# 1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956. Republican nominee Vernon W. Thomson defeated Democratic nominee William Proxmire with 51.89% of the vote. Proxmire was defeated for the third consecutive gubernatorial election; he would subsequently win a special election for the United States Senate the following year after the death of Joseph McCarthy.

## Primary election

The primary election was held on September 11, 1956. Both major party candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.

### Republican party
#### Candidates

* Vernon W. Thomson, Attorney General of Wisconsin since 1951.

#### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Vernon W. Thomson | 400,442 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 400,442 | 100.00% |

### Democratic party
#### Candidates

* William Proxmire, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1951–53 and Democratic nominee for Governor in 1952 and 1954

#### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | William Proxmire | 265,475 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 265,475 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* William Proxmire, Democrat
* Vernon W. Thomson, Republican

### Results

1956 Wisconsin gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Vernon W. Thomson | 808,273 | 51.89% | +0.43% |
| | Democratic | William Proxmire | 749,421 | 48.11% | −0.29% |
| | | Scattering | 94 | 0.01% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 58,852 | 3.78% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,557,788 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | +0.72% | |

### Results by county

After this election, Taylor County would not vote Republican again until 1978.
| County | Vernon W. Thomson Republican | Vernon W. Thomson Republican | William Proxmire Democratic | William Proxmire Democratic | Scattering Write-in | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 1,652 | 52.98% | 1,466 | 47.02% | 0 | 0.00% | 186 | 5.97% | 3,118 |
| Ashland | 3,584 | 46.55% | 4,115 | 53.45% | 0 | 0.00% | -531 | -6.90% | 7,699 |
| Barron | 7,584 | 54.38% | 6,362 | 45.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,222 | 8.76% | 13,946 |
| Bayfield | 2,730 | 48.38% | 2,913 | 51.62% | 0 | 0.00% | -183 | -3.24% | 5,643 |
| Brown | 26,181 | 56.45% | 20,192 | 43.54% | 2 | 0.00% | 5,989 | 12.91% | 46,375 |
| Buffalo | 3,030 | 55.20% | 2,459 | 44.80% | 0 | 0.00% | 571 | 10.40% | 5,489 |
| Burnett | 2,109 | 51.70% | 1,970 | 48.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 139 | 3.41% | 4,079 |
| Calumet | 5,370 | 64.88% | 2,905 | 35.10% | 2 | 0.02% | 2,465 | 29.78% | 8,277 |
| Chippewa | 8,228 | 49.95% | 8,246 | 50.05% | 0 | 0.00% | -18 | -0.11% | 16,474 |
| Clark | 6,926 | 54.06% | 5,886 | 45.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,040 | 8.12% | 12,812 |
| Columbia | 9,265 | 59.74% | 6,243 | 40.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,022 | 19.49% | 15,508 |
| Crawford | 3,593 | 53.70% | 3,098 | 46.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 495 | 7.40% | 6,691 |
| Dane | 34,496 | 43.47% | 44,851 | 56.52% | 9 | 0.01% | -10,355 | -13.05% | 79,356 |
| Dodge | 15,244 | 61.23% | 9,652 | 38.77% | 0 | 0.00% | 5,592 | 22.46% | 24,896 |
| Door | 5,929 | 69.50% | 2,602 | 30.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,327 | 39.00% | 8,531 |
| Douglas | 8,283 | 41.16% | 11,841 | 58.84% | 1 | 0.00% | -3,558 | -17.68% | 20,125 |
| Dunn | 5,838 | 55.80% | 4,624 | 44.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,214 | 11.60% | 10,462 |
| Eau Claire | 11,631 | 50.32% | 11,485 | 49.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 146 | 0.63% | 23,116 |
| Florence | 841 | 50.06% | 839 | 49.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.12% | 1,680 |
| Fond du Lac | 18,424 | 61.19% | 11,685 | 38.81% | 1 | 0.00% | 6,739 | 22.38% | 30,110 |
| Forest | 1,502 | 42.26% | 2,052 | 57.74% | 0 | 0.00% | -550 | -15.48% | 3,554 |
| Grant | 10,929 | 65.72% | 5,699 | 34.27% | 1 | 0.01% | 5,230 | 31.45% | 16,629 |
| Green | 6,090 | 56.97% | 4,599 | 43.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,491 | 13.95% | 10,689 |
| Green Lake | 4,944 | 69.90% | 2,128 | 30.09% | 1 | 0.01% | 2,816 | 39.81% | 7,073 |
| Iowa | 4,762 | 56.99% | 3,594 | 43.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,168 | 13.98% | 8,356 |
| Iron | 1,367 | 34.57% | 2,587 | 65.43% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,220 | -30.85% | 3,954 |
| Jackson | 3,033 | 48.47% | 3,224 | 51.52% | 1 | 0.02% | -191 | -3.05% | 6,258 |
