1928 United States presidential election in Indiana

The 1928 United States presidential election in Indiana took place on November 6, 1928, as part of the 1928 United States presidential election which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose 15 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1928 United States presidential election in Indiana

November 6, 1928
 
Nominee Herbert Hoover Al Smith
Party Republican Democratic
Home state California New York
Running mate Charles Curtis Joseph T. Robinson
Electoral vote 15 0
Popular vote 848,290 562,691
Percentage 59.68% 39.59%

County Results

President before election

Calvin Coolidge
Republican

Elected President

Herbert Hoover
Republican

Background

Since the Civil War, partisan alliances in Indiana had been related to history of White settlement, with most of Southern Indiana and German-settled counties voting strongly Democratic, opposed to Yankee-settled Northern Indiana which voted Republican.[1] Some breakdown of these traditional loyalties took place in the 1920s due to German opposition to Woodrow Wilson’s World War I policies,[2] but these occurred to a lesser extent than in other Midwestern states because of the conservative dominance within Indiana’s Democratic Party.

1928, with most other Democrats standing out as they felt the part had no chance of winning due to the prosperous economy,[3] saw New York Governor Al Smith nominated almost by default. Many traditionally Democratic Upland Southerners recoiled at the nomination of Smith because he was a devout Catholic, opposed to Prohibition,[4] and associated with the corruption of the Tammany Hall political machine. Smith’s decision to run with Arkansas Senator Joseph T. Robinson, a “dry” and Protestant, did not alleviate fears of what he would do in the White House.

Ultimate Republican nominee, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover of California, lost the GOP primary in the Hoosier State[5] but was untroubled to win the nomination nationally. The Democratic primary was held very late in the primary season and was won by Smith, who by then had already effective wrapped up the nomination, despite the state originally casting its vote for favorite son Evans Woollen.[6]

In a state whose farmers' were suffering a financial crisis amidst national prosperity due to the loss of demand following the war, the Indiana Farm Bureau would not endorse either ticket.[7] However, Indiana's Senator James E. Watson said that Hoover would carry the state despite these obvious problems.[8]

Vote

After becoming certain to be nominated, it was thought by The Wall Street Journal that Smith would have to carry Indiana to have any chance of winning the Presidency.[9] However, as early as the beginning of July politicos said that prohibitionist and anti-Catholic forces in Indiana gave Smith no chance of carrying the state,[4] despite Smith saying he would enforce the law if elected.[10] At the end of August, pollsters were already suggesting that the latent opposition of the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan – which had all but ruled Indiana earlier in the 1920s – and the prohibitionist Anti-Saloon League in rural areas of Indiana would of itself make it impossible for Smith to carry the state.[11]

Hoover visited Indiana late in August as part of the Lake County Fair, focusing on the agricultural crisis and, alongside Iowa Senator Smith W. Brookhart, blaming the Democrats and the Federal Reserve System for the extant farm crisis.[12] Smith did not visit the state during the fall campaign, and polls throughout that season saw the state as safe for Hoover.[13][14]

Ultimately Hoover carried the state by 20.09 percentage points, which was at the time the best Republican result ever achieved in Indiana, although it was beaten in 1956, 1972, 1984 and 2004.[15]

Results

1928 United States presidential election in Indiana[16]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Herbert Hoover 848,290 59.68% 15
Democratic Alfred E. Smith 562,691 39.59% 0
Prohibition William F. Varney 5,496 0.39% 0
Socialist Norman Thomas 3,871 0.27% 0
Socialist Labor Verne L. Reynolds 645 0.05% 0
Workers William Z. Foster 321 0.02% 0
Totals 1,421,314 100.00% 15

