The 1912 United States presidential election in South Dakota took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

South Dakota voted for the Republican nominee, former president Theodore Roosevelt, over the Democratic nominee, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, by a margin of 8.49%.

Despite incumbent president William Howard Taft winning the national Republican nomination, the South Dakota Republican Party, under the control of progressives and heavily influenced by senator Coe I. Crawford, instead nominated electors pledged to Theodore Roosevelt, with the Progressive Party not appearing on the ballot. This selection proved controversial with conservative Taft supporting Republicans who unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the decision in court. As a result, South Dakota was the only state in the 1912 election not to have president Taft either on the ballot or as a write in option (as in California). The state's other senator Robert J. Gamble, who supported Taft, predicted that the anger amongst conservative Republicans was such that many would support Woodrow Wilson purely to defeat Roosevelt. Despite this Roosevelt carried the state albeit with a much reduced margin from Taft's victory in 1908.

With 50.56% of the popular vote, South Dakota would prove to be Roosevelt's strongest state in terms of popular vote percentage in the 1912 election and the only one in which he achieved a majority of the vote. This was the only non-former Confederate state to give any candidate an absolute majority of the vote.

Primaries Democratic Party

A primary for the Democratic presidential candidate was held in South Dakota on June 4, 1912. The race was between four competing slates of national delegates. The first slate to announce its candidacy was aligned with the faction of the local Democratic Party supporting Edwin S. Johnson's campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor. This group ran under the motto "Wilson-Bryan Progressive Democracy" and pledged to support Woodrow Wilson as its first choice for the presidential nomination, with William Jennings Bryan as a second choice should he become a viable candidate. If neither Wilson nor Bryan were available, the delegates were bound by their motto to support a progressive candidate.

In March, the South Dakota Democratic State Central Committee announced its support for the candidacy of P. F. Wickhem in opposition to Johnson and that they would name a ticket with the motto "Wilson-Clark-Bryan Democracy" to oppose Johnson faction candidates at all levels. On 10 April, the Wickem faction filed its list of delegates to the national convention under the title "Wilson-Clark-Bryan Democracy". These delegates were favourable to either Wilson or Champ Clark, with Bryan as a third choice if viable.

Former Senator Richard F. Pettigrew, who had recently assisted Clark's campaigns in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and other states, returned to South Dakota to find the Democratic electorate divided between two tickets that both placed Wilson first in their mottos. Seeking to create a slate that would give Clark first preference, Pettigrew entered negotiations with the Wickhem faction, which he considered receptive after Wickhem's campaign was weakened by the publication of a telegram he had sent to Senator Alfred B. Kittredge opposing the Hepburn Act.

On 7 May, the Wilson-Clark-Bryan Democracy switched its support from Wilson to just Clark. Lee, head of the slate, stated that:

Later, a slate of electors under the motto "Clark for President" and one for a man named Homber B. Brown entered the race. The Wilson-Clark-Bryan Democracy accused the Clark for President slate of being an attempt to split the Clark vote and sought its removal from the ballot. The Secretary of State of South Dakota refused to withdraw the third ticket, but as both tickets were publicly known to support Clark, stated that the votes of both should be acredited to Clark.

As the combined vote of the pro-Clark slates exceeded that of the pro-Wilson slate, the Wilson-Clark-Bryan Democracy delegates were issued certificates under the law by the Democratic State Chairman. Later, the State Canvassing Board issued certificates to the Wilson-Bryan Progressive Democracy delegates.

The Democratic National Committee determined that the pro-Wilson delegates should be seated. This decision was overturned by the Convention's Credentials Committee, which voted 28-23 to seat the Clark delegates instead. F. H. Martin of Wisconsin, who voted against the reversal, took the matter to the floor of the convention. The convention voted 639.5-437 to adopt the minority report of the Credentials Committee, which seated the Wilson delegates.

Republican Party

A primary for the Republican presidential candidate was held in South Dakota on June 4, 1912. Theodore Roosevelt won all 10 delegates against Robert M. La Follette and William Howard Taft.

