# 1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1954.
Incumbent Republican Governor Walter J. Kohler Jr. defeated Democratic nominee William Proxmire in a rematch of the 1952 election with 51.45% of the vote.

## Primary election

Primary elections were held on September 14, 1954.

### Democratic party
#### Candidates

* James E. Doyle, former chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party
* William Proxmire, Democratic nominee for governor in 1952

#### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | William Proxmire | 141,548 | 62.43% |
| | Democratic | James E. Doyle | 85,187 | 37.57% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 226,735 | 100.00% |

### Republican party
#### Candidates

* Walter J. Kohler Jr., incumbent governor

#### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Walter J. Kohler Jr. (incumbent) | 331,006 | 100.00% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 331,006 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* William Proxmire, Democratic
* Walter J. Kohler Jr., Republican
* Arthur Wepfer, Socialist Labor

### Results

1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Walter J. Kohler Jr. (incumbent) | 596,158 | 51.45% | −11.03% |
| | Democratic | William Proxmire | 560,747 | 48.40% | +11.13% |
| | Socialist Labor | Arthur Wepfer | 1,722 | 0.15% | |
| | | Scattering | 39 | 0.00% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35,411 | 3.06% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,158,666 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | -22.16% | |

### Results by county

Proxmire was the first Democrat since George W. Peck in 1904 to win Florence County. By voting for Proxmire, Rusk County backed the losing candidate for the first time since its establishment in 1901.
| County | Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican | Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican | William Proxmire Democratic | William Proxmire Democratic | Arthur Wepfer Socialist Labor | Arthur Wepfer Socialist Labor | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 1,440 | 51.01% | 1,380 | 48.88% | 3 | 0.11% | 60 | 2.13% | 2,823 |
| Ashland | 2,730 | 44.40% | 3,414 | 55.52% | 5 | 0.08% | -684 | -11.12% | 6,149 |
| Barron | 5,874 | 52.81% | 5,245 | 47.15% | 4 | 0.04% | 629 | 5.65% | 11,123 |
| Bayfield | 1,978 | 45.82% | 2,327 | 53.90% | 0 | 0.00% | -349 | -8.08% | 4,317 |
| Brown | 18,832 | 54.00% | 16,009 | 45.91% | 32 | 0.09% | 2,823 | 8.09% | 34,874 |
| Buffalo | 2,290 | 54.32% | 1,926 | 45.68% | 0 | 0.00% | 364 | 8.63% | 4,216 |
| Burnett | 1,602 | 50.60% | 1,559 | 49.24% | 3 | 0.09% | 43 | 1.36% | 3,166 |
| Calumet | 4,244 | 65.47% | 2,235 | 34.48% | 2 | 0.03% | 2,009 | 30.99% | 6,482 |
| Chippewa | 6,212 | 49.01% | 6,452 | 50.90% | 11 | 0.09% | -240 | -1.89% | 12,675 |
