1924 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1924 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1924. Primary elections were held on September 2, 1924.

Incumbent Republican Governor John J. Blaine won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic nominee Martin L. Lueck and Socialist nominee William F. Quick.

As of 2022, this is the most recent instance of Walworth County voting Democratic in a gubernatorial election.

Primary election

Republican party

Candidates

• John J. Blaine, incumbent Governor
• George Comings, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
• Arthur R. Hirst, former state highway engineer^[1]

Results

Democratic party

Candidates

• Martin L. Lueck, former circuit court judge

Results

Socialist party

Candidates

• William F. Quick, State Senator

Results

Prohibition party

Candidates

• Adolph R. Bucknam, Prohibition nominee for U.S. Senate in 1922

Results

Other party nominations

• Severi Alanne, Workers, director of the Co-operative Central Exchange (CCE) of Superior, Wisconsin^[2]
• Farrand K. Shuttleworth, Independent Progressive Republican (Independent), attorney^[3]
• Jose Snover, Socialist Labor

General election

Results by county

Lueck was the first Democrat since William A. Barstow in 1853 to win Columbia County and the first since James B. Cross in 1857 to win Richland County; the latter would not vote Democratic again until 2002.

County	John J. Blaine Republican		Martin L. Lueck Democratic		William F. Quick Socialist		Adolph R. Bucknam Prohibition		All Others Various		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		1,628		68.06%		676		28.26%		21		0.88%		43		1.80%		24		1.00%		952		39.80%		2,392
	Ashland		4,307		66.87%		1,906		29.59%		65		1.01%		86		1.34%		77		1.20%		2,401		37.28%		6,441
	Barron		5,729		68.89%		1,995		23.99%		93		1.12%		350		4.21%		149		1.79%		3,734		44.90%		8,316
	Bayfield		2,987		70.97%		894		21.24%		80		1.90%		119		2.83%		129		3.06%		2,093		49.73%		4,209
	Brown		9,662		52.57%		8,248		44.88%		178		0.97%		164		0.89%		127		0.69%		1,414		7.69%		18,379
	Buffalo		2,731		73.34%		790		21.21%		78		2.09%		64		1.72%		61		1.64%		1,941		52.12%		3,724
	Burnett		2,331		81.90%		328		11.52%		33		1.16%		90		3.16%		64		2.25%		2,003		70.38%		2,846
	Calumet		3,029		64.60%		1,521		32.44%		55		1.17%		50		1.07%		34		0.73%		1,508		32.16%		4,689
	Chippewa		6,600		56.10%		4,797		40.77%		48		0.41%		140		1.19%		180		1.53%		1,803		15.33%		11,765
	Clark		5,856		65.00%		2,597		28.83%		123		1.37%		205		2.28%		228		2.53%		3,259		36.17%		9,009
	Columbia		4,389		40.57%		6,104		56.42%		76		0.70%		132		1.22%		117		1.08%		-1,715		-15.85%		10,818
	Crawford		2,793		52.05%		2,357		43.92%		41		0.76%		131		2.44%		44		0.82%		436		8.13%		5,366
	Dane		21,890		57.84%		14,435		38.14%		233		0.62%		620		1.64%		666		1.76%		7,455		19.70%		37,844
	Dodge		8,390		49.96%		7,781		46.33%		378		2.25%		135		0.80%		109		0.65%		609		3.63%		16,793
	Door		2,936		67.76%		1,167		26.93%		28		0.65%		121		2.79%		81		1.87%		1,769		40.83%		4,333
	Douglas		9,178		67.48%		3,812		28.03%		77		0.57%		243		1.79%		292		2.15%		5,366		39.45%		13,602
	Dunn		4,540		63.67%		2,226		31.22%		41		0.58%		129		1.81%		194		2.72%		2,314		32.45%		7,130
