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 County Results
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The1908 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 3, 1908, as part of the1908 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted for president and vice-president.Withthe disenfranchisement of African-Americans by a poll tax in 1889,[1] Florida become a one-party Democratic state, which it was to remain until the 1950s, apart from the anti-Catholic vote againstAl Smith in 1928. Unlike southern states extending into theAppalachian Mountains orOzarks, or Texas with itsGerman settlements in theEdwards Plateau, Florida completely lacked upland or German refugee whitesopposed to secession. Thus Florida's Republican Party between1872 and1888 was entirely dependent upon black votes, a fact is graphically seen when one considers that – although very few blacks in Florida had ever voted within the previous fifty-five years – at the time of the landmark court case ofSmith v. Allwright, half of Florida's registered Republicans were still black.[2] Thus disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites left Florida as devoid of Republican adherents as Louisiana, Mississippi, or South Carolina.[3]
Florida was won by theDemocratic nominees, former RepresentativeWilliam Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mateJohn W. Kern ofIndiana. They defeated theRepublican Party nominees, formerSecretary of WarWilliam Howard Taft ofOhio and his running mateJames S. Sherman ofNew York. Bryan won the state by a margin of 41.43%.
Nevertheless, Florida's one-party Democratic rule was to be marginally interrupted in the 1900s by considerable Socialist and Populist growth, centered inTampa andJacksonville, and southern Lee County with its "Koreshan Unity" sect[4] Immigrants and farmers fearing loss of tenure were able to giveEugene V. Debs, in the second of his five Presidential runs, over ten percent of the vote in several counties ofSouth Florida, andPopulistThomas E. Watson substantial votes in many pineywoods counties.
1908 saw several major strikes in the state, notably of railcars inPensacola,[4] and Debs was able to improve upon his 1904 vote to the extent of running second in five counties. However, Bryan still carried the state by a three-to-one margin over his nearest rival.
Bryan had previously won Florida twice againstWilliam McKinley in both1896 and1900.
| 1908 United States presidential election in Florida[5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democrat | William Jennings Bryan | 31,104 | 63.01% | 5 | |
| Republican | William Howard Taft | 10,654 | 21.58% | 0 | |
| Socialist | Eugene V. Debs | 3,747 | 7.59% | 0 | |
| People's | Thomas E. Watson | 1,946 | 3.94% | 0 | |
| Prohibition | Eugene W. Chafin | 1,356 | 2.75% | 0 | |
| Independence | Thomas L. Hisgen | 553 | 1.12% | 0 | |
| Totals | 49,360 | 100.00% | 5 | ||
