# 1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

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The 1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1879. Incumbent Republican Governor William E. Smith ran for re-election to a second term. The Democratic convention initially nominated Alexander Mitchell for Governor, but Mitchell declined the nomination; in his place, Milwaukee attorney James Graham Jenkins received the nomination. Smith and Jenkins also faced a Greenback candidate and a nominee from the nascent Prohibition Party in the general election. Jenkins ultimately won re-election in a landslide, winning 53% of the vote Jenkins's 40%. Reuben May, the Greenback nominee, received only 7% of the vote, a significant erosion from the Party's 15% in 1877.

## Results

1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | William E. Smith (inc.) | 100,535 | 53.19% | +8.98% |
| | Democratic | James G. Jenkins | 75,030 | 39.70% | +0.13% |
| | Greenback | Reuben May | 12,996 | 6.88% | −7.84% |
| | Prohibition | W. R. Bloomfield | 387 | 0.20% | −0.02% |
| | | Scattering | 57 | 0.03% | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,505 | 13.49% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 189,005 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | +8.85% | |

### Results by county

Smith was the first Republican to ever carry Milwaukee County. Participating in its first election, Marinette County voted for Smith and would continue to vote for the statewide winner in every election until 1932. After voting for Jenkins in this election, Shawano County would not back the losing candidate again until 1942.
| County | William E. Smith Republican | William E. Smith Republican | James G. Jenkins Democratic | James G. Jenkins Democratic | Reuben May Greenback | Reuben May Greenback | W. R. Bloomfield Prohibition | W. R. Bloomfield Prohibition | Scattering Write-in | Scattering Write-in | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 688 | 71.97% | 201 | 21.03% | 67 | 7.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 487 | 50.94% | 956 |
| Ashland | 177 | 61.03% | 113 | 38.97% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 64 | 22.07% | 290 |
| Barron | 709 | 71.47% | 280 | 28.23% | 2 | 0.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.10% | 429 | 43.25% | 992 |
| Bayfield | 83 | 73.45% | 30 | 26.55% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 53 | 46.90% | 113 |
| Brown | 2,030 | 46.15% | 2,250 | 51.15% | 117 | 2.66% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.05% | -220 | -5.00% | 4,399 |
| Buffalo | 1,324 | 61.58% | 815 | 37.91% | 11 | 0.51% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 509 | 23.67% | 2,150 |
| Burnett | 387 | 94.62% | 22 | 5.38% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 365 | 89.24% | 409 |
| Calumet | 777 | 30.75% | 1,519 | 60.11% | 215 | 8.51% | 15 | 0.59% | 1 | 0.04% | -742 | -29.36% | 2,527 |
| Chippewa | 816 | 46.00% | 785 | 44.25% | 172 | 9.70% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.06% | 31 | 1.75% | 1,774 |
| Clark | 1,005 | 66.87% | 347 | 23.09% | 151 | 10.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 658 | 43.78% | 1,503 |
| Columbia | 2,762 | 60.49% | 1,673 | 36.64% | 126 | 2.76% | 5 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,089 | 23.85% | 4,566 |
| Crawford | 938 | 46.74% | 755 | 37.62% | 314 | 15.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 183 | 9.12% | 2,007 |
| Dane | 4,623 | 50.21% | 4,072 | 44.22% | 501 | 5.44% | 6 | 0.07% | 6 | 0.07% | 551 | 5.98% | 9,208 |
| Dodge | 2,670 | 37.44% | 4,139 | 58.03% | 309 | 4.33% | 13 | 0.18% | 1 | 0.01% | -1,469 | -20.60% | 7,132 |
| Door | 613 | 59.86% | 94 | 9.18% | 315 | 30.76% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.20% | 298 | 29.10% | 1,024 |
| Douglas | 39 | 61.90% | 24 | 38.10% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 15 | 23.81% | 63 |
| Dunn | 1,356 | 68.48% | 621 | 31.36% | 3 | 0.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 735 | 37.12% | 1,980 |
| Eau Claire | 1,488 | 58.15% | 1,031 | 40.29% | 39 | 1.52% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.04% | 457 | 17.86% | 2,559 |
| Fond du Lac | 3,584 | 44.65% | 3,834 | 47.76% | 583 | 7.26% | 24 | 0.30% | 2 | 0.02% | -250 | -3.11% | 8,027 |
| Grant | 3,111 | 57.18% | 1,703 | 31.30% | 625 | 11.49% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.04% | 1,408 | 25.88% | 5,441 |
| Green | 2,000 | 57.69% | 1,104 | 31.84% | 361 | 10.41% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.06% | 896 | 25.84% | 3,467 |
| Green Lake | 1,092 | 52.98% | 637 | 30.91% | 332 | 16.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 455 | 22.08% | 2,061 |
| Iowa | 1,775 | 50.31% | 1,447 | 41.01% | 305 | 8.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.03% | 328 | 9.30% | 3,528 |
| Jackson | 1,836 | 75.84% | 387 | 15.99% | 192 | 7.93% | 6 | 0.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,449 | 59.85% | 2,421 |