Results by county

County Herbert Clark Hoover[17]
Republican
Alfred Emmanuel Smith[17]
Democratic
William Frederick Varney[17]
Prohibition
Norman Mattoon Thomas[17]
Socialist
Various candidates[17]
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Adams 4,045 49.70% 4,066 49.96% 22 0.27% 6 0.07% 0 0.00% -21 -0.26% 8,139
Allen 34,234 56.38% 26,292 43.30% 87 0.14% 64 0.11% 43 0.07% 7,942 13.08% 60,720
Bartholomew 6,788 57.76% 4,881 41.53% 39 0.33% 40 0.34% 4 0.03% 1,907 16.23% 11,752
Benton 3,360 58.37% 2,368 41.14% 18 0.31% 7 0.12% 3 0.05% 992 17.23% 5,756
Blackford 3,882 59.35% 2,576 39.38% 31 0.47% 47 0.72% 5 0.08% 1,306 19.97% 6,541
Boone 6,556 58.81% 4,500 40.37% 73 0.65% 15 0.13% 3 0.03% 2,056 18.44% 11,147
Brown 959 48.51% 999 50.53% 13 0.66% 3 0.15% 3 0.15% -40 -2.02% 1,977
Carroll 4,780 59.54% 3,182 39.64% 64 0.80% 2 0.02% 0 0.00% 1,598 19.91% 8,028
Cass 10,522 61.31% 6,522 38.00% 68 0.40% 46 0.27% 5 0.03% 4,000 23.31% 17,163
Clark 8,056 56.39% 6,193 43.35% 28 0.20% 8 0.06% 0 0.00% 1,863 13.04% 14,285
Clay 7,103 56.19% 5,358 42.39% 60 0.47% 111 0.88% 9 0.07% 1,745 13.80% 12,641
Clinton 7,606 55.89% 5,895 43.31% 95 0.70% 13 0.10% 1 0.01% 1,711 12.57% 13,610
Crawford 2,672 57.39% 1,933 41.52% 33 0.71% 17 0.37% 1 0.02% 739 15.87% 4,656
Daviess 7,116 56.73% 5,324 42.45% 24 0.19% 74 0.59% 5 0.04% 1,792 14.29% 12,543
Dearborn 6,334 58.49% 4,459 41.18% 22 0.20% 12 0.11% 2 0.02% 1,875 17.31% 10,829
Decatur 5,400 58.40% 3,791 41.00% 36 0.39% 15 0.16% 4 0.04% 1,609 17.40% 9,246
DeKalb 7,373 64.04% 4,077 35.41% 52 0.45% 12 0.10% 0 0.00% 3,296 28.63% 11,514
Delaware 19,102 68.79% 8,532 30.72% 72 0.26% 54 0.19% 10 0.04% 10,570 38.06% 27,770
Dubois 3,301 35.18% 6,044 64.41% 15 0.16% 17 0.18% 7 0.07% -2,743 -29.23% 9,384
Elkhart 20,876 74.76% 6,900 24.71% 71 0.25% 62 0.22% 15 0.05% 13,976 50.05% 27,924
Fayette 5,874 62.63% 3,455 36.84% 29 0.31% 18 0.19% 3 0.03% 2,419 25.79% 9,379
Floyd 10,471 58.49% 7,327 40.93% 51 0.28% 42 0.23% 11 0.06% 3,144 17.56% 17,902
Fountain 4,960 55.60% 3,894 43.65% 43 0.48% 23 0.26% 1 0.01% 1,066 11.95% 8,921
Franklin 3,426 47.19% 3,817 52.58% 11 0.15% 5 0.07% 1 0.01% -391 -5.39% 7,260
Fulton 4,627 61.09% 2,881 38.04% 62 0.82% 4 0.05% 0 0.00% 1,746 23.05% 7,574
Gibson 8,137 57.07% 5,882 41.25% 123 0.86% 99 0.69% 18 0.13% 2,255 15.81% 14,259
Grant 14,659 65.98% 7,273 32.74% 123 0.55% 146 0.66% 15 0.07% 7,386 33.25% 22,216
Greene 8,262 57.81% 5,761 40.31% 70 0.49% 172 1.20% 26 0.18% 2,501 17.50% 14,291
Hamilton 7,690 67.60% 3,611 31.75% 70 0.62% 4 0.04% 0 0.00% 4,079 35.86% 11,375