| William Jennings Bryan Democratic | William Howard Taft Republican | Eugene Victor Debs[6] Socialist | Thomas Edward Watson[6] Populist | Eugene Wilder Chafin[6] Prohibition | Thomas Hisgen[6] Independence | Margin | Total votes cast[7] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # |
| Alachua | 1,239 | 61.03% | 686 | 33.79% | 25 | 1.23% | 26 | 1.28% | 38 | 1.87% | 16 | 0.79% | 553 | 27.24% | 2,030 |
| Baker | 152 | 45.24% | 104 | 30.95% | 51 | 15.18% | 11 | 3.27% | 7 | 2.08% | 11 | 3.27% | 48 | 14.29% | 336 |
| Bradford | 729 | 74.31% | 180 | 18.35% | 19 | 1.94% | 13 | 1.33% | 38 | 3.87% | 2 | 0.20% | 549 | 55.96% | 981 |
| Brevard | 294 | 50.78% | 225 | 38.86% | 50 | 8.64% | 7 | 1.21% | 1 | 0.17% | 2 | 0.35% | 69 | 11.92% | 579 |
| Calhoun | 241 | 35.23% | 339 | 49.56% | 12 | 1.75% | 84 | 12.28% | 2 | 0.29% | 6 | 0.88% | -98 | -14.33% | 684 |
| Citrus | 371 | 83.56% | 33 | 7.43% | 26 | 5.86% | 8 | 1.80% | 6 | 1.35% | 0 | 0.00% | 338 | 76.13% | 444 |
| Clay | 355 | 63.62% | 122 | 21.86% | 22 | 3.94% | 18 | 3.23% | 38 | 6.81% | 3 | 0.54% | 233 | 41.76% | 558 |
| Columbia | 465 | 52.13% | 279 | 31.28% | 61 | 6.84% | 54 | 6.05% | 23 | 2.58% | 10 | 1.12% | 186 | 20.85% | 892 |
| Dade | 961 | 60.59% | 275 | 17.34% | 160 | 10.09% | 108 | 6.81% | 53 | 3.34% | 29 | 1.83% | 686 | 43.25% | 1,586 |
| De Soto | 992 | 69.03% | 244 | 16.98% | 112 | 7.79% | 32 | 2.23% | 44 | 3.06% | 13 | 0.90% | 748 | 52.05% | 1,437 |
| Duval | 2,381 | 66.84% | 641 | 18.00% | 233 | 6.54% | 155 | 4.35% | 100 | 2.81% | 52 | 1.46% | 1,740 | 48.84% | 3,562 |
| Escambia | 1,887 | 56.23% | 718 | 21.39% | 351 | 10.46% | 245 | 7.30% | 101 | 3.01% | 54 | 1.61% | 1,169 | 34.84% | 3,356 |
| Franklin | 283 | 56.94% | 112 | 22.54% | 56 | 11.27% | 30 | 6.04% | 9 | 1.81% | 7 | 1.41% | 171 | 34.40% | 497 |
| Gadsden | 563 | 76.29% | 89 | 12.06% | 34 | 4.61% | 34 | 4.61% | 12 | 1.63% | 6 | 0.81% | 474 | 64.23% | 738 |
| Hamilton | 452 | 63.84% | 116 | 16.38% | 84 | 11.86% | 33 | 4.66% | 17 | 2.40% | 6 | 0.85% | 336 | 47.46% | 708 |
| Hernando | 260 | 76.70% | 57 | 16.81% | 14 | 4.13% | 5 | 1.47% | 3 | 0.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 203 | 59.89% | 339 |
| Hillsborough | 2,703 | 73.17% | 367 | 9.94% | 366 | 9.91% | 69 | 1.87% | 146 | 3.95% | 43 | 1.16% | 2,336 | 63.23% | 3,694 |
| Holmes | 438 | 50.69% | 337 | 39.00% | 40 | 4.63% | 32 | 3.70% | 8 | 0.93% | 9 | 1.04% | 101 | 11.69% | 864 |
| Jackson | 1,122 | 66.43% | 353 | 20.90% | 134 | 7.93% | 55 | 3.26% | 10 | 0.59% | 15 | 0.89% | 769 | 45.53% | 1,689 |
| Jefferson | 565 | 71.34% | 149 | 18.81% | 23 | 2.90% | 30 | 3.79% | 21 | 2.65% | 4 | 0.51% | 416 | 52.53% | 792 |
| Lafayette | 487 | 75.50% | 90 | 13.95% | 15 | 2.33% | 8 | 1.24% | 44 | 6.82% | 1 | 0.16% | 397 | 61.55% | 645 |
| Lake | 487 | 58.46% | 200 | 24.01% | 62 | 7.44% | 33 | 3.96% | 45 | 5.40% | 6 | 0.72% | 287 | 34.45% | 833 |
| Lee | 266 | 49.91% | 72 | 13.51% | 109 | 20.45% | 10 | 1.88% | 74 | 13.88% | 2 | 0.38% | 157[a] | 29.46% | 533 |
