1968 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

The 1968 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 5, 1968, as part of the 1968 United States presidential election. State voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The 1958 midterm elections saw a major change in Wisconsin politics, as Gaylord A. Nelson became only the state's second Democratic governor since 1895. The state also elected Democrats to the position of treasurer and senator, and that party gained a majority in the State Assembly for only the second time since the middle 1890s. They maintained a close balance in the early 1960s, signaling the state's transition to a swing state. The predicted racial backlash from urban Polish-Americans, seen in the 1964 primaries when George Wallace received over 30 percent of Wisconsin's vote,Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 396 did not affect Lyndon B. Johnson's big victory in the state in 1964, but had severe effects when racial unrest began in 1966.

Anti-war Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy easily won Wisconsin's 1968 Democratic presidential primary against incumbent President Johnson, who soon announced he would not run for re-election in 1968.Kenworthy, E. W.; ‘M‘Carthy Wins Wisconsin: Polls 57% to Johnson's 35; G.O.P. Gives 80% to Nixon: Reagan Gets 10% Kennedy Write-in 6%’; The New York Times; April 3, 1968, p. 1 Former vice president and 1960 Republican nominee Richard Nixon won eighty percent of the vote in the state's Republican primary.

At the beginning of the campaign, the deep divisions within the Democratic Party were worrisome for political scientists and for the party itself.Otten, Allen L.; ‘A Party Divided: Democrats’ Rifts Pose Problems for Candidates As Campaign Develops’; The Wall Street Journal, August 29, 1968, p. 1 The first poll said that Nixon was certain to carry Wisconsin,Broder, David; ‘Nixon, Wallace have 22 states all sewed up’, The Boston Globe, September 11, 1968, p. 15 and this opinion was repeated early in October.‘Electoral Vote: Nixon 359, HHH 46’; The Boston Globe, October 7, 1968, p. 24

Hopes remained dim as the election neared despite the belief by local Representative Clement J. Zablocki that the independent candidacy of George Wallace was losing its impact in the racial-unrest-stricken southern urban counties around Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha,Lyons, Richard L.; ‘Wisconsin's Nelson Likely to Buck GOP Tide: Campaign '68 House Fight Sees Wallace Decline Knowles Popular’; The Washington Post and Times-Herald, October 29, 1968, p. A4 where Wallace had campaigned extensively in September in his effort to put the election into the House of Representatives.Evans, Rowland and Novak, Robert; ‘Growing Wallace Strength Poses a Threat to Nixon in Key States’; The Washington Post, September 20, 1968, p. A25 Although the gap narrowed in the last polls,‘A Final State-by-State Political Survey...: ...A Last Reading on the Campaign of 1968’; The Washington Post and Times-Herald, November 3, 1968, p. B4 Wisconsin was carried by Nixon with 47.89 percent of the vote, over Humphrey with 44.27 percent and Wallace with 7.56 percent. Wallace fared best in rural northern areas away from Lake Superior and in southern suburbs affected by racial conflict.

Wisconsin weighed in for this election as 2.92% more Republican than the nation at large. This was the last election until 1996 that Wisconsin was the most Republican of the three Rust Belt swing states (also consisting of Michigan and Pennsylvania). Wisconsin would vote more Democratic than both Michigan and Pennsylvania in all but one election from 1972 to 1988.

Rusk County was one of only three counties that Nixon won in 1968 but lost in both 1960 and 1972 (Davison and Hanson counties in South Dakota were the other two).

Primaries Both major parties had state-run preferential primaries held on April 2 included on the ballot of the state's spring elections. The state's spring elections also included nonpartisan general elections for the state's circuit courts, a nonpartisan general election for the state's supreme court, and a binding public vote on whether to ratify three amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin.

Democratic

The 1968 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary was held on April 2, 1968 in the U.S. state of Wisconsin as one of the Democratic Party's state primaries ahead of the 1968 presidential election.

While he still received votes, incumbent president Lyndon B. Johnson had already ruled himself out for the nomination.

1968 Wisconsin Democratic presidential primaryCandidateVotes%Delegateswon Eugene McCarthy 412,160 56.23 49Lyndon B. Johnson withdrawn 253,696 34.61 8 Robert F. Kennedy (write-in) 46,507 6.34 0 None of the names shown 11,861 1.62 0 George Wallace (write-in) 4,031 0.55 0 Hubert Humphrey (write-in) 3,605 0.49 0 scattering 1,142 0.16 0 Total 733,002 100 57

Republican

The 1968 Wisconsin Republican presidential primary was held on April 2, 1968 in the U.S. state of Wisconsin as one of the Republican Party's state primaries ahead of the 1968 presidential election.

