1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
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November 5, 1940 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Heil: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Loomis: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% McGovern: 30–40% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1940. Primary elections were held on September 17, 1940.
Incumbent Republican Governor Julius P. Heil defeated Progressive nominee Orland Steen Loomis and Democratic nominee Francis E. McGovern with 40.67% of the vote. This election is very similar to the 1855 Ohio Governor Election, also featured 3 candidates, one from the present, past, and future, except Loomis died before taking office. Heil and McGovern both served as governors for the state.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Julius P. Heil, incumbent Governor
Eliminated in primary
- James K. Robinson, dentist,[1] unsuccessful candidate for Progressive nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 1936
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julius P. Heil (incumbent) | 249,269 | 67.98% | |
| Republican | James K. Robinson | 117,385 | 32.02% | |
| Total votes | 366,654 | 100.00% | ||
Progressive primary
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
- Paul Alfonsi, former Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Henry Gunderson, former Lieutenant Governor
- Philip E. Nelson, incumbent State Senator
- Harold E. Stafford, attorney[4]
Declined
- Merlin Hull, U.S. Representative[5]
Results
Loomis
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Stafford
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
Nelson
- 20–30%
- 40–50%
- 60–70%
Alfonsi
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
- >90%
Gunderson
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Orland Steen Loomis | 50,699 | 33.05% | |
| Progressive | Harold E. Stafford | 41,311 | 26.93% | |
| Progressive | Philip E. Nelson | 24,485 | 15.96% | |
| Progressive | Paul Alfonsi | 22,531 | 14.69% | |
| Progressive | Henry Gunderson | 14,372 | 9.37% | |
| Total votes | 153,398 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Francis E. McGovern, former Governor
Eliminated in primary
- William R. Callahan, Democratic nominee for Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1938
- Raymond J. Cannon, former U.S. Representative
- Gerhard A. Hagedorn, electrical salesman[7]
Withdrawn
- William B. Rubin[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Francis E. McGovern | 54,025 | 38.91% | |
| Democratic | William R. Callahan | 44,868 | 32.31% | |
| Democratic | Raymond J. Cannon | 30,560 | 22.01% | |
| Democratic | Gerhard A. Hagedorn | 9,407 | 6.77% | |
| Total votes | 138,860 | 100.00% | ||
Other party nominations
- Fred Basset Blair, Communist, candidate for Governor in 1932
- Louis Fisher, Socialist Labor
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julius P. Heil (incumbent) | 558,678 | 40.67% | −14.72% | |
| Progressive | Orland S. Loomis | 546,436 | 39.78% | +3.77% | |
| Democratic | Francis E. McGovern | 264,985 | 19.29% | +11.30% | |
| Communist[a] | Fred Basset Blair | 2,340 | 0.17% | ||
| Socialist Labor[b] | Louis Fisher | 1,158 | 0.08% | −0.06% | |
| Scattering[c] | 157 | 0.01% | |||
| Plurality | 12,242 | 0.89% | |||
| Total votes | 1,373,754 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | -18.50% | |||
Results by county
Barron County, Buffalo County, Grant County, Monroe County, Sauk County, Trempealeau County, and Vernon County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1892, while Juneau County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1890.
