1944 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

← 1942

November 7, 1944

1946 →


Nominee	Walter Samuel Goodland	Daniel Hoan	Alexander O. Benz
Party	Republican	Democratic	Progressive
Popular vote	697,740	536,357	76,028
Percentage	52.84%	40.62%	5.76%

County results
Goodland: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Hoan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

Governor before election

Walter Samuel Goodland
Republican

Elected Governor

Walter Samuel Goodland
Republican

Federal government

Presidential elections
1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Presidential primaries
Democratic 2004 2008 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020
U.S. Senate elections
1848 1849 1851 1854 1857 1861 1863 1866 1872 1875 1879 1881 1881 sp 1885 1887 1890 1891 1893 1897 1899 1903 1905 1907 sp 1909 1911 1914 1916 1918 sp 1920 1922 1925 sp 1926 1928 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1946 1950 1952 1956 1957 sp 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024
U.S. House elections
1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1863 2nd sp 1864 1866 1868 1870 2nd sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 5th sp 1887 8th sp 1888 1890 1892 1893 4th sp 1894 7th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 2nd sp 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 6th sp 11th sp 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 6th sp 1931 1st sp 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1941 1st sp 1942 1944 1946 1947 2nd sp 1948 1950 1952 1953 9th sp 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 7th sp 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1979 6th sp 1980 1982 1984 4th sp 1986 1988 1990 1992 1993 1st sp 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 7th sp 2022

State government

Gubernatorial elections
1848 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1884 1886 1888 1890 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2012 (recall) 2014 2018 2022
State Senate elections
2011 (recall) 2012 (recall) 2016 2018 2020 2022
State Assembly elections
2016 2018 2020 2022
Judicial
Supreme Court, 2011
General elections
2000 2008 2010 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

The 1944 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1944.

Incumbent Republican Governor Walter Samuel Goodland defeated Democratic nominee Daniel Hoan with 52.84% of the vote.

Primary elections[]

Primary elections were held on August 15, 1944.

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

Daniel Hoan, former Mayor of Milwaukee
John N. Zimmermann, purchasing agent^[1]

Results[]

Democratic primary results^[2]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Hoan	67,632	63.23
	Democratic	John N. Zimmermann	39,333	36.77
Total votes			106,965	100.00

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

Walter Samuel Goodland, incumbent Governor
Roland E. Kannenberg, former State Senator^[4]
Delbert J. Kenny, businessman^[5]
Milton T. Murray, State Senator and unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for Governor in 1942
Christian J. Otjen, lawyer and soldier^[6]

Results[]

Republican primary results^[2]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter Samuel Goodland (incumbent)	147,378	47.15
	Republican	Delbert J. Kenny	79,492	25.43
	Republican	Milton T. Murray	41,244	13.19
	Republican	Christian J. Otjen	29,004	9.28
	Republican	Roland E. Kannenberg	15,470	4.95
Total votes			312,588	100.00

Progressive primary[]

Candidates[]

Ralph F. Amoth
Alexander O. Benz, president of the Aid Association for Lutherans^[8]
John H. Kaiser, Progressive candidate for Secretary of State in 1942
Leo E. Vaudreuil, former Deputy Attorney General of Wisconsin^[9]

Results[]

Progressive primary results^[2]^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressive	Alexander O. Benz	9,448	33.13
	Progressive	Leo E. Vaudreuil	9,207	32.28
	Progressive	Ralph F. Amoth	5,691	19.95
	Progressive	John H. Kaiser	4,174	14.64
Total votes			28,520	100.00

General election[]

Candidates[]

Major party candidates

Walter Samuel Goodland, Democratic
Daniel Hoan, Republican
Alexander O. Benz, Progressive

Other candidates

Georgia Cozzini, Socialist Labor, candidate for Governor in 1942
George A. Nelson, Socialist, candidate for Governor in 1934

Results[]

1944 Wisconsin gubernatorial election^[11]^[12]^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter Samuel Goodland (incumbent)	697,740	52.84%
	Democratic	Daniel Hoan	536,357	40.62%
	Progressive	Alexander O. Benz	76,028	5.76%
	Socialist	George A. Nelson	9,183	0.70%
	Socialist Labor	Georgia Cozzini	1,122	0.09%
	Scattering		53	0.00%
Majority			161,383	12.22%
Turnout			1,320,483	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

References[]

^ "CIO Actionists Face Wisconsin Test Today". Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 15 August 1944. p. A-3. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wisconsin Blue Book 1946, p. 590.
^ "WI Governor, 1944 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^ "Former State Senator Kannenberg Dies". Wausau Daily Herald. November 17, 1983. p. 6. Retrieved July 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Only One Candidate Has All The Qualifications". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 14 August 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "Col. C. J. Otjen, Milwaukee Civic Leader And Soldier, Dies". The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. 17 July 1950. p. 3. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "WI Governor, 1944 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^ "Benz To Seek Nomination". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. 2 May 1944. p. 16. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "Vaudreuil For Governor, But No Statement". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. 25 May 1944. p. 1. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
^ "WI Governor, 1944 - PRG Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 87.
^ "WI Governor, 1944". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^ Wisconsin Blue Book 1946, p. 664.

