Election of 1920
LINKS
| Abbreviations | Definitions | Sources |
BASICS
| Category | Result |
|---|---|
| Incumbent | Woodrow Wilson (D) |
| Prior streak | D (2) |
| Prior five elections | R (3), D (2) |
| Population | 106,021,537 |
| States | 48 |
| Electoral votes | 531 |
| Popular votes | 26,768,457 |
| Voter turnout | 49.2% |
FIELD OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES
| Candidate | Party | PI | Age | State | Position | Nom | Win | CS | ROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Harding | R | 6.0 | 55.00 | Ohio | Senator | X | X | 88.37 | 147 |
| James Cox | D | 5.9 | 50.59 | Ohio | Governor | X | — | 64.01 | 108 |
| Leonard Wood | R | 4.3 | 60.06 | New Hampshire | General | — | — | 31.95 | 74 |
| William Gibbs McAdoo | D | 6.3 | 57.00 | New York | Former Cabinet member | — | — | 27.41 | 44 |
| Mitchell Palmer | D | 4.9 | 48.49 | Pennsylvania | Cabinet member | — | — | 27.09 | 55 |
| Frank Lowden | R | 6.3 | 59.77 | Illinois | Governor | — | — | 25.31 | 40 |
| Hiram Johnson | R | 5.8 | 54.16 | California | Senator | — | — | 24.20 | 42 |
| Eugene Debs | SOC | 0.1 | 64.99 | Indiana | Movement leader | — | — | 20.94 | 2,094 |
| Alfred Smith | D | 6.5 | 46.84 | New York | Governor | — | — | 15.99 | 25 |
| William Sproul | R | 6.4 | 50.13 | Pennsylvania | Governor | — | — | 15.09 | 24 |
| Nicholas Murray Butler | R | 5.9 | 58.58 | New York | College president | — | — | 14.25 | 24 |
| Edward Edwards | D | 6.6 | 56.92 | New Jersey | Governor | — | — | 13.28 | 20 |
| John Davis | D | 3.7 | 47.55 | West Virginia | Ambassador | — | — | 12.87 | 35 |
| Herbert Hoover | R | 2.6 | 46.23 | California | Industrialist | — | — | 12.56 | 48 |
GENERAL ELECTION
| Candidate | Party | SC | PV | PV% | EV | EV% | PV*EQ | EV*EQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Harding | R | 37 | 16,151,916 | 60.34% | 404 | 76.08% | 60,339,361 | 409 |
| James Cox | D | 11 | 9,134,074 | 34.12% | 127 | 23.92% | 34,122,527 | 129 |
| Eugene Debs | SOC | 0 | 915,511 | 3.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,420,111 | 0 |
REGIONAL SPLITS
| Candidate | Party | PV% | East | South | Midwest | West | EV | East | South | Midwest | West |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Harding | R | 60.34% | 64.53% | 40.15% | 64.11% | 61.45% | 404 | 160 | 22 | 167 | 55 |
| James Cox | D | 34.12% | 29.76% | 56.30% | 30.58% | 29.44% | 127 | 0 | 127 | 0 | 0 |
| Eugene Debs | SOC | 3.42% | 4.23% | 1.44% | 3.44% | 3.76% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PV BY STATES
| State | Total PV | Harding | Cox | Debs | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 233,951 | 74,719 | 156,064 | 2,402 | 766 |
| Arizona | 66,803 | 37,016 | 29,546 | 222 | 19 |
| Arkansas | 183,637 | 71,117 | 107,409 | 5,111 | — |
| California | 943,463 | 624,992 | 229,191 | 64,076 | 25,204 |
| Colorado | 292,053 | 173,248 | 104,936 | 8,046 | 5,823 |
| Connecticut | 365,518 | 229,238 | 120,721 | 10,350 | 5,209 |
| Delaware | 94,875 | 52,858 | 39,911 | 988 | 1,118 |
| Florida | 145,684 | 44,853 | 90,515 | 5,189 | 5,127 |
| Georgia | 149,558 | 42,981 | 106,112 | 465 | — |
| Idaho | 138,359 | 91,351 | 46,930 | 38 | 40 |
| Illinois | 2,094,714 | 1,420,480 | 534,395 | 74,747 | 65,092 |
| Indiana | 1,262,974 | 696,370 | 511,364 | 24,713 | 30,527 |
