1948 United States presidential election in Texas

Summary

The 1948 United States presidential election in Texas was held on November 2, 1948. Texas voters chose 23 electors to represent the state in the Electoral College, which chose the president and vice president.

1948 United States presidential election in Texas

← 1944 November 2, 1948 1952 →
 
Nominee Harry S. Truman Thomas E. Dewey Strom Thurmond
Party Democratic Republican Dixiecrat
Home state Missouri New York South Carolina
Running mate Alben W. Barkley Earl Warren Fielding L. Wright
Electoral vote 23 0 0
Popular vote 824,235 303,467 113,776
Percentage 65.96% 24.29% 9.11%

County Results

President before election

Harry S. Truman
Democratic

Elected President

Harry S. Truman
Democratic

As a former Confederate state, Texas had a history of Jim Crow laws, disenfranchisement of its African-American and Mexican-American populations, and single-party Democratic rule outside a few Unionist German-American counties (chiefly Gillespie and Kendall) of Central Texas. However, President Harry S. Truman was attempting to launch a civil rights bill, involving desegregation of the military, which led to severe opposition from Southern Democrats, who aimed to have South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond listed as Democratic presidential nominee and Mississippi Governor Fielding Wright as the vice-presidential nominee. Thurmond, whose ticket was formally called the States’ Rights Democratic Party and more popularly known as the Dixiecrats, was leading Truman in early polls even in the major metropolitan counties of Dallas and Harris, which suggested he would claim the state.[1] Texas’ large number of electoral votes made it a coveted prize in Thurmond's quest to take the election into the House of Representatives.[2]

At the time of this poll it remained uncertain as to whether Truman or Thurmond would be the official Democratic nominee in Texas.[3] Unlike Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina or Virginia, Texas did not have a major threat from the Republican Party to block local Democratic support for Thurmond,[4] but it had only a third the proportion of blacks found in Mississippi or South Carolina.[5] More critically, Texas’ party hierarchy was dominated by Truman loyalists,[6] most critically Governor Beauford Jester,[2] and by mid-September it was clear that Truman would be the official Democratic nominee.[6]

Truman campaigned in Texas during late September, ignoring civil rights and focusing entirely upon Dewey.[7] The President's criticism of Dewey was largely focused on improving the transmission of hydroelectric power from dams at lower rates than Dewey had planned.[7]

10% of white voters supported Thurmond.[8]

Polls edit

Source Ranking As of
Chattanooga Daily Times[9] Certain D October 15, 1948
The Montgomery Advertiser[10] Safe D October 24, 1948
The Miami News[11] Safe D October 25, 1948
Mount Vernon Argus[12] Safe D November 1, 1948
Oakland Tribune[13] Certain D November 1, 1948

Results edit

1948 United States presidential election in Texas[14]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Harry S. Truman (incumbent) 824,235 65.96% 23
Republican Thomas E. Dewey 303,467 24.29% 0
States’ Rights Democratic Strom Thurmond 113,776 9.11% 0
Progressive Henry A. Wallace 3,920 0.31% 0
Prohibition Claude Watson 3,115 0.25% 0
Socialist Norman Thomas 919 0.07% 0
Other Write-ins 145 0.01% 0
Total 1,249,577 100.0% 23
Voter turnout (Voting age) 26%[15]