Bibliography[]

Gubernatorial Elections, 1787-1997. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-396-0.
Ohm, Howard F.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1946). The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1946. State of Wisconsin.

v t (1942←) 1944 United States elections (→1946)
President	1944 United States presidential election Democratic primaries Republican primaries Democratic convention Republican convention
U.S. Senate	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Indiana (special) Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts (special) Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey (special) New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Oregon (special) Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Utah Vermont Washington Wisconsin
U.S. House	Alabama Alaska Territory Arizona Arkansas California Colorado 1st sp Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Territory Idaho Illinois 19th sp Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York 4th sp 11th sp 21st sp North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma 2nd sp Oregon Pennsylvania 2nd sp 17th sp Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina 2nd sp South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia 2nd sp Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
State governors	Arizona Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Lt. Gov Missouri Lt. Gov Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Mexico North Carolina Lt. Gov North Dakota Ohio Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
State legislatures	Iowa Senate

v t Notable third party performances in United States elections
* Third party is endorsed by a major party
Presidential (since 1832)	1832 1848 1856 1860 1872* 1892 1912 1924 1948 1960 1968 1980 1992 1996
Senatorial (since 1940)	California 1940 Minnesota 1940 North Dakota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Minnesota 1942 Minnesota 1942 Nebraska 1942 Virginia 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 North Dakota 1946 North Dakota 1946 Tennessee 1946 Arkansas 1948 Alabama 1950 New Hampshire 1950 California 1952 Maine 1952 New York 1952 North Dakota 1952 Virginia 1952 South Carolina 1954 (Democratic write-in) Virginia 1954 Utah 1958 Virginia 1958 Virginia 1960 Virginia 1964 Mississippi 1966 Virginia 1966 Virginia 1966 Alabama 1968 Alaska 1968 Maryland 1968 New York 1968 Connecticut 1970 Mississippi 1970 New York 1970 Virginia 1970 Louisiana 1972 Florida 1974 Hawaii 1974 New York 1974 Utah 1974 Minnesota 1976 Virginia 1976 Alabama 1978 Arkansas 1978 Maine 1978 Mississippi 1978 New York 1980 Washington 1982 Tennessee 1984 Virginia 1990 Alaska 1992 Arizona 1992 Hawaii 1992 Louisiana 1992 Ohio 1992 Arizona 1994 Minnesota 1994 Ohio 1994 Vermont 1994 Virginia 1994 Alaska 1996 Minnesota 1996 Arizona 2000 Massachusetts 2000 Minnesota 2000 Alaska 2002 Kansas 2002 Massachusetts 2002 Mississippi 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Virginia 2002 Oklahoma 2004 Connecticut 2006 Indiana 2006 Maine 2006 Vermont 2006* Arkansas 2008 Idaho 2008 Minnesota 2008 Oregon 2008 Alaska 2010 (Republican write-in) Florida 2010 Indiana 2010 South Carolina 2010 Utah 2010 Indiana 2012 Maine 2012 Maryland 2012 Missouri 2012 Montana 2012 Vermont 2012* Kansas 2014 South Dakota 2014 Wyoming 2014 Alaska 2016 Arizona 2016 Idaho 2016 Indiana 2016 Kansas 2016 Maine 2018 New Mexico 2018 Vermont 2018* Alaska 2020* Arkansas 2020 Minnesota 2020 Nebraska 2020
Gubernatorial (since 1940)	Minnesota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Connecticut 1942 Minnesota 1942 New York 1942 Wisconsin 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 California 1946 Tennessee 1950 Maine 1952 Vermont 1952 Tennessee 1954 Nebraska 1956 Texas 1956 Utah 1956 Oklahoma 1958 Tennessee 1958 North Dakota 1960 Tennessee 1962 Virginia 1965 Alabama 1966 Georgia 1966 Idaho 1966 Maryland 1966 New York 1966 Tennessee 1966 Alabama 1970 Arkansas 1970 New Hampshire 1970 New York 1970 Mississippi 1971 New Hampshire 1972 Texas 1972 Washington 1972 Virginia 1973 Maine 1974 Nebraska 1974 Nevada 1974 Texas 1974 Vermont 1974 Vermont 1976 Alaska 1978 California 1978 Maine 1978 Rhode Island 1978 Alaska 1982 Arizona 1982 Hawaii 1982 Alaska 1986 Arizona 1986 Illinois 1986 Maine 1986 Oklahoma 1986 Vermont 1986 Utah 1988 Alaska 1990 Connecticut 1990 Kansas 1990 Maine 1990 New York 1990 Oklahoma 1990 Oregon 1990 Utah 1992 West Virginia 1992 Alaska 1994 Connecticut 1994 Hawaii 1994 Maine 1994 New Mexico 1994 Oklahoma 1994 Pennsylvania 1994 Rhode Island 1994 Vermont 1994 Alaska 1998 Maine 1998 Minnesota 1998 New York 1998 Pennsylvania 1998 Rhode Island 1998 Kentucky 1999 New Hampshire 2000 Vermont 2000 Arizona 2002 California 2002 Maine 2002 Minnesota 2002 New Mexico 2002 New York 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Vermont 2002 Wisconsin 2002 Alaska 2006 Illinois 2006 Maine 2006 Massachusetts 2006 Minnesota 2006 Texas 2006 Louisiana 2007 Vermont 2008 New Jersey 2009 Colorado 2010 Idaho 2010 Maine 2010 Massachusetts 2010 Minnesota 2010 Rhode Island 2010 Wyoming 2010 Kentucky 2011 Virginia 2013 Alaska 2014* Hawaii 2014 Maine 2014 Rhode Island 2014 Wyoming 2014 Maine 2018 Kansas 2018 Indiana 2020 Vermont 2020*
Portal:Politics Third party (United States) Third party officeholders in the United States Third-party members of the United States House of Representatives