1928 United States presidential election in Delaware
November 6, 1928
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County results
Hoover 50–60% 60–70%
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The 1928 United States presidential election in Delaware took place on November 6, 1928. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1928 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.
Delaware was won by Republican former Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover of California, who was running against Democratic Governor of New York Alfred E. Smith. Hoover's running mate was Senate Majority Leader Charles Curtis of Kansas, while Smith's running mate was Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson of Arkansas.
Hoover won with a majority of 65.83% of the vote to Smith's 33.80%, a margin of 32.03%. Socialist candidate Norman Thomas finished a distant third, with 0.31%. Hoover's performance is the best by any presidential candidate in Delaware, surpassing its nearest rival from Barack Obama in 2008 by 3.12%.[1] In this election, Delaware voted 13% to the right of the nation at-large.[2]
Results
| Party | Pledged to | Elector | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | Herbert Hoover | Charles Warner | 68,860 | |
| Republican Party | Herbert Hoover | William T. Chipman | 68,707 | |
| Republican Party | Herbert Hoover | Frank L. Grier | 68,580 | |
| Democratic Party | Al Smith | James Rogers Holcomb | 35,354 | |
| Democratic Party | Al Smith | Andrew J. Lynch | 35,225 | |
| Democratic Party | Al Smith | Robert Y. Wallen | 35,150[a] | |
| Socialist Party | Norman Thomas | Fred W. Whiteside | 329 | |
| Socialist Party | Norman Thomas | Thomas E. White | 287 | |
| Socialist Party | Norman Thomas | Theodore Burrier | 283 | |
| Workers Party | William Z. Foster | Albert S. Walton | 59 | |
| Workers Party | William Z. Foster | Rose Richterman | 58 | |
| Workers Party | William Z. Foster | Arthur S. Bernardini | 55 | |
| Votes cast[b] | 104,602 | |||
Results by county
| County | Herbert Hoover Republican |
Al Smith Democratic |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Kent | 8,335 | 59.16% | 5,727 | 40.65% | 27 | 0.19% | 2,608 | 18.51% | 14,089 |
| New Castle | 47,641 | 67.66% | 22,464 | 31.90% | 307 | 0.44% | 25,177 | 35.76% | 70,412 |
| Sussex | 12,884 | 64.10% | 7,163 | 35.64% | 54 | 0.26% | 5,721 | 28.46% | 20,101 |
| Totals | 68,860 | 65.03% | 36,643 | 34.60% | 388 | 0.37% | 32,217 | 30.43% | 105,891 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
See also
Notes
- ^ The stated total for Wallen is 36,643 but this is clearly a mistake and wildly inconsistent with the rest of the Democratic ticket. Part of the discrepancy is possibly attributable to Sussex County. Some earlier newspaper reports give Wallen's total there as 7,446, but that itself is a mistake because the results of the individual districts do not add up to that figure. The 11/9/1928 Milford Chronicle lists the official Sussex County vote, giving Wallen 7,013, which is also a typo because the district figures add up to 7,113, which is the figure used in the official statewide canvass.
- ^ Based on highest elector on each ticket
References
- ^ "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Delaware". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Proclamation - State of Delaware, Executive Department". The Milford Chronicle. Milford. November 23, 1928. p. 12. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ "Proclamation - State of Delaware, Executive Department". The Evening Journal. Wilmington. November 22, 1928. p. 22. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ "Candidates". The Evening Journal. Wilmington. October 20, 1928. p. 9. Retrieved December 17, 2025.