1916 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1916 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1916. Primary elections were held on September 5, 1916.

Incumbent Republican Governor Emanuel L. Philipp won the election with 52.93% of the vote, winning his second term as governor. Philipp defeated Democratic Party candidate Burt Williams and Socialist candidate Rae Weaver.

Primary election

Republican party

Candidates

• Don C. Hall, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• William H. Hatton, former State Senator and unsuccessful candidate for Democratic nomination for Governor in 1914
• Francis E. McGovern, former Governor
• Emanuel L. Philipp, incumbent Governor

Results

Democratic party

Candidates

• Burt Williams, Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1908

Results

Socialist party

Candidates

• Rae Weaver, Socialist nominee for Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1912

Results

Prohibition party

Candidates

• George McKerrow, Prohibition nominee for Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1890

Results

General election

Results by county

Williams was the first Democrat since George W. Peck in 1892 to win Iowa County and La Crosse County; the latter would not vote Democratic again until 1950. By voting for Williams, Iowa County and La Crosse county voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1881 and 1886, respectively.

County	Emanuel L. Philipp Republican		Burt Williams Democratic		Rae Weaver Socialist		George McKerrow Prohibition		Scattering Write-in		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		999		56.03%		677		37.97%		40		2.24%		65		3.65%		2		0.11%		322		18.06%		1,783
	Ashland		1,779		47.78%		1,732		46.52%		137		3.68%		75		2.01%		0		0.00%		47		1.26%		3,723
	Barron		2,512		53.81%		1,727		37.00%		103		2.21%		323		6.92%		3		0.06%		785		16.82%		4,668
	Bayfield		1,309		52.38%		944		37.78%		183		7.32%		63		2.52%		0		0.00%		365		14.61%		2,499
	Brown		4,734		49.94%		4,352		45.91%		271		2.86%		123		1.30%		0		0.00%		382		4.03%		9,480
	Buffalo		1,582		63.31%		811		32.45%		48		1.92%		57		2.28%		1		0.04%		771		30.85%		2,499
	Burnett		1,036		57.52%		572		31.76%		123		6.83%		69		3.83%		1		0.06%		464		25.76%		1,801
	Calumet		1,978		58.18%		1,353		39.79%		48		1.41%		21		0.62%		0		0.00%		625		18.38%		3,400
	Chippewa		3,310		59.66%		2,079		37.47%		52		0.94%		106		1.91%		1		0.02%		1,231		22.19%		5,548
	Clark		3,417		67.84%		1,383		27.46%		115		2.28%		122		2.42%		0		0.00%		2,034		40.38%		5,037
	Columbia		3,425		60.26%		2,023		35.59%		70		1.23%		166		2.92%		0		0.00%		1,402		24.67%		5,684
	Crawford		1,817		49.79%		1,756		48.12%		28		0.77%		47		1.29%		1		0.03%		61		1.67%		3,649
	Dane		6,188		36.38%		10,392		61.09%		138		0.81%		292		1.72%		1		0.01%		-4,204		-24.71%		17,011
	Dodge		4,671		49.52%		4,446		47.13%		179		1.90%		137		1.45%		0		0.00%		225		2.39%		9,433
