Election Name: | 1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
Country: | Wisconsin |
Flag Year: | 1913 |
Type: | Presidential |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
Previous Year: | 1954 |
Next Election: | 1958 Wisconsin gubernatorial election |
Next Year: | 1958 |
Election Date: | November 6, 1956 |
Image1: | File:Vernon Wallace Thomson.jpg |
Nominee1: | Vernon W. Thomson |
Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
Popular Vote1: | 808,273 |
Percentage1: | 51.89% |
Nominee2: | William Proxmire |
Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
Popular Vote2: | 749,421 |
Percentage2: | 48.11% |
Map Size: | 250px |
Governor | |
Before Election: | Walter J. Kohler Jr. |
Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
After Election: | Vernon Wallace Thomson |
After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956. Republican nominee Vernon W. Thomson defeated Democratic nominee William Proxmire with 51.89% of the vote. Proxmire was defeated for the third consecutive gubernatorial election; he would subsequently win a special election for the United States Senate the following year after the death of Joseph McCarthy.
The primary election was held on September 11, 1956. Both major party candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.
After this election, Taylor County would not vote Republican again until 1978.
County | Vernon W. Thomson Republican | William Proxmire Democratic | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | % | % | % | ||||||||||||||||
Adams | 1,652 | 52.98% | 1,466 | 47.02% | 0 | 0.00% | 186 | 5.97% | 3,118 | ||||||||||
Ashland | 3,584 | 46.55% | 4,115 | 53.45% | 0 | 0.00% | -531 | -6.90% | 7,699 | ||||||||||
Barron | 7,584 | 54.38% | 6,362 | 45.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,222 | 8.76% | 13,946 | ||||||||||
Bayfield | 2,730 | 48.38% | 2,913 | 51.62% | 0 | 0.00% | -183 | -3.24% | 5,643 | ||||||||||
Brown | 26,181 | 56.45% | 20,192 | 43.54% | 2 | 0.00% | 5,989 | 12.91% | 46,375 | ||||||||||
Buffalo | 3,030 | 55.20% | 2,459 | 44.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 571 | 10.40% | 5,489 | ||||||||||
Burnett | 2,109 | 51.70% | 1,970 | 48.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 139 | 3.41% | 4,079 | ||||||||||
Calumet | 5,370 | 64.88% | 2,905 | 35.10% | 2 | 0.02% | 2,465 | 29.78% | 8,277 | ||||||||||
Chippewa | 8,228 | 49.95% | 8,246 | 50.05% | 0 | 0.00% | -18 | -0.11% | 16,474 | ||||||||||
Clark | 6,926 | 54.06% | 5,886 | 45.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,040 | 8.12% | 12,812 | ||||||||||
Columbia | 9,265 | 59.74% | 6,243 | 40.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,022 | 19.49% | 15,508 | ||||||||||
Crawford | 3,593 | 53.70% | 3,098 | 46.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 495 | 7.40% | 6,691 | ||||||||||
Dane | 34,496 | 43.47% | 44,851 | 56.52% | 9 | 0.01% | -10,355 | -13.05% | 79,356 | ||||||||||
Dodge | 15,244 | 61.23% | 9,652 | 38.77% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,592 | 22.46% | 24,896 | ||||||||||
