1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana
November 3, 1908
 
Nominee William Jennings Bryan William Howard Taft
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Nebraska Ohio
Running mate John W. Kern James S. Sherman
Electoral vote 9 0
Popular vote 63,568 8,958
Percentage 84.63% 11.93%
Parish Results
Bryan
  50-60%
  60-70%
  70-80%
  80-90%
  90-100%

President before election

Theodore Roosevelt
Republican

 Elected President

William Howard Taft
Republican

The 1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana took place on November 3, 1908. All contemporary 46 states were part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose nine electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Following the passage of a new constitution in 1898, Louisiana became a one-party state dominated by the Democratic Party. The Republican Party became moribund due to the disenfranchisement of blacks and the complete absence of other support bases as the Pelican State completely lacked upland or German refugee whites opposed to secession.[1] Despite this absolute single-party dominance, non-partisan tendencies remained strong among wealthy sugar planters in Acadiana, within the business elite of New Orleans,[2] and even amongst the “lily-white” faction of the moribund state GOP that supported black disenfranchisement in the effort to become respectable amongst the white elite.[3]

Following disfranchisement, the state’s politics became dominated by the Choctaw Club of Louisiana, generally called the “Old Regulars”. This political machine was based in New Orleans and united with Black Belt cotton planters.[4] Although white Republicans continued to work towards taking over Federal patronage from the “black and tans”, throughout most of the 1900s Louisiana politics was under firm Choctaw control as the Populist movement weakened with the disenfranchisement of many poor whites via the poll tax.[3]

Louisiana was won by the Democratic nominees, former Representative William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running mate John W. Kern of Indiana. They defeated the Republican candidates, United States Secretary of War William Howard Taft of Ohio and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York. Bryan won the state by a landslide margin of 72.7%.

With 84.63 percent of the popular vote, Louisiana would also prove to be Bryan's third strongest victory in terms of percentage in the popular vote only after South Carolina and Mississippi.[5]

Bryan had previously defeated William McKinley in Louisiana in both 1896 and 1900.

Results

1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana[6]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic William Jennings Bryan 63,568 84.63% 9
Republican William Howard Taft 8,958 11.93% 0
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 2,514 3.35% 0
Independent Thomas L. Hisgen 77 0.10% 0
Totals 75,117 100.00% 9
Voter turnout —