	Door		1,973		72.48%		638		23.44%		43		1.58%		68		2.50%		0		0.00%		1,335		49.04%		2,722
	Douglas		2,978		44.21%		2,825		41.94%		817		12.13%		116		1.72%		0		0.00%		153		2.27%		6,736
	Dunn		2,733		67.08%		1,086		26.66%		140		3.44%		113		2.77%		2		0.05%		1,647		40.43%		4,074
	Eau Claire		2,846		54.76%		2,093		40.27%		132		2.54%		125		2.41%		1		0.02%		753		14.49%		5,197
	Florence		447		77.34%		111		19.20%		11		1.90%		9		1.56%		0		0.00%		336		58.13%		578
	Fond du Lac		5,835		54.39%		4,551		42.42%		127		1.18%		214		1.99%		1		0.01%		1,284		11.97%		10,728
	Forest		746		56.73%		518		39.39%		25		1.90%		26		1.98%		0		0.00%		228		17.34%		1,315
	Grant		4,779		59.04%		3,079		38.04%		54		0.67%		183		2.26%		0		0.00%		1,700		21.00%		8,095
	Green		2,123		50.18%		1,873		44.27%		50		1.18%		180		4.25%		5		0.12%		250		5.91%		4,231
	Green Lake		1,649		56.20%		1,185		40.39%		35		1.19%		65		2.22%		0		0.00%		464		15.81%		2,934
	Iowa		2,122		46.55%		2,252		49.40%		17		0.37%		167		3.66%		1		0.02%		-130		-2.85%		4,559
	Iron		770		62.96%		379		30.99%		41		3.35%		33		2.70%		0		0.00%		391		31.97%		1,223
	Jackson		1,979		71.24%		695		25.02%		48		1.73%		55		1.98%		1		0.04%		1,284		46.22%		2,778
	Jefferson		3,879		51.66%		3,421		45.56%		71		0.95%		137		1.82%		0		0.00%		458		6.10%		7,508
	Juneau		2,417		63.76%		1,189		31.36%		83		2.19%		102		2.69%		0		0.00%		1,228		32.39%		3,791
	Kenosha		3,722		56.43%		2,255		34.19%		485		7.35%		134		2.03%		0		0.00%		1,467		22.24%		6,596
	Kewaunee		1,365		45.52%		1,591		53.05%		12		0.40%		31		1.03%		0		0.00%		-226		-7.54%		2,999
	La Crosse		3,627		45.64%		3,898		49.05%		283		3.56%		139		1.75%		0		0.00%		-271		-3.41%		7,947
	Lafayette		2,422		53.48%		1,984		43.81%		19		0.42%		104		2.30%		0		0.00%		438		9.67%		4,529
	Langlade		1,619		49.66%		1,539		47.21%		62		1.90%		40		1.23%		0		0.00%		80		2.45%		3,260
	Lincoln		2,036		57.76%		1,330		37.73%		109		3.09%		49		1.39%		1		0.03%		706		20.03%		3,525
	Manitowoc		4,445		50.07%		3,935		44.32%		425		4.79%		73		0.82%		0		0.00%		510		5.74%		8,878
	Marathon		5,828		57.40%		3,653		35.98%		555		5.47%		117		1.15%		0		0.00%		2,175		21.42%		10,153
	Marinette		3,162		62.84%		1,600		31.80%		135		2.68%		135		2.68%		0		0.00%		1,562		31.04%		5,032
	Marquette		1,233		56.64%		857		39.37%		13		0.60%		74		3.40%		0		0.00%		376		17.27%		2,177
	Milwaukee		35,204		44.19%		23,197		29.12%		20,758		26.06%		496		0.62%		3		0.00%		12,007		15.07%		79,658
	Monroe		2,790		54.70%		2,069		40.56%		95		1.86%		147		2.88%		0		0.00%		721		14.13%		5,101
	Oconto		2,819		63.43%		1,499		33.73%		63		1.42%		63		1.42%		0		0.00%		1,320		29.70%		4,444
	Oneida		1,197		51.98%		824		35.78%		255		11.07%		27		1.17%		0		0.00%		373		16.20%		2,303
	Outagamie		5,387		55.04%		4,163		42.53%		119		1.22%		119		1.22%		0		0.00%		1,224		12.51%		9,788
	Ozaukee		1,531		48.87%		1,537		49.06%		46		1.47%		19		0.61%		0		0.00%		-6		-0.19%		3,133
	Pepin		704		51.96%		591		43.62%		22		1.62%		37		2.73%		1		0.07%		113		8.34%		1,355
