1890 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1890 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1890.

Incumbent Republican Governor William D. Hoard was defeated by Democratic nominee George Wilbur Peck.

Peck became the first Democratic Governor of Wisconsin since William Robert Taylor in 1876.

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates

• George Wilbur Peck, Democratic, incumbent Mayor of Milwaukee
• William D. Hoard, Republican, incumbent Governor

Other candidates

• Charles Alexander, Prohibition, Prohibition nominee for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district in 1888
• Reuben May, Union Labor, Greenback nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1879

Results by county

Peck was the first Democrat to ever win Marinette County, Monroe County and Washburn County. Additionally, Green County, Portage County, and Sauk County voted Democratic for the first time since 1853. After this election, Buffalo County, Green County, Monroe County, Price County, Sauk County, and Washburn County would not vote Democratic again until 1932 while Eau Claire County would not do so again until 1950.

This was the first election in which Jackson County and Pierce County voted for the losing candidate, ending bellwether streaks that had extended back to 1851 and 1853, respectively.

County	George W. Peck Democratic		William D. Hoard Republican		Charles Alexander Prohibition		Reuben May Union Labor		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		292		27.42%		713		66.95%		27		2.54%		33		3.10%		-421		-39.53%		1,065
	Ashland		1,728		47.14%		1,760		48.01%		102		2.78%		76		2.07%		-32		-0.87%		3,666
	Barron		731		32.39%		1,147		50.82%		172		7.62%		207		9.17%		-416		-18.43%		2,257
	Bayfield		432		35.47%		600		49.26%		69		5.67%		117		9.61%		-168		-13.79%		1,218
	Brown		3,083		59.51%		1,938		37.41%		97		1.87%		63		1.22%		1,145		22.10%		5,181
	Buffalo		1,408		52.56%		1,154		43.08%		93		3.47%		24		0.90%		254		9.48%		2,679
	Burnett		48		9.01%		312		58.54%		149		27.95%		24		4.50%		-163		-30.59%		533
	Calumet		1,720		66.46%		769		29.71%		24		0.93%		75		2.90%		951		36.75%		2,588
	Chippewa		2,171		51.40%		1,792		42.42%		221		5.23%		40		0.95%		379		8.97%		4,224
	Clark		1,493		45.55%		1,600		48.81%		162		4.94%		23		0.70%		-107		-3.26%		3,278
	Columbia		2,418		45.26%		2,627		49.17%		243		4.55%		55		1.03%		-209		-3.91%		5,343
	Crawford		1,503		49.97%		1,356		45.08%		67		2.23%		82		2.73%		147		4.89%		3,008
	Dane		6,212		49.13%		5,632		44.54%		742		5.87%		59		0.47%		580		4.59%		12,645
	Dodge		6,593		73.11%		2,210		24.51%		186		2.06%		29		0.32%		4,383		48.60%		9,018
	Door		978		45.79%		1,061		49.67%		66		3.09%		31		1.45%		-83		-3.89%		2,136
	Douglas		781		35.09%		997		44.79%		152		6.83%		296		13.30%		-216		-9.70%		2,226
	Dunn		1,317		40.26%		1,662		50.81%		235		7.18%		57		1.74%		-345		-10.55%		3,271
	Eau Claire		1,998		42.10%		1,861		39.21%		622		13.11%		265		5.58%		137		2.89%		4,746
	Florence		155		38.18%		218		53.69%		21		5.17%		12		2.96%		63		15.52%		406
	Fond du Lac		4,984		57.66%		3,399		39.32%		202		2.34%		59		0.68%		1,585		18.34%		8,644
	Forest		127		48.11%		113		42.80%		11		4.17%		13		4.92%		14		5.30%		264
	Grant		3,347		46.13%		3,513		48.42%		335		4.62%		60		0.83%		-166		-2.29%		7,255
	Green		2,003		46.06%		1,980		45.53%		283		6.51%		83		1.91%		23		0.53%		4,349
	Green Lake		1,691		55.10%		1,301		42.39%		63		2.05%		14		0.46%		390		12.71%		3,069
	Iowa		2,107		45.88%		2,094		45.60%		380		8.28%		11		0.24%		13		0.28%		4,592
	Jackson		1,007		37.84%		1,371		51.52%		252		9.47%		31		1.16%		-364		-13.68%		2,661
	Jefferson		4,199		63.49%		2,222		33.60%		176		2.66%		17		0.26%		1,977		29.89%		6,614
	Juneau		1,618		45.09%		1,826		50.89%		113		3.15%		31		0.86%		-208		-5.80%		3,588
	Kenosha		1,657		52.06%		1,371		43.07%		61		1.92%		17		0.53%		286		8.99%		3,183
	Kewaunee		1,992		76.70%		545		20.99%		33		1.27%		27		1.04%		1,447		55.72%		2,597