| County[10][11] | Julius P. Heil Republican | Orland S. Loomis Progressive | Francis E. McGovern Democratic | All Others Various | Margin[d] | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,231 | 34.54% | 2,112 | 59.26% | 211 | 5.92% | 10 | 0.28% | -881 | -24.72% | 3,564 |
| Ashland | 3,120 | 34.46% | 4,340 | 47.93% | 1,537 | 16.98% | 57 | 0.63% | -1,220 | -13.47% | 9,054 |
| Barron | 5,422 | 39.47% | 7,216 | 52.53% | 1,071 | 7.80% | 29 | 0.21% | -1,794 | -13.06% | 13,738 |
| Bayfield | 2,198 | 31.51% | 3,833 | 54.95% | 906 | 12.99% | 38 | 0.54% | -1,635 | -23.44% | 6,975 |
| Brown | 13,536 | 40.08% | 8,910 | 26.38% | 11,305 | 33.47% | 25 | 0.07% | 2,231[e] | 6.61% | 33,776 |
| Buffalo | 2,803 | 44.65% | 3,077 | 49.01% | 393 | 6.26% | 5 | 0.08% | -274 | -4.36% | 6,278 |
| Burnett | 1,756 | 36.46% | 2,451 | 50.89% | 587 | 12.19% | 22 | 0.46% | -695 | -14.43% | 4,816 |
| Calumet | 4,156 | 54.94% | 2,051 | 27.12% | 1,350 | 17.85% | 7 | 0.09% | 2,105 | 27.83% | 7,564 |
| Chippewa | 6,979 | 44.88% | 6,889 | 44.31% | 1,659 | 10.67% | 22 | 0.14% | 90 | 0.58% | 15,549 |
| Clark | 6,977 | 49.93% | 5,735 | 41.04% | 1,203 | 8.61% | 59 | 0.42% | 1,242 | 8.89% | 13,974 |
| Columbia | 5,907 | 38.93% | 7,709 | 50.80% | 1,548 | 10.20% | 11 | 0.07% | -1,802 | -11.87% | 15,175 |
| Crawford | 3,712 | 46.64% | 2,431 | 30.55% | 1,813 | 22.78% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,281 | 16.10% | 7,958 |
| Dane | 15,863 | 25.14% | 42,136 | 66.78% | 5,012 | 7.94% | 84 | 0.13% | -26,273 | -41.64% | 63,095 |
| Dodge | 10,712 | 45.75% | 8,079 | 34.50% | 4,599 | 19.64% | 25 | 0.11% | 2,633 | 11.24% | 23,415 |
| Door | 4,384 | 55.66% | 2,596 | 32.96% | 853 | 10.83% | 43 | 0.55% | 1,788 | 22.70% | 7,876 |
| Douglas | 6,359 | 29.70% | 10,418 | 48.66% | 4,490 | 20.97% | 141 | 0.66% | -4,059 | -18.96% | 21,408 |
| Dunn | 5,047 | 45.35% | 5,185 | 46.59% | 882 | 7.93% | 14 | 0.13% | -138 | -1.24% | 11,128 |
| Eau Claire | 8,095 | 42.03% | 9,224 | 47.90% | 1,922 | 9.98% | 17 | 0.09% | -1,129 | -5.86% | 19,258 |
| Florence | 749 | 40.46% | 677 | 36.57% | 411 | 22.20% | 14 | 0.76% | 72 | 3.89% | 1,851 |
| Fond du Lac | 13,212 | 48.48% | 8,535 | 31.32% | 5,435 | 19.94% | 73 | 0.27% | 4,677 | 17.16% | 27,255 |
| Forest | 1,267 | 29.72% | 1,366 | 32.04% | 1,617 | 37.93% | 13 | 0.30% | -251[f] | -5.89% | 4,263 |
| Grant | 7,664 | 42.50% | 8,046 | 44.62% | 2,298 | 12.74% | 26 | 0.14% | -382 | -2.12% | 18,034 |
| Green | 4,786 | 47.37% | 4,264 | 42.20% | 1,044 | 10.33% | 10 | 0.10% | 522 | 5.17% | 10,104 |
| Green Lake | 4,071 | 56.86% | 1,591 | 22.22% | 1,487 | 20.77% | 11 | 0.15% | 2,480 | 34.64% | 7,160 |
| Iowa | 3,834 | 42.82% | 4,092 | 45.70% | 1,019 | 11.38% | 9 | 0.10% | -258 | -2.88% | 8,954 |
| Iron | 1,512 | 30.91% | 2,671 | 54.60% | 687 | 14.04% | 22 | 0.45% | -1,159 | -23.69% | 4,892 |
| Jackson | 2,675 | 35.92% | 4,294 | 57.66% | 474 | 6.36% | 4 | 0.05% | -1,619 | -21.74% | 7,447 |
| Jefferson | 8,105 | 46.00% | 5,576 | 31.65% | 3,923 | 22.26% | 16 | 0.09% | 2,529 | 14.35% | 17,620 |
| Juneau | 2,615 | 30.11% | 5,632 | 64.85% | 434 | 5.00% | 4 | 0.05% | -3,017 | -34.74% | 8,685 |
| Kenosha | 10,355 | 35.63% | 10,631 | 36.58% | 8,013 | 27.57% | 60 | 0.21% | -276 | -0.95% | 29,059 |
| Kewaunee | 3,331 | 48.95% | 1,560 | 22.92% | 1,886 | 27.71% | 28 | 0.41% | 1,445[e] | 21.23% | 6,805 |
