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 County results Smith : 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Jenkins : 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1879. Incumbent Republican GovernorWilliam E. Smith ran for re-election to a second term. The Democratic convention initially nominated Alexander Mitchell for Governor, but Mitchell declined the nomination; in his place,Milwaukee attorneyJames Graham Jenkins received the nomination.[1] Smith and Jenkins also faced a Greenback candidate and a nominee from the nascent Prohibition Party in the general election.[2] Smith ultimately won re-election in a landslide, winning 53% of the vote Jenkins's 40%.Reuben May, the Greenback nominee, received only 7% of the vote, a significant erosion from the Party's 15% in1877.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William E. Smith (inc.) | 100,535 | 53.19% | +8.98% | |
| Democratic | James G. Jenkins | 75,030 | 39.70% | +0.13% | |
| Greenback | Reuben May | 12,996 | 6.88% | −7.84% | |
| Prohibition | W. R. Bloomfield | 387 | 0.20% | −0.02% | |
| Scattering | 57 | 0.03% | |||
| Majority | 25,505 | 13.49% | |||
| Total votes | 189,005 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | +8.85% | |||
Smith was the first Republican to ever carryMilwaukee County. Participating in its first election,Marinette County voted for Smith and would continue to vote for the statewide winner in every election until1932. After voting for Jenkins in this election,Shawano County would not back the losing candidate again until1942.
| County[3][4][5] | William E. Smith Republican | James G. Jenkins Democratic | Reuben May Greenback | W. R. Bloomfield Prohibition | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 688 | 71.97% | 201 | 21.03% | 67 | 7.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 487 | 50.94% | 956 |
| Ashland | 177 | 61.03% | 113 | 38.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 64 | 22.07% | 290 |
| Barron | 709 | 71.47% | 280 | 28.23% | 2 | 0.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.10% | 429 | 43.25% | 992 |
| Bayfield | 83 | 73.45% | 30 | 26.55% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 53 | 46.90% | 113 |
| Brown | 2,030 | 46.15% | 2,250 | 51.15% | 117 | 2.66% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.05% | -220 | -5.00% | 4,399 |
| Buffalo | 1,324 | 61.58% | 815 | 37.91% | 11 | 0.51% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 509 | 23.67% | 2,150 |
| Burnett | 387 | 94.62% | 22 | 5.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 365 | 89.24% | 409 |
| Calumet | 777 | 30.75% | 1,519 | 60.11% | 215 | 8.51% | 15 | 0.59% | 1 | 0.04% | -742 | -29.36% | 2,527 |
| Chippewa | 816 | 46.00% | 785 | 44.25% | 172 | 9.70% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.06% | 31 | 1.75% | 1,774 |
| Clark | 1,005 | 66.87% | 347 | 23.09% | 151 | 10.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 658 | 43.78% | 1,503 |
| Columbia | 2,762 | 60.49% | 1,673 | 36.64% | 126 | 2.76% | 5 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,089 | 23.85% | 4,566 |
| Crawford | 938 | 46.74% | 755 | 37.62% | 314 | 15.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 183 | 9.12% | 2,007 |
| Dane | 4,623 | 50.21% | 4,072 | 44.22% | 501 | 5.44% | 6 | 0.07% | 6 | 0.07% | 551 | 5.98% | 9,208 |
| Dodge | 2,670 | 37.44% | 4,139 | 58.03% | 309 | 4.33% | 13 | 0.18% | 1 | 0.01% | -1,469 | -20.60% | 7,132 |
| Door | 613 | 59.86% | 94 | 9.18% | 315 | 30.76% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.20% | 298[a] | 29.10% | 1,024 |
| Douglas | 39 | 61.90% | 24 | 38.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 15 | 23.81% | 63 |
| Dunn | 1,356 | 68.48% | 621 | 31.36% | 3 | 0.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 735 | 37.12% | 1,980 |
| Eau Claire | 1,488 | 58.15% | 1,031 | 40.29% | 39 | 1.52% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.04% | 457 | 17.86% | 2,559 |
| Fond du Lac | 3,584 | 44.65% | 3,834 | 47.76% | 583 | 7.26% | 24 | 0.30% | 2 | 0.02% | -250 | -3.11% | 8,027 |
| Grant | 3,111 | 57.18% | 1,703 | 31.30% | 625 | 11.49% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.04% | 1,408 | 25.88% | 5,441 |
| Green | 2,000 | 57.69% | 1,104 | 31.84% | 361 | 10.41% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.06% | 896 | 25.84% | 3,467 |
| Green Lake | 1,092 | 52.98% | 637 | 30.91% | 332 | 16.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 455 | 22.08% | 2,061 |
| Iowa | 1,775 | 50.31% | 1,447 | 41.01% | 305 | 8.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.03% | 328 | 9.30% | 3,528 |
| Jackson | 1,836 | 75.84% | 387 | 15.99% | 192 | 7.93% | 6 | 0.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,449 | 59.85% | 2,421 |
| Jefferson | 2,301 | 43.62% | 2,760 | 52.32% | 210 | 3.98% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.08% | -459 | -8.70% | 5,275 |