	Eau Claire		5,777		54.14%		4,565		42.78%		49		0.46%		179		1.68%		101		0.95%		1,212		11.36%		10,671
	Florence		823		72.64%		244		21.54%		22		1.94%		15		1.32%		29		2.56%		579		51.10%		1,133
	Fond du Lac		9,815		49.74%		9,378		47.53%		126		0.64%		177		0.90%		235		1.19%		437		2.21%		19,731
	Forest		1,353		55.66%		957		39.37%		31		1.28%		49		2.02%		41		1.69%		396		16.29%		2,431
	Grant		6,498		49.95%		5,639		43.34%		71		0.55%		536		4.12%		266		2.04%		859		6.60%		13,010
	Green		4,306		55.49%		3,085		39.76%		64		0.82%		216		2.78%		89		1.15%		1,221		15.73%		7,760
	Green Lake		1,998		40.18%		2,847		57.25%		41		0.82%		69		1.39%		18		0.36%		-849		-17.07%		4,973
	Iowa		3,600		47.64%		3,494		46.24%		48		0.64%		282		3.73%		133		1.76%		106		1.40%		7,557
	Iron		1,867		79.82%		322		13.77%		28		1.20%		29		1.24%		93		3.98%		1,545		66.05%		2,339
	Jackson		3,445		70.51%		1,272		26.03%		28		0.57%		81		1.66%		60		1.23%		2,173		44.47%		4,886
	Jefferson		5,961		46.32%		6,602		51.30%		71		0.55%		111		0.86%		125		0.97%		-641		-4.98%		12,870
	Juneau		3,410		61.51%		1,827		32.95%		87		1.57%		131		2.36%		89		1.61%		1,583		28.55%		5,544
	Kenosha		6,697		36.74%		11,136		61.09%		201		1.10%		117		0.64%		77		0.42%		-4,439		-24.35%		18,228
	Kewaunee		2,439		66.39%		1,150		31.30%		14		0.38%		28		0.76%		43		1.17%		1,289		35.08%		3,674
	La Crosse		9,871		60.24%		6,128		37.40%		73		0.45%		225		1.37%		90		0.55%		3,743		22.84%		16,387
	Lafayette		3,606		49.50%		3,390		46.53%		18		0.25%		225		3.09%		46		0.63%		216		2.96%		7,285
	Langlade		3,424		49.85%		3,177		46.26%		48		0.70%		184		2.68%		35		0.51%		247		3.60%		6,868
	Lincoln		3,789		60.90%		2,178		35.00%		42		0.68%		114		1.83%		99		1.59%		1,611		25.89%		6,222
	Manitowoc		9,427		61.64%		5,521		36.10%		182		1.19%		82		0.54%		82		0.54%		3,906		25.54%		15,294
	Marathon		11,179		63.24%		5,533		31.30%		381		2.16%		214		1.21%		369		2.09%		5,646		31.94%		17,676
	Marinette		5,043		58.44%		3,058		35.43%		169		1.96%		218		2.53%		142		1.65%		1,985		23.00%		8,630
	Marquette		1,486		44.21%		1,805		53.70%		11		0.33%		41		1.22%		18		0.54%		-319		-9.49%		3,361
	Milwaukee		56,268		37.78%		53,312		35.80%		37,603		25.25%		462		0.31%		1,291		0.87%		2,956		1.98%		148,936
	Monroe		5,650		63.78%		2,810		31.72%		102		1.15%		193		2.18%		103		1.16%		2,840		32.06%		8,858
	Oconto		4,611		64.47%		2,337		32.68%		48		0.67%		83		1.16%		73		1.02%		2,274		31.80%		7,152
	Oneida		2,619		54.19%		1,955		40.45%		99		2.05%		70		1.45%		90		1.86%		664		13.74%		4,833
	Outagamie		9,940		59.94%		6,097		36.77%		122		0.74%		219		1.32%		205		1.24%		3,843		23.17%		16,583
	Ozaukee		2,192		45.13%		2,473		50.92%		103		2.12%		10		0.21%		79		1.63%		-281		-5.79%		4,857
	Pepin		929		43.88%		1,045		49.36%		50		2.36%		64		3.02%		29		1.37%		-116		-5.48%		2,117
	Pierce		4,143		69.47%		1,378		23.11%		78		1.31%		256		4.29%		109		1.83%		2,765		46.36%		5,964
	Polk		4,779		73.05%		1,310		20.02%		68		1.04%		221		3.38%		164		2.51%		3,469		53.03%		6,542
	Portage		4,242		44.55%		5,096		53.52%		41		0.43%		101		1.06%		42		0.44%		-854		-8.97%		9,522
	Price		3,253		68.48%		1,135		23.89%		43		0.91%		114		2.40%		205		4.32%		2,118		44.59%		4,750
