1956 United States presidential election in California
← 1952 November 6, 1956 1960 →
Turnout86.56% (of registered voters) Decrease 0.29 pp
67.59% (of eligible voters) Decrease 6.48 pp[1]
 
Nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower Adlai Stevenson
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Pennsylvania[2][3] Illinois
Running mate Richard Nixon Estes Kefauver
Electoral vote 32 0
Popular vote 3,027,668 2,420,135
Percentage 55.39% 44.27%
County Results
President before election

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

Elected President

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

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The 1956 United States presidential election in California took place in November 1956 as part of the 1956 United States presidential election. State voters chose 32 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

California voted for the Republican incumbent, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a landslide over the Democratic challenger, former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson. However, Stevenson did improve his performance in California from four years previous. California's result was about 4.3% more Democratic than the nation-at-large.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last presidential election in California where the Republican candidate won the counties of Alameda and San Francisco, both of which have become strongholds of the Democratic Party.

Results

1956 United States presidential election in California[4]
Partys Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower (incumbent) 3,027,668 55.39% 32
Democratic Adlai Stevenson 2,420,135 44.27% 0
Prohibition Enoch A. Holtwick 11,119 0.20% 0
No party T. Coleman Andrews (write-in) 6,087 0.11% 0
No party Write-ins 819 0.01% 0
No party Eric Hass (write-in) 300 0.01% 0
No party Darlington Hoopes (write-in) 123 0.00% 0
No party Farrell Dobbs (write-in) 96 0.00% 0
No party Gerald L. K. Smith (write-in) 8 0.00% 0
Invalid or blank votes —
Totals 5,466,355 100.00% 32
Voter turnout —

Results by county

County Eisenhower Votes Stevenson Votes Others Votes
Alpine 79.72% 114 20.28% 29 0.00% 0
Mono 73.79% 673 25.99% 237 0.22% 2
Orange 66.82% 113,510 32.31% 54,895 0.87% 1,474
Inyo 66.19% 3,524 33.47% 1,782 0.34% 18
Marin 65.94% 33,792 33.76% 17,301 0.29% 151
Lake 64.84% 4,073 34.78% 2,185 0.38% 24
Santa Barbara 64.55% 31,294 34.91% 16,925 0.55% 265
San Diego 64.47% 195,742 35.15% 106,716 0.38% 1,147
Santa Cruz 63.58% 22,109 36.16% 12,574 0.27% 93
Sutter 62.79% 6,327 36.45% 3,673 0.76% 77
Riverside 62.16% 56,766 37.34% 34,098 0.51% 465
Sonoma 61.92% 33,659 37.92% 20,616 0.16% 86
San Mateo 61.04% 100,049 38.83% 63,637 0.13% 217
Mariposa 60.31% 1,577 39.43% 1,031 0.27% 7
Nevada 59.69% 5,475 39.98% 3,667 0.34% 31
Monterey 59.54% 29,514 40.21% 19,932 0.26% 127
San Benito 59.53% 3,252 40.29% 2,201 0.18% 10
Santa Clara 59.09% 105,657 40.56% 72,528 0.35% 633
San Luis Obispo 58.47% 16,223 41.11% 11,407 0.43% 118
Butte 58.43% 18,382 41.11% 12,933 0.47% 147
Calaveras 57.91% 2,843 41.74% 2,049 0.35% 17
Mendocino 56.94% 10,327 42.82% 7,767 0.24% 43
San Bernardino 56.88% 86,263 42.83% 64,946 0.29% 443
Imperial 56.05% 10,526 43.65% 8,197 0.31% 58
Napa 55.93% 13,610 43.66% 10,623 0.41% 100
Yuba 55.76% 4,782 43.92% 3,767 0.31% 27
Los Angeles 55.38% 1,260,206 44.29% 1,007,887 0.32% 7,331
San Joaquin 54.52% 44,491 45.27% 36,941 0.21% 168
Tehama 53.82% 4,866 45.82% 4,143 0.36% 33
El Dorado 53.60% 4,613 45.97% 3,957 0.43% 37
Colusa 53.23% 2,474 46.71% 2,171 0.06% 3
Modoc 53.21% 1,981 46.44% 1,729 0.35% 13
Del Norte 53.18% 2,918 46.51% 2,552 0.31% 17
Humboldt 52.57% 19,019 47.06% 17,025 0.37% 133
Tulare 52.50% 26,051 47.17% 23,407 0.32% 160
Alameda 52.40% 192,911 47.27% 174,033 0.32% 1,187
Tuolumne 52.12% 3,619 47.67% 3,310 0.20% 14
Glenn 51.96% 3,463 47.89% 3,192 0.15% 10
San Francisco 51.53% 173,648 48.01% 161,766 0.46% 1,553
Kern 51.31% 46,220 48.33% 43,533 0.36% 322
Contra Costa 50.98% 74,971 48.78% 71,733 0.24% 347
Sierra 50.55% 638 49.13% 620 0.32% 4
Trinity 50.42% 1,447 48.99% 1,406 0.59% 17
Ventura 49.92% 26,342 49.80% 26,276 0.28% 149
Siskiyou 49.79% 6,841 49.76% 6,837 0.46% 63
Amador 49.16% 2,126 50.43% 2,181 0.42% 18
Stanislaus 48.60% 26,695 51.05% 28,040 0.35% 192
Yolo 47.99% 9,347 51.72% 10,075 0.29% 57
Merced 45.99% 11,430 53.78% 13,366 0.23% 56
Placer 45.89% 9,059 53.76% 10,611 0.35% 69
Sacramento 45.10% 67,686 54.73% 82,134 0.17% 260
Shasta 43.84% 8,833 55.78% 11,239 0.38% 77
Fresno 43.33% 51,611 56.44% 67,234 0.23% 270
Lassen 42.48% 2,533 57.22% 3,412 0.30% 18
Kings 42.28% 6,195 57.45% 8,417 0.27% 40
Madera 42.12% 5,239 57.58% 7,162 0.31% 38
Plumas 41.87% 2,267 57.75% 3,127 0.39% 21
Solano 41.68% 17,865 58.10% 24,903 0.22% 95

References

  1. ^ "Historical Voter Registration and Participation in Statewide General Elections 1910-2018" (PDF). California Secretary of State. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  2. ^ Although he was born in Texas and grew up in Kansas before his military career, at the time of his election Eisenhower was president of Columbia University and was, officially, a resident of New York. During his first term as president, he moved his private residence to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and officially changed his residency to Pennsylvania.
  3. ^ "The Presidents". David Leip. Retrieved September 27, 2017. Eisenhower's home state for the 1956 Election was Pennsylvania
  4. ^ "1956 Presidential General Election Results - California". Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
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