1916 United States presidential election in New Mexico

The 1916 United States presidential election in New Mexico took place on November 7, 1916. All contemporary forty-eight states were part of 1916 United States presidential election. Voters chose three electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which voted for President and Vice President.

1916 United States presidential election in New Mexico

← 1912 November 7, 1916 1920 →
 
Nominee Woodrow Wilson Charles Evans Hughes
Party Democratic Republican
Home state New Jersey New York
Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Charles W. Fairbanks
Electoral vote 3 0
Popular vote 33,693 31,163
Percentage 50.31% 46.53%

County Results

President before election

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

Elected President

Woodrow Wilson
Democratic

During the period between New Mexico's annexation by the United States and statehood, the area was divided between largely Republican machine-run highland regions and its firmly Southern Democrat and Baptist "Little Texas" region to the southeast.[1] A split in the "Old Guard" of highland Republicanism meant that in the state's inaugural presidential election in 1912 Woodrow Wilson carried the state through overwhelming "Little Texas" and southern desert support over Progressive Theodore Roosevelt and incumbent Republican William Howard Taft.[2] Nonetheless, New Mexico was still Taft's fourth-strongest state by vote percentage reflecting the strong Hispanic machine loyalties to him in the northern highlands.[3]

In the East, supporters of Theodore Roosevelt's "Bull Moose" Party rapidly returned to the Republicans, in the Mountain States many if not most of these supporters turned to the Democratic Party not only in presidential elections, but also in state and federal legislative ones.[4] Wilson was also helped by a powerful "peace vote" in the Western states[5] due to opposition to participation in World War I.

New Mexico was won by incumbent President Woodrow Wilson, who secured a tumultuous reelection against Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes, and Socialist Party icon Allan L. Benson.[6] Wilson's reluctance to bid armed forces in World War I improved his image for this election, as a "peace candidate".[4] However, whilst many Progressive business leaders believed the Republican Old Guard stood for fraud and dishonesty, they nonetheless supported Hughes even whilst opposing GOP candidates for other statewide positions.[2] Consequently, despite its strong Democratic base at a local level that was completely absent in most parts of the West during the "System of 1896",[7] New Mexico was Wilson's third-weakest state in the West.

Results

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General Election Results[8][a]
Party Pledged to Elector Votes
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Felix Garcia 33,693
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson James N. Upton 33,649
Democratic Party Woodrow Wilson Jose G. Chaves 33,555
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes C. L. Hill 31,163
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes Juan Ortiz 31,097
Republican Party Charles Evans Hughes H. J. Hammond 31,035
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson Ira N. Crisp 1,999
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson W. T. Holmes 1,997
Socialist Party Allan L. Benson McB. Smith 1,977
Prohibition Party Frank Hanly Lester Sands 112
Prohibition Party Frank Hanly F. C. Peterson 109
Prohibition Party Frank Hanly W. G. Ogilvie 108
Votes cast[b] 66,967

Results by county

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County Woodrow Wilson
Democratic
Charles Evans Hughes
Republican
Allan L. Benson
Socialist
Frank Hanly
Prohibition
Margin Total votes cast[c]
# % # % # % # % # %
Bernalillo 2,399 46.17% 2,714 52.23% 77 1.48% 6 0.12% -315 -6.06% 5,196
Chaves 2,279 68.40% 862 25.87% 186 5.58% 5 0.15% 1,417 42.53% 3,332
Colfax 2,024 51.87% 1,839 47.13% 38 0.97% 1 0.03% 185 4.74% 3,902
Curry 1,205 63.89% 356 18.88% 323 17.13% 2 0.11% 849 45.02% 1,886
Doña Ana 1,079 39.86% 1,606 59.33% 22 0.81% 0 0.00% -527 -19.47% 2,707
Eddy 1,405 72.61% 425 21.96% 99 5.12% 6 0.31% 980 50.65% 1,935
Grant 2,305 53.93% 1,869 43.73% 96 2.25% 4 0.09% 436 10.20% 4,274
Guadalupe 1,173 51.54% 1,067 46.88% 36 1.58% 0 0.00% 106 4.66% 2,276
Lincoln 870 48.25% 889 49.31% 43 2.38% 1 0.06% -19 -1.05% 1,803
Luna 796 63.02% 418 33.10% 45 3.56% 4 0.32% 378 29.93% 1,263
McKinley 564 45.48% 669 53.95% 2 0.16% 5 0.40% -105 -8.47% 1,240
Mora 1,505 48.42% 1,590 51.16% 13 0.42% 0 0.00% -85 -2.73% 3,108
Otero 824 54.39% 561 37.03% 128 8.45% 2 0.13% 263 17.36% 1,515
Quay 1,562 64.55% 598 24.71% 234 9.67% 26 1.07% 964 39.83% 2,420
Rio Arriba 1,528 43.40% 1,992 56.57% 1 0.03% 0 0.00% -464 -13.18% 3,521
Roosevelt 1,088 73.56% 230 15.55% 150 10.14% 11 0.74% 858 58.01% 1,479
San Juan 637 59.64% 385 36.05% 46 4.31% 0 0.00% 252 23.60% 1,068
San Miguel 2,263 43.24% 2,933 56.04% 29 0.55% 9 0.17% -670 -12.80% 5,234
Sandoval 734 54.57% 611 45.43% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 123 9.14% 1,345
Santa Fe 1,406 43.16% 1,830 56.17% 15 0.46% 7 0.21% -424 -13.01% 3,258
Sierra 493 50.51% 460 47.13% 23 2.36% 0 0.00% 33 3.38% 976
Socorro 1,575 44.33% 1,956 55.05% 16 0.45% 6 0.17% -381 -10.72% 3,553
Taos 910 39.95% 1,320 57.95% 46 2.02% 2 0.09% -410 -18.00% 2,278
Torrance 679 39.99% 948 55.83% 68 4.00% 3 0.18% -269 -15.84% 1,698
Union 1,996 53.24% 1,495 39.88% 246 6.56% 12 0.32% 501 13.36% 3,749
Valencia 394 20.19% 1,540 78.93% 17 0.87% 0 0.00% -1,146 -58.74% 1,951
Total 33,693 50.31% 31,163 46.53% 1,999 2.99% 112 0.17% 2,530 3.78% 66,967

Counties that flipped from Progressive to Democratic

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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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Counties that flipped from Progressive to Republican

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Notes

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  1. ^ These figures include the "Absent Railroad Vote"
  2. ^ Based on totals for highest elector on each ticket
  3. ^ Based on the highest elector on each ticket

References

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  1. ^ Chilton, Lance; New Mexico: A Guide to the Colorful State, p. 95 ISBN 0826307329
  2. ^ a b Hodgson, Illa D. and Garthwaite, Eloyse M.; 'New Mexico's Early Elections: Statehood to New Deal'; New Mexico Historical Review, January 1, 1995; vol. 70, issue 1, pp. 29-46
  3. ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 42 ISBN 0786422173
  4. ^ a b Sarasohn, David; 'The Election of 1916: Realigning the Rockies', Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3 (July 1980), pp. 285-305
  5. ^ Menendez; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, p. 47
  6. ^ "1916 Presidential General Election Results - New Mexico". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  7. ^ Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 ISBN 0313213798
  8. ^ New Mexico Secretary of State. The New Mexico Blue Book, or State Official Register 1917. Santa Fe, New Mexico. p. 104. Retrieved July 24, 2024.