	La Crosse		3,819		52.32%		3,101		42.49%		290		3.97%		89		1.22%		718		9.84%		7,299
	Lafayette		2,145		46.48%		2,270		49.19%		180		3.90%		20		0.43%		-125		-2.71%		4,615
	Langlade		1,077		59.40%		661		36.46%		61		3.36%		14		0.77%		416		22.95%		1,813
	Lincoln		1,398		58.52%		901		37.71%		55		2.30%		35		1.47%		497		20.80%		2,389
	Manitowoc		4,087		67.08%		1,905		31.27%		52		0.85%		49		0.80%		2,182		35.81%		6,093
	Marathon		3,500		69.43%		1,391		27.59%		69		1.37%		81		1.61%		2,109		41.84%		5,041
	Marinette		1,377		48.59%		1,140		40.23%		135		4.76%		182		6.42%		237		8.36%		2,834
	Marquette		1,185		59.70%		743		37.43%		49		2.47%		8		0.40%		442		22.27%		1,985
	Milwaukee		24,520		55.48%		18,313		41.44%		153		0.35%		1,208		2.73%		6,207		14.04%		44,194
	Monroe		2,136		48.02%		2,060		46.31%		178		4.00%		46		1.03%		76		1.71%		4,448
	Oconto		1,149		53.79%		896		41.95%		49		2.29%		42		1.97%		253		11.84%		2,136
	Oneida		803		50.38%		697		43.73%		44		2.76%		50		3.14%		106		6.65%		1,594
	Outagamie		4,213		64.35%		2,060		31.46%		182		2.78%		92		1.41%		2,153		32.89%		6,547
	Ozaukee		2,326		83.52%		411		14.76%		15		0.54%		33		1.18%		1,915		68.76%		2,785
	Pepin		433		37.04%		599		51.24%		131		11.21%		6		0.51%		-166		-14.20%		1,169
	Pierce		867		31.13%		1,568		56.30%		251		9.01%		99		3.55%		-701		-25.17%		2,785
	Polk		507		26.60%		1,154		60.55%		194		10.18%		51		2.68%		-647		-33.95%		1,906
	Portage		2,342		55.70%		1,740		41.38%		100		2.38%		23		0.55%		602		14.32%		4,205
	Price		652		46.44%		633		45.09%		72		5.13%		47		3.35%		19		1.35%		1,404
	Racine		3,424		47.48%		3,274		45.40%		259		3.59%		254		3.52%		150		2.08%		7,211
	Richland		1,425		38.79%		1,874		51.01%		258		7.02%		117		3.18%		-449		-12.22%		3,674
	Rock		3,411		40.22%		4,629		54.59%		402		4.74%		38		0.45%		-1,218		-14.36%		8,480
	Sauk		2,709		48.42%		2,463		44.02%		378		6.76%		45		0.80%		246		4.40%		5,595
	Sawyer		220		36.97%		307		51.60%		38		6.39%		30		5.04%		-87		-14.62%		595
	Shawano		2,010		62.04%		1,115		34.41%		59		1.82%		56		1.73%		895		27.62%		3,240
	Sheboygan		5,013		62.74%		2,815		35.23%		88		1.10%		74		0.93%		2,198		27.51%		7,990
	St. Croix		1,701		41.29%		1,955		47.45%		378		9.17%		86		2.09%		-254		-6.17%		4,120
	Taylor		795		59.77%		480		36.09%		31		2.33%		24		1.80%		315		23.68%		1,330
	Trempealeau		1,373		45.97%		1,387		46.43%		198		6.63%		29		0.97%		-14		-0.47%		2,987
	Vernon		1,404		36.04%		2,216		56.88%		173		4.44%		103		2.64%		-812		-20.84%		3,896
	Walworth		1,906		34.84%		3,134		57.29%		373		6.82%		57		1.04%		-1,228		-22.45%		5,470
	Washburn		308		45.97%		304		45.37%		49		7.31%		9		1.34%		4		0.60%		670
	Washington		2,990		69.10%		1,276		29.49%		31		0.72%		30		0.69%		1,714		39.61%		4,327
	Waukesha		3,220		48.59%		3,145		47.46%		213		3.21%		49		0.74%		75		1.13%		6,627
	Waupaca		2,117		43.23%		2,567		52.42%		178		3.63%		35		0.71%		-450		-9.19%		4,897
	Waushara		830		31.62%		1,651		62.90%		112		4.27%		32		1.22%		-821		-31.28%		2,625
	Winnebago		5,224		50.44%		4,646		44.86%		364		3.51%		122		1.18%		578		5.58%		10,356
	Wood		1,979		56.25%		1,443		41.02%		45		1.28%		51		1.45%		536		15.24%		3,518
Total	160,388	51.86%	132,068	42.71%	11,246	3.64%	5,447	1.76%	28,320	9.16%	309,254

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Buffalo
• Chippewa
• Crawford
• Dane
• Eau Claire
• Forest
• Green
• Green Lake
• Iowa
• Kenosha
• La Crosse
• Lincoln
• Marinette
• Marquette
• Milwaukee
• Monroe
• Oconto
• Portage
• Price
• Racine
• Sauk
• Shawano
• Taylor
• Washburn
• Waukesha
• Winnebago

Bibliography

• Book: Glashan, Roy R. . American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978 . Meckler Books . 1979 . 0-930466-17-9 .
• Book: Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997 . Washington, D.C. . Congressional Quarterly Inc. . 1998 . 1-56802-396-0 . .
• Book: Cunningham . Thomas J. . 1891 . The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . The Milwaukee Litho. & Engr. Co. . .