Biggest governor landslides in Wisconsin
The biggest landslide in a Wisconsin governor’s race was in 1922, a margin of 65.8 points. John J. Blaine beat Arthur A. Bentley, 367,929 to 51,061. Next widest are 1926 (49.6 points) and 1930 (36.7 points).
Every state is ranked together on Biggest governor landslides. For every gubernatorial race Wisconsin has held, special elections included, see the Wisconsin governor hub.
What is the biggest landslide in a Wisconsin governor’s race?
The widest margin in a Wisconsin gubernatorial general election came in 1922, 65.8 points. John J. Blaine beat Arthur A. Bentley, 367,929 to 51,061. Next are 1926 (49.6 points) and 1930 (36.7 points).
Why do some huge wins not appear?
A blowout only counts here when somebody real finished second, which means at least 5% of the vote. Without that rule the list fills with uncontested races and with contests where the record is simply missing the major opponent, both of which show the winner near 100%.
Does this include recalls and special elections?
No, only regular general elections for governor. The Wisconsin governor hub lists every race including specials and recalls.
| # | Election | Result | Votes | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1922 | John J. Blaine R def. Arthur A. Bentley D | 367,929 – 51,061 | +65.8 points |
| 2 | 1926 | Fred R. Zimmerman R def. Charles B. Perry I | 350,927 – 76,507 | +49.6 points |
| 3 | 1930 | Philip La Follette R def. Charles E. Hammersley D | 392,958 – 170,020 | +36.7 points |
| 4 | 1994 | Tommy Thompson R def. Charles Chvala D | 1,051,326 – 482,850 | +36.4 points |
| 5 | 1952 | Walter J. Kohler Jr. R def. William Proxmire D | 1,009,171 – 601,844 | +25.2 points |
| 6 | 1906 | James O. Davidson R def. John A. Aylward D | 183,558 – 103,311 | +25.1 points |
| 7 | 1900 | Robert M. La Follette R def. Louis G. Bohmrich D | 264,419 – 160,674 | +23.5 points |
| 8 | 1896 | Edward Scofield R def. Willis C. Silverthorn D | 264,981 – 169,257 | +21.6 points |
| 9 | 1998 | Tommy Thompson R def. Ed Garvey D | 1,047,716 – 679,553 | +21.0 points |
| 10 | 1946 | Walter Samuel Goodland R def. Daniel Hoan D | 621,970 – 406,499 | +20.7 points |
| 11 | 1863 | James T. Lewis N def. Henry L. Palmer D | 72,717 – 49,053 | +19.4 points |
| 12 | 1938 | Julius P. Heil R def. Philip La Follette W | 543,675 – 353,381 | +19.4 points |
| 13 | 1920 | John J. Blaine R def. Robert McCoy D | 366,247 – 247,746 | +17.1 points |
| 14 | 1908 | James O. Davidson R def. John A. Aylward D | 242,935 – 165,977 | +17.1 points |
| 15 | 1936 | Philip La Follette W def. Alexander Wiley R | 573,724 – 363,973 | +17.0 points |
| 16 | 1849 | Nelson Dewey D def. Alexander L. Collins W | 16,649 – 11,317 | +16.8 points |
| 17 | 1990 | Tommy Thompson R def. Thomas A. Loftus D | 802,321 – 576,280 | +16.4 points |
| 18 | 1910 | Francis E. McGovern R def. Adolph J. Schmitz D | 161,619 – 110,442 | +16.0 points |
| 19 | 1928 | Walter J. Kohler Sr. R def. Albert G. Schmedeman D | 547,738 – 394,368 | +15.5 points |
| 20 | 1853 | William A. Barstow D def. Edward D. Holton I | 30,405 – 21,886 | +15.3 points |
| 21 | 1916 | Emanuel Lorenz Philipp R def. Burt Williams D | 229,889 – 164,555 | +15.0 points |
| 22 | 1982 | Anthony S. Earl D def. Terry J. Kohler R | 896,872 – 662,738 | +14.8 points |
| 23 | 1848 | Nelson Dewey D def. John H. Tweedy W | 19,538 – 14,449 | +14.5 points |
| 24 | 1894 | William H. Upham R def. George Wilbur Peck D | 196,150 – 142,250 | +14.4 points |
| 25 | 1879 | William E Smith R def. James Graham Jenkins D | 100,535 – 75,030 | +13.5 points |