| Iowa | 894,959 | 634,674 | 227,804 | 16,981 | 15,500 |
| Kansas | 570,243 | 369,268 | 185,464 | 15,511 | — |
| Kentucky | 918,636 | 452,480 | 456,497 | 6,409 | 3,250 |
| Louisiana | 126,397 | 38,539 | 87,519 | — | 339 |
| Maine | 197,840 | 136,355 | 58,961 | 2,214 | 310 |
| Maryland | 428,443 | 236,117 | 180,626 | 8,876 | 2,824 |
| Massachusetts | 993,718 | 681,153 | 276,691 | 32,267 | 3,607 |
| Michigan | 1,048,411 | 762,865 | 233,450 | 28,947 | 23,149 |
| Minnesota | 735,838 | 519,421 | 142,994 | 56,106 | 17,317 |
| Mississippi | 82,351 | 11,576 | 69,136 | 1,639 | — |
| Missouri | 1,332,140 | 727,252 | 574,699 | 20,342 | 9,847 |
| Montana | 179,006 | 109,430 | 57,372 | — | 12,204 |
| Nebraska | 382,743 | 247,498 | 119,608 | 9,600 | 6,037 |
| Nevada | 27,194 | 15,479 | 9,851 | 1,864 | — |
| New Hampshire | 159,092 | 95,196 | 62,662 | 1,234 | — |
| New Jersey | 910,251 | 615,333 | 258,761 | 27,385 | 8,772 |
| New Mexico | 105,412 | 57,634 | 46,668 | 2 | 1,108 |
| New York | 2,898,513 | 1,871,167 | 781,238 | 203,201 | 42,907 |
| North Carolina | 538,649 | 232,819 | 305,367 | 446 | 17 |
| North Dakota | 205,786 | 160,082 | 37,422 | 8,282 | — |
| Ohio | 2,021,653 | 1,182,022 | 780,037 | 57,147 | 2,447 |
| Oklahoma | 485,678 | 243,840 | 216,122 | 25,716 | — |
| Oregon | 238,522 | 143,592 | 80,019 | 9,801 | 5,110 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,851,248 | 1,218,215 | 503,202 | 70,021 | 59,810 |
| Rhode Island | 167,981 | 107,463 | 55,062 | 4,351 | 1,105 |
| South Carolina | 66,808 | 2,610 | 64,170 | 28 | — |
| South Dakota | 182,237 | 110,692 | 35,938 | — | 35,607 |
| Tennessee | 428,036 | 219,229 | 206,558 | 2,249 | — |
| Texas | 486,109 | 114,658 | 287,920 | 8,124 | 75,407 |
| Utah | 145,828 | 81,555 | 56,639 | 3,159 | 4,475 |
| Vermont | 89,961 | 68,212 | 20,919 | — | 830 |
| Virginia | 231,000 | 87,456 | 141,670 | 808 | 1,066 |
| Washington | 398,715 | 223,137 | 84,298 | 8,913 | 82,367 |
| West Virginia | 509,936 | 282,007 | 220,785 | 5,618 | 1,526 |
| Wisconsin | 701,281 | 498,576 | 113,422 | 80,635 | 8,648 |
| Wyoming | 56,253 | 35,091 | 17,429 | 1,288 | 2,445 |
| Total | 26,768,457 | 16,151,916 | 9,134,074 | 915,511 | 566,956 |
PV% BY STATES
| State | PV winner | Harding | Cox | Debs | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Cox | 31.94% | 66.71% | 1.03% | 0.33% |
| Arizona | Harding | 55.41% | 44.23% | 0.33% | 0.03% |
| Arkansas | Cox | 38.73% | 58.49% | 2.78% | — |
| California | Harding | 66.24% | 24.29% | 6.79% | 2.67% |
| Colorado | Harding | 59.32% | 35.93% | 2.76% | 1.99% |
| Connecticut | Harding | 62.72% | 33.03% | 2.83% | 1.43% |
| Delaware | Harding | 55.71% | 42.07% | 1.04% | 1.18% |
| Florida | Cox | 30.79% | 62.13% | 3.56% | 3.52% |
| Georgia | Cox | 28.74% | 70.95% | 0.31% | — |
| Idaho | Harding | 66.03% | 33.92% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Illinois | Harding | 67.81% | 25.51% | 3.57% | 3.11% |
| Indiana | Harding | 55.14% | 40.49% | 1.96% | 2.42% |
| Iowa | Harding | 70.92% | 25.45% | 1.90% | 1.73% |
| Kansas | Harding | 64.76% | 32.52% | 2.72% | — |
| Kentucky | Cox | 49.26% | 49.69% | 0.70% | 0.35% |
| Louisiana | Cox | 30.49% | 69.24% | — | 0.27% |
| Maine | Harding | 68.92% | 29.80% | 1.12% | 0.16% |
| Maryland | Harding | 55.11% | 42.16% | 2.07% | 0.66% |
