The 1968 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1968. Republican Warren P. Knowles won the election with 53% of the vote, winning his third term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating Democrat Bronson C. La Follette.[1] This was the last gubernatorial election in Wisconsin where the governor was elected to a two year term separately from the Lieutenant Governor.
![]() | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
![]() County results Knowles: 50–60% 60–70% La Follette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
|
Primary election
editThe primary election was held on September 10, 1968.
Republican party
editCandidates
edit- Warren P. Knowles, incumbent governor
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Warren P. Knowles (incumbent) | 272,504 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 272,504 | 100.00% |
Democratic party
editCandidates
edit- Bronson C. La Follette, Attorney General of Wisconsin
- Floyd L. Wille
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Bronson C. La Follette | 173,458 | 84.52% | |
Democratic | Floyd L. Wille | 31,778 | 15.48% | |
Total votes | 205,236 | 100.00% |
General election
editCandidates
edit- Warren P. Knowles, Republican
- Bronson C. La Follete, Democrat
- Adolf Wiggert, Independent
- Robert Wilkinson, Independent
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Warren P. Knowles (incumbent) | 893,463 | 52.88% | −0.62% | |
Democratic | Bronson C. La Follette | 791,100 | 46.82% | +0.73% | |
Independent | Adolf Wiggert | 3,225 | 0.19% | −0.21% | |
Independent | Robert Wilkinson | 1,813 | 0.11% | ||
Scattering[a] | 137 | 0.01% | |||
Majority | 102,363 | 6.06% | |||
Total votes | 1,689,738 | 100.00% | |||
Republican hold | Swing | -1.36% |
Results by county
editKnowles was the first Republican to win without carrying Clark County since William E. Smith in 1877. Forest County, Marathon County, Rusk County, and Wood County would not vote for the losing candidate again until 2018.
County[3][4] | Warren P. Knowles Republican |
Bronson C. La Follette Democratic |
All Others Various |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 1,613 | 44.63% | 1,990 | 55.06% | 11 | 0.30% | -377 | -10.43% | 3,614 |
Ashland | 2,835 | 40.96% | 4,056 | 58.60% | 30 | 0.43% | -1,221 | -17.64% | 6,921 |
Barron | 7,819 | 58.05% | 5,637 | 41.85% | 13 | 0.10% | 2,182 | 16.20% | 13,469 |
Bayfield | 2,439 | 43.57% | 3,146 | 56.20% | 13 | 0.23% | -707 | -12.63% | 5,598 |
Brown | 32,161 | 57.38% | 23,608 | 42.12% | 278 | 0.50% | 8,553 | 15.26% | 56,047 |
Buffalo | 3,062 | 57.63% | 2,246 | 42.27% | 5 | 0.09% | 816 | 15.36% | 5,313 |
Burnett | 2,380 | 55.16% | 1,929 | 44.70% | 6 | 0.14% | 451 | 10.45% | 4,315 |
Calumet | 5,075 | 50.53% | 4,954 | 49.32% | 15 | 0.15% | 121 | 1.20% | 10,044 |
Chippewa | 7,757 | 47.31% | 8,625 | 52.60% | 14 | 0.09% | -868 | -5.29% | 16,396 |
Clark | 6,003 | 49.26% | 6,162 | 50.56% | 22 | 0.18% | -159 | -1.30% | 12,187 |
Columbia | 9,065 | 56.32% | 7,001 | 43.50% | 30 | 0.19% | 2,064 | 12.82% | 16,096 |
Crawford | 3,744 | 61.74% | 2,313 | 38.14% | 7 | 0.12% | 1,431 | 23.60% | 6,064 |
