1908 United States presidential election in California
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 County Results
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in California |
|---|
 |
The 1908 United States presidential election in California took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 10 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
California voted for the Republican nominee, former War Secretary William Howard Taft and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York. They defeated the Democratic nominees, former representative and the 1896 and 1900 nominee, William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running with John W. Kern, a former Indiana state senator. Taft won the state by a margin of 22.48%. This was the first presidential election in which more votes were cast in Los Angeles County than in San Francisco, although this had also previously occurred in the 1906 gubernatorial election.[a]
Bryan had previously lost California to William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.
Results[edit]
| Party | Pledged to | Elector | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. | 214,398 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Samuel M. Shortridge | 213,598 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Francis M. Smith | 213,552 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Alden Anderson | 213,533 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | G. W. Dwinnell | 213,532 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Thomas J. Field | 213,292 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | H. G. W. Dinkelspiel | 213,225 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Delos O. Druffel | 213,071 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Byron Erkenbrecher | 212,931 | |
| Republican Party | William Howard Taft | Lyman M. King | 212,314 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | James D. Phelan | 127,492 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Harry P. Flannery | 126,796 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Eugene German | 126,696 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | W. B. Shearer | 126,617 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | D. W. Carmichael | 126,527 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Charles Edelman | 126,483 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | A. W. Maltby | 126,465 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | E. E. Bush | 126,393 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | Thomas E. Gibbon | 126,312 | |
| Democratic Party | William Jennings Bryan | John W. Martin | 126,190 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Mary E. Garbutt | 28,659 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | G. W. Woodbey | 28,572 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Benjamin Chambers | 28,547 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Oliver Everett | 28,534 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | J. H. Wilder | 28,533 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | J. C. Weybright | 28,532 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Mary F. Merrill | 28,518 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Henry Meyer | 28,507 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | F. C. Wheeler | 28,500 | |
| Socialist Party | Eugene V. Debs | Bertha W. Starkweather | 28,351 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Frederick Heard | 11,770 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Ray T. Kimball | 11,735 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Albert K. Nash | 11,674 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | William H. Dorman | 11,663 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Adolph R. Buckman | 11,654 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Horace A. Johnson | 11,653 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Henry C. Weisenburger | 11,648 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Granville P. Hurst | 11,644 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | Christopher C. Crowell | 11,616 | |
