1924 United States presidential election in Florida

The 1924 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 4, 1924. Voters chose six representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1924 United States presidential election in Florida

November 4, 1924
 
Nominee John W. Davis Calvin Coolidge
Party Democratic Republican
Home state West Virginia Massachusetts
Running mate Charles W. Bryan Charles G. Dawes
Electoral vote 6 0
Popular vote 62,083 30,633
Percentage 56.88% 28.06%

 
Nominee Robert M. La Follette Herman Faris
Party Progressive Prohibition
Home state Wisconsin Missouri
Running mate Burton K. Wheeler Marie C. Brehm
Electoral vote 0 0
Popular vote 8,625 5,498
Percentage 7.90% 5.04%

County Results

President before election

Calvin Coolidge
Republican

Elected President

Calvin Coolidge
Republican

Background

Ever since the disfranchisement of blacks at the beginning of the 1890s, Florida had been a one-party state ruled by the Democratic Party. The disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites by poll taxes in 1889[1] had left the Republican Party – between 1872 and 1888 dependent upon black votes – virtually extinct.

With the single exception of William Howard Taft’s win in Calhoun County in 1908[2] the Democratic Party won every county in Florida in every presidential election from 1892[lower-alpha 1] until 1916. Only twice – and never for more than one term – did any Republican serve in either house of the state legislature between 1896 and 1928. Despite this Democratic dominance and the restrictions on the franchise of the poorer classes due to the poll tax, significant socialist movements were to develop and persist in Tampa[3] and to a lesser extent over other parts of the state, especially against the powerful Ku Klux Klan.[4] There was also a powerful Prohibitionist movements in older North Florida, which saw the Prohibition Party even win the governorship for one term under the notorious anti-Catholic minister Sidney J. Catts.

The 1920 presidential election saw Warren Harding, aided substantially by isolationist sentiment in the region,[5] gain more support in the former Confederacy than any Republican since black disfranchisement, in the process winning three Florida counties.[2]

Vote

Owing to a decline in voter turnout, and an easing of isolationist feelings, Coolidge was unable to match Harding’s percentage of the vote. However, vis-à-vis Harding’s performance in this one-party southern state, Coolidge’s losing margin was 2.53 percentage points smaller, and he did make small gains amongst the small but increasing flow of Northeastern migrants moving to Florida’s hot climate. Although he did not manage to hold Broward County or Osceola County, where Harding gained pluralities in 1920, Coolidge did become the first Republican to ever carry Pinellas County.[6]

Despite the fact that the Republican Party had never gained 31 percent of Florida’s vote in a presidential election since the poll tax was introduced,[7] 1924 remains, as of the 2020 presidential election, the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has carried Florida without winning the presidency. As of 2020, it would also be the last time that the Republican presidential candidate who won the election would not carry the state of Florida.[8] Passionate anti-Catholic feelings in the Piney Woods region[9] would turn the presidential electoral votes of this one-party state against urban Catholic Al Smith in 1928, and since World War II, the state has largely been a bellwether in presidential elections. Since then, it has only backed the loser of the presidential election three times: Republicans Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and Donald Trump in 1960, 1992, and 2020 respectively.

Florida would proved to be the strongest state for Prohibition Party candidate Herman Faris, who won 5.04% of the popular vote.[10]

Results

United States presidential election in Florida, 1924[11]
Party Candidate Running mate Popular vote Electoral vote
Count % Count %
Democratic John W. Davis of West Virginia Charles Wayland Bryan of Nebraska 62,083 56.88% 6 100.00%
Republican Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts Charles Dawes of Illinois 30,633 28.06% 0 0.00%
Progressive Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin Burton K. Wheeler of Montana 8,625 7.90% 0 0.00%
Prohibition Herman Faris of Missouri Marie C. Brehm of California 5,498 5.04% 0 0.00%
American Gilbert Nations of District of Columbia Charles Hiram Randall of California 2,315 2.12% 0 0.00%
Total 109,154 100.00% 6 100.00%