Dane | 56,260 | 52.75% | 49,758 | 46.65% | 640 | 0.60% | 6,502 | 6.10% | 106,658 |
Dodge | 14,492 | 56.29% | 11,234 | 43.64% | 18 | 0.07% | 3,258 | 12.66% | 25,744 |
Door | 5,504 | 62.26% | 3,321 | 37.57% | 15 | 0.17% | 2,183 | 24.69% | 8,840 |
Douglas | 7,572 | 41.98% | 10,414 | 57.73% | 53 | 0.29% | -2,842 | -15.75% | 18,039 |
Dunn | 5,483 | 53.65% | 4,722 | 46.21% | 14 | 0.14% | 761 | 7.45% | 10,219 |
Eau Claire | 13,007 | 51.87% | 12,020 | 47.93% | 51 | 0.20% | 987 | 3.94% | 25,078 |
Florence | 852 | 51.45% | 798 | 48.19% | 6 | 0.36% | 54 | 3.26% | 1,656 |
Fond du Lac | 17,916 | 55.24% | 14,432 | 44.50% | 86 | 0.27% | 3,484 | 10.74% | 32,434 |
Forest | 1,292 | 42.71% | 1,727 | 57.09% | 6 | 0.20% | -435 | -14.38% | 3,025 |
Grant | 11,265 | 67.07% | 5,515 | 32.83% | 17 | 0.10% | 5,750 | 34.23% | 16,797 |
Green | 6,787 | 64.08% | 3,799 | 35.87% | 5 | 0.05% | 2,988 | 28.21% | 10,591 |
Green Lake | 4,661 | 61.20% | 2,942 | 38.63% | 13 | 0.17% | 1,719 | 22.57% | 7,616 |
Iowa | 3,920 | 55.73% | 3,102 | 44.10% | 12 | 0.17% | 818 | 11.63% | 7,034 |
Iron | 1,462 | 45.63% | 1,735 | 54.15% | 7 | 0.22% | -273 | -8.52% | 3,204 |
Jackson | 3,261 | 54.83% | 2,672 | 44.93% | 14 | 0.24% | 589 | 9.90% | 5,947 |
Jefferson | 12,749 | 56.64% | 9,722 | 43.20% | 36 | 0.16% | 3,027 | 13.45% | 22,507 |
Juneau | 3,957 | 56.39% | 3,045 | 43.39% | 15 | 0.21% | 912 | 13.00% | 7,017 |
Kenosha | 19,243 | 45.75% | 22,701 | 53.97% | 121 | 0.29% | -3,458 | -8.22% | 42,065 |
Kewaunee | 4,326 | 56.95% | 3,262 | 42.94% | 8 | 0.11% | 1,064 | 14.01% | 7,596 |
La Crosse | 20,416 | 64.62% | 11,073 | 35.05% | 106 | 0.34% | 9,343 | 29.57% | 31,595 |
Lafayette | 3,986 | 54.63% | 3,305 | 45.30% | 5 | 0.07% | 681 | 9.33% | 7,296 |
Langlade | 3,523 | 49.82% | 3,535 | 49.99% | 13 | 0.18% | -12 | -0.17% | 7,071 |
Lincoln | 4,603 | 49.83% | 4,619 | 50.00% | 16 | 0.17% | -16 | -0.17% | 9,238 |
Manitowoc | 13,611 | 43.78% | 17,344 | 55.79% | 133 | 0.43% | -3,733 | -12.01% | 31,088 |
Marathon | 16,430 | 43.41% | 21,297 | 56.27% | 118 | 0.31% | -4,867 | -12.86% | 37,845 |
Marinette | 7,477 | 50.96% | 7,167 | 48.84% | 29 | 0.20% | 310 | 2.11% | 14,673 |
Marquette | 2,290 | 60.39% | 1,495 | 39.43% | 7 | 0.18% | 795 | 20.97% | 3,792 |
Menominee | 239 | 34.44% | 452 | 65.13% | 3 | 0.43% | -213 | -30.69% | 694 |
Milwaukee | 195,502 | 47.35% | 214,717 | 52.28% | 1,518 | 0.37% | -20,515 | -4.92% | 410,737 |
Monroe | 7,237 | 62.53% | 4,323 | 37.35% | 13 | 0.11% | 2,914 | 25.18% | 11,573 |
Oconto | 5,469 | 52.41% | 4,951 | 47.45% | 15 | 0.14% | 518 | 4.96% | 10,435 |
Oneida | 5,247 | 50.69% | 5,094 | 49.21% | 10 | 0.10% | 153 | 1.48% | 10,351 |
Outagamie | 22,748 | 53.72% | 19,469 | 45.97% | 130 | 0.31% | 3,279 | 7.74% | 42,347 |
Ozaukee | 13,437 | 64.99% | 7,185 | 34.75% | 55 | 0.27% | 6,252 | 30.24% | 20,677 |
Pepin | 1,536 | 53.73% | 1,321 | 46.20% | 2 | 0.07% | 215 | 7.52% | 2,859 |
Pierce | 6,045 | 60.35% | 3,955 | 39.48% | 17 | 0.17% | 2,090 | 20.86% | 10,017 |
Polk | 6,467 | 57.58% | 4,757 | 42.36% | 7 | 0.06% | 1,710 | 15.23% | 11,231 |