| Prohibition Party | Eugene W. Chafin | John H. Allin | 11,597 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Al Murphy | 4,278 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Frank R. Wehe | 4,122 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Richard Kinsella | 4,075 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | J. D. McGaughey | 4,065 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | R. H. Norton | 4,060 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Raymond E. Fair | 4,058 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | C. K. Lambie | 4,055 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Z. W. Craig | 4,047 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | T. E. Amlin | 4,043 | |
| Independence League | Thomas L. Hisgen | Henry E. Mills | 4,042 | |
| Write-in | Scattering | 28[b] | ||
| Votes cast[c] | 386,625 | |||
Results by county[edit]
| County | William Howard Taft Republican |
William Jennings Bryan Democratic |
Eugene V. Debs Socialist |
Eugene W. Chafin Prohibition |
Thomas L. Hisgen Independence |
Margin | Total votes cast[d][e] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 21,380 | 64.24% | 7,110 | 21.36% | 3,462 | 10.40% | 608 | 1.83% | 723 | 2.17% | 14,270 | 42.87% | 33,283 |
| Alpine | 75 | 87.21% | 11 | 12.79% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 64 | 74.42% | 86 |
| Amador | 1,035 | 51.88% | 874 | 43.81% | 38 | 1.90% | 25 | 1.25% | 23 | 1.15% | 161 | 8.07% | 1,995 |
| Butte | 3,094 | 52.74% | 2,146 | 36.58% | 384 | 6.55% | 199 | 3.39% | 43 | 0.73% | 948 | 16.16% | 5,866 |
| Calaveras | 1,323 | 55.54% | 833 | 34.97% | 167 | 7.01% | 17 | 0.71% | 42 | 1.76% | 490 | 20.57% | 2,382 |
| Colusa | 730 | 38.58% | 1,064 | 56.24% | 52 | 2.75% | 33 | 1.74% | 13 | 0.69% | -334 | -17.65% | 1,892 |
| Contra Costa | 3,336 | 60.61% | 1,599 | 29.05% | 438 | 7.96% | 71 | 1.29% | 60 | 1.09% | 1,737 | 31.56% | 5,504 |
| Del Norte | 450 | 59.29% | 202 | 26.61% | 71 | 9.35% | 28 | 3.69% | 8 | 1.05% | 248 | 32.67% | 759 |
| El Dorado | 986 | 44.74% | 1,019 | 46.23% | 148 | 6.72% | 22 | 1.00% | 29 | 1.32% | -33 | -1.50% | 2,204 |
| Fresno | 6,384 | 50.89% | 4,743 | 37.81% | 868 | 6.92% | 508 | 4.05% | 42 | 0.33% | 1,641 | 13.08% | 12,545 |
| Glenn | 618 | 44.72% | 711 | 51.45% | 19 | 1.37% | 28 | 2.03% | 6 | 0.43% | -93 | -6.73% | 1,382 |
| Humboldt | 4,221 | 65.02% | 1,206 | 18.58% | 865 | 13.32% | 138 | 2.13% | 62 | 0.96% | 3,015 | 46.44% | 6,492 |
| Imperial | 909 | 47.64% | 675 | 35.38% | 204 | 10.69% | 102 | 5.35% | 18 | 0.94% | 234 | 12.26% | 1,908 |
| Inyo | 583 | 40.94% | 618 | 43.40% | 158 | 11.10% | 37 | 2.60% | 28 | 1.97% | -35 | -2.46% | 1,424 |
| Kern | 2,270 | 45.60% | 2,215 | 44.50% | 380 | 7.63% | 57 | 1.15% | 56 | 1.12% | 55 | 1.10% | 4,978 |
| Kings | 1,198 | 53.22% | 859 | 38.16% | 112 | 4.98% | 70 | 3.11% | 12 | 0.53% | 339 | 15.06% | 2,251 |
| Lake | 625 | 42.84% | 628 | 43.04% | 110 | 7.54% | 64 | 4.39% | 32 | 2.19% | -3 | -0.21% | 1,459 |
| Lassen | 551 | 54.61% | 361 | 35.78% | 81 | 8.03% | 9 | 0.89% | 7 | 0.69% | 190 | 18.83% | 1,009 |
| Los Angeles | 41,483 | 56.77% | 22,076 | 30.21% | 4,702 | 6.43% | 4,033 | 5.52% | 783 | 1.07% | 19,407 | 26.56% | 73,077 |
| Madera | 596 | 44.85% | 574 | 43.19% | 121 | 9.10% | 21 | 1.58% | 17 | 1.28% | 22 | 1.66% | 1,329 |
| Marin | 2,732 | 68.25% | 983 | 24.56% | 219 | 5.47% | 28 | 0.70% | 41 | 1.02% | 1,749 | 43.69% | 4,003 |
| Mariposa | 352 | 36.86% | 480 | 50.26% | 86 | 9.01% | 14 | 1.47% | 23 | 2.41% | -128 | -13.40% | 955 |
| Mendocino | 2,746 | 55.56% | 1,752 | 35.45% | 293 | 5.93% | 88 | 1.78% | 63 | 1.27% | 994 | 20.11% | 4,942 |
| Merced | 1,107 | 44.58% | 1,100 | 44.30% | 152 | 6.12% | 104 | 4.19% | 20 | 0.81% | 7 | 0.28% | 2,483 |
| Modoc | 620 | 49.92% | 574 | 46.22% | 24 | 1.93% | 12 | 0.97% | 12 | 0.97% | 46 | 3.70% | 1,242 |
| Mono | 224 | 59.89% | 121 | 32.35% | 25 | 6.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 1.07% | 103 | 27.54% | 374 |
| Monterey | 2,486 | 53.64% | 1,616 | 34.87% | 211 | 4.55% | 265 | 5.72% | 57 | 1.23% | 870 | 18.77% | 4,635 |
| Napa | 2,405 | 59.08% | 1,336 | 32.82% | 206 | 5.06% | 100 | 2.46% | 24 | 0.59% | 1,069 | 26.26% | 4,071 |