1968 Wisconsin Republican presidential primaryCandidateVotes%DelegateswonRichard M. Nixon 390,368 79.69 30Ronald Reagan 50,727 10.36 0Harold Stassen 28,531 5.82 0Nelson A. Rockefeller (write-in) 7,995 1.63 0 None of the names shown 6,763 1.38 0George W. Romney (write-in) 2,087 0.43 0George C. Wallace (write-in) 585 0.12 0Robert F. Kennedy (write-in) 301 0.06 0 Scattering 2,496 0.51 0 Total 489,853 100 30

General election 1968 United States presidential election in WisconsinWisconsin Historical Society, Statement of Board of State Canvassers for President, Vice President and Presidential Electors – General Election – 1968PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican Richard Nixon 809,997 47.89% 12 Democratic Hubert Humphrey 748,804 44.27% 0 Independent George Wallace 127,835 7.56% 0 Socialist Labor Henning A. Blomen 1,338 0.08% 0 Socialist Workers Fred Halstead 1,222 0.07% 0 Write-in Scattering 2,342 0.14% 0 Totals 1,691,538 100.0% 12

Results by county County Richard NixonRepublican Hubert HumphreyDemocratic George WallaceIndependent Other candidatesVarious parties Margin Total votescast # % # % # % # % # % Adams 1,691 44.81% 1,614 42.77% 461 12.22% 8 0.21% 77 2.04% 3,774 Ashland 2,557 35.74% 4,147 57.96% 401 5.60% 50 0.70% -1,590 -22.22% 7,155 Barron 7,526 55.38% 5,183 38.14% 867 6.38% 13 0.10% 2,343 17.24% 13,589 Bayfield 2,333 40.91% 3,036 53.24% 323 5.66% 11 0.19% -703 -12.33% 5,703 Brown 30,133 53.65% 21,615 38.48% 4,341 7.73% 76 0.14% 8,518 15.17% 56,165 Buffalo 2,992 54.20% 2,112 38.26% 413 7.48% 3 0.05% 880 15.94% 5,520 Burnett 2,056 45.81% 2,010 44.79% 414 9.22% 8 0.18% 46 1.02% 4,488 Calumet 5,792 56.73% 3,609 35.35% 792 7.76% 16 0.16% 2,183 21.38% 10,209 Chippewa 7,772 47.37% 7,335 44.71% 1,282 7.81% 18 0.11% 437 2.66% 16,407 Clark 6,325 51.18% 4,601 37.23% 1,398 11.31% 34 0.28% 1,724 13.95% 12,358 Columbia 8,633 52.49% 6,698 40.72% 1,067 6.49% 49 0.30% 1,935 11.77% 16,447 Crawford 3,316 54.05% 2,391 38.97% 419 6.83% 9 0.15% 925 15.08% 6,135 Dane 39,917 38.05% 59,951 57.15% 3,771 3.59% 1,265 1.21% -20,034 -19.10% 104,904 Dodge 14,909 57.87% 8,948 34.73% 1,875 7.28% 31 0.12% 5,961 23.14% 25,763 Door 5,647 63.28% 2,728 30.57% 535 6.00% 14 0.16% 2,919 32.71% 8,924 Douglas 5,656 29.56% 12,506 65.37% 930 4.86% 39 0.20% -6,850 -35.81% 19,131 Dunn 5,415 51.42% 4,392 41.71% 709 6.73% 14 0.13% 1,023 9.72% 10,530 Eau Claire 11,799 46.64% 12,302 48.63% 1,169 4.62% 29 0.11% -503 -1.99% 25,299 Florence 821 48.32% 718 42.26% 157 9.24% 3 0.18% 103 6.06% 1,699 Fond du Lac 18,184 55.54% 12,563 38.37% 1,934 5.91% 62 0.19% 5,621 17.17% 32,743 Forest 1,264 40.14% 1,470 46.68% 412 13.08% 3 0.10% -206 -6.54% 3,149 Grant 10,789 62.49% 5,414 31.36% 1,054 6.11% 7 0.04% 5,375 31.13% 17,264 Green 6,502 60.97% 3,501 32.83% 641 6.01% 20 0.19% 3,001 28.14% 10,664 Green Lake 4,893 63.65% 2,299 29.91% 488 6.35% 7 0.09% 2,594 33.75% 7,687 Iowa 4,005 53.96% 2,897 39.03% 509 6.86% 11 0.15% 1,108 14.93% 7,422 Iron 1,137 34.26% 1,913 57.64% 262 7.89% 7 0.21% -776 -23.38% 3,319 Jackson 3,172 52.85% 2,293 38.20% 529 8.81% 8 0.13% 879 14.65% 6,002 Jefferson 12,478 54.91% 8,716 38.35% 1,470 6.47% 62 0.27% 3,762 16.55% 22,726 Juneau 3,828 53.55% 2,595 36.30% 712 9.96% 13 0.18% 1,233 17.25% 7,148 Kenosha 17,089 40.54% 21,427 50.83% 3,548 8.42% 94 0.22% -4,338 -10.29% 42,158 Kewaunee 4,467 57.24% 2,622 33.60% 703 9.01% 12 0.15% 1,845 23.64% 7,804 