| Leon | 698 | 72.86% | 143 | 14.93% | 44 | 4.59% | 39 | 4.07% | 25 | 2.61% | 9 | 0.94% | 555 | 57.93% | 958 |
| Levy | 411 | 59.14% | 189 | 27.19% | 64 | 9.21% | 14 | 2.01% | 11 | 1.58% | 6 | 0.86% | 222 | 31.95% | 695 |
| Liberty | 176 | 64.47% | 69 | 25.27% | 11 | 4.03% | 11 | 4.03% | 4 | 1.47% | 2 | 0.73% | 107 | 39.20% | 273 |
| Madison | 511 | 85.88% | 32 | 5.38% | 23 | 3.87% | 19 | 3.19% | 7 | 1.18% | 3 | 0.50% | 479 | 80.50% | 595 |
| Manatee | 644 | 70.85% | 93 | 10.23% | 104 | 11.44% | 36 | 3.96% | 28 | 3.08% | 4 | 0.44% | 540[a] | 59.41% | 909 |
| Marion | 1,352 | 61.85% | 482 | 22.05% | 120 | 5.49% | 97 | 4.44% | 116 | 5.31% | 19 | 0.87% | 870 | 39.80% | 2,186 |
| Monroe | 630 | 54.03% | 227 | 19.47% | 239 | 20.50% | 26 | 2.23% | 31 | 2.66% | 13 | 1.11% | 391[a] | 33.53% | 1,166 |
| Nassau | 466 | 75.04% | 92 | 14.81% | 20 | 3.22% | 15 | 2.42% | 16 | 2.58% | 12 | 1.93% | 374 | 60.23% | 621 |
| Orange | 952 | 59.17% | 485 | 30.14% | 63 | 3.92% | 63 | 3.92% | 26 | 1.62% | 20 | 1.24% | 467 | 29.03% | 1,609 |
| Osceola | 193 | 57.44% | 81 | 24.11% | 12 | 3.57% | 47 | 13.99% | 1 | 0.30% | 2 | 0.60% | 112 | 33.33% | 336 |
| Pasco | 436 | 76.49% | 81 | 14.21% | 21 | 3.68% | 17 | 2.98% | 15 | 2.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 355 | 62.28% | 570 |
| Polk | 1,251 | 69.62% | 290 | 16.14% | 154 | 8.57% | 54 | 3.01% | 41 | 2.28% | 7 | 0.39% | 961 | 53.48% | 1,797 |
| Putnam | 797 | 54.22% | 454 | 30.88% | 105 | 7.14% | 57 | 3.88% | 32 | 2.18% | 25 | 1.70% | 343 | 23.34% | 1,470 |
| St. Johns | 758 | 56.07% | 344 | 25.44% | 35 | 3.02% | 6 | 0.52% | 10 | 0.86% | 5 | 0.43% | 414 | 30.63% | 1,158 |
| St. Lucie | 280 | 64.52% | 63 | 14.52% | 146 | 24.62% | 49 | 8.26% | 32 | 5.40% | 23 | 3.88% | 134[a] | 39.90% | 593 |
| Santa Rosa | 535 | 66.63% | 212 | 26.40% | 38 | 4.53% | 14 | 1.67% | 7 | 0.84% | 32 | 3.82% | 323 | 40.23% | 838 |
| Sumter | 343 | 69.72% | 62 | 12.60% | 28 | 5.69% | 35 | 7.11% | 22 | 4.47% | 2 | 0.41% | 281 | 57.12% | 492 |
| Suwannee | 597 | 56.70% | 150 | 14.25% | 220 | 20.89% | 55 | 5.22% | 19 | 1.80% | 12 | 1.14% | 377[a] | 35.81% | 1,053 |
| Taylor | 250 | 48.64% | 160 | 31.13% | 41 | 7.98% | 48 | 9.34% | 12 | 2.33% | 3 | 0.58% | 90 | 17.51% | 514 |
| Volusia | 736 | 58.18% | 444 | 35.10% | 41 | 3.24% | 12 | 0.95% | 28 | 2.21% | 4 | 0.32% | 292 | 23.08% | 1,265 |
| Wakulla | 239 | 69.48% | 56 | 16.28% | 31 | 9.01% | 11 | 3.20% | 6 | 1.74% | 1 | 0.29% | 183 | 53.20% | 344 |
| Walton | 504 | 51.85% | 369 | 37.96% | 46 | 4.73% | 34 | 3.50% | 13 | 1.34% | 6 | 0.62% | 135 | 13.89% | 972 |
| Washington | 652 | 55.77% | 288 | 24.64% | 82 | 7.01% | 87 | 7.44% | 14 | 1.20% | 46 | 3.93% | 364 | 31.13% | 1,169 |
| Totals | 31,104 | 63.01% | 10,654 | 21.58% | 3,747 | 7.59% | 1,946 | 3.94% | 1,356 | 2.75% | 553 | 1.12% | 20,450 | 41.43% | 49,360 |
State and district results of the1908 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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