1908 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1908 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1908. Primary elections were held on September 1, 1908.

Incumbent Republican Governor James O. Davidson won re-election, defeating Democratic nominee John A. Aylward and Social Democratic nominee Harvey Dee Brown, with 54.03% of the vote.

Primary election

Republican party

Candidates

• James O. Davidson, incumbent Governor

Results

Democratic party

Candidates

• John A. Aylward, Democratic nominee for Governor in 1906
• Adolph J. Schmitz, lawyer, Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1894^[1]

Results

Socialist party

Candidates

• Harvey Dee Brown, preacher^{[2] [3]}

Results

Prohibition party

Candidates

• Winfred Douglas Cox, Prohibition nominee for Wisconsin's 5th congressional district in 1900 and 1902

Results

General election

Results by county

County	James O. Davidson Republican		John A. Aylward Democratic		Harvey Dee Brown Social Democratic		Winfred D. Cox Prohibition		Herman Bottema Socialist Labor		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		1,186		71.23%		402		24.14%		21		1.26%		55		3.30%		1		0.06%		784		47.09%		1,665
	Ashland		2,211		54.15%		1,563		38.28%		204		5.00%		104		2.55%		1		0.02%		648		15.87%		4,083
	Barron		3,434		71.33%		992		20.61%		118		2.45%		263		5.46%		7		0.15%		2,442		50.73%		4,814
	Bayfield		1,985		72.95%		500		18.38%		162		5.95%		70		2.57%		4		0.15%		1,485		54.58%		2,721
	Brown		4,944		56.01%		3,249		36.81%		485		5.49%		139		1.57%		10		0.11%		1,695		19.20%		8,827
	Buffalo		1,933		64.56%		982		32.80%		20		0.67%		59		1.97%		0		0.00%		951		31.76%		2,994
	Burnett		1,268		78.86%		201		12.50%		54		3.36%		82		5.10%		3		0.19%		1,067		66.36%		1,608
	Calumet		1,567		46.78%		1,676		50.03%		71		2.12%		35		1.04%		1		0.03%		-109		-3.25%		3,350
	Chippewa		3,491		59.54%		2,160		36.84%		79		1.35%		133		2.27%		0		0.00%		1,331		22.70%		5,863
	Clark		3,477		66.56%		1,503		28.77%		78		1.49%		162		3.10%		4		0.08%		1,974		37.79%		5,224
	Columbia		4,046		60.41%		2,341		34.95%		129		1.93%		182		2.72%		0		0.00%		1,705		25.46%		6,698
	Crawford		2,014		53.86%		1,602		42.85%		43		1.15%		78		2.09%		2		0.05%		412		11.02%		3,739
	Dane		9,341		52.30%		7,815		43.76%		248		1.39%		453		2.54%		3		0.02%		1,526		8.54%		17,860
	Dodge		3,762		37.51%		6,033		60.16%		60		0.60%		174		1.73%		0		0.00%		-2,271		-22.64%		10,029
	Door		2,481		76.39%		648		19.95%		56		1.72%		56		1.72%		7		0.22%		1,833		56.43%		3,248
	Douglas		3,612		57.61%		1,616		25.77%		627		10.00%		280		4.47%		135		2.15%		1,996		31.83%		6,270
	Dunn		3,369		78.42%		713		16.60%		105		2.44%		109		2.54%		0		0.00%		2,656		61.82%		4,296
	Eau Claire		3,903		64.00%		1,842		30.21%		157		2.57%		194		3.18%		2		0.03%		2,061		33.80%		6,098
	Florence		541		81.60%		105		15.84%		4		0.60%		13		1.96%		0		0.00%		436		65.76%		663