Door | 5,929 | 69.50% | 2,602 | 30.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,327 | 39.00% | 8,531 | ||||||||||
Douglas | 8,283 | 41.16% | 11,841 | 58.84% | 1 | 0.00% | -3,558 | -17.68% | 20,125 | ||||||||||
Dunn | 5,838 | 55.80% | 4,624 | 44.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,214 | 11.60% | 10,462 | ||||||||||
Eau Claire | 11,631 | 50.32% | 11,485 | 49.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 146 | 0.63% | 23,116 | ||||||||||
Florence | 841 | 50.06% | 839 | 49.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.12% | 1,680 | ||||||||||
Fond du Lac | 18,424 | 61.19% | 11,685 | 38.81% | 1 | 0.00% | 6,739 | 22.38% | 30,110 | ||||||||||
Forest | 1,502 | 42.26% | 2,052 | 57.74% | 0 | 0.00% | -550 | -15.48% | 3,554 | ||||||||||
Grant | 10,929 | 65.72% | 5,699 | 34.27% | 1 | 0.01% | 5,230 | 31.45% | 16,629 | ||||||||||
Green | 6,090 | 56.97% | 4,599 | 43.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,491 | 13.95% | 10,689 | ||||||||||
Green Lake | 4,944 | 69.90% | 2,128 | 30.09% | 1 | 0.01% | 2,816 | 39.81% | 7,073 | ||||||||||
Iowa | 4,762 | 56.99% | 3,594 | 43.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,168 | 13.98% | 8,356 | ||||||||||
Iron | 1,367 | 34.57% | 2,587 | 65.43% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,220 | -30.85% | 3,954 | ||||||||||
Jackson | 3,033 | 48.47% | 3,224 | 51.52% | 1 | 0.02% | -191 | -3.05% | 6,258 | ||||||||||
Jefferson | 11,511 | 57.26% | 8,591 | 42.73% | 1 | 0.00% | 2,920 | 14.53% | 20,103 | ||||||||||
Juneau | 4,660 | 62.16% | 2,837 | 37.84% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,823 | 24.32% | 7,497 | ||||||||||
Kenosha | 16,273 | 41.98% | 22,494 | 58.02% | 1 | 0.00% | -6,221 | -16.05% | 38,768 | ||||||||||
Kewaunee | 4,127 | 55.78% | 3,272 | 44.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 855 | 11.56% | 7,399 | ||||||||||
La Crosse | 15,498 | 51.79% | 14,427 | 48.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,071 | 3.58% | 29,925 | ||||||||||
Lafayette | 4,381 | 55.10% | 3,570 | 44.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 811 | 10.20% | 7,951 | ||||||||||
Langlade | 4,261 | 54.64% | 3,537 | 45.36% | 0 | 0.00% | 724 | 9.28% | 7,798 | ||||||||||
Lincoln | 5,664 | 60.42% | 3,711 | 39.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,953 | 20.83% | 9,375 | ||||||||||
Manitowoc | 14,224 | 48.64% | 15,017 | 51.35% | 1 | 0.00% | -793 | -2.71% | 29,242 | ||||||||||
Marathon | 17,802 | 46.42% | 20,545 | 53.58% | 0 | 0.00% | -2,743 | -7.15% | 38,347 | ||||||||||
Marinette | 8,054 | 56.54% | 6,190 | 43.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,864 | 13.09% | 14,244 | ||||||||||
Marquette | 2,528 | 66.65% | 1,264 | 33.32% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,264 | 33.32% | 3,793 | ||||||||||
Milwaukee | 180,462 | 44.02% | 229,443 | 55.97% | 27 | 0.01% | -48,981 | -11.95% | 409,932 | ||||||||||
Monroe | 6,712 | 56.99% | 5,065 | 43.00% | 1 | 0.01% | 1,647 | 13.98% | 11,778 | ||||||||||
Oconto | 6,109 | 58.61% | 4,314 | 41.39% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,795 | 17.22% | 10,423 | ||||||||||