	Racine		11,260		45.68%		12,494		50.69%		362		1.47%		256		1.04%		278		1.13%		-1,234		-5.01%		24,650
	Richland		2,343		40.80%		2,977		51.84%		37		0.64%		309		5.38%		77		1.34%		-634		-11.04%		5,743
	Rock		9,579		41.69%		12,665		55.13%		114		0.50%		446		1.94%		171		0.74%		-3,086		-13.43%		22,975
	Rusk		2,391		55.70%		1,593		37.11%		69		1.61%		142		3.31%		98		2.28%		798		18.59%		4,293
	Sauk		5,584		54.87%		4,136		40.64%		71		0.70%		259		2.55%		126		1.24%		1,448		14.23%		10,176
	Sawyer		1,529		63.05%		730		30.10%		50		2.06%		66		2.72%		50		2.06%		799		32.95%		2,425
	Shawano		6,443		76.34%		1,718		20.36%		91		1.08%		108		1.28%		80		0.95%		4,725		55.98%		8,440
	Sheboygan		10,211		53.69%		7,109		37.38%		1,247		6.56%		157		0.83%		296		1.56%		3,102		16.31%		19,020
	St. Croix		5,179		62.70%		2,759		33.40%		32		0.39%		170		2.06%		120		1.45%		2,420		29.30%		8,260
	Taylor		3,024		72.48%		868		20.81%		102		2.44%		90		2.16%		88		2.11%		2,156		51.68%		4,172
	Trempealeau		4,402		70.76%		1,653		26.57%		20		0.32%		81		1.30%		65		1.04%		2,749		44.19%		6,221
	Vernon		4,979		63.85%		2,417		31.00%		59		0.76%		220		2.82%		123		1.58%		2,562		32.85%		7,798
	Vilas		1,238		66.45%		499		26.78%		64		3.44%		30		1.61%		32		1.72%		739		39.67%		1,863
	Walworth		5,033		41.69%		6,439		53.33%		61		0.51%		361		2.99%		179		1.48%		-1,406		-11.65%		12,073
	Washburn		2,210		65.27%		962		28.41%		78		2.30%		111		3.28%		25		0.74%		1,248		36.86%		3,386
	Washington		3,602		44.90%		4,213		52.52%		114		1.42%		47		0.59%		46		0.57%		-611		-7.62%		8,022
	Waukesha		4,728		31.10%		10,063		66.20%		223		1.47%		108		0.71%		80		0.53%		-5,335		-35.09%		15,202
	Waupaca		5,399		52.51%		4,280		41.63%		198		1.93%		155		1.51%		249		2.42%		1,119		10.88%		10,281
	Waushara		2,430		57.77%		1,589		37.78%		51		1.21%		94		2.23%		42		1.00%		841		20.00%		4,206
	Winnebago		10,491		46.58%		11,407		50.65%		239		1.06%		193		0.86%		192		0.85%		-916		-4.07%		22,522
	Wood		6,784		65.21%		3,089		29.69%		176		1.69%		175		1.68%		180		1.73%		3,695		35.52%		10,404
Total	412,255	51.76%	317,550	39.87%	45,268	5.68%	11,516	1.45%	9,843	1.24%	94,705	11.89%	796,432

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Columbia
• Green Lake
• Jefferson
• Kenosha
• Marquette
• Ozaukee
• Pepin
• Portage
• Racine
• Richland
• Rock
• Walworth
• Washington
• Waukesha
• Winnebago

Bibliography

• Book: Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997 . Washington, D.C. . Congressional Quarterly Inc. . 1998 . 1-56802-396-0 . .
• Book: Holmes . Fred L. . 1925 . The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1925 . Democrat Printing Company, State Printer . Madison, Wisconsin . .

Notes and References

1. News: . September 20, 1924 . Hirst Announces His Support of Democrat Choice for Governor . 23 April 2021 . Wausau Daily Herald . Wausau, Wisconsin . 1.
2. "Severi Alanne," in Who's Who Among Finnish-Americans: A Biographical Dictionary of Persons of Finnish Descent Who Have Made Noteworthy Contributions to the Pattern of American Life. Fitchburg, MA: Raivaaja Publishing Co., 1949; pg. 8.
3. News: . September 22, 1924 . Madison Lawyer Enters Against Blaine, Lueck . 23 April 2021 . The Post-Crescent . Appleton, Wisconsin . 13.