| Clark | 5,593 | 52.10% | 5,142 | 47.90% | 0 | 0.00% | 451 | 4.20% | 10,735 |
| Columbia | 6,431 | 59.35% | 4,390 | 40.51% | 15 | 0.14% | 2,041 | 18.84% | 10,836 |
| Crawford | 3,388 | 56.83% | 2,569 | 43.09% | 5 | 0.08% | 819 | 13.74% | 5,962 |
| Dane | 25,220 | 42.78% | 33,634 | 57.05% | 98 | 0.17% | -8,414 | -14.27% | 58,955 |
| Dodge | 11,429 | 61.42% | 7,168 | 38.52% | 11 | 0.06% | 4,261 | 22.90% | 18,608 |
| Door | 4,399 | 64.28% | 2,444 | 35.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,955 | 28.57% | 6,843 |
| Douglas | 6,393 | 37.48% | 10,655 | 62.47% | 9 | 0.05% | -4,262 | -24.99% | 17,057 |
| Dunn | 4,367 | 54.17% | 3,692 | 45.80% | 1 | 0.01% | 675 | 8.37% | 8,062 |
| Eau Claire | 8,228 | 47.36% | 9,111 | 52.44% | 34 | 0.20% | -883 | -5.08% | 17,374 |
| Florence | 741 | 48.15% | 786 | 51.07% | 12 | 0.78% | -45 | -2.92% | 1,539 |
| Fond du Lac | 14,436 | 63.08% | 8,423 | 36.80% | 27 | 0.12% | 6,013 | 26.27% | 22,886 |
| Forest | 1,320 | 39.04% | 2,055 | 60.78% | 6 | 0.18% | -735 | -21.74% | 3,381 |
| Grant | 8,545 | 70.27% | 3,595 | 29.56% | 20 | 0.16% | 4,950 | 40.70% | 12,161 |
| Green | 4,986 | 65.25% | 2,648 | 34.66% | 7 | 0.09% | 2,338 | 30.60% | 7,641 |
| Green Lake | 3,838 | 72.57% | 1,443 | 27.28% | 8 | 0.15% | 2,395 | 45.28% | 5,289 |
| Iowa | 3,233 | 56.41% | 2,493 | 43.50% | 5 | 0.09% | 740 | 12.91% | 5,731 |
| Iron | 1,258 | 33.74% | 2,464 | 66.08% | 7 | 0.19% | -1,206 | -32.34% | 3,729 |
| Jackson | 2,552 | 45.27% | 3,077 | 54.59% | 8 | 0.14% | -525 | -9.31% | 5,637 |
| Jefferson | 8,503 | 56.37% | 6,573 | 43.58% | 8 | 0.05% | 1,930 | 12.80% | 15,084 |
| Juneau | 3,466 | 60.66% | 2,231 | 39.04% | 17 | 0.30% | 1,235 | 21.61% | 5,714 |
| Kenosha | 12,759 | 41.29% | 18,120 | 58.64% | 21 | 0.07% | -5,361 | -17.35% | 30,900 |
| Kewaunee | 3,558 | 54.35% | 2,982 | 45.55% | 6 | 0.09% | 576 | 8.80% | 6,546 |
| La Crosse | 12,023 | 53.24% | 10,497 | 46.48% | 64 | 0.28% | 1,526 | 6.76% | 22,584 |
| Lafayette | 2,976 | 58.57% | 2,104 | 41.41% | 1 | 0.02% | 872 | 17.16% | 5,081 |
| Langlade | 3,460 | 48.62% | 3,649 | 51.28% | 7 | 0.10% | -189 | -2.66% | 7,116 |
| Lincoln | 4,166 | 56.99% | 3,141 | 42.97% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,025 | 14.02% | 7,310 |
| Manitowoc | 11,118 | 48.96% | 11,557 | 50.89% | 35 | 0.15% | -439 | -1.93% | 22,710 |
| Marathon | 11,771 | 44.75% | 14,488 | 55.08% | 45 | 0.17% | -2,717 | -10.33% | 26,304 |
| Marinette | 5,671 | 51.27% | 5,387 | 48.70% | 4 | 0.04% | 284 | 2.57% | 11,062 |
| Marquette | 2,225 | 67.61% | 1,062 | 32.27% | 4 | 0.12% | 1,163 | 35.34% | 3,291 |
| Milwaukee | 129,318 | 44.16% | 162,858 | 55.62% | 631 | 0.22% | -33,540 | -11.45% | 292,815 |
| Monroe | 4,603 | 56.58% | 3,530 | 43.39% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,073 | 13.19% | 8,136 |
