1920 United States presidential election in Minnesota explained

See main article: 1920 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1920 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Country:	Minnesota
Flag Year:	1893
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1916 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Previous Year:	1916
Next Election:	1924 United States presidential election in Minnesota
Next Year:	1924
Election Date:	November 2, 1920
Image1:	Warren G Harding-Harris & Ewing crop.jpg
Nominee1:	Warren G. Harding
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:	Ohio
Running Mate1:	Calvin Coolidge
Electoral Vote1:	12
Popular Vote1:	519,421
Percentage1:	70.59%
Nominee2:	James M. Cox
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:	Ohio
Running Mate2:	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	142,994
Percentage2:	19.43%
Image3:	Debs penitentiary.jpg
Nominee3:	Eugene V. Debs
Party3:	Socialist Party of America
Home State3:	Indiana
Running Mate3:	Seymour Stedman
Electoral Vote3:	0
Popular Vote3:	56,106
Percentage3:	7.62%
Map Size:	350px
President
Before Election:	Woodrow Wilson
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Warren G. Harding
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 1920 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 2, 1920, as part of the 1920 United States presidential election in which all contemporary forty-eight states participated. Voters chose 12 electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. This election marks the last time a candidate for president won every county in Minnesota.

The 1918 mid-term elections had seen the Midwestern farming community largely desert the Democratic Party due to supposed preferential treatment of Southern farmers:^[1] Democratic seats in the Midwest fell from thirty-four to seventeen,^[2] whilst Scandinavian-Americans were also vigorously opposed to entering the war.^[3] Moreover, Democratic fear of Communism seen in the Palmer Raids and "Red Scare" led to Cox, then Governor of Ohio, to ban German-language instruction in public schools in 1919.^[2] Much more critical for German-Americans was the view that outgoing President Woodrow Wilson was deliberately trying to punish Germany and Austria for starting the war, especially via his disregard for the United Kingdom's continuing blockade of Germany.^[4] Stressing Harding's German ancestry, the German press drummed up the view that

As the campaign began after the Republican Party had nominated U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio and the Democratic Party former Ohio governor James M. Cox, a further blow to the Democrats – who had never won Minnesota but came tantalizingly close in 1916 when they lost by one vote in 988^[5] – occurred when the national economy suffered a major downturn following the wartime boom, resulting in plummeting agricultural prices that were especially problematic in the Midwest.^[6] Whereas Cox travelled throughout the nation apart from the "Solid South" during September,^[7] Harding, despite having four times the budget, campaigned from his home in Marion, Ohio. A poll by the giant Rexall drug store chain – which in 1916 had been accurate enough to predict Wilson's razor-thin wins in New Hampshire and California^[8] – suggested Harding would win 382 electoral votes,^[9] and at the end of October, although no more opinion polls had been published, most observers were even more convinced that the Republicans would take complete control of all branches of government.^[10]

Harding overwhelmingly carried Minnesota by a margin of 376,427 votes, or 51.16 points, and nationally won the election, with 404 electoral votes and a 26.17 point lead over Cox in the popular vote, which constitutes the most lopsided result in any United States presidential election held since James Monroe's uncontested re-election in 1820. Cox did not win a single state north of the Mason-Dixon line nor west of the Continental Divide. The percentage of Minnesota's popular vote won by Harding in 1920 is second only to Theodore Roosevelt's 74% of the state's popular vote from 1904,^[5] as Harding was helped by mass defection of registered Democratic German-Americans to the Republican ticket.

Harding became the second and last presidential nominee after Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 to sweep all Minnesota's counties. This was the last time the Republicans won Red Lake County until George W. Bush in 2000^[11] and the last time Mahnomen County voted Republican until Ronald Reagan in 1980.^[12]

The presidential election of 1920 is also noteworthy for the third party candidacy of the perennial Socialist candidate, Eugene V. Debs. Debs won nearly a million votes nationally, and 7.62 percent in Minnesota with second place ahead of Cox in six counties, despite the fact that he was incarcerated at the time. On September 12, 1918, Debs had been convicted on ten counts of sedition in relation to a speech he had given in Canton, Ohio on June 16, 1918, in which he encouraged conscientious objection to World War I. Of the five presidential elections in which Debs had been a candidate, 1920 was his second-greatest showing in terms of percentage of the popular vote won — he only did better in 1912. 1920 was also his final appearance on the ballot.