Results by county edit

1948 United States presidential election in Texas by county[16]
County Harry S. Truman
Democratic
Thomas Edmund Dewey
Republican
James Strom Thurmond
States’ Rights Democratic
Henry Agard Wallace
Progressive
Various candidates
Other parties
Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # % # %
Anderson 3,242 62.37% 1,199 23.07% 735 14.14% 3 0.06% 19 0.37% 2,043 39.30% 5,198
Andrews 816 85.27% 101 10.55% 35 3.66% 5 0.52% 0 0.00% 715 74.72% 957
Angelina 4,377 69.05% 1,000 15.78% 928 14.64% 6 0.09% 28 0.44% 3,377 53.27% 6,339
Aransas 418 61.02% 235 34.31% 26 3.80% 4 0.58% 2 0.29% 183 26.71% 685
Archer 1,599 86.20% 191 10.30% 58 3.13% 0 0.00% 7 0.38% 1,408 75.90% 1,855
Armstrong 686 84.07% 97 11.89% 31 3.80% 2 0.25% 0 0.00% 589 72.18% 816
Atascosa 1,895 69.36% 704 25.77% 120 4.39% 4 0.15% 9 0.33% 1,191 43.59% 2,732
Austin 1,252 43.70% 1,260 43.98% 345 12.04% 2 0.07% 6 0.21% -8 -0.28% 2,865
Bailey 1,115 76.79% 234 16.12% 93 6.40% 1 0.07% 9 0.62% 881 60.67% 1,452
Bandera 445 39.31% 570 50.35% 107 9.45% 1 0.09% 9 0.80% -125 -11.04% 1,132
Bastrop 2,518 77.79% 443 13.69% 265 8.19% 5 0.15% 6 0.19% 2,075 64.10% 3,237
Baylor 1,522 90.81% 101 6.03% 47 2.80% 3 0.18% 3 0.18% 1,421 84.78% 1,676
Bee 1,441 60.70% 801 33.74% 123 5.18% 4 0.17% 5 0.21% 640 26.96% 2,374
Bell 7,548 82.83% 1,069 11.73% 436 4.78% 41 0.45% 19 0.21% 6,479 71.10% 9,113
Bexar 35,970 54.27% 26,202 39.53% 3,418 5.16% 384 0.58% 305 0.46% 9,768 14.74% 66,279
Blanco 1,003 63.93% 497 31.68% 66 4.21% 2 0.13% 1 0.06% 506 32.25% 1,569
Borden 203 87.12% 18 7.73% 9 3.86% 0 0.00% 3 1.29% 185 79.39% 233
Bosque 2,303 77.91% 501 16.95% 141 4.77% 6 0.20% 5 0.17% 1,802 60.96% 2,956
Bowie 7,028 67.95% 1,161 11.22% 2,096 20.26% 34 0.33% 24 0.23% 4,932[a] 47.69% 10,343
Brazoria 4,783 57.19% 2,133 25.51% 1,408 16.84% 15 0.18% 24 0.29% 2,650 31.68% 8,363
Brazos 3,459 62.55% 1,533 27.72% 522 9.44% 6 0.11% 10 0.18% 1,926 34.83% 5,530
Brewster 940 70.10% 312 23.27% 82 6.11% 2 0.15% 5 0.37% 628 46.83% 1,341
Briscoe 692 85.75% 83 10.29% 28 3.47% 1 0.12% 3 0.37% 609 75.46% 807
Brooks 1,029 80.27% 217 16.93% 30 2.34% 3 0.23% 3 0.23% 812 63.34% 1,282
Brown 5,059 78.06% 1,071 16.53% 327 5.05% 3 0.05% 21 0.32% 3,988 61.53% 6,481
Burleson 2,051 84.26% 240 9.86% 135 5.55% 2 0.08% 6 0.25% 1,811 74.40% 2,434
Burnet 1,955 84.12% 287 12.35% 78 3.36% 1 0.04% 3 0.13% 1,668 71.77% 2,324
Caldwell 2,792 77.21% 623 17.23% 169 4.67% 9 0.25% 23 0.64% 2,169 59.98% 3,616
Calhoun 589 57.18% 346 33.59% 87 8.45% 0 0.00% 8 0.78% 243 23.59% 1,030
Callahan 1,844 83.40% 258 11.67% 104 4.70% 1 0.05% 4 0.18% 1,586 71.73% 2,211
Cameron 6,778 57.15% 4,689 39.54% 342 2.88% 20 0.17% 30 0.25% 2,089 17.61% 11,859
Camp 923 62.03% 180 12.10% 385 25.87% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 538[a] 36.16% 1,488
Carson 1,301 74.17% 413 23.55% 32 1.82% 5 0.29% 3 0.17% 888 50.62% 1,754
Cass 2,540 65.14% 457 11.72% 878 22.52% 3 0.08% 21 0.54% 1,662[a] 42.62% 3,899