| Massachusetts | Harding | 68.55% | 27.84% | 3.25% | 0.36% |
| Michigan | Harding | 72.76% | 22.27% | 2.76% | 2.21% |
| Minnesota | Harding | 70.59% | 19.43% | 7.63% | 2.35% |
| Mississippi | Cox | 14.06% | 83.95% | 1.99% | — |
| Missouri | Harding | 54.59% | 43.14% | 1.53% | 0.74% |
| Montana | Harding | 61.13% | 32.05% | — | 6.82% |
| Nebraska | Harding | 64.66% | 31.25% | 2.51% | 1.58% |
| Nevada | Harding | 56.92% | 36.23% | 6.85% | — |
| New Hampshire | Harding | 59.84% | 39.39% | 0.78% | — |
| New Jersey | Harding | 67.60% | 28.43% | 3.01% | 0.96% |
| New Mexico | Harding | 54.68% | 44.27% | 0.00% | 1.05% |
| New York | Harding | 64.56% | 26.95% | 7.01% | 1.48% |
| North Carolina | Cox | 43.22% | 56.69% | 0.08% | 0.00% |
| North Dakota | Harding | 77.79% | 18.19% | 4.03% | — |
| Ohio | Harding | 58.47% | 38.58% | 2.83% | 0.12% |
| Oklahoma | Harding | 50.21% | 44.50% | 5.30% | — |
| Oregon | Harding | 60.20% | 33.55% | 4.11% | 2.14% |
| Pennsylvania | Harding | 65.81% | 27.18% | 3.78% | 3.23% |
| Rhode Island | Harding | 63.97% | 32.78% | 2.59% | 0.66% |
| South Carolina | Cox | 3.91% | 96.05% | 0.04% | — |
| South Dakota | Harding | 60.74% | 19.72% | — | 19.54% |
| Tennessee | Harding | 51.22% | 48.26% | 0.53% | — |
| Texas | Cox | 23.59% | 59.23% | 1.67% | 15.51% |
| Utah | Harding | 55.93% | 38.84% | 2.17% | 3.07% |
| Vermont | Harding | 75.82% | 23.25% | — | 0.92% |
| Virginia | Cox | 37.86% | 61.33% | 0.35% | 0.46% |
| Washington | Harding | 55.96% | 21.14% | 2.24% | 20.66% |
| West Virginia | Harding | 55.30% | 43.30% | 1.10% | 0.30% |
| Wisconsin | Harding | 71.10% | 16.17% | 11.50% | 1.23% |
| Wyoming | Harding | 62.38% | 30.98% | 2.29% | 4.35% |
| Total | Harding | 60.34% | 34.12% | 3.42% | 2.12% |
EV BY STATES
| State | Total EV | Harding | Cox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Arizona | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| California | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| Colorado | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Delaware | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Florida | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Georgia | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Idaho | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Illinois | 29 | 29 | 0 |
| Indiana | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Iowa | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| Kansas | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Louisiana | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Maine | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Maryland | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| Michigan | 15 | 15 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Missouri | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| Montana | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Nevada | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| New York | 45 | 45 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| North Dakota | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Ohio | 24 | 24 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | 10 | 0 |
