The 1892 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1892. Incumbent Democratic Governor George Wilbur Peck narrowly defeated Republican nominee John Coit Spooner, becoming the first Democratic governor of Wisconsin to be reelected since

Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Dewey was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on December 19, 1813, to Ebenezer and Lucy (né ...

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...

. During this era, Wisconsin leaned Republican but was competitive, with all but two gubernatorial elections since the Civil War having been decided by single digits. The Democrats had been swept to power in the state in 1890 due to backlash against the

Bennett Law The Bennett Law, officially chapter 519 of the 1889 acts of the Wisconsin Legislature, was a controversial state law passed by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1889 dealing with compulsory education. The controversial section of the law was a requi ...

and other national Republican policies such as the McKinley Tariff. The state election was held at the same time as the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

, with Peck eking out a similar plurality to that of Grover Cleveland. After this election, however, the state would swing heavily in favor of the Republican Party as the existing Democratic Party's coalition disintegrated during the mid-1890s. Wisconsin would not elect another Democrat as governor until

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

General election

Candidates

Major party candidates * George Wilbur Peck, Democratic, incumbent Governor * John Coit Spooner, Republican, former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Other candidates *Thomas C. Richmond, Prohibition, Prohibition nominee for

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, as well as many Wisconsin-based exurbs of the Minneap ...

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

Cyrus M. Butt Cyrus M. Butt (September 30, 1833August 27, 1921) was an American farmer, lawyer, and politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate during the 1869 and 1870 sessions, representing La Crosse and Vernon counties. In historical docume ...

, Populist, former Republican

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Results

Results by county

Peck was the first Democrat since James B. Cross in

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

to win Juneau County. However, Juneau County, along with Oconto County and

Shawano County Shawano County (pronounced SHAW-no) (originally Shawanaw County) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 40,881. Its county seat is Shawano, ...

would not vote Democratic again until the next Democratic victory in

. Marinette County would also not vote Democratic again until

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

. This was the last election until

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

in which Clark County, Green County, and

Waupaca County Waupaca County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee l ...

voted for the losing candidate. Even more impressively, however, this was the last time until

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

that St. Croix County failed to vote for the statewide winner; its bellwether streak that would begin in the next election would reach 40 consecutive elections of voting for the winning candidate.

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Ashland *

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Buffalo *

Crawford Crawford may refer to: Places Canada * Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia * Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario United Kingdom * Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England * Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

* Green * Milwaukee * Monroe * Price *

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

* Sauk *

Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...

Notes

References

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1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

Wisconsin Gubernatorial