Castro 1,158 84.28% 189 13.76% 20 1.46% 1 0.07% 6 0.44% 969 70.52% 1,374
Chambers 787 56.54% 302 21.70% 299 21.48% 0 0.00% 4 0.29% 485 34.84% 1,392
Cherokee 3,079 64.07% 1,154 24.01% 544 11.32% 4 0.08% 25 0.52% 1,925 40.06% 4,806
Childress 2,415 86.22% 273 9.75% 94 3.36% 4 0.14% 15 0.54% 2,142 76.47% 2,801
Clay 2,131 82.50% 332 12.85% 107 4.14% 2 0.08% 11 0.43% 1,799 69.65% 2,583
Cochran 971 81.87% 119 10.03% 94 7.93% 0 0.00% 2 0.17% 852 71.84% 1,186
Coke 909 90.18% 65 6.45% 30 2.98% 4 0.40% 0 0.00% 844 83.73% 1,008
Coleman 2,695 78.59% 545 15.89% 176 5.13% 2 0.06% 11 0.32% 2,150 62.70% 3,429
Collin 5,516 76.08% 1,155 15.93% 543 7.49% 17 0.23% 19 0.26% 4,361 60.15% 7,250
Collingsworth 1,779 85.16% 198 9.48% 98 4.69% 5 0.24% 9 0.43% 1,581 75.68% 2,089
Colorado 1,316 41.71% 900 28.53% 930 29.48% 3 0.10% 6 0.19% 386[a] 12.23% 3,155
Comal 1,212 39.43% 1,752 56.99% 105 3.42% 2 0.07% 3 0.10% -540 -17.56% 3,074
Comanche 2,915 83.17% 408 11.64% 164 4.68% 1 0.03% 17 0.49% 2,507 71.53% 3,505
Concho 1,156 85.88% 174 12.93% 12 0.89% 3 0.22% 1 0.07% 982 72.95% 1,346
Cooke 3,241 64.48% 1,194 23.76% 564 11.22% 10 0.20% 17 0.34% 2,047 40.72% 5,026
Coryell 2,350 85.11% 310 11.23% 88 3.19% 1 0.04% 12 0.43% 2,040 73.88% 2,761
Cottle 1,318 90.71% 102 7.02% 32 2.20% 0 0.00% 1 0.07% 1,216 83.69% 1,453
Crane 812 88.17% 70 7.60% 37 4.02% 0 0.00% 2 0.22% 742 80.57% 921
Crockett 400 73.39% 127 23.30% 18 3.30% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 273 50.09% 545
Crosby 1,731 83.66% 168 8.12% 158 7.64% 0 0.00% 12 0.58% 1,563 75.54% 2,069
Culberson 244 79.74% 38 12.42% 22 7.19% 0 0.00% 2 0.65% 206 67.32% 306
Dallam 1,504 77.41% 399 20.54% 28 1.44% 3 0.15% 9 0.46% 1,105 56.87% 1,943
Dallas 47,464 50.31% 35,664 37.80% 10,162 10.77% 536 0.57% 518 0.55% 11,800 12.51% 94,344
Dawson 2,605 82.94% 393 12.51% 136 4.33% 1 0.03% 6 0.19% 2,212 70.43% 3,141
Deaf Smith 1,496 71.61% 535 25.61% 42 2.01% 1 0.05% 15 0.72% 961 46.00% 2,089
Delta 1,594 83.89% 146 7.68% 132 6.95% 4 0.21% 24 1.26% 1,448 76.21% 1,900
Denton 4,549 65.42% 1,531 22.02% 824 11.85% 24 0.35% 25 0.36% 3,018 43.40% 6,953
De Witt 1,808 49.57% 1,612 44.20% 214 5.87% 5 0.14% 8 0.22% 196 5.37% 3,647
Dickens 1,492 87.76% 115 6.76% 83 4.88% 1 0.06% 9 0.53% 1,377 81.00% 1,700
Dimmit 863 65.48% 384 29.14% 60 4.55% 5 0.38% 6 0.46% 479 36.34% 1,318
Donley 1,372 81.09% 241 14.24% 71 4.20% 3 0.18% 5 0.30% 1,131 66.85% 1,692
Duval 3,551 96.52% 117 3.18% 11 0.30% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 3,434 93.34% 3,679
Eastland 5,121 76.83% 1,177 17.66% 329 4.94% 7 0.11% 31 0.47% 3,944 59.17% 6,665
Ector 4,305 75.61% 1,145 20.11% 231 4.06% 9 0.16% 4 0.07% 3,160 55.50% 5,694
Edwards 329 61.04% 185 34.32% 21 3.90% 1 0.19% 3 0.56% 144 26.72% 539
Ellis 5,792 75.56% 1,055 13.76% 782 10.20% 15 0.20% 21 0.27% 4,737 61.80% 7,665
El Paso 15,341 71.53% 5,544 25.85% 395 1.84% 148 0.69% 20 0.09% 9,797 45.68% 21,448