| La Crosse | 11,504 | 43.95% | 10,277 | 39.26% | 4,375 | 16.72% | 18 | 0.07% | 1,227 | 4.69% | 26,174 |
| Lafayette | 4,065 | 44.29% | 3,330 | 36.28% | 1,778 | 19.37% | 5 | 0.05% | 735 | 8.01% | 9,178 |
| Langlade | 3,627 | 38.76% | 2,710 | 28.96% | 2,996 | 32.02% | 25 | 0.27% | 631[e] | 6.74% | 9,358 |
| Lincoln | 4,352 | 44.01% | 4,441 | 44.91% | 1,060 | 10.72% | 36 | 0.36% | -89 | -0.90% | 9,889 |
| Manitowoc | 10,266 | 40.11% | 9,832 | 38.41% | 5,477 | 21.40% | 22 | 0.09% | 434 | 1.70% | 25,597 |
| Marathon | 12,769 | 44.22% | 9,872 | 34.19% | 6,164 | 21.35% | 71 | 0.25% | 2,897 | 10.03% | 28,876 |
| Marinette | 7,433 | 49.91% | 2,921 | 19.61% | 4,508 | 30.27% | 32 | 0.21% | 2,925[e] | 19.64% | 14,894 |
| Marquette | 2,541 | 60.72% | 1,128 | 26.95% | 510 | 12.19% | 6 | 0.14% | 1,413 | 33.76% | 4,185 |
| Milwaukee | 115,732 | 33.35% | 147,826 | 42.59% | 82,036 | 23.64% | 1,462 | 0.42% | -32,094 | -9.25% | 347,056 |
| Monroe | 4,539 | 36.08% | 7,134 | 56.71% | 889 | 7.07% | 17 | 0.14% | -2,595 | -20.63% | 12,579 |
| Oconto | 5,104 | 45.48% | 2,739 | 24.41% | 3,364 | 29.98% | 15 | 0.13% | 1,740[e] | 15.51% | 11,222 |
| Oneida | 2,938 | 33.45% | 3,658 | 41.65% | 2,157 | 24.56% | 29 | 0.33% | -720 | -8.20% | 8,782 |
| Outagamie | 15,637 | 52.96% | 7,421 | 25.13% | 6,406 | 21.70% | 61 | 0.21% | 8,216 | 27.83% | 29,525 |
| Ozaukee | 3,641 | 43.33% | 2,908 | 34.61% | 1,838 | 21.88% | 15 | 0.18% | 733 | 8.72% | 8,402 |
| Pepin | 1,787 | 54.02% | 1,137 | 34.37% | 376 | 11.37% | 8 | 0.24% | 650 | 19.65% | 3,308 |
| Pierce | 4,355 | 46.64% | 4,160 | 44.55% | 811 | 8.69% | 11 | 0.12% | 195 | 2.09% | 9,337 |
| Polk | 4,044 | 37.29% | 5,805 | 53.53% | 975 | 8.99% | 21 | 0.19% | -1,761 | -16.24% | 10,845 |
| Portage | 4,736 | 30.84% | 5,445 | 35.46% | 5,161 | 33.61% | 13 | 0.08% | -709 | -4.62% | 15,355 |
| Price | 3,558 | 46.25% | 2,616 | 34.00% | 1,392 | 18.09% | 127 | 1.65% | 942 | 12.24% | 7,693 |
| Racine | 16,754 | 39.65% | 15,583 | 36.88% | 9,795 | 23.18% | 126 | 0.30% | 1,171 | 2.77% | 42,258 |
| Richland | 4,720 | 53.24% | 3,041 | 34.30% | 1,089 | 12.28% | 15 | 0.17% | 1,679 | 18.94% | 8,865 |
| Rock | 18,482 | 50.39% | 11,661 | 31.79% | 6,451 | 17.59% | 84 | 0.23% | 6,821 | 18.60% | 36,678 |
| Rusk | 3,221 | 46.89% | 2,333 | 33.96% | 1,288 | 18.75% | 27 | 0.39% | 888 | 12.93% | 6,869 |
| Sauk | 6,535 | 42.36% | 7,385 | 47.87% | 1,492 | 9.67% | 15 | 0.10% | -850 | -5.51% | 15,427 |
| Sawyer | 2,218 | 45.71% | 1,540 | 31.74% | 1,085 | 22.36% | 9 | 0.19% | 678 | 13.97% | 4,852 |
| Shawano | 6,745 | 49.92% | 4,757 | 35.21% | 1,987 | 14.71% | 22 | 0.16% | 1,988 | 14.71% | 13,511 |
| Sheboygan | 14,141 | 44.24% | 6,955 | 21.76% | 10,732 | 33.58% | 135 | 0.42% | 3,409[e] | 10.67% | 31,963 |
| St. Croix | 4,871 | 43.77% | 4,484 | 40.29% | 1,756 | 15.78% | 17 | 0.15% | 387 | 3.48% | 11,128 |
| Taylor | 3,068 | 41.03% | 2,712 | 36.27% | 1,668 | 22.31% | 30 | 0.40% | 356 | 4.76% | 7,478 |
| Trempealeau | 3,852 | 39.52% | 4,611 | 47.31% | 1,277 | 13.10% | 6 | 0.06% | -759 | -7.79% | 9,746 |
| Vernon | 5,352 | 44.15% | 5,833 | 48.12% | 926 | 7.64% | 12 | 0.10% | -481 | -3.97% | 12,123 |
| Vilas | 1,870 | 41.12% | 1,213 | 26.67% | 1,427 | 31.38% | 38 | 0.84% | 443[e] | 9.74% | 4,548 |
| Walworth | 10,980 | 64.88% | 3,245 | 19.18% | 2,688 | 15.88% | 10 | 0.06% | 7,735 | 45.71% | 16,923 |