	Fond du Lac		5,676		50.11%		5,231		46.18%		173		1.53%		245		2.16%		3		0.03%		445		3.93%		11,328
	Forest		1,030		73.89%		283		20.30%		42		3.01%		38		2.73%		1		0.07%		747		53.59%		1,394
	Grant		4,883		54.60%		3,666		40.99%		88		0.98%		306		3.42%		0		0.00%		1,217		13.61%		8,943
	Green		2,429		51.91%		1,915		40.93%		115		2.46%		220		4.70%		0		0.00%		514		10.99%		4,649
	Green Lake		2,018		53.86%		1,637		43.69%		29		0.77%		63		1.68%		0		0.00%		381		10.17%		3,747
	Iowa		2,933		55.68%		2,076		39.41%		16		0.30%		243		4.61%		0		0.00%		857		16.27%		5,268
	Iron		1,118		74.63%		292		19.49%		42		2.80%		45		3.00%		1		0.07%		826		55.14%		1,498
	Jackson		2,660		81.22%		520		15.88%		36		1.10%		58		1.77%		1		0.03%		2,140		65.34%		3,275
	Jefferson		3,058		38.83%		4,580		58.15%		61		0.77%		176		2.23%		1		0.01%		-1,522		-19.32%		7,876
	Juneau		2,498		58.98%		1,625		38.37%		36		0.85%		73		1.72%		3		0.07%		873		20.61%		4,235
	Kenosha		3,349		53.69%		2,029		32.53%		630		10.10%		230		3.69%		0		0.00%		1,320		21.16%		6,238
	Kewaunee		1,603		47.26%		1,714		50.53%		48		1.42%		27		0.80%		0		0.00%		-111		-3.27%		3,392
	La Crosse		4,399		50.73%		3,970		45.78%		103		1.19%		197		2.27%		3		0.03%		429		4.95%		8,672
	Lafayette		2,844		56.37%		2,079		41.21%		22		0.44%		99		1.96%		0		0.00%		765		15.16%		5,045
	Langlade		1,807		55.24%		1,367		41.79%		27		0.83%		70		2.14%		0		0.00%		440		13.45%		3,271
	Lincoln		2,276		53.12%		1,849		43.15%		94		2.19%		66		1.54%		0		0.00%		427		9.96%		4,285
	Manitowoc		4,098		45.12%		3,993		43.96%		926		10.19%		63		0.69%		3		0.03%		105		1.16%		9,083
	Marathon		5,089		49.42%		4,804		46.65%		255		2.48%		149		1.45%		0		0.00%		285		2.77%		10,297
	Marinette		3,477		65.62%		1,451		27.38%		124		2.34%		245		4.62%		2		0.04%		2,026		38.23%		5,299
	Marquette		1,521		62.90%		831		34.37%		19		0.79%		46		1.90%		1		0.04%		690		28.54%		2,418
	Milwaukee		26,243		35.91%		26,917		36.83%		18,423		25.21%		1,396		1.91%		107		0.15%		-674		-0.92%		73,086
	Monroe		3,304		58.75%		2,117		37.64%		95		1.69%		107		1.90%		1		0.02%		1,187		21.11%		5,624
	Oconto		2,944		63.24%		1,508		32.40%		101		2.17%		100		2.15%		2		0.04%		1,436		30.85%		4,655
	Oneida		1,453		57.57%		684		27.10%		351		13.91%		36		1.43%		0		0.00%		769		30.47%		2,524
	Outagamie		4,971		51.46%		4,366		45.20%		110		1.14%		203		2.10%		9		0.09%		605		6.26%		9,659
	Ozaukee		1,117		35.87%		1,913		61.43%		58		1.86%		24		0.77%		2		0.06%		-796		-25.56%		3,114
	Pepin		995		67.14%		444		29.96%		4		0.27%		39		2.63%		0		0.00%		551		37.18%		1,482
	Pierce		2,984		74.60%		837		20.93%		43		1.08%		136		3.40%		0		0.00%		2,147		53.68%		4,000
	Polk		3,024		78.34%		570		14.77%		121		3.13%		143		3.70%		2		0.05%		2,454		63.58%		3,860
	Portage		3,266		56.33%		2,386		41.15%		46		0.79%		97		1.67%		3		0.05%		880		15.18%		5,798
	Price		1,707		65.70%		546		21.02%		260		10.01%		82		3.16%		1		0.04%		1,161		44.69%		2,598
