1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia
← 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 8 0
Popular vote 113,197 79,112
Percentage 42.11% 29.43%
 
Nominee William Howard Taft Eugene V. Debs
Party Republican Socialist
Home state Ohio Indiana
Running mate Nicholas M. Butler Emil Seidel
Electoral vote 0 0
Popular vote 56,754 15,248
Percentage 21.11% 5.67%
County Results
President before election

William Howard Taft
Republican

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elections in West Virginia
Federal government
Presidential elections
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
U.S. House of Representatives elections
State government
General elections
Gubernatorial elections
Attorney General elections
Secretary of State elections
Auditor elections
Treasurer elections
Senate elections
House of Delegates elections
  • 1998
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2008
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2014
  • 2016
  • 2018
  • 2020
  • 2022
  • 2024
Wheeling
Mayoral elections
Charleston
Mayoral elections
  • 2022
Huntington
Mayoral elections

The 1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. West Virginia voters chose eight representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

West Virginia was won by Princeton University President Woodrow Wilson (D–Virginia), running with governor of Indiana Thomas R. Marshall, with 42.11% of the popular vote, against the 26th president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt (P–New York), running with governor of California Hiram Johnson, with 29.43% of the popular vote, the 27th president of the United States William Howard Taft (R–Ohio), running with Columbia University President Nicholas Murray Butler, with 21.11% of the popular vote and the five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States Eugene V. Debs (S–Indiana), running with the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States Emil Seidel, with 5.67% of the popular vote.[1] As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last election in which Ritchie County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate, as well as the only election in which Grant County did not vote for the Republican candidate.[2]

Results

1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Woodrow Wilson 113,197 42.11%
Progressive Theodore Roosevelt 79,112 29.43%
Republican William Howard Taft (incumbent) 56,754 21.11%
Socialist Eugene V. Debs 15,248 5.67%
Prohibition Eugene W. Chafin 4,517[a] 1.68%
Total votes 268,828 100.00%