Oneida | 5,177 | 53.68% | 4,467 | 46.31% | 1 | 0.01% | 710 | 7.36% | 9,645 | ||||||||||
Outagamie | 23,037 | 66.33% | 11,694 | 33.67% | 0 | 0.00% | 11,343 | 32.66% | 34,731 | ||||||||||
Ozaukee | 8,066 | 57.90% | 5,864 | 42.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,202 | 15.81% | 13,930 | ||||||||||
Pepin | 1,689 | 58.54% | 1,196 | 41.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 493 | 17.09% | 2,885 | ||||||||||
Pierce | 5,343 | 57.78% | 3,904 | 42.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,439 | 15.56% | 9,247 | ||||||||||
Polk | 5,279 | 49.64% | 5,356 | 50.36% | 0 | 0.00% | -77 | -0.72% | 10,635 | ||||||||||
Portage | 6,357 | 41.42% | 8,991 | 58.58% | 1 | 0.01% | -2,634 | -17.16% | 15,349 | ||||||||||
Price | 3,430 | 51.37% | 3,247 | 48.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 183 | 2.74% | 6,677 | ||||||||||
Racine | 25,987 | 46.85% | 29,453 | 53.10% | 26 | 0.05% | -3,466 | -6.25% | 55,466 | ||||||||||
Richland | 4,747 | 59.72% | 3,200 | 40.26% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,547 | 19.46% | 7,949 | ||||||||||
Rock | 25,495 | 59.25% | 17,531 | 40.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 7,964 | 18.51% | 43,026 | ||||||||||
Rusk | 3,112 | 49.19% | 3,215 | 50.81% | 0 | 0.00% | -103 | -1.63% | 6,327 | ||||||||||
Sauk | 9,715 | 60.12% | 6,443 | 39.87% | 1 | 0.01% | 3,272 | 20.25% | 16,159 | ||||||||||
Sawyer | 2,474 | 58.09% | 1,785 | 41.91% | 0 | 0.00% | 689 | 16.18% | 4,259 | ||||||||||
Shawano | 8,698 | 65.95% | 4,489 | 34.04% | 1 | 0.01% | 4,209 | 31.92% | 13,188 | ||||||||||
Sheboygan | 20,359 | 52.97% | 18,078 | 47.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,281 | 5.93% | 38,437 | ||||||||||
St. Croix | 6,256 | 51.72% | 5,840 | 48.28% | 0 | 0.00% | 416 | 3.44% | 12,096 | ||||||||||
Taylor | 3,388 | 51.07% | 3,245 | 48.91% | 1 | 0.02% | 143 | 2.16% | 6,634 | ||||||||||
Trempealeau | 4,766 | 48.66% | 5,029 | 51.34% | 0 | 0.00% | -263 | -2.69% | 9,795 | ||||||||||
Vernon | 5,438 | 48.45% | 5,787 | 51.55% | 0 | 0.00% | -349 | -3.11% | 11,225 | ||||||||||
Vilas | 3,109 | 53.50% | 1,787 | 36.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,322 | 27.00% | 4,896 | ||||||||||
Walworth | 14,895 | 69.01% | 6,688 | 30.98% | 2 | 0.01% | 8,207 | 38.02% | 21,585 | ||||||||||
Washburn | 2,573 | 55.14% | 2,093 | 44.86% | 0 | 0.00% | 480 | 10.29% | 4,666 | ||||||||||
Washington | 10,004 | 60.09% | 6,645 | 39.91% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,359 | 20.18% | 16,649 | ||||||||||
Waukesha | 29,573 | 57.94% | 21,465 | 42.05% | 6 | 0.01% | 8,108 | 15.88% | 51,044 | ||||||||||
Waupaca | 11,060 | 73.08% | 4,074 | 26.92% | 0 | 0.00% | 6,986 | 46.16% | 15,134 | ||||||||||
Waushara | 4,377 | 71.19% | 1,771 | 28.81% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,606 | 42.39% | 6,148 | ||||||||||
Winnebago | 25,638 | 62.93% | 15,101 | 37.06% | 3 | 0.01% | 10,537 | 25.86% | 40,742 | ||||||||||
Wood | 12,400 | 56.91% | 9,389 | 43.09% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,011 | 13.82% | 21,789 | ||||||||||
Total | 808,273 | 51.89% | 749,421 | 48.11% | 94 | 0.01% | 58,852 | 3.78% | 1,557,788 |