Results

Results by county CountySouth Dakota Secretary of State; Official Vote November Election, 1912 Presidential ElectorsTheodore RooseveltRepublicanWoodrow WilsonDemocraticEugene V. DebsSocialistEugene W. ChafinProhibitionMarginTotal votescast # % # % # % # % # % Aurora 652 41.69% 801 51.21% 43 2.75% 68 4.35% -149 -9.53% 1,564 Beadle 1,493 46.76% 1,464 45.85% 166 5.20% 70 2.19% 29 0.91% 3,193 Bennett 68 26.88% 179 70.75% 3 1.19% 3 1.19% -111 -43.87% 253 Bon Homme 1,228 51.77% 1,059 44.65% 45 1.90% 40 1.69% 169 7.12% 2,372 Brookings 1,389 58.00% 740 30.90% 58 2.42% 208 8.68% 649 27.10% 2,395 Brown 1,746 35.57% 2,488 50.69% 385 7.84% 289 5.89% -742 -15.12% 4,908 Brule 643 40.96% 842 53.63% 67 4.27% 18 1.15% -199 -12.68% 1,570 Buffalo 83 42.56% 105 53.85% 4 2.05% 3 1.54% -22 -11.28% 195 Butte 649 44.36% 601 41.08% 189 12.92% 24 1.64% 48 3.28% 1,463 Campbell 574 74.93% 150 19.58% 10 1.31% 32 4.18% 424 55.35% 766 Charles Mix 1,817 51.26% 1,625 45.84% 59 1.66% 44 1.24% 192 5.42% 3,545 Clark 949 54.67% 668 38.48% 36 2.07% 83 4.78% 281 16.19% 1,736 Clay 1,262 55.69% 929 41.00% 27 1.19% 48 2.12% 333 14.70% 2,266 Codington 1,195 48.44% 1,111 45.03% 71 2.88% 90 3.65% 84 3.40% 2,467 Corson 508 49.42% 455 44.26% 49 4.77% 16 1.56% 53 5.16% 1,028 Custer 395 43.26% 419 45.89% 91 9.97% 8 0.88% -24 -2.63% 913 Davison 1,364 48.78% 1,266 45.28% 68 2.43% 98 3.51% 98 3.51% 2,796 Day 1,209 51.87% 787 33.76% 111 4.76% 224 9.61% 422 18.10% 2,331 Deuel 887 62.69% 441 31.17% 15 1.06% 72 5.09% 446 31.52% 1,415 Dewey 509 52.26% 411 42.20% 42 4.31% 12 1.23% 98 10.06% 974 Douglas 765 50.80% 714 47.41% 11 0.73% 16 1.06% 51 3.39% 1,506 Edmunds 640 43.13% 729 49.12% 26 1.75% 89 6.00% -89 -6.00% 1,484 Fall River 846 50.09% 712 42.16% 100 5.92% 31 1.84% 134 7.93% 1,689 Faulk 568 43.76% 615 47.38% 23 1.77% 92 7.09% -47 -3.62% 1,298 Grant 828 52.34% 619 39.13% 55 3.48% 80 5.06% 209 13.21% 1,582 Gregory 1,348 50.96% 1,176 44.46% 96 3.63% 25 0.95% 172 6.50% 2,645 Hamlin 1,058 66.79% 474 29.92% 17 1.07% 35 2.21% 584 36.87% 1,584 Hand 738 43.54% 826 48.73% 44 2.60% 87 5.13% -88 -5.19% 1,695 Hanson 708 50.46% 632 45.05% 21 1.50% 42 2.99% 76 5.42% 1,403 Harding 600 54.45% 325 29.49% 113 10.25% 64 5.81% 275 24.95% 1,102 Hughes 447 41.50% 544 50.51% 63 5.85% 23 2.14% -97 -9.01% 1,077 Hutchinson 1,451 67.84% 647 30.25% 12 0.56% 29 1.36% 804 37.59% 2,139 Hyde 398 56.86% 232 33.14% 53 7.57% 17 2.43% 166 23.71% 700 Jerauld 545 47.52% 436 38.01% 11 0.96% 155 13.51% 109 9.50% 1,147 Kingsbury 1,152 53.23% 747 34.52% 113 5.22% 152 7.02% 405 18.72% 2,164 Lake 1,174 59.87% 657 33.50% 79 4.03% 51 2.60% 517 26.36% 1,961 Lawrence 1,692 37.84% 2,412 53.95% 326 7.29% 41 0.92% -720 -16.10% 4,471 Lincoln 1,674 66.40% 719 28.52% 56 2.22% 72 2.86% 955 37.88% 2,521 Lyman 990 51.43% 766 39.79% 135 7.01% 34 1.77% 224 11.64% 1,925 Marshall 601 47.85% 541 43.07% 45 3.58% 69 5.49% 60 4.78% 1,256 McCook 1,063 49.33% 962 44.64% 56 2.60% 74 3.43% 101 4.69% 2,155 McPherson 649 65.23% 327 32.86% 6 0.60% 13 1.31% 322 32.36% 995 Meade 1,032 46.28% 975 43.72% 152 6.82% 71 3.18% 57 2.56% 2,230 Mellette 261 44.01% 320 53.96% 5 0.84% 7 1.18% -59 -9.95% 593 Miner 851 51.33% 720 43.43% 39 2.35% 48 2.90% 131 7.90% 1,658 Minnehaha 3,051 50.20% 2,576 42.38% 256 4.21% 195 3.21% 475 7.82% 6,078 Moody 932 52.10% 637 35.61% 119 6.65% 101 5.65% 295 16.49% 1,789 Pennington 1,073 45.52% 1,135 48.15% 117 4.96% 32 1.36% -62 -2.63% 2,357 Perkins 1,052 50.07% 832 39.60% 177 8.42% 40 1.90% 220 10.47% 2,101 Potter 439 48.72% 423 46.95% 17 1.89% 22 2.44% 16 1.78% 901 Roberts 1,361 55.35% 812 33.02% 201 8.17% 85 3.46% 549 22.33% 2,459 Sanborn 880 56.63% 577 37.13% 19 1.22% 78 5.02% 303 19.50% 1,554 Spink 1,432 47.34% 1,347 44.53% 128 4.23% 118 3.90% 85 2.81% 3,025 Stanley 981 44.29% 1,051 47.45% 137 6.19% 46 2.08% -70 -3.16% 2,215 Sully 292 51.05% 242 42.31% 19 3.32% 19 3.32% 50 8.74% 572 Tripp 1,153 51.27% 982 43.66% 82 3.65% 32 1.42% 171 7.60% 2,249 Turner 1,603 61.35% 906 34.67% 22 0.84% 82 3.14% 697 26.67% 2,613 Union 1,396 56.54% 965 39.08% 22 0.89% 86 3.48% 431 17.46% 2,469 Walworth 585 52.19% 451 40.23% 55 4.91% 30 2.68% 134 11.95% 1,121 Yankton 1,511 51.61% 1,289 44.02% 61 2.08% 67 2.29% 222 7.58% 2,928 Ziebach 371 48.43% 349 45.56% 36 4.70% 10 1.31% 22 2.87% 766Totals58,81150.56%48,94242.07%4,6624.01%3,9103.36%9,8698.48%116,325

See also United States presidential elections in South Dakota

Notes

References