	Racine		5,029		48.66%		4,035		39.05%		781		7.56%		485		4.69%		3		0.03%		994		9.62%		10,334
	Richland		2,343		53.24%		1,724		39.17%		51		1.16%		280		6.36%		3		0.07%		619		14.06%		4,401
	Rock		7,781		67.12%		3,130		27.00%		262		2.26%		402		3.47%		17		0.15%		4,651		40.12%		11,592
	Rusk		1,439		71.45%		442		21.95%		84		4.17%		46		2.28%		3		0.15%		997		49.50%		2,014
	Sauk		3,788		56.62%		2,536		37.91%		31		0.46%		334		4.99%		1		0.01%		1,252		18.71%		6,690
	Sawyer		849		74.28%		260		22.75%		14		1.22%		20		1.75%		0		0.00%		589		51.53%		1,143
	Shawano		3,344		64.62%		1,709		33.02%		28		0.54%		94		1.82%		0		0.00%		1,635		31.59%		5,175
	Sheboygan		5,833		51.82%		4,486		39.85%		683		6.07%		244		2.17%		10		0.09%		1,347		11.97%		11,256
	St. Croix		3,325		64.70%		1,650		32.11%		71		1.38%		92		1.79%		1		0.02%		1,675		32.59%		5,139
	Taylor		1,601		61.11%		896		34.20%		86		3.28%		37		1.41%		0		0.00%		705		26.91%		2,620
	Trempealeau		3,616		73.81%		1,122		22.90%		28		0.57%		131		2.67%		2		0.04%		2,494		50.91%		4,899
	Vernon		4,122		69.82%		1,539		26.07%		42		0.71%		199		3.37%		2		0.03%		2,583		43.75%		5,904
	Vilas		794		72.38%		262		23.88%		22		2.01%		19		1.73%		0		0.00%		532		48.50%		1,097
	Walworth		4,263		64.51%		1,846		27.94%		70		1.06%		426		6.45%		3		0.05%		2,417		36.58%		6,608
	Washburn		1,134		73.54%		318		20.62%		52		3.37%		37		2.40%		1		0.06%		816		52.92%		1,542
	Washington		2,491		47.21%		2,667		50.55%		75		1.42%		40		0.76%		0		0.00%		-176		-3.34%		5,276
	Waukesha		4,546		54.40%		3,282		39.28%		214		2.56%		312		3.73%		2		0.02%		1,264		15.13%		8,356
	Waupaca		4,728		71.55%		1,505		22.78%		142		2.15%		232		3.51%		1		0.02%		3,223		48.77%		6,608
	Waushara		2,749		78.79%		515		14.76%		83		2.38%		128		3.67%		14		0.40%		2,234		64.03%		3,489
	Winnebago		6,814		52.79%		5,387		41.74%		289		2.24%		414		3.21%		2		0.02%		1,427		11.06%		12,907
	Wood		3,007		50.85%		2,523		42.67%		256		4.33%		125		2.11%		2		0.03%		484		8.19%		5,913
Total	242,935	54.03%	165,977	36.91%	28,583	6.36%	11,760	2.62%	393	0.09%	76,958	17.11%	449,656

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Kewaunee
• Milwaukee

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: Beck . J. D. . 1909 . The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin . Democrat Printing Co., State Printer . Madison, Wisconsin . .

Notes and References

1. Book: Bruce . William George . Currey . Josiah Seymour . 1922 . History of Milwaukee City and County . II . Milwaukee . The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company . 404–407 .
2. News: . The Journal Times from Racine, Wisconsin on January 21, 1908 · 5 . The Journal Times . Racine, Wisconsin . January 21, 1908 . 5 . 7 August 2021 .
3. News: . Death Claims Health Chief . Democrat and Chronicle . Rochester, New York . August 23, 1937 . 16 . 7 August 2021 .