1912 United States presidential election in North Dakota

← 1908 November 5, 1912 1916 →

Nominee Woodrow Wilson Theodore Roosevelt Party Democratic Progressive Home state New Jersey New York Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Hiram Johnson Electoral vote 5 0 Popular vote 29,555 25,726 Percentage 34.14% 29.71%   Nominee William Howard Taft Eugene V. Debs Party Republican Socialist Home state Ohio Indiana Running mate Nicholas Murray Butler Emil Seidel Electoral vote 0 0 Popular vote 23,090 6,966 Percentage 26.67% 8.05%

County results Wilson   20–30%   30–40%   40–50% Roosevelt   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70% Taft   20–30%   30–40% Debs   20–30%

President before election William Howard Taft Republican Elected President Woodrow Wilson Democratic

The1912 United States presidential election in North Dakota took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors, to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.

North Dakota was won byPrinceton University PresidentWoodrow Wilson (D–Virginia), running withgovernor of IndianaThomas R. Marshall, with 34.14% of the popular vote, against the26th president of the United StatesTheodore Roosevelt (P–New York), running withgovernor of CaliforniaHiram Johnson, with 29.71% of the popular vote, the27th president of the United StatesWilliam Howard Taft (R–Ohio), running withColumbia University PresidentNicholas Murray Butler, with 26.67% of the popular vote and thefive-time candidate of theSocialist Party of America forPresident of the United StatesEugene V. Debs (S–Indiana), running with the first Socialist mayor of a major city in theUnited States,Emil Seidel, with 8.05 percent of the popular vote.^[1]

As a result of his win in the state, Wilson became the first Democratic presidential candidate to outright carry North Dakota, althoughGrover Cleveland did receive an electoral vote under afusion ticket run in the state'sfirst presidential election two decades earlier. He would later win the state againfour years later. This election marks the last time four different candidates won at least one county within one individual state. This feat would be shared byKansas in the same election; however, the only other occurrences in presidential election history have beenin Missouri in 1860, andin Illinois andVirginia in 1824.

The first state-wide presidential preference primaries were held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912. Under North Dakota law, a candidate could be placed on a party's primary ballot by petition. A candidate needed the signatures of 5% of registered party members in each congressional district. Three days were allowed to object to signatures.^[2] OnlyJohn Burke appeared on the Democratic Party ballot. The Republican Party ballot includedWilliam Howard Taft,Theodore Roosevelt, andRobert M. La Follette.^[3]

1912 North Dakota Democratic presidential primary

March 19, 1912 1916 →

Candidate John Burke Home state North Dakota Delegate count 10 Popular vote 9,357 Percentage 100%

County Results Burke:   100%

A primary for the Democratic presidential candidate was held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912. Only John Burke appeared on the ballot for the Democratic primary, allowing him to receive all 9,357 votes.^[3]

1912 North Dakota Republican presidential primary

March 19, 1912 1916 →

Candidate Robert M. La Follette Theodore Roosevelt Home state Wisconsin New York Delegate count 10 0 Popular vote 34,123 23,669 Percentage 57.19% 39.67%

Election results by county La Follette:   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Roosevelt:   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%

A primary for the Republican presidential candidate was held in North Dakota on March 19, 1912.^[3] The state's progressive organization, led by SenatorAsle Gronna, had committed to La Follette in 1911, while the conservative faction of the party underL. B. Hanna supported Roosevelt.^[4] La Follette committees had been active for months in nearly every precinct, whereas Roosevelt organizers were slow to establish a presence in the state.John F. Bass, brother of New Hampshire governorRobert P. Bass, was sent to manage Roosevelt's campaign in the state, which displeased some of his supporters who viewed Bass as an outsider.^[5]

La Follette won the primary with 34,123 votes to Roosevelt's 23,669 and Taft's 1,876,^[3] bounding all 10 delegates to vote for him in the convention.^[6] Following Roosevelt's defeat, Bass claimed that "our reports indicate that practically all the Democrats have voted for La Fol-lette. If the Democrats had stayed out of the Republican primary there is no question that Roosevelt would have won."^[5]

According to an analysis of some of the early returns byThe New York Times, La Follette received approximately 80 percent of the Norwegian vote in the six big valley counties and drew strong support in the communities where he had spoken during the week before the primary.^[5]

• United States presidential elections in North Dakota

• 1912 United States presidential election by state
• United States presidential elections in North Dakota
• 1912 North Dakota elections

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