1892 United States presidential election in Michigan

←  1888 November 8, 1892 1896  →

Nominee Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland Party Republican Democratic Home state Indiana New York Running mate Whitelaw Reid Adlai Stevenson I Electoral vote 9 5 Popular vote 222,708 202,296 Percentage 47.72% 43.34%

County Results Congressional District Results Harrison   40–50%   50–60%   60–70% Cleveland   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   90–100% Weaver   30–40%

President before election Benjamin Harrison Republican Elected President Grover Cleveland Democratic

The 1892 United States presidential election in Michigan took place on November 8, 1892. All contemporary 44 states were part of the 1892 United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

Contents

• Statewide results
• At Large districts
• Results by county
• District results
• Summary
• District 1
• District 2
• District 3
• District 4
• District 5
• District 6
• District 7
• District 8
• District 9
• District 10
• District 11
• District 12
• See also
• Notes
• References

Uniquely, this remains the only presidential election where Michigan used the congressional district method of distributing electoral votes rather than the traditional election of each elector by the state as a whole. The switch was made by the newly elected 1890 Democratic legislature, which had gained control of the state for the first time since before the Civil War. ^{[1] [2]} The change was an attempt at boosting Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland's chances of winning a second, nonconsecutive term, who had run in the previous election and won the popular vote, but lost in the electoral college. Controversial among Republicans, the party fought all the way to the Supreme Court in efforts to prevent it, the Court ruling in McPherson v. Blacker that allocating electoral votes this way was constitutional. ^[3] The split ultimately had no effect in Cleveland's victory, and the system was quickly repealed when Republicans regained control after the election. This is the only instance of Michigan splitting its electoral votes among multiple candidates. A law later passed in 1954 that prohibits faithless electors prevents a similar occurrence, barring a return to the district method. ^{[4] [5]}

Michigan was won by the Republican nominees: incumbent President Benjamin Harrison of Indiana and his running mate Whitelaw Reid of New York. The pair received nine of the state's electoral votes, while the Democratic ticket earned five.

Cleveland became the first Democratic presidential candidate since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to get electoral votes from Michigan, although the state wouldn't send a full slate of Democratic electors to the Electoral College until Franklin Delano Roosevelt won it in 1932.

Statewide results

Michigan was divided into two at large districts that chose one elector each. Cleveland won the eastern district and Harrison won the western district. Both districts also separately elected alternate presidential electors.

District results

The remaining 12 electors were chosen by congressional district. Michigan gained one seat in the United States House of Representatives as a result of the 1890 United States Census and the state legislature redistricted prior to the 1892 elections. Each of the state's 12 congressional districts voted for a single presidential elector. Harrison won 8 of the 12 congressional districts. As with the at large districts, a full slate of alternate electors were also on the ballot.

See also

• United States presidential elections in Michigan

Notes

References