| Washburn | 1,903 | 34.77% | 3,033 | 55.42% | 525 | 9.59% | 12 | 0.22% | -1,130 | -20.65% | 5,473 |
| Washington | 6,767 | 51.37% | 3,951 | 29.99% | 2,445 | 18.56% | 11 | 0.08% | 2,816 | 21.38% | 13,174 |
| Waukesha | 15,344 | 51.88% | 9,668 | 32.69% | 4,532 | 15.32% | 33 | 0.11% | 5,676 | 19.19% | 29,577 |
| Waupaca | 8,371 | 53.53% | 5,813 | 37.17% | 1,423 | 9.10% | 31 | 0.20% | 2,558 | 16.36% | 15,638 |
| Waushara | 4,179 | 63.44% | 1,759 | 26.70% | 628 | 9.53% | 21 | 0.32% | 2,420 | 36.74% | 6,587 |
| Winnebago | 17,013 | 49.67% | 9,751 | 28.47% | 7,413 | 21.64% | 73 | 0.21% | 7,262 | 21.20% | 34,250 |
| Wood | 7,231 | 40.85% | 8,421 | 47.57% | 2,016 | 11.39% | 33 | 0.19% | -1,190 | -6.72% | 17,701 |
| Total | 558,678 | 40.67% | 546,436 | 39.78% | 264,985 | 19.29% | 3,655 | 0.27% | 12,242 | 0.89% | 1,373,754 |
Counties that flipped from Progressive to Republican
Counties that flipped from Republican to Progressive
- Barron
- Buffalo
- Columbia
- Dunn
- Eau Claire
- Grant
- Iowa
- Juneau
- Kenosha
- Lincoln
- Milwaukee
- Monroe
- Oneida
- Portage
- Sauk
- Trempealeau
- Vernon
- Wood
Counties that flipped from Progressive to Democratic
Notes
- ^ "Independent Communist"
- ^ "Independent Socialist Labor"
- ^ These are not listed in the Blue Book but are listed in the Board of Canvassers report.
- ^ All margins are Heil over Loomis unless otherwise noted
- ^ a b c d e f g Heil's margin over McGovern
- ^ McGovern's margin over Loomis
References
- ^ "Governor Renounces Third Term; While Seeking His Second". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. August 1, 1940. p. 19. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library (1942). "Primary Vote For Governor By Counties". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 578.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "WI Governor, 1940 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "Chippewa Falls Attorney To Speak at Meeting Wednesday". Madison Capital Times. Madison, Wisconsin. February 12, 1940. p. 3. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ Kasparek, Jonathan (2006). Fighting Son: A Biography of Philip F. La Follette. Wisconsin Historical Society. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-87020-353-4.
- ^ "WI Governor, 1940 - PRG Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "Once More". Leader-Telegram. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. August 9, 1940. p. 14. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "Rubin Fails To Enter Race For Governor". The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. August 6, 1940. p. 8. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "WI Governor, 1940 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Statement of Board of State Canvassers - Election of State Officers - November 5, 1940
- ^ a b The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library (1942). "Summary Vote For Governor By Counties". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1942. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 666.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Bibliography
- Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
- Ohm, Howard F.; Bryhan, Leone G., eds. (1942). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1942. State of Wisconsin.