	Pierce		2,135		61.35%		1,168		33.56%		44		1.26%		132		3.79%		1		0.03%		967		27.79%		3,480
	Polk		2,159		55.39%		1,456		37.35%		160		4.10%		123		3.16%		0		0.00%		703		18.03%		3,898
	Portage		2,532		45.75%		2,857		51.62%		56		1.01%		90		1.63%		0		0.00%		-325		-5.87%		5,535
	Price		1,662		61.28%		850		31.34%		135		4.98%		64		2.36%		1		0.04%		812		29.94%		2,712
	Racine		4,974		48.18%		4,066		39.39%		679		6.58%		601		5.82%		3		0.03%		908		8.80%		10,323
	Richland		1,943		47.59%		1,734		42.47%		66		1.62%		339		8.30%		1		0.02%		209		5.12%		4,083
	Rock		7,196		65.50%		3,239		29.48%		212		1.93%		339		3.09%		1		0.01%		3,957		36.02%		10,987
	Rusk		999		50.66%		775		39.30%		118		5.98%		80		4.06%		0		0.00%		224		11.36%		1,972
	Sauk		3,700		60.55%		2,088		34.17%		36		0.59%		287		4.70%		0		0.00%		1,612		26.38%		6,111
	Sawyer		530		47.79%		526		47.43%		27		2.43%		26		2.34%		0		0.00%		4		0.36%		1,109
	Shawano		3,428		71.67%		1,177		24.61%		96		2.01%		79		1.65%		3		0.06%		2,251		47.06%		4,783
	Sheboygan		5,406		53.20%		3,730		36.71%		912		8.97%		113		1.11%		1		0.01%		1,676		16.49%		10,162
	St. Croix		2,786		54.80%		2,033		39.99%		141		2.77%		124		2.44%		0		0.00%		753		14.81%		5,084
	Taylor		1,544		63.64%		722		29.76%		100		4.12%		60		2.47%		0		0.00%		822		33.88%		2,426
	Trempealeau		2,178		58.80%		1,372		37.04%		28		0.76%		119		3.21%		7		0.19%		806		21.76%		3,704
	Vernon		2,756		57.67%		1,773		37.10%		37		0.77%		213		4.46%		0		0.00%		983		20.57%		4,729
	Vilas		566		55.27%		368		35.94%		72		7.03%		18		1.76%		0		0.00%		198		19.34%		1,024
	Walworth		4,148		63.89%		1,969		30.33%		64		0.99%		308		4.74%		3		0.05%		2,179		33.56%		6,492
	Washburn		1,097		66.36%		416		25.17%		77		4.66%		62		3.75%		1		0.06%		681		41.20%		1,653
	Washington		3,093		55.21%		2,402		42.88%		59		1.05%		47		0.84%		1		0.02%		691		12.33%		5,602
	Waukesha		4,174		51.88%		3,392		42.16%		130		1.62%		349		4.34%		0		0.00%		782		9.72%		8,045
	Waupaca		4,405		70.60%		1,564		25.07%		97		1.55%		171		2.74%		2		0.03%		2,841		45.54%		6,239
	Waushara		2,426		73.94%		707		21.55%		76		2.32%		69		2.10%		3		0.09%		1,719		52.39%		3,281
	Winnebago		5,902		51.19%		5,071		43.98%		359		3.11%		198		1.72%		0		0.00%		831		7.21%		11,530
	Wood		3,026		52.50%		2,436		42.26%		183		3.17%		119		2.06%		0		0.00%		590		10.24%		5,764
Total	229,889	52.93%	164,555	37.89%	30,649	7.06%	9,193	2.12%	54	0.01%	65,334	15.11%	434,340

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Brown
• Calumet
• Chippewa
• Crawford
• Dodge
• Fond du Lac
• Jefferson
• Langlade
• Manitowoc
• Pepin
• Vilas
• Washington

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Iowa
• La Crosse

Bibliography

• Book: Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997 . Washington, D.C. . Congressional Quarterly Inc. . 1998 . 1-56802-396-0 . .
• Book: 1917 . The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1917 . Democrat Printing Co., State Printer . Madison, Wisconsin . .