| Jefferson | 2,301 | 43.62% | 2,760 | 52.32% | 210 | 3.98% | 0 | 0.00% | 4 | 0.08% | -459 | -8.70% | 5,275 |
| Juneau | 1,227 | 51.79% | 926 | 39.09% | 216 | 9.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 301 | 12.71% | 2,369 |
| Kenosha | 1,180 | 54.60% | 966 | 44.70% | 15 | 0.69% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 214 | 9.90% | 2,161 |
| Kewaunee | 254 | 22.18% | 888 | 77.55% | 3 | 0.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -634 | -55.37% | 1,145 |
| La Crosse | 2,234 | 56.16% | 910 | 22.88% | 799 | 20.09% | 35 | 0.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,324 | 33.28% | 3,978 |
| Lafayette | 1,673 | 48.98% | 1,619 | 47.39% | 115 | 3.37% | 9 | 0.26% | 0 | 0.00% | 54 | 1.58% | 3,416 |
| Lincoln | 172 | 63.70% | 49 | 18.15% | 49 | 18.15% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 123 | 45.56% | 270 |
| Manitowoc | 1,898 | 40.98% | 2,728 | 58.91% | 5 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -830 | -17.92% | 4,631 |
| Marathon | 661 | 28.94% | 1,334 | 58.41% | 289 | 12.65% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -673 | -29.47% | 2,284 |
| Marinette | 978 | 79.64% | 248 | 20.20% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 730 | 59.45% | 1,228 |
| Marquette | 614 | 43.55% | 747 | 52.98% | 41 | 2.91% | 7 | 0.50% | 1 | 0.07% | -133 | -9.43% | 1,410 |
| Milwaukee | 8,682 | 57.19% | 6,410 | 42.22% | 89 | 0.59% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,272 | 14.97% | 15,181 |
| Monroe | 1,862 | 57.31% | 992 | 30.53% | 395 | 12.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 870 | 26.78% | 3,249 |
| Oconto | 867 | 56.26% | 673 | 43.67% | 1 | 0.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 194 | 12.59% | 1,541 |
| Outagamie | 1,298 | 30.88% | 2,500 | 59.48% | 405 | 9.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -1,202 | -28.60% | 4,203 |
| Ozaukee | 519 | 23.33% | 1,485 | 66.74% | 220 | 9.89% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.04% | -966 | -43.42% | 2,225 |
| Pepin | 629 | 77.85% | 177 | 21.91% | 2 | 0.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 452 | 55.94% | 808 |
| Pierce | 1,514 | 69.71% | 335 | 15.42% | 318 | 14.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 5 | 0.23% | 1,179 | 54.28% | 2,172 |
| Polk | 1,196 | 79.79% | 303 | 20.21% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 893 | 59.57% | 1,499 |
| Portage | 1,420 | 51.64% | 1,218 | 44.29% | 98 | 3.56% | 13 | 0.47% | 1 | 0.04% | 202 | 7.35% | 2,750 |
| Price | 39 | 31.97% | 81 | 66.39% | 2 | 1.64% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -42 | -34.43% | 122 |
| Racine | 2,547 | 56.57% | 1,766 | 39.23% | 164 | 3.64% | 25 | 0.56% | 0 | 0.00% | 781 | 17.35% | 4,502 |
| Richland | 1,713 | 62.91% | 580 | 21.30% | 428 | 15.72% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.07% | 1,133 | 41.61% | 2,723 |
| Rock | 4,169 | 68.80% | 1,600 | 26.40% | 218 | 3.60% | 69 | 1.14% | 4 | 0.07% | 2,569 | 42.39% | 6,060 |
| Sauk | 2,387 | 64.65% | 917 | 24.84% | 384 | 10.40% | 4 | 0.11% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,470 | 39.82% | 3,692 |
| Shawano | 515 | 41.97% | 699 | 56.97% | 13 | 1.06% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -184 | -15.00% | 1,227 |
| Sheboygan | 2,113 | 42.61% | 2,130 | 42.95% | 714 | 14.40% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.04% | -17 | -0.34% | 4,959 |
| St. Croix | 1,846 | 55.94% | 1,383 | 41.91% | 12 | 0.36% | 59 | 1.79% | 0 | 0.00% | 463 | 14.03% | 3,300 |
| Taylor | 296 | 53.53% | 256 | 46.29% | 1 | 0.18% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 40 | 7.23% | 553 |
| Trempealeau | 1,697 | 70.77% | 301 | 12.55% | 371 | 15.47% | 28 | 1.17% | 1 | 0.04% | 1,326 | 55.30% | 2,398 |
| Vernon | 2,092 | 65.83% | 377 | 11.86% | 707 | 22.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 2 | 0.06% | 1,385 | 43.58% | 3,178 |
| Walworth | 3,286 | 73.78% | 1,095 | 24.58% | 55 | 1.23% | 17 | 0.38% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,191 | 49.19% | 4,454 |
| Washington | 1,277 | 35.88% | 2,190 | 61.53% | 86 | 2.42% | 6 | 0.17% | 0 | 0.00% | -913 | -25.65% | 3,559 |
| Waukesha | 2,574 | 49.20% | 2,468 | 47.17% | 190 | 3.63% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 106 | 2.03% | 5,232 |
| Waupaca | 1,830 | 57.31% | 1,053 | 32.98% | 299 | 9.36% | 11 | 0.34% | 0 | 0.00% | 777 | 24.33% | 3,193 |
| Waushara | 1,487 | 83.73% | 169 | 9.52% | 112 | 6.31% | 0 | 0.00% | 8 | 0.45% | 1,318 | 74.21% | 1,776 |
| Winnebago | 3,086 | 48.32% | 2,439 | 38.19% | 827 | 12.95% | 33 | 0.52% | 2 | 0.03% | 647 | 10.13% | 6,387 |
| Wood | 519 | 39.98% | 375 | 28.89% | 403 | 31.05% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.08% | 116 | 9.93% | 1,298 |
| Total | 100,535 | 53.19% | 75,030 | 39.70% | 12,996 | 6.88% | 387 | 0.20% | 57 | 0.03% | 25,505 | 13.49% | 189,005 |

#### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Ashland
* Chippewa
* Crawford
* Dane
* Douglas
* Green Lake
* Milwaukee
* Taylor
* Winnebago

#### Counties that flipped from Greenback to Republican

* Clark
* Lincoln
* Wood