.02%		8,134		46.45%		17,510
	Sawyer		3,369		72.62%		1,257		27.10%		12		0.26%		1		0.02%		2,112		45.53%		4,639
	Shawano		11,800		81.42%		2,670		18.42%		22		0.15%		0		0.00%		9,130		63.00%		14,492
	Sheboygan		24,174		63.18%		13,936		36.42%		151		0.39%		0		0.00%		10,238		26.76%		38,261
	St. Croix		8,296		67.60%		3,962		32.28%		14		0.11%		0		0.00%		4,334		35.32%		12,272
	Taylor		5,448		71.97%		2,100		27.74%		19		0.25%		3		0.04%		3,348		44.23%		7,570
	Trempealeau		6,895		68.34%		3,189		31.61%		5		0.05%		0		0.00%		3,706		36.73%		10,089
	Vernon		8,186		71.15%		3,302		28.70%		18		0.16%		0		0.00%		4,884		42.45%		11,506
	Vilas		3,892		75.30%		1,270		24.57%		7		0.14%		0		0.00%		2,622		50.73%		5,169
	Walworth		17,619		78.79%		4,698		21.01%		45		0.20%		0		0.00%		12,921		57.78%		22,362
	Washburn		3,496		68.19%		1,619		31.58%		12		0.23%		0		0.00%		1,877		36.61%		5,127
	Washington		12,361		71.82%		4,834		28.09%		17		0.10%		0		0.00%		7,527		43.73%		17,212
	Waukesha		29,770		64.26%		16,472		35.55%		87		0.19%		1		0.00%		13,298		28.70%		46,330
	Waupaca		14,524		85.36%		2,479		14.57%		12		0.07%		0		0.00%		12,045		70.79%		17,015
	Waushara		5,696		83.30%		1,128		16.50%		12		0.18%		2		0.03%		4,568		66.80%		6,838
	Winnebago		29,807		70.94%		12,137		28.88%		75		0.18%		0		0.00%		17,670		42.05%		42,019
	Wood		15,815		71.84%		6,164		28.00%		36		0.16%		0		0.00%		9,651		43.84%		22,015
Total	1,009,171	62.48%	601,844	37.26%	3,706	0.23%	493	0.03%	407,327	25.22%	1,615,214

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Burnett
• Dane
• Douglas
• Eau Claire
• Forest
• Jackson
• Kenosha
• La Crosse
• Portage
• Washburn

Bibliography

• Book: Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997 . Washington, D.C. . Congressional Quarterly Inc. . 1998 . 1-56802-396-0 . .
• Book: Toepel . M. J. . Kuehn . Hazel L. . 1954 . The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954 . State of Wisconsin . .

Notes and References

1. Book: Toepel . M. J. . Kuehn . Hazel L. . 1952 . The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1952 . State of Wisconsin . 43 .