Hancock 4,788 56.49% 3,626 42.78% 51 0.60% 10 0.12% 1 0.01% 1,162 13.71% 8,476
Harrison 4,440 54.43% 3,664 44.91% 39 0.48% 11 0.13% 4 0.05% 776 9.51% 8,158
Hendricks 5,954 64.79% 3,181 34.61% 40 0.44% 13 0.14% 2 0.02% 2,773 30.17% 9,190
Henry 10,502 68.53% 4,554 29.72% 224 1.46% 41 0.27% 3 0.02% 5,948 38.81% 15,324
Howard 12,632 66.89% 5,930 31.40% 205 1.09% 106 0.56% 12 0.06% 6,702 35.49% 18,885
Huntington 8,323 58.88% 5,678 40.17% 85 0.60% 42 0.30% 8 0.06% 2,645 18.71% 14,136
Jackson 5,151 49.78% 5,130 49.58% 48 0.46% 15 0.14% 3 0.03% 21 0.20% 10,347
Jasper 3,700 65.65% 1,915 33.98% 19 0.34% 1 0.02% 1 0.02% 1,785 31.67% 5,636
Jay 5,998 55.31% 4,759 43.89% 74 0.68% 9 0.08% 4 0.04% 1,239 11.43% 10,844
Jefferson 5,295 57.24% 3,906 42.22% 40 0.43% 8 0.09% 2 0.02% 1,389 15.01% 9,251
Jennings 3,705 60.76% 2,369 38.85% 20 0.33% 3 0.05% 1 0.02% 1,336 21.91% 6,098
Johnson 5,513 54.30% 4,548 44.80% 76 0.75% 14 0.14% 1 0.01% 965 9.51% 10,152
Knox 10,035 49.92% 9,837 48.93% 69 0.34% 144 0.72% 19 0.09% 198 0.98% 20,104
Kosciusko 7,973 63.18% 4,537 35.95% 82 0.65% 20 0.16% 8 0.06% 3,436 27.23% 12,620
LaGrange 3,171 64.40% 1,720 34.93% 27 0.55% 3 0.06% 3 0.06% 1,451 29.47% 4,924
Lake 48,768 59.68% 32,321 39.55% 179 0.22% 242 0.30% 209 0.26% 16,447 20.13% 81,719
LaPorte 14,763 61.32% 9,254 38.44% 25 0.10% 25 0.10% 8 0.03% 5,509 22.88% 24,075
Lawrence 9,844 68.70% 4,428 30.90% 33 0.23% 22 0.15% 2 0.01% 5,416 37.80% 14,329
Madison 23,083 64.45% 12,496 34.89% 124 0.35% 104 0.29% 7 0.02% 10,587 29.56% 35,814
Marion 109,630 59.55% 73,309 39.82% 457 0.25% 479 0.26% 225 0.12% 36,321 19.73% 184,100
Marshall 6,738 60.24% 4,377 39.13% 60 0.54% 10 0.09% 0 0.00% 2,361 21.11% 11,185
Martin 2,450 51.88% 2,245 47.54% 11 0.23% 16 0.34% 0 0.00% 205 4.34% 4,722
Miami 8,318 59.19% 5,592 39.80% 100 0.71% 36 0.26% 6 0.04% 2,726 19.40% 14,052
Monroe 8,883 67.00% 4,317 32.56% 36 0.27% 23 0.17% 0 0.00% 4,566 34.44% 13,259
Montgomery 8,863 63.69% 4,960 35.64% 72 0.52% 20 0.14% 0 0.00% 3,903 28.05% 13,915
Morgan 5,464 57.76% 3,933 41.58% 39 0.41% 21 0.22% 3 0.03% 1,531 16.18% 9,460
Newton 3,053 64.48% 1,649 34.83% 21 0.44% 10 0.21% 2 0.04% 1,404 29.65% 4,735
Noble 6,338 59.76% 4,207 39.67% 42 0.40% 17 0.16% 1 0.01% 2,131 20.09% 10,605
Ohio 1,230 57.10% 911 42.29% 12 0.56% 1 0.05% 0 0.00% 319 14.81% 2,154
Orange 5,086 61.77% 3,112 37.79% 20 0.24% 10 0.12% 6 0.07% 1,974 23.97% 8,234
Owen 3,036 55.03% 2,420 43.86% 32 0.58% 28 0.51% 1 0.02% 616 11.17% 5,517
Parke 4,729 59.25% 3,165 39.66% 39 0.49% 47 0.59% 1 0.01% 1,564 19.60% 7,981