La Crosse 17,433 55.73% 11,570 36.99% 2,214 7.08% 63 0.20% 5,863 18.74% 31,280 Lafayette 4,084 55.00% 2,853 38.42% 470 6.33% 18 0.24% 1,231 16.58% 7,425 Langlade 3,712 49.41% 3,064 40.78% 718 9.56% 19 0.25% 648 8.63% 7,513 Lincoln 4,793 51.37% 3,858 41.35% 670 7.18% 9 0.10% 935 10.02% 9,330 Manitowoc 13,562 44.20% 15,298 49.86% 1,790 5.83% 30 0.10% -1,736 -5.66% 30,680 Marathon 16,907 44.36% 18,063 47.39% 3,051 8.00% 94 0.25% -1,156 -3.03% 38,115 Marinette 7,134 48.21% 6,415 43.35% 1,223 8.27% 25 0.17% 719 4.86% 14,797 Marquette 2,374 61.15% 1,228 31.63% 279 7.19% 1 0.03% 1,146 29.52% 3,882 Menominee 179 24.19% 531 71.76% 30 4.05% 0 0.00% -352 -47.57% 740 Milwaukee 160,022 39.75% 206,027 51.18% 35,056 8.71% 1,470 0.37% -46,005 -11.43% 402,575 Monroe 6,938 57.70% 4,012 33.37% 1,056 8.78% 18 0.15% 2,926 24.33% 12,024 Oconto 5,680 53.74% 3,737 35.36% 1,141 10.80% 11 0.10% 1,943 18.38% 10,569 Oneida 5,077 48.50% 4,435 42.37% 941 8.99% 14 0.13% 642 6.13% 10,467 Outagamie 25,080 59.25% 14,224 33.61% 2,956 6.98% 67 0.16% 10,856 25.65% 42,327 Ozaukee 12,155 58.04% 7,246 34.60% 1,505 7.19% 36 0.17% 4,909 23.44% 20,942 Pepin 1,493 49.95% 1,263 42.25% 231 7.73% 2 0.07% 230 7.69% 2,989 Pierce 4,990 48.73% 4,783 46.71% 453 4.42% 14 0.14% 207 2.02% 10,240 Polk 5,583 48.79% 5,179 45.26% 656 5.73% 24 0.21% 404 3.53% 11,442 Portage 6,180 36.02% 10,014 58.36% 900 5.25% 64 0.37% -3,834 -22.35% 17,158 Price 3,096 47.43% 2,794 42.80% 621 9.51% 17 0.26% 302 4.63% 6,528 Racine 28,028 44.75% 27,045 43.18% 7,457 11.90% 109 0.17% 983 1.57% 62,639 Richland 4,141 59.76% 2,288 33.02% 485 7.00% 15 0.22% 1,853 26.74% 6,929 Rock 25,229 50.92% 20,567 41.51% 3,655 7.38% 100 0.20% 4,662 9.41% 49,551 Rusk 2,666 44.71% 2,559 42.91% 726 12.18% 12 0.20% 107 1.79% 5,963 Sauk 8,608 53.54% 6,406 39.84% 1,019 6.34% 45 0.28% 2,202 13.70% 16,078 Sawyer 2,475 52.16% 1,830 38.57% 435 9.17% 5 0.11% 645 13.59% 4,745 Shawano 8,444 63.75% 3,602 27.20% 1,181 8.92% 18 0.14% 4,842 36.56% 13,245 Sheboygan 17,764 44.82% 20,170 50.89% 1,592 4.02% 108 0.27% -2,406 -6.07% 39,634 St. Croix 6,595 46.58% 6,807 48.08% 735 5.19% 20 0.14% -212 -1.50% 14,157 Taylor 3,043 43.95% 2,910 42.03% 959 13.85% 11 0.16% 133 1.92% 6,923 Trempealeau 4,861 50.67% 3,971 41.39% 747 7.79% 14 0.15% 890 9.28% 9,593 Vernon 5,824 55.15% 3,666 34.72% 1,062 10.06% 8 0.08% 2,158 20.44% 10,560 Vilas 3,339 58.09% 1,798 31.28% 598 10.40% 13 0.23% 1,541 26.81% 5,748 Walworth 15,040 61.82% 7,505 30.85% 1,755 7.21% 28 0.12% 7,535 30.97% 24,328 Washburn 2,425 47.62% 2,273 44.64% 384 7.54% 10 0.20% 152 2.99% 5,092 Washington 12,439 54.89% 8,104 35.76% 2,065 9.11% 53 0.23% 4,335 19.13% 22,661 Waukesha 47,557 54.93% 31,947 36.90% 6,921 7.99% 160 0.18% 15,610 18.03% 86,585 Waupaca 10,606 67.10% 3,978 25.17% 1,206 7.63% 17 0.11% 6,628 41.93% 15,807 Waushara 4,187 65.35% 1,652 25.78% 566 8.83% 2 0.03% 2,535 39.57% 6,407 Winnebago 25,361 53.80% 18,605 39.47% 3,045 6.46% 128 0.27% 6,756 14.33% 47,139 Wood 11,795 48.25% 10,921 44.68% 1,695 6.93% 34 0.14% 874 3.58% 24,445Totals809,99747.89%748,80444.27%127,8357.56%4,9020.29%61,1933.62%1,691,538

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Adams Barron Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Door Dodge Dunn Florence Fond du Lac Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Marinette Marquette Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Price Racine