Results by parish

1908 United States presidential election in Louisiana by parish[7]
Parish William Jennings Bryan
Democratic		 William Howard Taft
Republican		 Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist		 Thomas Louis Hisgen
Independent		 Margin Total votes cast
#  % #  % #  % #  % #  %
Acadia 1,017 74.07% 214 15.59% 141 10.27% 1 0.07% 803 58.49% 1,373
Ascension 551 82.61% 107 16.04% 9 1.35% 0 0.00% 444 66.57% 667
Assumption 511 71.97% 198 27.89% 1 0.14% 0 0.00% 313 44.08% 710
Avoyelles 1,240 94.87% 50 3.83% 16 1.22% 1 0.08% 1,190 91.05% 1,307
Bienville 926 82.38% 65 5.78% 131 11.65% 2 0.18% 795[lower-alpha 1] 70.73% 1,124
Bossier 470 96.51% 8 1.64% 9 1.85% 0 0.00% 461[lower-alpha 1] 94.66% 487
Caddo 1,733 91.26% 125 6.58% 40 2.11% 1 0.05% 1,608 84.68% 1,899
Calcasieu 1,975 69.35% 683 23.98% 185 6.50% 5 0.18% 1,292 45.37% 2,848
Caldwell 314 79.70% 21 5.33% 58 14.72% 1 0.25% 256[lower-alpha 1] 64.98% 394
Cameron 280 94.28% 15 5.05% 2 0.67% 0 0.00% 265 89.23% 297
Catahoula 660 76.48% 88 10.20% 114 13.21% 1 0.12% 546[lower-alpha 1] 63.27% 863
Claiborne 874 93.28% 38 4.06% 24 2.56% 1 0.11% 836 89.22% 937
Concordia 288 95.05% 4 1.32% 11 3.63% 0 0.00% 277[lower-alpha 1] 91.42% 303
De Soto 881 93.72% 17 1.81% 41 4.36% 1 0.11% 840[lower-alpha 1] 89.36% 940
East Baton Rouge 1,090 91.29% 83 6.95% 20 1.68% 1 0.08% 1,007 84.34% 1,194
East Carroll 194 96.52% 6 2.99% 1 0.50% 0 0.00% 188 93.53% 201
East Feliciana 589 97.68% 12 1.99% 2 0.33% 0 0.00% 577 95.69% 603
Franklin 456 94.41% 15 3.11% 12 2.48% 0 0.00% 441 91.30% 483
Grant 388 73.90% 83 15.81% 52 9.90% 2 0.38% 305 58.10% 525
Iberia 820 68.33% 328 27.33% 52 4.33% 0 0.00% 492 41.00% 1,200
Iberville 500 91.91% 44 8.09% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 456 83.82% 544
Jackson 493 78.88% 77 12.32% 51 8.16% 4 0.64% 416 66.56% 625
Jefferson 1,122 97.40% 30 2.60% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1,092 94.79% 1,152
Lafayette 725 74.28% 128 13.11% 121 12.40% 2 0.20% 597 61.17% 976
Lafourche 1,072 78.08% 296 21.56% 5 0.36% 0 0.00% 776 56.52% 1,373
Lincoln 634 89.04% 52 7.30% 26 3.65% 0 0.00% 582 81.74% 712
Livingston 448 90.14% 19 3.82% 30 6.04% 0 0.00% 418[lower-alpha 1] 84.10% 497
Madison 156 96.30% 6 3.70% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 150 92.59% 162
Morehouse 458 92.15% 20 4.02% 19 3.82% 0 0.00% 438 88.13% 497
Natchitoches 792 81.06% 143 14.64% 42 4.30% 0 0.00% 649 66.43% 977
Orleans 25,678 87.77% 3,288 11.24% 253 0.86% 36 0.12% 22,390 76.53% 29,255
Ouachita 851 90.53% 60 6.38% 27 2.87% 2 0.21% 791 84.15% 940
Plaquemines 416 74.55% 127 22.76% 15 2.69% 0 0.00% 289 51.79% 558
Pointe Coupee 653 96.60% 23 3.40% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 630 93.20% 676
Rapides 1,302 86.68% 159 10.59% 40 2.66% 1 0.07% 1,143 76.10% 1,502
Red River 386 83.19% 6 1.29% 72 15.52% 0 0.00% 314[lower-alpha 1] 67.67% 464
Richland 445 98.02% 9 1.98% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 436 96.04% 454
Sabine 593 87.46% 47 6.93% 38 5.60% 0 0.00% 546 80.53% 678
Saint Bernard 356 95.19% 18 4.81% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 338 90.37% 374
Saint Charles 215 90.72% 22 9.28% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 193 81.43% 237
Saint Helena 281 88.92% 34 10.76% 1 0.32% 0 0.00% 247 78.16% 316
Saint James 364 73.24% 123 24.75% 8 1.61% 2 0.40% 241 48.49% 497
Saint John the Baptist 287 89.13% 33 10.25% 2 0.62% 0 0.00% 254 78.88% 322
Saint Landry 1,395 84.60% 238 14.43% 14 0.85% 2 0.12% 1,157 70.16% 1,649
Saint Martin 651 91.95% 39 5.51% 18 2.54% 0 0.00% 612 86.44% 708
Saint Mary 767 71.68% 273 25.51% 27 2.52% 3 0.28% 494 46.17% 1,070
Saint Tammany 755 80.58% 107 11.42% 73 7.79% 2 0.21% 648 69.16% 937
Tangipahoa 1,116 80.64% 240 17.34% 27 1.95% 1 0.07% 876 63.29% 1,384
Tensas 300 97.72% 7 2.28% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 293 95.44% 307
Terrebonne 634 62.59% 372 36.72% 7 0.69% 0 0.00% 262 25.86% 1,013
Union 634 89.17% 53 7.45% 24 3.38% 0 0.00% 581 81.72% 711
Vermilion 547 72.64% 156 20.72% 50 6.64% 0 0.00% 391 51.93% 753
Vernon 618 54.21% 273 23.95% 241 21.14% 8 0.70% 345 30.26% 1,140
Washington 550 91.51% 49 8.15% 1 0.17% 1 0.17% 501 83.36% 601
Webster 853 85.73% 32 3.22% 109 10.95% 1 0.10% 744[lower-alpha 1] 74.78% 995
West Baton Rouge 198 95.65% 9 4.35% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 189 91.30% 207
West Carroll 189 76.83% 11 4.47% 46 18.70% 0 0.00% 143[lower-alpha 1] 58.13% 246
West Feliciana 350 94.09% 22 5.91% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 328 88.17% 372
Winn 527 59.48% 153 17.27% 206 23.25% 0 0.00% 321[lower-alpha 1] 36.23% 886
Totals63,56884.62%8,95811.92%2,5143.35%820.11%54,61072.70%75,122

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 In this parish where Debs ran second ahead of Taft, margin given is Bryan vote minus Debs vote and percentage margin Bryan percentage minus Debs percentage

References

  1. ↑ Phillips, Kevin P. The Emerging Republican Majority. pp. 208, 210. ISBN 9780691163246.
  2. ↑ Schott, Matthew J. (Summer 1979). "Progressives against Democracy: Electoral Reform in Louisiana, 1894-1921". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 20 (3): 247–260.
  3. 1 2 Heersink, Boris; Jenkins, Jeffrey A. Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968. pp. 265–266. ISBN 1107158435.
  4. ↑ Wall, Bennett H.; Rodriguez, John C. Louisiana: A History. pp. 274–275. ISBN 1118619293.
  5. ↑ "1908 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas; Presidential General Election Results – Louisiana
  7. ↑ "Popular Vote at the Presidential Election for 1908". Géoelections. (.xlsx file for €30 including full minor party figures)
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