Perry 3,772 49.89% 3,782 50.02% 2 0.03% 5 0.07% 0 0.00% -10 -0.13% 7,561
Pike 4,190 54.61% 3,409 44.43% 32 0.42% 36 0.47% 6 0.08% 781 10.18% 7,673
Porter 7,107 70.44% 2,921 28.95% 26 0.26% 32 0.32% 4 0.04% 4,186 41.49% 10,090
Posey 4,396 51.80% 4,052 47.74% 22 0.26% 14 0.16% 3 0.04% 344 4.05% 8,487
Pulaski 2,738 56.43% 2,040 42.04% 68 1.40% 6 0.12% 0 0.00% 698 14.39% 4,852
Putnam 5,351 55.72% 4,177 43.50% 24 0.25% 43 0.45% 8 0.08% 1,174 12.23% 9,603
Randolph 8,368 71.32% 3,264 27.82% 93 0.79% 7 0.06% 1 0.01% 5,104 43.50% 11,733
Ripley 5,059 53.39% 4,387 46.30% 12 0.13% 15 0.16% 3 0.03% 672 7.09% 9,476
Rush 6,640 68.38% 2,996 30.85% 68 0.70% 7 0.07% 0 0.00% 3,644 37.52% 9,711
Scott 1,719 52.68% 1,527 46.80% 15 0.46% 2 0.06% 0 0.00% 192 5.88% 3,263
Shelby 7,516 56.14% 5,790 43.24% 70 0.52% 11 0.08% 2 0.01% 1,726 12.89% 13,389
Spencer 4,672 52.83% 4,152 46.95% 15 0.17% 2 0.02% 3 0.03% 520 5.88% 8,844
St. Joseph 36,844 57.56% 26,846 41.94% 169 0.26% 106 0.17% 41 0.06% 9,998 15.62% 64,006
Starke 2,759 57.32% 2,016 41.89% 12 0.25% 23 0.48% 3 0.06% 743 15.44% 4,813
Steuben 4,435 71.35% 1,730 27.83% 41 0.66% 9 0.14% 1 0.02% 2,705 43.52% 6,216
Sullivan 6,199 51.09% 5,642 46.50% 79 0.65% 184 1.52% 30 0.25% 557 4.59% 12,134
Switzerland 2,617 58.62% 1,805 40.43% 39 0.87% 3 0.07% 0 0.00% 812 18.19% 4,464
Tippecanoe 15,165 63.25% 8,720 36.37% 59 0.25% 28 0.12% 6 0.03% 6,445 26.88% 23,978
Tipton 4,774 59.30% 3,186 39.58% 74 0.92% 14 0.17% 2 0.02% 1,588 19.73% 8,050
Union 2,101 65.99% 1,069 33.57% 13 0.41% 1 0.03% 0 0.00% 1,032 32.41% 3,184
Vanderburgh 29,067 59.44% 19,646 40.17% 90 0.18% 62 0.13% 40 0.08% 9,421 19.26% 48,905
Vermillion 5,192 51.41% 4,793 47.46% 31 0.31% 75 0.74% 9 0.09% 399 3.95% 10,100
Vigo 22,962 54.71% 18,509 44.10% 95 0.23% 360 0.86% 42 0.10% 4,453 10.61% 41,968
Wabash 8,537 68.25% 3,872 30.96% 68 0.54% 25 0.20% 6 0.05% 4,665 37.30% 12,508
Warren 2,644 68.57% 1,188 30.81% 12 0.31% 10 0.26% 2 0.05% 1,456 37.76% 3,856
Warrick 4,603 54.12% 3,744 44.02% 138 1.62% 15 0.18% 5 0.06% 859 10.10% 8,505
Washington 3,835 51.96% 3,518 47.66% 19 0.26% 9 0.12% 0 0.00% 317 4.29% 7,381
Wayne 15,936 67.52% 7,547 31.98% 59 0.25% 56 0.24% 3 0.01% 8,389 35.55% 23,601
Wells 4,142 48.93% 4,246 50.16% 66 0.78% 8 0.09% 3 0.04% -104 -1.23% 8,465
White 4,534 60.01% 2,980 39.44% 28 0.37% 13 0.17% 1 0.01% 1,554 20.57% 7,556
Whitley 4,519 57.43% 3,294 41.86% 51 0.65% 2 0.03% 3 0.04% 1,225 15.57% 7,869
Totals848,29059.68%562,69139.59%5,4960.39%3,8710.27%9660.07%285,59920.09%1,421,314