Results by county

County John William Davis
Democratic
John Calvin Coolidge
Republican
Robert Marion La Follette Sr.
Progressive
Herman Preston Farris
Prohibition
Gilbert Owen Nations
American
Total votes cast[12]
# % # % # % # % # %
Alachua 1,995 71.40% 528 18.90% 174 6.23% 55 1.97% 42 1.50% 2,794
Baker 215 56.73% 124 32.72% 25 6.60% 8 2.11% 7 1.85% 379
Bay 838 67.15% 318 25.48% 45 3.61% 37 2.96% 10 0.80% 1,248
Bradford 539 81.67% 94 14.24% 17 2.58% 6 0.91% 4 0.61% 660
Brevard 872 57.94% 515 34.22% 88 5.85% 18 1.20% 12 0.80% 1,505
Broward 421 42.87% 407 41.45% 86 8.76% 46 4.68% 22 2.24% 982
Calhoun 406 78.23% 56 10.79% 37 7.13% 2 0.39% 18 3.47% 519
Charlotte 321 60.00% 167 31.21% 30 5.61% 13 2.43% 4 0.75% 535
Citrus 423 83.76% 30 5.94% 49 9.70% 2 0.40% 1 0.20% 505
Clay 339 57.17% 171 28.84% 71 11.97% 7 1.18% 5 0.84% 593
Collier 148 82.22% 15 8.33% 5 2.78% 11 6.11% 1 0.56% 180
Columbia 776 81.60% 85 8.94% 61 6.41% 24 2.52% 5 0.53% 951
Dade 3,474 32.83% 2,753 26.01% 1,014 9.58% 3,170 29.95% 172 1.63% 10,583
Desoto 641 70.05% 230 25.14% 10 1.09% 29 3.17% 5 0.55% 915
Dixie 257 94.14% 14 5.13% 0 0.00% 2 0.73% 0 0.00% 273
Duval 5,908 51.93% 3,291 28.93% 1,210 10.64% 377 3.31% 590 5.19% 11,376
Escambia 2,290 52.74% 1,274 29.34% 615 14.16% 113 2.60% 50 1.15% 4,342
Flagler 202 54.30% 75 20.16% 65 17.47% 30 8.06% 0 0.00% 372
Franklin 417 76.51% 109 20.00% 16 2.94% 1 0.18% 2 0.37% 545
Gadsden 681 84.91% 47 5.86% 65 8.10% 3 0.37% 6 0.75% 802
Glades 212 61.10% 83 23.92% 25 7.20% 17 4.90% 10 2.88% 347
Hamilton 619 75.30% 143 17.40% 33 4.01% 16 1.95% 11 1.34% 822
Hardee 795 68.24% 264 22.66% 67 5.75% 28 2.40% 0.94% 1,165
Hendry 132 76.74% 21 12.21% 11 6.40% 2 1.16% 6 3.49% 172
Hernando 300 74.81% 59 14.71% 36 8.98% 5 1.25% 1 0.25% 401
Highlands 457 57.56% 265 33.38% 58 7.30% 9 1.13% 5 0.63% 794
Hillsborough 4,470 62.26% 1,585 22.08% 765 10.65% 199 2.77% 161 2.24% 7,180
Holmes 658 55.90% 377 32.03% 117 9.94% 15 1.27% 10 0.85% 1,177
Jackson 1,771 80.76% 320 14.59% 82 3.74% 10 0.46% 10 0.46% 2,193
Jefferson 566 83.11% 66 9.69% 43 6.31% 4 0.59% 2 0.29% 681
Lafayette 358 88.18% 33 8.13% 11 2.71% 3 0.74% 1 0.25% 406
Lake 1,381 53.12% 948 36.46% 158 6.08% 54 2.08% 59 2.27% 2,600
Lee 845 52.10% 552 34.03% 80 4.93% 59 3.64% 86 5.30% 1,622
Leon 947 85.32% 92 8.29% 44 3.96% 20 1.80% 7 0.63% 1,110
Levy 524 64.22% 214 26.23% 55 6.74% 14 1.72% 9 1.10% 816
Liberty 193 86.16% 18 8.04% 10 4.46% 1 0.45% 2 0.89% 224
Madison 538 90.73% 23 3.88% 30 5.06% 1 0.17% 1 0.17% 593
Manatee 1,064 55.04% 629 32.54% 181 9.36% 35 1.81% 24 1.24% 1,933
Marion 1,528 73.43% 359 17.25% 94 4.52% 76 3.65% 24 1.15% 2,081
Monroe 835 67.78% 262 21.27% 113 9.17% 11 0.89% 11 0.89% 1,232
Nassau 617 80.65% 106 13.86% 32 4.18% 4 0.52% 6 0.78% 765
Okaloosa 642 67.37% 183 19.20% 83 8.71% 39 4.09% 6 0.63% 953
Okeechobee 182 66.91% 57 20.96% 19 6.99% 11 4.04% 3 1.10% 272