Portage | 6,921 | 40.29% | 10,194 | 59.34% | 64 | 0.37% | -3,273 | -19.05% | 17,179 |
Price | 3,261 | 50.86% | 3,139 | 48.96% | 12 | 0.19% | 122 | 1.90% | 6,412 |
Racine | 32,348 | 51.38% | 30,335 | 48.18% | 279 | 0.44% | 2,013 | 3.20% | 62,962 |
Richland | 4,010 | 58.35% | 2,856 | 41.56% | 6 | 0.09% | 1,154 | 16.79% | 6,872 |
Rock | 28,190 | 57.06% | 21,125 | 42.76% | 89 | 0.18% | 7,065 | 14.30% | 49,404 |
Rusk | 2,731 | 46.76% | 3,095 | 52.99% | 15 | 0.26% | -364 | -6.23% | 5,841 |
Sauk | 8,657 | 54.29% | 7,244 | 45.43% | 44 | 0.28% | 1,413 | 8.86% | 15,945 |
Sawyer | 2,751 | 60.18% | 1,815 | 39.71% | 5 | 0.11% | 936 | 20.48% | 4,571 |
Shawano | 7,625 | 58.13% | 5,479 | 41.77% | 14 | 0.11% | 2,146 | 16.36% | 13,118 |
Sheboygan | 20,019 | 50.68% | 19,260 | 48.76% | 218 | 0.55% | 759 | 1.92% | 39,497 |
St. Croix | 7,752 | 55.77% | 6,137 | 44.15% | 11 | 0.08% | 1,615 | 11.62% | 13,900 |
Taylor | 2,642 | 39.15% | 4,091 | 60.63% | 15 | 0.22% | -1,449 | -21.47% | 6,748 |
Trempealeau | 4,862 | 52.62% | 4,368 | 47.27% | 10 | 0.11% | 494 | 5.35% | 9,240 |
Vernon | 6,136 | 60.23% | 4,045 | 39.71% | 6 | 0.06% | 2,091 | 20.53% | 10,187 |
Vilas | 3,410 | 59.92% | 2,267 | 39.83% | 14 | 0.25% | 1,143 | 20.08% | 5,691 |
Walworth | 15,941 | 66.06% | 8,155 | 33.79% | 35 | 0.15% | 7,786 | 32.27% | 24,131 |
Washburn | 2,606 | 52.35% | 2,365 | 47.51% | 7 | 0.14% | 241 | 4.84% | 4,978 |
Washington | 13,075 | 58.44% | 9,249 | 41.34% | 48 | 0.21% | 3,826 | 17.10% | 22,372 |
Waukesha | 55,219 | 63.53% | 31,498 | 36.24% | 195 | 0.22% | 23,721 | 27.29% | 86,912 |
Waupaca | 10,130 | 64.40% | 5,577 | 35.45% | 24 | 0.15% | 4,553 | 28.94% | 15,731 |
Waushara | 4,266 | 67.88% | 2,019 | 32.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,247 | 35.75% | 6,285 |
Winnebago | 25,713 | 56.25% | 19,776 | 43.26% | 224 | 0.49% | 5,937 | 12.99% | 45,713 |
Wood | 11,973 | 49.07% | 12,364 | 50.67% | 62 | 0.25% | -391 | -1.60% | 24,399 |
Total | 893,463 | 52.88% | 791,100 | 46.82% | 5,175 | 0.31% | 102,363 | 6.06% | 1,689,738 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
editCounties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
editNotes
edit- ^ These are not listed in the Blue Book but are listed in the Board of Canvassers report.
References
edit- ^ Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature (2015). Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016. Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Administration. pp. 699–701. ISBN 978-0-9752820-7-6.
- ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1969). "Vote For State Officers By County". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1969. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 153.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Wisconsin Historical Society, Statement of Board of State Canvassers for State Officers - General Election - 1968
- ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1969). "Vote For State Officers By County". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1969. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 168.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)