1928 United States presidential election in Indiana

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 59.7% 39.6%

County Results

President before election

Calvin Coolidge
Republican

Elected President

Herbert Hoover
Republican

A presidential election was held in Indiana on November 6, 1928, as part of the 1928 United States presidential election. The Republican ticket of the U.S. secretary of commerce Herbert Hoover and the senior U.S. senator from Kansas Charles Curtis defeated the Democratic ticket of the governor of New York Al Smith and the senior U.S. senator from Arkansas Joseph T. Robinson. Hoover defeated Smith in the national election with 444 electoral votes.[1]

Indiana was seen as critical to Smith's chances in the national election;[2] however, by early July, observers predicted that the opposition of the politically powerful Indiana Ku Klux Klan and the Anti-Saloon League would make it impossible for Smith to carry the state.[3] Hoover blamed Democrats and the Federal Reserve System for the interwar farm crisis in a campaign visit to Indiana in late August,[4] but the Indiana Farm Bureau did not endorse either ticket.[5] Smith's Catholicism, opposition to Prohibition, and association with Tammany Hall alienated progressives who branded the candidate as a "patron of gambling and vice." Anti-Catholic dog whistles marked the Republican campaign in Indiana, leading Protestants across denominational lines to vote for Hoover. Hoover's national surrogates warned that Smith would "flood the nation with unsavory immigrants," create an epidemic of alcoholism, and open the path to state socialism.[6] When Smith's train crossed into Indiana, he was greeted by a burning cross visible from the window of his car.[7]

Background

Partisan coalitions in Indiana at the turn of the century reflected the regional, ethnic, and religious roots of the settler population, with the descendants of White Southerners, German Americans, and Irish Americans (especially Catholics) voting reliably Democratic, while Yankees, Nordic and Scandinavian Americans, and British Americans favored the Republican Party. Southern Indiana leaned Democratic and Northern Indiana leaned Republican, in line with the loose correlation between ethnicity and geography. The state's notable concentration of German Catholics contributed to its closeness in presidential elections during the Third Party System relative to other Lower North states. William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign saw the state move more securely into the Republican column, as German Catholics alienated by Bryan's outspoken Evangelicalism, conservatives unnerved by the candidate's agrarian radicalism, and urban workers frightened by threats of mass layoffs in the event of a Bryan victory voted Republican for the first time. Following this political realignment, Woodrow Wilson became the only Democrat to carry Indiana during the Fourth Party System (1896–1932) in 1912. Republican support remained greater in urban areas than in rural areas based on the strength of Republican urban political machines.[8]

Primary elections

Republican Party

Indiana Republican primary, May 7, 1928[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James E. Watson 228,795 52.95
Republican Herbert Hoover 203,279 47.05
Total votes 432,074 100.00

Democratic Party

Indiana Democratic primary, May 7, 1928[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evans Woollen 146,934 100.00
Total votes 146,934 100.00

General election

Summary

Indiana chose 15 electors on a statewide general ticket. State law required voters to elect each member of the Electoral College individually, rather than as a group.[10] This sometimes resulted in small differences in the number of votes cast for electors pledged to the same presidential candidate, if some voters did not vote for all the electors nominated by a party.[11] The following table quotes the official returns published by the secretary of state of Indiana, which list the votes for the first elector on each ticket.[12]

1928 United States presidential election in Indiana[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Herbert Hoover
Charles Curtis
848,290 59.68 4.43
Democratic Al Smith
Joseph T. Robinson
562,691 39.59 0.90
Prohibition William F. Varney
James A. Edgerton
5,496 0.39 0.04
Socialist Norman Thomas
James H. Maurer
3,871 0.27 0.27
Socialist Labor Verne L. Reynolds
Jeremiah D. Crowley
645 0.05 0.05
Workers William Z. Foster
Benjamin Gitlow
321 0.02 0.06
Total votes 1,421,314 100.00