Results

1920 United States presidential election in Minnesota^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Warren G. Harding	519,421	70.59%	12
	Democratic	James M. Cox	142,994	19.43%	0
	Socialist	Eugene V. Debs	56,106	7.62%	0
	Prohibition	Aaron S. Watkins	11,489	1.56%	0
	Socialist Labor	William Wesley Cox	5,828	0.79%	0
Totals			735,838	100.00%	12

Results by county

County	Warren Gamaliel Harding Republican		James Middleton Cox Democratic		Eugene Victor Debs^[14] Socialist		Aaron Sherman Watkins^[15] Prohibition		William Wesley Cox Socialist Labor		Margin		Total votes cast^[16]
		%		%		%		%		%		%
	Aitkin		2,933		70.15%		613		14.66%		503		12.03%		89		2.13%		43		1.03%		2,320		55.49%		4,181
	Anoka		3,505		72.13%		865		17.80%		391		8.05%		68		1.40%		30		0.62%		2,640		54.33%		4,859
	Becker		4,811		75.78%		901		14.19%		436		6.87%		113		1.78%		88		1.39%		3,910		61.58%		6,349
	Beltrami		4,518		61.26%		1,427		19.35%		1,215		16.47%		98		1.33%		117		1.59%		3,091		41.91%		7,375
	Benton		2,920		78.83%		554		14.96%		169		4.56%		34		0.92%		27		0.73%		2,366		63.88%		3,704
	Big Stone		2,415		78.16%		451		14.60%		127		4.11%		67		2.17%		30		0.97%		1,964		63.56%		3,090
	Blue Earth		8,894		79.05%		1,974		17.55%		207		1.84%		117		1.04%		59		0.52%		6,920		61.51%		11,251
	Brown		5,841		80.68%		796		10.99%		484		6.69%		50		0.69%		69		0.95%		5,045		69.68%		7,240
	Carlton		2,833		59.47%		1,152		24.18%		654		13.73%		94		1.97%		31		0.65%		1,681		35.29%		4,764
	Carver		5,073		87.31%		562		9.67%		84		1.45%		29		0.50%		62		1.07%		4,511		77.64%		5,810
	Cass		3,242		70.51%		710		15.44%		494		10.74%		96		2.09%		56		1.22%		2,532		55.07%		4,598
	Chippewa		3,532		69.75%		960		18.96%		355		7.01%		154		3.04%		63		1.24%		2,572		50.79%		5,064
	Chisago		4,361		80.02%		484		8.88%		503		9.23%		69		1.27%		33		0.61%		3,877		70.79%		5,450
	Clay		4,943		73.00%		1,335		19.72%		289		4.27%		126		1.86%		78		1.15%		3,608		53.29%		6,771
	Clearwater		1,788		70.73%		340		13.45%		298		11.79%		62		2.45%		40		1.58%		1,448		57.28%		2,528
	Cook		467		72.85%		98		15.29%		58		9.05%		13		2.03%		5		0.78%		369		57.57%		641
	Cottonwood		3,882		86.27%		451		10.02%		90		2.00%		54		1.20%		23		0.51%		3,431		76.24%		4,500
	Crow Wing		5,262		70.34%		1,077		14.40%		933		12.47%		122		1.63%		87		1.16%		4,185		55.94%		7,481
	Dakota		5,373		66.45%		2,190		27.08%		395		4.88%		78		0.96%		50		0.62%		3,183		39.36%		8,086
	Dodge		3,386		83.40%		516		12.71%		72		1.77%		68		1.67%		18		0.44%		2,870		70.69%		4,060
	Douglas		4,428		66.13%		733		10.95%		647		9.66%		824		12.31%		64		0.96%		3,604		53.82%		6,696
	Faribault		6,687		86.01%		869		11.18%		102		1.31%		90		1.16%		27		0.35%		5,818		74.83%		7,775
	Fillmore		7,341		85.92%		899		10.52%		125		1.46%		145		1.70%		34		0.40%		6,442		75.40%		8,544
	Freeborn		6,772		81.96%		1,131		13.69%		138		1.67%		166		2.01%		56		0.68%		5,641		68.27%		8,263
	Goodhue		9,330		85.07%		1,118		10.19%		304		2.77%		180		1.64%		36		0.33%		8,212		74.87%		10,968
	Grant		2,427		75.80%		533		16.65%		106		3.31%		106		3.31%		30		0.94%		1,894		59.15%		3,202
	Hennepin		90,517		64.58%		28,911		20.63%		18,800		13.41%		1,262		0.90%		679		0.48%		61,606		43.95%		140,169
	Houston		4,101		85.67%		598		12.49%		36		0.75%		41		0.86%		11		0.23%		3,503		73.18%		4,787
	Hubbard		2,238		73.84%		453		14.95%		237		7.82%		70		2.31%		33		1.09%		1,785		58.89%		3,031
	Isanti		3,007		67.57%		405		9.10%		898		20.18%		113		2.54%		27		0.61%		2,602		47.39%		4,450
	Itasca		3,973		58.31%		1,930		28.33%		738		10.83%		80		1.17%		92		1.35%		2,043		29.99%		6,813
	Jackson		4,313		83.62%		715		13.86%		75		1.45%		29		0.56%		26		0.50%		3,598		69.76%		5,158
	Kanabec		2,436		75.68%		332		10.31%		380		11.80%		41		1.27%		30		0.93%		2,104		63.87%		3,219
	Kandiyohi		4,759		63.67%		1,282		17.15%		718		9.61%		613		8.20%		102		1.36%		3,477		46.52%		7,474
	Kittson		2,485		74.65%		599		17.99%		175		5.26%		44		1.32%		26		0.78%		1,886		56.65%		3,329
	Koochiching		1,786		55.29%		859		26.59%		485		15.02%		48		1.49%		52		1.61%		927		28.70%		3,230
	Lac qui Parle		4,219		82.29%		653		12.74%		107		2.09%		103		2.01%		45		0.88%		3,566		69.55%		5,127
	Lake		990		40.93%		594		24.56%		757		31.29%		59		2.44%		19		0.79%		396		9.63%		2,419
	Le Sueur		4,059		66.22%		1,853		30.23%		112		1.83%		54		0.88%		52		0.85%		2,206		35.99%		6,130
	Lincoln		2,548		75.30%		673		19.89%		81		2.39%		45		1.33%		37		1.09%		1,875		55.41%		3,384