| Juneau | 1,227 | 51.79% | 926 | 39.09% | 216 | 9.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 301 | 12.71% | 2,369 |
| Kenosha | 1,180 | 54.60% | 966 | 44.70% | 15 | 0.69% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 214 | 9.90% | 2,161 |
| Kewaunee | 254 | 22.18% | 888 | 77.55% | 3 | 0.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -634 | -55.37% | 1,145 |
| La Crosse | 2,234 | 56.16% | 910 | 22.88% | 799 | 20.09% | 35 | 0.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,324 | 33.28% | 3,978 |
| Lafayette | 1,673 | 48.98% | 1,619 | 47.39% | 115 | 3.37% | 9 | 0.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 54 | 1.58% | 3,416 |
| Lincoln | 172 | 63.70% | 49 | 18.15% | 49 | 18.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 123 | 45.56% | 270 |
| Manitowoc | 1,898 | 40.98% | 2,728 | 58.91% | 5 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -830 | -17.92% | 4,631 |
| Marathon | 661 | 28.94% | 1,334 | 58.41% | 289 | 12.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -673 | -29.47% | 2,284 |
| Marinette | 978 | 79.64% | 248 | 20.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 730 | 59.45% | 1,228 |
| Marquette | 614 | 43.55% | 747 | 52.98% | 41 | 2.91% | 7 | 0.50% | 1 | 0.07% | -133 | -9.43% | 1,410 |
| Milwaukee | 8,682 | 57.19% | 6,410 | 42.22% | 89 | 0.59% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,272 | 14.97% | 15,181 |
| Monroe | 1,862 | 57.31% | 992 | 30.53% | 395 | 12.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 870 | 26.78% | 3,249 |
| Oconto | 867 | 56.26% | 673 | 43.67% | 1 | 0.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 194 | 12.59% | 1,541 |
| Outagamie | 1,298 | 30.88% | 2,500 | 59.48% | 405 | 9.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,202 | -28.60% | 4,203 |
| Ozaukee | 519 | 23.33% | 1,485 | 66.74% | 220 | 9.89% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.04% | -966 | -43.42% | 2,225 |
| Pepin | 629 | 77.85% | 177 | 21.91% | 2 | 0.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 452 | 55.94% | 808 |
| Pierce | 1,514 | 69.71% | 335 | 15.42% | 318 | 14.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 5 | 0.23% | 1,179 | 54.28% | 2,172 |
| Polk | 1,196 | 79.79% | 303 | 20.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 893 | 59.57% | 1,499 |
| Portage | 1,420 | 51.64% | 1,218 | 44.29% | 98 | 3.56% | 13 | 0.47% | 1 | 0.04% | 202 | 7.35% | 2,750 |
| Price | 39 | 31.97% | 81 | 66.39% | 2 | 1.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -42 | -34.43% | 122 |
| Racine | 2,547 | 56.57% | 1,766 | 39.23% | 164 | 3.64% | 25 | 0.56% | 0 | 0.00% | 781 | 17.35% | 4,502 |
| Richland | 1,713 | 62.91% | 580 | 21.30% | 428 | 15.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.07% | 1,133 | 41.61% | 2,723 |
| Rock | 4,169 | 68.80% | 1,600 | 26.40% | 218 | 3.60% | 69 | 1.14% | 4 | 0.07% | 2,569 | 42.39% | 6,060 |
| Sauk | 2,387 | 64.65% | 917 | 24.84% | 384 | 10.40% | 4 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,470 | 39.82% | 3,692 |
| Shawano | 515 | 41.97% | 699 | 56.97% | 13 | 1.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -184 | -15.00% | 1,227 |
| Sheboygan | 2,113 | 42.61% | 2,130 | 42.95% | 714 | 14.40% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.04% | -17 | -0.34% | 4,959 |
| St. Croix | 1,846 | 55.94% | 1,383 | 41.91% | 12 | 0.36% | 59 | 1.79% | 0 | 0.00% | 463 | 14.03% | 3,300 |
| Taylor | 296 | 53.53% | 256 | 46.29% | 1 | 0.18% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 40 | 7.23% | 553 |
| Trempealeau | 1,697 | 70.77% | 301 | 12.55% | 371 | 15.47% | 28 | 1.17% | 1 | 0.04% | 1,326[a] | 55.30% | 2,398 |
| Vernon | 2,092 | 65.83% | 377 | 11.86% | 707 | 22.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.06% | 1,385[a] | 43.58% | 3,178 |
| Walworth | 3,286 | 73.78% | 1,095 | 24.58% | 55 | 1.23% | 17 | 0.38% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,191 | 49.19% | 4,454 |
| Washington | 1,277 | 35.88% | 2,190 | 61.53% | 86 | 2.42% | 6 | 0.17% | 0 | 0.00% | -913 | -25.65% | 3,559 |
| Waukesha | 2,574 | 49.20% | 2,468 | 47.17% | 190 | 3.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 106 | 2.03% | 5,232 |
| Waupaca | 1,830 | 57.31% | 1,053 | 32.98% | 299 | 9.36% | 11 | 0.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 777 | 24.33% | 3,193 |
| Waushara | 1,487 | 83.73% | 169 | 9.52% | 112 | 6.31% | 0 | 0.00% | 8 | 0.45% | 1,318 | 74.21% | 1,776 |
| Winnebago | 3,086 | 48.32% | 2,439 | 38.19% | 827 | 12.95% | 33 | 0.52% | 2 | 0.03% | 647 | 10.13% | 6,387 |
| Wood | 519 | 39.98% | 375 | 28.89% | 403 | 31.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.08% | 116[a] | 9.93% | 1,298 |
| Total | 100,535 | 53.19% | 75,030 | 39.70% | 12,996 | 6.88% | 387 | 0.20% | 57 | 0.03% | 25,505 | 13.49% | 189,005 |
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