Results

1928 United States presidential election in Indiana[13]
Ticket Candidate Votes
Republican Arthur Binford 848,290
Republican Morris Ritchie 841,131
Republican Frank Gilkison 838,832
Republican James Boonshot 838,816
Republican Horace M. Trueblood 838,762
Republican William A. Guthrie 838,609
Republican Gail Roberts 838,384
Republican Benjamin F. Long 838,210
Republican Bert McKinney 838,145
Republican William M. Griffin 838,037
Republican G. Andrew Golden 838,029
Republican Charles W. Hanley 837,989
Republican Charles O. Roemler 837,807
Republican Harvey R. Swisher 837,565
Republican Oliver M. Kinnison 836,401
Democratic Meredith Nicholson 562,691
Democratic Robert W. Miers 561,316
Democratic George Badger 561,079
Democratic Lon E. Bernethy 560,758
Democratic Ephraim K. Strong 560,432
Democratic Leonard B. Marshall 560,362
Democratic Samuel E. Rauh 560,308
Democratic Jacob B. Cunningham 560,264
Democratic George W. Rauch 560,252
Democratic Samuel L. Trabue 560,195
Democratic Charles DeHority 560,183
Democratic James L. Romack 560,052
Democratic Michael F. Bohland 559,994
Democratic A. Clarence Thomas 559,283
Democratic Frederick Van Nuys 558,154
Prohibition Basil L. Allen 5,496
Prohibition Henry S. Bonsib 5,199
Prohibition Harlen Merrick 5,139
Prohibition John E. Thompson 5,106
Prohibition Jennie Brown 5,095
Prohibition Oliver P. Allen 5,091
Prohibition William F. Webster 5,090
Prohibition Ross S. Davis 5,080
Prohibition Stafford E. Homan 5,077
Prohibition James Robinette 5,053
Prohibition Morris Himler 5,042
Prohibition Margaretha M. Nold 5,004
Prohibition William Johnson 4,873
Prohibition William Elliot 4,867
Prohibition Samuel A. Kiger 4,863
Socialist Laura A. Allen 3,871
Socialist Ellsworth B. Mitten 3,713
Socialist William J. McMillen 3,711
Socialist Oscar Swiveley 3,708
Socialist George M. Larrair 3,705
Socialist Francisco D. Edwards 3,704
Socialist George T. Tilley 3,702
Socialist Doneto Ballerini 3,698
Socialist Silas Woods 3,691
Socialist Ingersol S. Walker 3,690
Socialist Gustav Pfoffman 3,680
Socialist Jacob E. Schrader 3,668
Socialist Forrest Wallace 3,592
Socialist Eugene Cooney 3,583
Socialist Joseph M. Arrington 3,574
Socialist Labor Alexander Burkhardt 645
Socialist Labor Roland Stevens 634
Workers Bertha Garner 321
Workers Blagoy Philips 314
Total votes
≈1,421,314

Results by county

1928 United States presidential election in Indiana by county[14]
County Herbert Hoover
Republican
Al Smith
Democratic
William F. Varney
Prohibition
Norman Thomas
Socialist
Others Margin Total
Votes Percent Votes Percent Votes Percent Votes Percent Votes Percent Votes Percent
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
TOTAL 848,290 59.68% 562,691 39.59% 5,496 0.39% 3,871 0.27% 966 0.07% 285,599 20.09% 1,421,314

See also

References

  1. ^ Petersen 1963, p. 89.
  2. ^ "Indicated Strength of 1928 Candidates: Smith's Chances in National Contest Compared with Coolidge and Hoover Slate of Votes". Wall Street Journal. May 26, 1928.
  3. ^
    • Henning, Arthur Sears (July 1, 1928). "Democrats' Hopes Seen in Corn Belt and the West East: Two Battlegrounds Chosen for Inroads on States Normally Republican". Washington Post.
    • Oulahan, Richard V. (August 26, 1928). "Republicans Turn to Fight in East; Think West Is Safe: Work's Coming Visit to This Region Stresses Belief That This Is Chief Battleground". New York Times.
    • Tucker, Robert G. (September 16, 1928). "Indiana for Hoover Party Leaders Say: But Figures on Majority Are Being Reduced; Klan Backs G.O.P. State Fight Is in Doubt". Washington Post.
    • Tucker, Robert G. (September 30, 1928). "Big Odds Are Faced by Smith in Indiana: Held to Have Hardest Fight of Any Democrat in Recent Years. G.O.P. Majority Claimed". Washington Post.
  4. ^ "Brookhart Visions Hoover Prosperity: Iowa Insurgent Asserts Republican Victory Will Solve Agricultural Problem". New York Times. August 27, 1928.
  5. ^ "Farmers Urge Hoover to State Relief Plans: Indianans Ask for Specific Outline in Acceptance; Neither Ticket Is Endorsed". New York Times. July 13, 1928.
  6. ^ Lichtman 1979, pp. 10–12, 54, 233–35, 276.
  7. ^ Madison 2020, p. 150.
  8. ^ Phillips 1969, pp. 332–36, 310, 337.
  9. ^ a b Congressional Quarterly 1985, p. 397.
  10. ^ Gause & Spencer 1928, p. 53.
  11. ^ Petersen 1963, pp. vii.
  12. ^ a b Indiana 1929, pp. 35–36.
  13. ^ Indiana 1929, p. 37.
  14. ^ Indiana 1929, pp. 34–35.

Bibliography