| Oregon | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 38 | 38 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| South Dakota | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Texas | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Utah | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Vermont | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Virginia | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Washington | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 531 | 404 | 127 |
MARGINS AND FLIPS
| State | PV winner | Runnerup | Gap (votes) | Gap (points) | Flip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Cox | Harding | 81,345 | 34.77 | 40,673 |
| Arizona | Harding | Cox | 7,470 | 11.18 | 3,736 |
| Arkansas | Cox | Harding | 36,292 | 19.76 | 18,147 |
| California | Harding | Cox | 395,801 | 41.95 | 197,901 |
| Colorado | Harding | Cox | 68,312 | 23.39 | 34,157 |
| Connecticut | Harding | Cox | 108,517 | 29.69 | 54,259 |
| Delaware | Harding | Cox | 12,947 | 13.65 | 6,474 |
| Florida | Cox | Harding | 45,662 | 31.34 | 22,832 |
| Georgia | Cox | Harding | 63,131 | 42.21 | 31,566 |
| Idaho | Harding | Cox | 44,421 | 32.11 | 22,211 |
| Illinois | Harding | Cox | 886,085 | 42.30 | 443,043 |
| Indiana | Harding | Cox | 185,006 | 14.65 | 92,504 |
| Iowa | Harding | Cox | 406,870 | 45.46 | 203,436 |
| Kansas | Harding | Cox | 183,804 | 32.23 | 91,903 |
| Kentucky | Cox | Harding | 4,017 | 0.44 | 2,009 |
| Louisiana | Cox | Harding | 48,980 | 38.75 | 24,491 |
| Maine | Harding | Cox | 77,394 | 39.12 | 38,698 |
| Maryland | Harding | Cox | 55,491 | 12.95 | 27,746 |
| Massachusetts | Harding | Cox | 404,462 | 40.70 | 202,232 |
| Michigan | Harding | Cox | 529,415 | 50.50 | 264,708 |
| Minnesota | Harding | Cox | 376,427 | 51.16 | 188,214 |
| Mississippi | Cox | Harding | 57,560 | 69.90 | 28,781 |
| Missouri | Harding | Cox | 152,553 | 11.45 | 76,277 |
| Montana | Harding | Cox | 52,058 | 29.08 | 26,030 |
| Nebraska | Harding | Cox | 127,890 | 33.41 | 63,946 |
| Nevada | Harding | Cox | 5,628 | 20.70 | 2,815 |
| New Hampshire | Harding | Cox | 32,534 | 20.45 | 16,268 |
| New Jersey | Harding | Cox | 356,572 | 39.17 | 178,287 |
| New Mexico | Harding | Cox | 10,966 | 10.40 | 5,484 |
| New York | Harding | Cox | 1,089,929 | 37.60 | 544,965 |
| North Carolina | Cox | Harding | 72,548 | 13.47 | 36,275 |
| North Dakota | Harding | Cox | 122,660 | 59.61 | 61,331 |
| Ohio | Harding | Cox | 401,985 | 19.88 | 200,993 |
| Oklahoma | Harding | Cox | 27,718 | 5.71 | 13,860 |
| Oregon | Harding | Cox | 63,573 | 26.65 | 31,787 |
| Pennsylvania | Harding | Cox | 715,013 | 38.62 | 357,507 |
| Rhode Island | Harding | Cox | 52,401 | 31.19 | 26,201 |
| South Carolina | Cox | Harding | 61,560 | 92.14 | 30,781 |
| South Dakota | Harding | Cox | 74,754 | 41.02 | 37,378 |
| Tennessee | Harding | Cox | 12,671 | 2.96 | 6,336 |
| Texas | Cox | Harding | 173,262 | 35.64 | 86,632 |
| Utah | Harding | Cox | 24,916 | 17.09 | 12,459 |
| Vermont | Harding | Cox | 47,293 | 52.57 | 23,647 |
| Virginia | Cox | Harding | 54,214 | 23.47 | 27,108 |
| Washington | Harding | Cox | 138,839 | 34.82 | 69,420 |
| West Virginia | Harding | Cox | 61,222 | 12.01 | 30,612 |
| Wisconsin | Harding | Cox | 385,154 | 54.92 | 192,578 |
| Wyoming | Harding | Cox | 17,662 | 31.40 | 8,832 |
| Total | Harding | Cox | 7,017,842 | 26.22 | 3,508,922 |