	Lyon		4,557		73.16%		1,232		19.78%		246		3.95%		153		2.46%		41		0.66%		3,325		53.38%		6,229
	Mahnomen		1,076		71.97%		215		14.38%		167		11.17%		14		0.94%		23		1.54%		861		57.59%		1,495
	Marshall		4,738		75.41%		885		14.09%		456		7.26%		139		2.21%		65		1.03%		3,853		61.32%		6,283
	Martin		5,142		78.46%		1,221		18.63%		101		1.54%		66		1.01%		24		0.37%		3,921		59.83%		6,554
	McLeod		5,430		77.62%		1,139		16.28%		263		3.76%		92		1.32%		72		1.03%		4,291		61.34%		6,996
	Meeker		4,693		78.40%		878		14.67%		223		3.73%		123		2.05%		69		1.15%		3,815		63.73%		5,986
	Mille Lacs		3,521		73.17%		526		10.93%		640		13.30%		84		1.75%		41		0.85%		2,995		59.87%		4,812
	Morrison		5,371		77.57%		1,131		16.33%		316		4.56%		64		0.92%		42		0.61%		4,240		61.24%		6,924
	Mower		6,339		82.06%		1,061		13.73%		192		2.49%		78		1.01%		55		0.71%		5,278		68.32%		7,725
	Murray		3,270		79.16%		698		16.90%		102		2.47%		39		0.94%		22		0.53%		2,572		62.26%		4,131
	Nicollet		4,115		83.45%		556		11.28%		140		2.84%		101		2.05%		19		0.39%		3,559		72.18%		4,931
	Nobles		4,420		79.64%		982		17.69%		81		1.46%		38		0.68%		29		0.52%		3,438		61.95%		5,550
	Norman		3,451		74.17%		481		10.34%		481		10.34%		175		3.76%		65		1.40%		2,970		63.83%		4,653
	Olmsted		7,130		77.12%		1,756		18.99%		176		1.90%		145		1.57%		38		0.41%		5,374		58.13%		9,245
	Otter Tail		11,084		78.50%		1,741		12.33%		788		5.58%		336		2.38%		170		1.20%		9,343		66.17%		14,119
	Pennington		2,320		60.70%		768		20.09%		581		15.20%		95		2.49%		58		1.52%		1,552		40.61%		3,822
	Pine		3,879		66.83%		1,127		19.42%		654		11.27%		86		1.48%		58		1.00%		2,752		47.42%		5,804
	Pipestone		3,106		79.89%		490		12.60%		232		5.97%		35		0.90%		25		0.64%		2,616		67.28%		3,888
	Polk		8,197		69.47%		2,111		17.89%		1,057		8.96%		288		2.44%		147		1.25%		6,086		51.58%		11,800
	Pope		3,466		76.34%		709		15.62%		163		3.59%		167		3.68%		35		0.77%		2,757		60.73%		4,540
	Ramsey		40,204		58.62%		21,110		30.78%		6,201		9.04%		504		0.73%		568		0.83%		19,094		27.84%		68,587
	Red Lake		1,308		62.37%		558		26.61%		159		7.58%		44		2.10%		28		1.34%		750		35.77%		2,097
	Redwood		5,589		83.07%		880		13.08%		159		2.36%		64		0.95%		36		0.54%		4,709		69.99%		6,728
	Renville		5,995		73.64%		1,283		15.76%		478		5.87%		299		3.67%		86		1.06%		4,712		57.88%		8,141
	Rice		6,500		74.58%		2,040		23.41%		72		0.83%		61		0.70%		42		0.48%		4,460		51.18%		8,715
	Rock		3,121		84.53%		442		11.97%		67		1.81%		31		0.84%		31		0.84%		2,679		72.56%		3,692
	Roseau		2,387		64.13%		500		13.43%		698		18.75%		90		2.42%		47		1.26%		1,887		45.38%		3,722
	Saint Louis		27,987		56.98%		14,767		30.07%		5,378		10.95%		533		1.09%		450		0.92%		13,220		26.92%		49,115
	Scott		3,015		68.96%		1,253		28.66%		52		1.19%		24		0.55%		28		0.64%		1,762		40.30%		4,372
	Sherburne		2,747		85.18%		307		9.52%		115		3.57%		37		1.15%		19		0.59%		2,440		75.66%		3,225
	Sibley		4,198		85.94%		502		10.28%		111		2.27%		50		1.02%		24		0.49%		3,696		75.66%		4,885
	Stearns		13,566		86.33%		1,616		10.28%		318		2.02%		106		0.67%		108		0.69%		11,950		76.05%		15,714
	Steele		4,243		76.45%		1,167		21.03%		56		1.01%		55		0.99%		29		0.52%		3,076		55.42%		5,550
	Stevens		2,339		79.83%		457		15.60%		71		2.42%		47		1.60%		16		0.55%		1,882		64.23%		2,930
	Swift		3,553		70.22%		985		19.47%		209		4.13%		260		5.14%		53		1.05%		2,568		50.75%		5,060
	Todd		5,448		71.10%		1,464		19.11%		443		5.78%		191		2.49%		116		1.51%		3,984		52.00%		7,662
	Traverse		1,759		73.20%		550		22.89%		49		2.04%		18		0.75%		27		1.12%		1,209		50.31%		2,403
	Wabasha		4,907		77.11%		1,275		20.03%		78		1.23%		44		0.69%		60		0.94%		3,632		57.07%		6,364
	Wadena		2,635		75.57%		503		14.43%		203		5.82%		86		2.47%		60		1.72%		2,132		61.14%		3,487
	Waseca		3,626		71.79%		1,257		24.89%		102		2.02%		37		0.73%		29		0.57%		2,369		46.90%		5,051
	Washington		5,852		74.84%		1,558		19.93%		267		3.41%		96		1.23%		46		0.59%		4,294		54.92%		7,819
	Watonwan		3,510		81.40%		647		15.00%		100		2.32%		31		0.72%		24		0.56%		2,863		66.40%		4,312
	Wilkin		2,106		75.19%		561		20.03%		76		2.71%		39		1.39%		19		0.68%		1,545		55.16%		2,801
	Winona		7,888		69.81%		2,896		25.63%		271		2.40%		80		0.71%		165		1.46%		4,992		44.18%		11,300
	Wright		7,013		79.51%		1,299		14.73%		303		3.44%		133		1.51%		72		0.82%		5,714		64.78%		8,820
	Yellow Medicine		4,225		72.48%		814		13.96%		233		4.00%		497		8.53%		60		1.03%		3,411		58.52%		5,829
Totals	519,421	70.59%	142,994	19.43%	56,106	7.62%	11,489	1.56%	5,828	0.79%	376,427	51.16%	735,838