See also

References

  1. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 343 ISBN 9780691163246
  2. Phillips, The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 356
  3. Paulson, Arthur C.; Electoral Realignment and the Outlook for American Democracy; p. 61 ISBN 1555536670
  4. Henning, Arthur Sears; ‘Democrats’ Hopes Seen in Corn Belt and the West East: Two Battlegrounds Chosen for Inroads on States Normally Republican’; The Washington Post, July 1, 1928, p. 4
  5. ‘Last Chance Gone for Nomination in the Open: Hoover's Defeat in Indiana Throws Control of Republican Convention Back Into Hands of Professionals’; Daily Boston Globe, May 13, 1928, p. B2
  6. ‘Indiana Offers to Shift to Gov. Smith On First Ballot After Casting Votes for Woolen’; The New York Times, June 23, 1928, p. 1
  7. ‘Farmers Urge Hoover to State Relief Plans: Indianans Ask for Specific Outline in Acceptance – Neither Ticket Is Endorsed’; The New York Times, July 13, 1928, p. 3
  8. ‘Declares Indiana Will Go for Hoover: Senator Watson Says Here That Nominee’s Farm Views Will Cut Present Disaffection’; The New York Times, July 17, 1928, p. 2
  9. ‘Indicated Strength of 1928 Candidates: Smith’s Chances in National Contest Compared with Coolidge and Hoover Slate of Votes’; The Wall Street Journal, May 26, 1928, p. 2
  10. ‘Indiana Democrats Uphold Dry Plank: Smith Will Enforce the Law Better Than Those in Power, It Is Held’; The Washington Post, July 17, 1928, p. 5
  11. Oulahan, Richard V.; ‘Republicans Turn to Fight in East; Think West Is Safe: Work’s Coming Visit to This Region Stresses Belief That This Is Chief Battleground’; The New York Times, August 26, 1928, p. 1
  12. ‘Brookhart Visions Hoover Prosperity: Iowa Insurgent Asserts Republican Victory Will Solve Agricultural Problem’; The New York Times, August 27, 1928, p. 5
  13. Tucker, Robert G.; ‘Indiana for Hoover Party Leaders Say: But Figures on Majority Are Being Reduced; Klan Backs G.O.P. State Fight Is in Doubt’; The Washington Post, September 16, 1928, p. M4
  14. Tucker, Robert G.; ‘Big Odd Are Faced by Smith in Indiana: Held to Have Hardest Fight of Any Democrat in Recent Years. G.O.P. Majority Claimed’; The Washington Post, September 30, 1928, p. M4
  15. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Indiana". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
  16. "1928 Presidential General Election Results – Indiana". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved 2013-08-02.
  17. Our Campaigns; IN US President Race, November 06, 1928
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