Results by county

1912 United States presidential election in West Virginia by county[3]
County Thomas Woodrow Wilson
Democratic 		William Howard Taft
Republican 		Theodore Roosevelt
Progressive 		Eugene Victor Debs
Socialist 		Margin[b] Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Barbour 1,561 42.29% 607 16.45% 1,424 38.58% 99 2.68% 137 3.71% 3,691
Berkeley 2,703 50.14% 1,349 25.02% 1,204 22.33% 135 2.50% 1,354[c] 25.12% 5,391
Boone 1,119 45.19% 416 16.80% 627 25.32% 314 12.68% 492 19.87% 2,476
Braxton 2,611 51.74% 580 11.49% 1,816 35.99% 39 0.77% 795 15.76% 5,046
Brooke 850 33.74% 972 38.59% 453 17.98% 244 9.69% -122[c] -4.85% 2,519
Cabell 4,793 46.62% 1,798 17.49% 3,210 31.22% 480 4.67% 1,583 15.40% 10,281
Calhoun 1,349 55.93% 575 23.84% 476 19.73% 12 0.50% 774[c] 32.09% 2,412
Clay 932 44.28% 352 16.72% 766 36.39% 55 2.61% 166 7.89% 2,105
Doddridge 866 31.79% 622 22.83% 1,192 43.76% 44 1.62% -326 -11.97% 2,724
Fayette 3,757 34.09% 2,697 24.47% 3,140 28.49% 1,428 12.96% 617 5.60% 11,022
Gilmer 1,493 59.72% 469 18.76% 516 20.64% 22 0.88% 977 39.08% 2,500
Grant 356 20.42% 349 20.02% 1,025 58.81% 13 0.75% -669 -38.39% 1,743
Greenbrier 2,707 51.96% 622 11.94% 1,797 34.49% 84 1.61% 910 17.47% 5,210
Hampshire 1,777 72.44% 406 16.55% 266 10.84% 4 0.16% 1,371[c] 55.89% 2,453
Hancock 634 32.02% 664 33.54% 557 28.13% 125 6.31% -30[c] -1.52% 1,980
Hardy 1,209 64.51% 344 18.36% 314 16.76% 7 0.37% 865[c] 46.16% 1,874
Harrison 4,378 41.10% 1,754 16.47% 3,443 32.32% 1,077 10.11% 935 8.78% 10,652
Jackson 1,935 42.65% 1,199 26.43% 1,355 29.87% 48 1.06% 580 12.78% 4,537
Jefferson 2,525 67.79% 993 26.66% 152 4.08% 55 1.48% 1,532[c] 41.13% 3,725
Kanawha 6,658 37.26% 1,780 9.96% 6,360 35.59% 3,071 17.19% 298 1.67% 17,869
Lewis 1,929 45.39% 1,029 24.21% 1,146 26.96% 146 3.44% 783 18.42% 4,250
Lincoln 1,876 44.87% 631 15.09% 1,618 38.70% 56 1.34% 258 6.17% 4,181
Logan 1,404 49.95% 518 18.43% 642 22.84% 247 8.79% 762 27.11% 2,811
Marion 4,535 48.08% 1,625 17.23% 2,447 25.94% 826 8.76% 2,088 22.14% 9,433
Marshall 2,405 37.71% 1,610 25.24% 1,842 28.88% 521 8.17% 563 8.83% 6,378
Mason 1,812 37.95% 1,024 21.45% 1,692 35.43% 247 5.17% 120 2.51% 4,775
McDowell 2,497 26.77% 4,341 46.54% 2,425 26.00% 64 0.69% -1,844[c] -19.77% 9,327
Mercer 3,497 43.07% 1,507 18.56% 2,958 36.43% 158 1.95% 539 6.64% 8,120
Mineral 1,367 39.16% 513 14.69% 1,446 41.42% 165 4.73% -79 -2.26% 3,491
Mingo 1,832 42.05% 1,569 36.01% 884 20.29% 72 1.65% 263[c] 6.04% 4,357
Monongalia 1,673 31.92% 1,216 23.20% 1,772 33.81% 580 11.07% -99 -1.89% 5,241
Monroe 1,570 50.21% 798 25.52% 742 23.73% 17 0.54% 772[c] 24.69% 3,127
Morgan 549 31.30% 612 34.89% 518 29.53% 75 4.28% -63[c] -3.59% 1,754
Nicholas 2,018 49.75% 584 14.40% 1,425 35.13% 29 0.71% 593 14.62% 4,056
Ohio 5,771 41.30% 3,956 28.31% 2,666 19.08% 1,579 11.30% 1,815[c] 12.99% 13,972
Pendleton 1,162 55.65% 475 22.75% 434 20.79% 17 0.81% 687[c] 32.90% 2,088
Pleasants 796 47.52% 493 29.43% 364 21.73% 22 1.31% 303[c] 18.09% 1,675
Pocahontas 1,428 44.67% 589 18.42% 1,086 33.97% 94 2.94% 342 10.70% 3,197
Preston 1,845 31.20% 1,461 24.70% 2,387 40.36% 221 3.74% -542 -9.16% 5,914
Putnam 1,540 40.55% 531 13.98% 1,401 36.89% 326 8.58% 139 3.66% 3,798
Raleigh 2,343 35.89% 897 13.74% 2,854 43.72% 434 6.65% -511 -7.83% 6,528
Randolph 2,563 50.25% 756 14.82% 1,411 27.66% 371 7.27% 1,152 22.58% 5,101
Ritchie 1,270 35.65% 937 26.31% 1,264 35.49% 91 2.55% 6 0.17% 3,562
Roane 2,045 45.70% 708 15.82% 1,670 37.32% 52 1.16% 375 8.38% 4,475
Summers 2,111 49.79% 791 18.66% 1,250 29.48% 88 2.08% 861 20.31% 4,240
Taylor 1,445 38.77% 791 21.22% 1,316 35.31% 175 4.70% 129 3.46% 3,727
Tucker 1,221 37.15% 548 16.67% 1,265 38.48% 253 7.70% -44 -1.33% 3,287
Tyler 1,193 37.30% 706 22.08% 1,129 35.30% 170 5.32% 64 2.00% 3,198
Upshur 895 25.59% 835 23.88% 1,706 48.78% 61 1.74% -811 -23.19% 3,497
Wayne 2,634 52.88% 1,465 29.41% 797 16.00% 85 1.71% 1,169[c] 23.47% 4,981
Webster 1,330 60.90% 307 14.06% 524 23.99% 23 1.05% 806 36.90% 2,184
Wetzel 2,710 57.68% 1,092 23.24% 733 15.60% 163 3.47% 1,618[c] 34.44% 4,698
Wirt 953 48.72% 213 10.89% 762 38.96% 28 1.43% 191 9.76% 1,956
Wood 3,784 44.29% 2,509 29.37% 1,823 21.34% 428 5.01% 1,275[c] 14.92% 8,544
Wyoming 881 42.40% 569 27.38% 620 29.84% 8 0.38% 261 12.56% 2,078
Totals 113,197 42.11% 56,754 21.11% 79,112 29.43% 15,248 7.35% 34,085 12.68% 268,828

Notes

  1. ^ These Prohibition Party votes were not shown for individual counties but only as a state-wide total.
  2. ^ Because Roosevelt finished ahead of Taft in West Virginia as a whole, all margins give are Wilson minus Roosevelt unless stated in the total for the county in question.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q In this county where Taft did run ahead of Roosevelt, margin given is Wilson vote minus Taft vote and percentage margin Wilson percentage minus Taft percentage.

References

  1. ^ a b "1912 Presidential Election Results — West Virginia". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  2. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  3. ^ West Virginia Secretary of State (1917). West Virginia Vote for President — 1916-1912 (Report). The Tribune Printing Co., Charleston, West Virginia. West Virginia Legislative Hand Book and Manual and Official Register.
Categories