1956 United States presidential election in Maryland

The 1956 United States presidential election in Maryland took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election. State voters chose nine[3] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1956 United States presidential election in Maryland

← 1952November 6, 1956[1]1960 →

All 9 Maryland votes to the Electoral College
 
NomineeDwight D. EisenhowerAdlai Stevenson
PartyRepublicanDemocratic
Home statePennsylvania[a][2]Illinois
Running mateRichard NixonEstes Kefauver
Electoral vote90
Popular vote559,738372,613
Percentage60.00%39.94%

County Results
Eisenhower
  50-60%
  60-70%
  70-80%


President before election

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

Elected President

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

Maryland was won by incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower (RPennsylvania), running with Vice President Richard Nixon, with 60.00% of the popular vote, against Adlai Stevenson (DIllinois), running with Senator Estes Kefauver, with 39.94% of the popular vote.[4][5]

By winning all 24 county-equivalents, Eisenhower became and remains the solitary presidential candidate to sweep all Maryland's counties and Baltimore City in a contested election.[6] As of the 2020 election, this is the last election in which the City of Baltimore voted for a Republican presidential candidate, and by extension, the last election in which a presidential candidate won all of the state's counties.[7] Eisenhower is also the last Republican to carry the state twice.[8]

George Washington in 1792 is the only other candidate who swept all of Maryland's existing counties, though at the time several did not yet exist.[9] In 1789 and 1820, the other two elections in which a candidate ran virtually unopposed, unpledged slates of electors ran as opposition in both elections: Anti-Federalist electors in 1789, and Federalist electors in 1820.[10][11] These electors supported Washington and James Monroe, but supported different vice presidential candidates. Thus, it is a debatable topic whether these count as total sweeps or not (In 1789, the Anti-Federalist electors won Baltimore and Anne Arundel county, and in 1820 St. Mary's and Charles counties). Nevertheless, Eisenhower remains the only candidate in the modern party system to win all of Maryland's counties, and the only to win all of the presently existing ones.

In this election, Maryland voted 4.67% to the right of the nation at-large.[12]

Results edit

1956 United States presidential election in Maryland
PartyCandidateVotes%
RepublicanDwight D. Eisenhower (inc.) 559,738 60.00%
DemocraticAdlai Stevenson372,61339.94%
Write-insVarious candidates4760.05%
Total votes932,351 100%

Results by county edit

CountyDwight David Eisenhower
Republican
Adlai Stevenson II
Democratic
Various candidates
Write-ins
MarginTotal votes cast[13]
#%#%#%#%
Allegany20,23965.26%10,77534.74%9,46430.52%31,014
Anne Arundel28,62264.04%15,88835.55%1860.42%12,73428.49%44,696
Baltimore104,02168.26%48,27031.68%950.06%55,75136.59%152,386
Baltimore City178,24455.90%140,60344.10%37,64111.81%318,847
Calvert2,76458.12%1,96641.34%260.55%79816.78%4,756
Caroline4,20860.88%2,70239.09%20.03%1,50621.79%6,912
Carroll11,74972.60%4,42327.33%110.07%7,32645.27%16,183
Cecil7,21759.38%4,93640.62%2,28118.77%12,153
Charles5,08856.41%3,93143.59%1,15712.83%9,019
Dorchester5,80960.79%3,73339.06%140.15%2,07621.72%9,556
Frederick14,38765.37%7,61934.62%40.02%6,76830.75%22,010
Garrett5,55573.09%2,04526.91%3,51046.18%7,600
Harford12,65765.77%6,58834.23%6,06931.54%19,245
Howard6,53464.17%3,59935.35%490.48%2,93528.83%10,182
Kent3,74761.18%2,37838.82%1,36922.35%6,125
Montgomery56,50157.01%42,60642.99%13,89514.02%99,107
Prince George's40,65450.85%39,28049.13%210.03%1,3741.72%79,955
Queen Anne's3,32155.70%2,64144.30%68011.41%5,962
Somerset4,77061.15%3,03138.85%1,73922.29%7,801
St. Mary's4,33655.70%3,44344.23%50.06%89311.47%7,784
Talbot6,01868.31%2,73531.04%570.65%3,28337.26%8,810
Washington19,45562.71%11,56237.27%60.02%7,89325.44%31,023
Wicomico9,37763.94%5,28936.06%4,08827.87%14,666
Worcester4,46563.47%2,57036.53%1,89526.94%7,035
Totals559,73860.00%372,61339.94%4760.05%187,12520.07%932,351

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican edit

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Although he was born in Texas and grew up in Kansas before his military career, at the time of the 1952 election Eisenhower was president of Columbia University and was, officially, a resident of New York. During his first term as president, he moved his private residence to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and officially changed his residency to Pennsylvania.

References edit

  1. ^ "United States Presidential election of 1956 - Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "The Presidents". David Leip. Retrieved September 27, 2017. Eisenhower's home state for the 1956 Election was Pennsylvania
  3. ^ "1956 Election for the Forty-Fourth Term (1961-65)". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  4. ^ "1956 Presidential General Election Results - Maryland". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "The American Presidency Project - Election of 1956". Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Thomas, G. Scott; The Pursuit of the White House: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics and History, p. 433 ISBN 0313257957
  7. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  8. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns - MD US President Race - Nov 00, 1792". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "A New Nation Votes". elections.lib.tufts.edu. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "A New Nation Votes". elections.lib.tufts.edu. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Scammon, Richard M. (compiler); America at the Polls: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics 1920-1964; p. 210 ISBN 0405077114