The Wisconsin Progressive Party (1934–1946) was a political party that briefly held a dominant role in Wisconsin politics.^[1]

History

The Party was the brainchild of Philip La Follette and Robert M. La Follette, Jr., the sons of the famous Wisconsin Governor and Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. The party was established in 1934 as an alliance between the longstanding "Progressive" faction of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, led by the La Follette family and their political allies, and certain radical farm and labor groups active in Wisconsin at the time.^[2] The party served as a vehicle for Philip La Follette to run for re-election as Governor and for his brother Robert to run for re-election to the United States Senate. Both men were successful in their bids, and the party saw a number of other victories as well in the 1934 and 1936 elections, notably winning several U.S. House seats and a majority of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly in 1936. In 1936 it was informally allied with the New Deal coalition and supported the reelection of President Franklin Roosevelt.^[3]

Their grip on power proved short-lived: they succumbed to a united Democratic and Republican front in 1938 which swept most of them out of office, including Philip La Follette. They were further crippled that year by attempting to expand the party to the national level.

Orland Steen Loomis was the last Progressive to be elected Governor of Wisconsin, in the 1942 election. He died, however, before his inauguration as governor. Robert La Follette Jr. held on to his Senate seat until 1946, when the La Follettes decided to disband the party. Robert La Follette ran for re-election that year as a Republican rather than a Progressive, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Joe McCarthy.

During its heyday, the Progressive Party usually did not run candidates in the Socialists (known as the "sewer socialists") stronghold of Milwaukee. There were strong ideological differences between the two movements as the two aligned with differing national parties. (Socialist State Representative George L. Tews said during a 1932 debate on unemployment compensation and how to fund it argued for the Socialist bill and against the Progressive substitute, stating that a Progressive was "a Socialist with the brains knocked out"^[4]), when both faced opposition from the conservative major parties. During the period from 1939 on, the Progressives and the Socialists of Milwaukee sometimes made common cause in a Farmer-Labor-Progressive Federation, with Socialist legislators caucusing with the minority Progressives. In 1942, Socialist Frank P. Zeidler, later to be elected mayor of Milwaukee, was the nominee on the Progressive party line for State Treasurer of Wisconsin.

The last politician to hold office from the Wisconsin Progressive Party nationally was Merlin Hull, a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin, elected as a Progressive in 1944. (Hull continued to be re-elected on the Republican ticket, and served until his death in 1953.)

Officeholders from the Wisconsin Progressive Party

Federal office

State office

Electoral history

Wisconsin state offices

Wisconsin Senate								Wisconsin Assembly
Election	Leader	Votes		Seats		Position	Control	Election	Leader	Votes		Seats		Position	Control
		No.	Share	No.	±					No.	Share	No.	±
1934	N/A	137,544	32.10%	11 / 33	11	2nd	Democratic–Republican	1934	Jorge W. Carow	304,804	34.09%	45 / 100	45	1st	Progressive minority
1936	Walter J. Rush	242,631	42.00%	16 / 33	5	1st	Progressive minority	1936	Jorge W. Carow	437,916	38.73%	46 / 100	1	1st	Progressive minority
1938		154,891	35.00%	11 / 33	5	2nd	Republican minority	1938	Paul Alfonsi			32 / 100	12	2nd	Republican
1940		212,631	32.09%	6 / 33	5	2nd	Republican	1940	N/A			25 / 100	7	2nd	Republican
1942		85,806	25.18%	6 / 33		2nd	Republican	1942	N/A			13 / 100	12	3rd	Republican
1944		47,895	8.81%	5 / 33	1	3rd	Republican	1944	N/A			6 / 100	7	3rd	Republican

Wisconsin federal offices

U.S. Senate						U.S. House of Representatives
Year	Nominee	# votes	% votes	Place	Notes	Election	Leader	Votes		Seats		Position	Control
1934	Robert M. La Follette Jr.	440,513	47.78 / 100	Re-elected		1934	George J. Schneider	334,345	37.76%	7 / 10	7	1st	Progressive
1936	No seat up					1936	George J. Schneider	479,263	42.69%	7 / 10		1st	Progressive
1938	Herman Ekern	249,209	26.58 / 100	2nd of 6		1938	George J. Schneider	330,823	36.26%	2 / 10	5	2nd	Republican
1940	Robert M. La Follette Jr.	605,609	45.26 / 100	Re-elected		1940	N/A	469,063	36.96%	3 / 10	1	2nd	Republican
1942	No seat up					1942	N/A	185,114	24.72%	2 / 10	1	3rd	Republican
1944	Harry Sauthoff	73,089	5.82 / 100	3rd of 5		1944	N/A	104,377	9.01%	1 / 10	1	3rd	Republican