See also

• United States presidential elections in Minnesota

Notes and References

1. Morello, John A.; Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding, p. 64
2. Hough, Jerry F.; Changing Party Coalitions: The Mystery of the Red State-Blue State Alignment, pp. 86-87
3. Saldin, Robert P., 'World War I and the System of 1896' (2010); Political Science Faculty Publications, Paper 1, pp. 825-836
4. Lichtman, Allan J.; Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928, pp. 102, 115
5. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Minnesota
6. Goldberg, David Joseph; Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s, p. 47
7. Faykosh, Joseph D., Bowling Green State University; The Front Porch of the American People: James Cox and the Presidential Election of 1920 (thesis), p. 69
8. Pietrusza, David; 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents, p. 398
9. Bagby, Rexby; The Road to Normalcy: The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1920, pp. 158-159
10. 'Republicans Going to Win: Prospects of a Complete Victory'; The Observer, October 31, 1920, p. 13
11. Menendez, Albert J. The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 121
12. Menendez; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, pp. 228-232
13. Web site: 1920 Presidential Election Results – Minnesota . 2016-10-05 . Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas.
14. Géoelections; Popular Vote for Eugene Debs (1920) (.xlsx file for €15)
15. Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State Elections; The Legislative Manual for the State of Minnesota (1921) pp. 524-525
16. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 234-241