| Oconto | 4,606 | 54.91% | 3,776 | 45.01% | 7 | 0.08% | 830 | 9.89% | 8,389 |
| Oneida | 3,766 | 53.52% | 3,266 | 46.42% | 4 | 0.06% | 500 | 7.11% | 7,036 |
| Outagamie | 16,565 | 65.12% | 8,826 | 34.70% | 45 | 0.18% | 7,739 | 30.43% | 25,436 |
| Ozaukee | 5,557 | 58.50% | 3,930 | 41.37% | 12 | 0.13% | 1,627 | 17.13% | 9,499 |
| Pepin | 1,141 | 57.66% | 835 | 42.19% | 2 | 0.10% | 306 | 15.46% | 1,979 |
| Pierce | 4,363 | 60.61% | 2,827 | 39.27% | 9 | 0.13% | 1,536 | 21.34% | 7,199 |
| Polk | 3,901 | 51.84% | 3,616 | 48.05% | 8 | 0.11% | 285 | 3.79% | 7,525 |
| Portage | 5,168 | 40.42% | 7,605 | 59.48% | 11 | 0.09% | -2,437 | -19.06% | 12,785 |
| Price | 2,692 | 47.12% | 3,002 | 52.55% | 19 | 0.33% | -310 | -5.43% | 5,713 |
| Racine | 19,158 | 45.80% | 22,634 | 54.11% | 34 | 0.08% | -3,476 | -8.31% | 41,826 |
| Richland | 3,949 | 60.20% | 2,603 | 39.68% | 6 | 0.09% | 1,346 | 20.52% | 6,560 |
| Rock | 16,633 | 58.27% | 11,852 | 41.52% | 60 | 0.21% | 4,781 | 16.75% | 28,545 |
| Rusk | 2,447 | 49.86% | 2,448 | 49.88% | 11 | 0.22% | -1 | -0.02% | 4,908 |
| Sauk | 7,065 | 59.40% | 4,816 | 40.49% | 12 | 0.10% | 2,249 | 18.91% | 11,893 |
| Sawyer | 2,078 | 59.05% | 1,439 | 40.89% | 2 | 0.06% | 639 | 18.16% | 3,519 |
| Shawano | 6,566 | 64.32% | 3,634 | 35.60% | 8 | 0.08% | 2,932 | 28.72% | 10,208 |
| Sheboygan | 18,512 | 55.28% | 14,821 | 44.26% | 153 | 0.46% | 3,691 | 11.02% | 33,486 |
| St. Croix | 4,700 | 53.10% | 4,148 | 46.86% | 4 | 0.05% | 552 | 6.24% | 8,852 |
| Taylor | 2,399 | 46.83% | 2,713 | 52.96% | 11 | 0.21% | -314 | -6.13% | 5,123 |
| Trempealeau | 3,680 | 47.30% | 4,095 | 52.63% | 5 | 0.06% | -415 | -5.33% | 7,780 |
| Vernon | 4,099 | 48.57% | 4,337 | 51.39% | 3 | 0.04% | -238 | -2.82% | 8,439 |
| Vilas | 2,564 | 63.70% | 1,457 | 36.20% | 4 | 0.10% | 1,107 | 27.50% | 4,025 |
| Walworth | 9,622 | 68.86% | 4,339 | 31.05% | 13 | 0.09% | 5,283 | 37.81% | 13,974 |
| Washburn | 1,948 | 52.39% | 1,768 | 47.55% | 2 | 0.05% | 180 | 4.84% | 3,718 |
| Washington | 6,924 | 64.54% | 3,804 | 35.46% | 0 | 0.00% | 3,120 | 29.08% | 10,728 |
| Waukesha | 20,358 | 57.53% | 15,001 | 42.39% | 26 | 0.07% | 5,357 | 15.14% | 35,386 |
| Waupaca | 8,185 | 71.44% | 3,266 | 28.51% | 5 | 0.04% | 4,919 | 42.93% | 11,457 |
| Waushara | 3,386 | 72.03% | 1,305 | 27.76% | 10 | 0.21% | 2,081 | 44.27% | 4,701 |
| Winnebago | 18,428 | 62.21% | 11,170 | 37.71% | 26 | 0.09% | 7,258 | 24.50% | 29,624 |
| Wood | 8,522 | 55.16% | 6,899 | 44.66% | 28 | 0.18% | 1,623 | 10.51% | 15,449 |
| Total | 596,158 | 51.45% | 560,747 | 48.40% | 1,722 | 0.15% | 35,411 | 3.06% | 1,158,666 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Ashland
* Bayfield
* Chippewa
* Dane
* Douglas
* Eau Claire
* Florence
* Forest
* Jackson
* Kenosha
* Langlade
* Manitowoc
* Marathon
* Portage
* Price
* Racine
* Rusk
* Taylor
* Trempealeau
* Vernon