| Jefferson | 11,511 | 57.26% | 8,591 | 42.73% | 1 | 0.00% | 2,920 | 14.53% | 20,103 |
| Juneau | 4,660 | 62.16% | 2,837 | 37.84% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,823 | 24.32% | 7,497 |
| Kenosha | 16,273 | 41.98% | 22,494 | 58.02% | 1 | 0.00% | -6,221 | -16.05% | 38,768 |
| Kewaunee | 4,127 | 55.78% | 3,272 | 44.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 855 | 11.56% | 7,399 |
| La Crosse | 15,498 | 51.79% | 14,427 | 48.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,071 | 3.58% | 29,925 |
| Lafayette | 4,381 | 55.10% | 3,570 | 44.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 811 | 10.20% | 7,951 |
| Langlade | 4,261 | 54.64% | 3,537 | 45.36% | 0 | 0.00% | 724 | 9.28% | 7,798 |
| Lincoln | 5,664 | 60.42% | 3,711 | 39.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,953 | 20.83% | 9,375 |
| Manitowoc | 14,224 | 48.64% | 15,017 | 51.35% | 1 | 0.00% | -793 | -2.71% | 29,242 |
| Marathon | 17,802 | 46.42% | 20,545 | 53.58% | 0 | 0.00% | -2,743 | -7.15% | 38,347 |
| Marinette | 8,054 | 56.54% | 6,190 | 43.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,864 | 13.09% | 14,244 |
| Marquette | 2,528 | 66.65% | 1,264 | 33.32% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,264 | 33.32% | 3,793 |
| Milwaukee | 180,462 | 44.02% | 229,443 | 55.97% | 27 | 0.01% | -48,981 | -11.95% | 409,932 |
| Monroe | 6,712 | 56.99% | 5,065 | 43.00% | 1 | 0.01% | 1,647 | 13.98% | 11,778 |
| Oconto | 6,109 | 58.61% | 4,314 | 41.39% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,795 | 17.22% | 10,423 |
| Oneida | 5,177 | 53.68% | 4,467 | 46.31% | 1 | 0.01% | 710 | 7.36% | 9,645 |
| Outagamie | 23,037 | 66.33% | 11,694 | 33.67% | 0 | 0.00% | 11,343 | 32.66% | 34,731 |
| Ozaukee | 8,066 | 57.90% | 5,864 | 42.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,202 | 15.81% | 13,930 |
| Pepin | 1,689 | 58.54% | 1,196 | 41.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 493 | 17.09% | 2,885 |
| Pierce | 5,343 | 57.78% | 3,904 | 42.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,439 | 15.56% | 9,247 |
| Polk | 5,279 | 49.64% | 5,356 | 50.36% | 0 | 0.00% | -77 | -0.72% | 10,635 |
| Portage | 6,357 | 41.42% | 8,991 | 58.58% | 1 | 0.01% | -2,634 | -17.16% | 15,349 |
| Price | 3,430 | 51.37% | 3,247 | 48.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 183 | 2.74% | 6,677 |
| Racine | 25,987 | 46.85% | 29,453 | 53.10% | 26 | 0.05% | -3,466 | -6.25% | 55,466 |
| Richland | 4,747 | 59.72% | 3,200 | 40.26% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,547 | 19.46% | 7,949 |
| Rock | 25,495 | 59.25% | 17,531 | 40.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 7,964 | 18.51% | 43,026 |
| Rusk | 3,112 | 49.19% | 3,215 | 50.81% | 0 | 0.00% | -103 | -1.63% | 6,327 |
| Sauk | 9,715 | 60.12% | 6,443 | 39.87% | 1 | 0.01% | 3,272 | 20.25% | 16,159 |
| Sawyer | 2,474 | 58.09% | 1,785 | 41.91% | 0 | 0.00% | 689 | 16.18% | 4,259 |
| Shawano | 8,698 | 65.95% | 4,489 | 34.04% | 1 | 0.01% | 4,209 | 31.92% | 13,188 |
| Sheboygan | 20,359 | 52.97% | 18,078 | 47.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,281 | 5.93% | 38,437 |
| St. Croix | 6,256 | 51.72% | 5,840 | 48.28% | 0 | 0.00% | 416 | 3.44% | 12,096 |
| Taylor | 3,388 | 51.07% | 3,245 | 48.91% | 1 | 0.02% | 143 | 2.16% | 6,634 |
| Trempealeau | 4,766 | 48.66% | 5,029 | 51.34% | 0 | 0.00% | -263 | -2.69% | 9,795 |
| Vernon | 5,438 | 48.45% | 5,787 | 51.55% | 0 | 0.00% | -349 | -3.11% | 11,225 |
| Vilas | 3,109 | 53.50% | 1,787 | 36.50% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,322 | 27.00% | 4,896 |
| Walworth | 14,895 | 69.01% | 6,688 | 30.98% | 2 | 0.01% | 8,207 | 38.02% | 21,585 |
| Washburn | 2,573 | 55.14% | 2,093 | 44.86% | 0 | 0.00% | 480 | 10.29% | 4,666 |
| Washington | 10,004 | 60.09% | 6,645 | 39.91% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,359 | 20.18% | 16,649 |
| Waukesha | 29,573 | 57.94% | 21,465 | 42.05% | 6 | 0.01% | 8,108 | 15.88% | 51,044 |
| Waupaca | 11,060 | 73.08% | 4,074 | 26.92% | 0 | 0.00% | 6,986 | 46.16% | 15,134 |
| Waushara | 4,377 | 71.19% | 1,771 | 28.81% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,606 | 42.39% | 6,148 |
| Winnebago | 25,638 | 62.93% | 15,101 | 37.06% | 3 | 0.01% | 10,537 | 25.86% | 40,742 |
| Wood | 12,400 | 56.91% | 9,389 | 43.09% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,011 | 13.82% | 21,789 |
| Total | 808,273 | 51.89% | 749,421 | 48.11% | 94 | 0.01% | 58,852 | 3.78% | 1,557,788 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Eau Claire
* Florence
* Langlade
* Price
* Taylor

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Polk