Orange 1,883 45.84% 1,653 40.24% 216 5.26% 143 3.48% 213 5.19% 4,108
Osceola 884 50.20% 589 33.45% 65 3.69% 68 3.86% 155 8.80% 1,761
Palm Beach 1,543 41.25% 1,726 46.14% 375 10.02% 0 0.00% 97 2.59% 3,741
Pasco 780 53.57% 472 32.42% 143 9.82% 43 2.95% 18 1.24% 1,456
Pinellas 2,633 43.57% 2,872 47.53% 302 5.00% 152 2.52% 84 1.39% 6,043
Polk 3,070 57.97% 1,530 28.89% 461 8.70% 171 3.23% 64 1.21% 5,296
Putnam 889 54.41% 574 35.13% 89 5.45% 45 2.75% 37 2.26% 1,634
St. Johns 1,023 54.30% 517 27.44% 187 9.93% 62 3.29% 95 5.04% 1,884
St. Lucie 722 50.92% 524 36.95% 150 10.58% 10 0.71% 12 0.85% 1,418
Santa Rosa 693 70.64% 229 23.34% 38 3.87% 12 1.22% 9 0.92% 981
Sarasota 204 44.16% 187 40.48% 47 10.17% 18 3.90% 6 1.30% 462
Seminole 945 59.58% 372 23.46% 253 15.95% 8 0.50% 8 0.50% 1,586
Sumter 481 70.94% 108 15.93% 73 10.77% 9 1.33% 7 1.03% 678
Suwannee 977 83.65% 111 9.50% 70 5.99% 6 0.51% 4 0.34% 1,168
Taylor 476 78.29% 100 16.45% 7 1.15% 19 3.13% 6 0.99% 608
Union 322 92.53% 16 4.60% 7 2.01% 1 0.29% 2 0.57% 348
Volusia 2,042 51.11% 1,631 40.83% 204 5.11% 75 1.88% 43 1.08% 3,995
Wakulla 332 85.35% 34 8.74% 15 3.86% 7 1.80% 1 0.26% 389
Walton 825 70.39% 220 18.77% 56 4.78% 41 3.50% 30 2.56% 1,172
Washington 562 67.55% 206 24.76% 37 4.45% 21 2.52% 6 0.72% 832
Totals62,08356.87%30,63328.06%8,6257.90%5,4985.04%2,3192.12%109,158

References

  1. Silbey, Joel H. and Bogue, Allan G.; The History of American Electoral Behavior, p. 210 ISBN 140087114X
  2. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote; 1896–1932 (second edition); pp. 156-157 Published 1947 by Stanford University Press
  3. Ford, Edward J.; ‘Life on the Campaign Trail: a Political Anthropology of Local Politics’ (thesis), published 2008 by University of South Florida, pp. 114-118
  4. Gregory, Raymond F.; Norman Thomas: The Great Dissenter, pp. 150-151 ISBN 0875866239
  5. Phillips, Kevin; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 210-211, 261 ISBN 9780691163246
  6. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, pp. 218-219 ISBN 0786422173
  7. Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Florida
  8. Smiley, David (25 May 2019). "Trump can't win reelection without winning Florida. And he's acting like it". Miami Herald. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 212, 214
  10. "1924 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  11. "1924 Presidential General Election Results – Florida". U.S. Election Atlas. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  12. Florida Department of State. Division of Elections, Official Vote, State of Florida, General Election, 1924 (Tallahassee, 1924)

Notes

  1. In the 1892 Presidential election, Republican Benjamin Harrison was not on the ballot and the party backed Populist James B. Weaver.
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