| Nevada | 1,825 | 50.86% | 1,368 | 38.13% | 296 | 8.25% | 76 | 2.12% | 23 | 0.64% | 457 | 12.74% | 3,588 |
| Orange | 3,244 | 53.74% | 1,911 | 31.65% | 375 | 6.21% | 451 | 7.47% | 56 | 0.93% | 1,333 | 22.08% | 6,037 |
| Placer | 1,865 | 51.45% | 1,491 | 41.13% | 171 | 4.72% | 69 | 1.90% | 29 | 0.80% | 374 | 10.32% | 3,625 |
| Plumas | 659 | 57.91% | 395 | 34.71% | 59 | 5.18% | 12 | 1.05% | 13 | 1.14% | 264 | 23.20% | 1,138 |
| Riverside | 3,229 | 57.24% | 1,374 | 24.36% | 565 | 10.02% | 427 | 7.57% | 46 | 0.82% | 1,855 | 32.88% | 5,641 |
| Sacramento | 6,515 | 55.15% | 4,533 | 38.37% | 608 | 5.15% | 106 | 0.90% | 52 | 0.44% | 1,982 | 16.78% | 11,814 |
| San Benito | 937 | 53.57% | 684 | 39.11% | 63 | 3.60% | 52 | 2.97% | 13 | 0.74% | 253 | 14.47% | 1,749 |
| San Bernardino | 4,729 | 52.90% | 2,685 | 30.03% | 777 | 8.69% | 618 | 6.91% | 131 | 1.47% | 2,044 | 22.86% | 8,940 |
| San Diego | 5,412 | 57.56% | 2,393 | 25.45% | 1,342 | 14.27% | 212 | 2.25% | 44 | 0.47% | 3,019 | 32.11% | 9,403 |
| San Francisco | 33,184 | 55.19% | 21,260 | 35.36% | 4,523 | 7.52% | 406 | 0.68% | 751 | 1.25% | 11,924 | 19.83% | 60,124 |
| San Joaquin | 4,470 | 52.20% | 3,331 | 38.90% | 547 | 6.39% | 167 | 1.95% | 49 | 0.57% | 1,139 | 13.30% | 8,564 |
| San Luis Obispo | 2,008 | 50.76% | 1,381 | 34.91% | 370 | 9.35% | 154 | 3.89% | 43 | 1.09% | 627 | 15.85% | 3,956 |
| San Mateo | 2,865 | 62.91% | 1,314 | 28.85% | 301 | 6.61% | 29 | 0.64% | 45 | 0.99% | 1,551 | 34.06% | 4,554 |
| Santa Barbara | 2,713 | 55.19% | 1,640 | 33.36% | 376 | 7.65% | 104 | 2.12% | 83 | 1.69% | 1,073 | 21.83% | 4,916 |
| Santa Clara | 7,950 | 58.88% | 3,836 | 28.41% | 883 | 6.54% | 696 | 5.15% | 137 | 1.01% | 4,114 | 30.47% | 13,502 |
| Santa Cruz | 2,886 | 54.71% | 1,643 | 31.15% | 450 | 8.53% | 237 | 4.49% | 59 | 1.12% | 1,243 | 23.56% | 5,275 |
| Shasta | 1,891 | 47.61% | 1,389 | 34.97% | 577 | 14.53% | 69 | 1.74% | 46 | 1.16% | 502 | 12.64% | 3,972 |
| Sierra | 600 | 55.40% | 510 | 37.86% | 54 | 4.99% | 11 | 1.02% | 8 | 0.74% | 190 | 17.54% | 1,083 |
| Siskiyou | 1,813 | 47.40% | 1,657 | 43.32% | 264 | 6.90% | 39 | 1.02% | 52 | 1.36% | 156 | 4.08% | 3,825 |
| Solano | 3,115 | 54.72% | 2,033 | 35.71% | 402 | 7.06% | 102 | 1.79% | 41 | 0.72% | 1,082 | 19.01% | 5,693 |
| Sonoma | 5,427 | 57.50% | 3,168 | 33.56% | 483 | 5.12% | 285 | 3.02% | 76 | 0.81% | 2,259 | 23.93% | 9,439 |
| Stanislaus | 1,663 | 46.45% | 1,390 | 38.83% | 182 | 5.08% | 315 | 8.80% | 30 | 0.84% | 273 | 7.63% | 3,580 |
| Sutter | 896 | 54.94% | 652 | 39.98% | 45 | 2.76% | 28 | 1.72% | 10 | 0.61% | 244 | 14.96% | 1,631 |
| Tehama | 1,064 | 47.46% | 894 | 39.88% | 204 | 9.10% | 62 | 2.77% | 18 | 0.80% | 170 | 7.58% | 2,242 |
| Trinity | 393 | 44.41% | 331 | 37.40% | 130 | 14.69% | 14 | 1.58% | 17 | 1.92% | 62 | 7.01% | 885 |
| Tulare | 2,742 | 47.95% | 2,329 | 40.73% | 466 | 8.15% | 143 | 2.50% | 38 | 0.66% | 413 | 7.22% | 5,718 |
| Tuolumne | 943 | 44.40% | 878 | 41.34% | 187 | 8.80% | 72 | 3.39% | 44 | 2.07% | 65 | 3.06% | 2,124 |
| Ventura | 1,864 | 56.57% | 1,181 | 35.84% | 158 | 4.80% | 48 | 1.46% | 44 | 1.34% | 683 | 20.73% | 3,295 |
| Yolo | 1,707 | 49.01% | 1,553 | 44.59% | 127 | 3.65% | 74 | 2.12% | 22 | 0.63% | 154 | 4.42% | 3,483 |
| Yuba | 1,270 | 55.92% | 902 | 39.72% | 78 | 3.43% | 11 | 0.48% | 10 | 0.44% | 368 | 16.20% | 2,271 |
| Total | 214,398 | 55.45% | 127,492 | 32.98% | 28,659 | 7.41% | 11,770 | 3.04% | 4,278 | 1.11% | 86,906 | 22.48% | 386,597 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic[edit]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ However, this was not the first time San Francisco did not provide the largest county vote in the state; more votes were cast in El Dorado County than in San Francisco in 1852. Additionally, the Sacramento District had more raw votes than San Francisco in the state's first gubernatorial election in 1849.
- ^ The source does not list these votes by county
- ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
- ^ Based on the highest elector on each ticket
- ^ Individual county totals do not include the Scattering votes
References[edit]
- ^ Statement of the Vote of California at the General Election, Held November 3, 1908. Sacramento, California. pp. 3–7. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