Erath 3,172 79.26% 598 14.94% 206 5.15% 6 0.15% 20 0.50% 2,574 64.32% 4,002
Falls 3,385 80.25% 546 12.94% 271 6.42% 7 0.17% 9 0.21% 2,839 67.31% 4,218
Fannin 6,132 86.79% 553 7.83% 364 5.15% 5 0.07% 11 0.16% 5,579 78.96% 7,065
Fayette 3,106 58.63% 1,737 32.79% 429 8.10% 17 0.32% 9 0.17% 1,369 25.84% 5,298
Fisher 2,063 90.28% 149 6.52% 66 2.89% 3 0.13% 4 0.18% 1,914 83.76% 2,285
Floyd 2,174 81.94% 344 12.97% 119 4.49% 1 0.04% 15 0.57% 1,830 68.97% 2,653
Foard 751 85.73% 90 10.27% 32 3.65% 1 0.11% 2 0.23% 661 75.46% 876
Fort Bend 2,058 56.96% 1,016 28.12% 519 14.36% 15 0.42% 5 0.14% 1,042 28.84% 3,613
Franklin 1,236 80.94% 146 9.56% 135 8.84% 1 0.07% 9 0.59% 1,090 71.38% 1,527
Freestone 2,265 70.12% 460 14.24% 483 14.95% 11 0.34% 11 0.34% 1,782[a] 55.17% 3,230
Frio 898 66.96% 345 25.73% 91 6.79% 1 0.07% 6 0.45% 553 41.23% 1,341
Gaines 1,465 81.66% 207 11.54% 107 5.96% 5 0.28% 10 0.56% 1,258 70.12% 1,794
Galveston 12,491 66.47% 4,857 25.85% 1,266 6.74% 138 0.73% 40 0.21% 7,634 40.62% 18,792
Garza 861 77.57% 176 15.86% 63 5.68% 3 0.27% 7 0.63% 685 61.71% 1,110
Gillespie 593 17.37% 2,741 80.31% 77 2.26% 0 0.00% 2 0.06% -2,148 -62.94% 3,413
Glasscock 188 67.63% 69 24.82% 16 5.76% 2 0.72% 3 1.08% 119 42.81% 278
Goliad 454 43.86% 450 43.48% 127 12.27% 0 0.00% 4 0.39% 4 0.38% 1,035
Gonzales 2,612 72.58% 666 18.51% 305 8.47% 8 0.22% 8 0.22% 1,946 54.07% 3,599
Gray 3,699 64.94% 1,594 27.98% 384 6.74% 4 0.07% 15 0.26% 2,105 36.96% 5,696
Grayson 10,991 77.69% 2,174 15.37% 953 6.74% 12 0.08% 18 0.13% 8,817 62.32% 14,148
Gregg 5,104 48.31% 2,477 23.45% 2,917 27.61% 24 0.23% 43 0.41% 2,187[a] 20.70% 10,565
Grimes 901 52.38% 336 19.53% 476 27.67% 2 0.12% 5 0.29% 425[a] 24.71% 1,720
Guadalupe 2,119 43.17% 2,502 50.98% 259 5.28% 20 0.41% 8 0.16% -383 -7.81% 4,908
Hale 3,995 75.24% 1,013 19.08% 269 5.07% 9 0.17% 24 0.45% 2,982 56.16% 5,310
Hall 2,122 89.31% 174 7.32% 76 3.20% 1 0.04% 3 0.13% 1,948 81.99% 2,376
Hamilton 1,725 73.75% 478 20.44% 130 5.56% 4 0.17% 2 0.09% 1,247 53.31% 2,339
Hansford 895 79.34% 206 18.26% 17 1.51% 9 0.80% 1 0.09% 689 61.08% 1,128
Hardeman 1,654 83.70% 226 11.44% 86 4.35% 3 0.15% 7 0.35% 1,428 72.26% 1,976
Hardin 2,233 73.38% 196 6.44% 595 19.55% 9 0.30% 10 0.33% 1,638[a] 53.83% 3,043
Harris 58,488 47.70% 43,117 35.16% 19,934 16.26% 760 0.62% 318 0.26% 15,371 12.54% 122,617
Harrison 2,504 44.81% 946 16.93% 2,106 37.69% 6 0.11% 26 0.47% 398[a] 7.12% 5,588
Hartley 477 84.13% 83 14.64% 5 0.88% 0 0.00% 2 0.35% 394 69.49% 567
Haskell 2,735 91.20% 181 6.04% 77 2.57% 4 0.13% 2 0.07% 2,554 85.16% 2,999
Hays 2,239 74.96% 555 18.58% 176 5.89% 9 0.30% 8 0.27% 1,684 56.38% 2,987
Hemphill 930 78.95% 201 17.06% 34 2.89% 2 0.17% 11 0.93% 729 61.89% 1,178
Henderson 3,669 83.14% 540 12.24% 197 4.46% 4 0.09% 3 0.07% 3,129 70.90% 4,413
Hidalgo 9,526 59.47% 6,220 38.83% 181 1.13% 29 0.18% 62 0.39% 3,306 20.64% 16,018
Hill 4,362 80.85% 657 12.18% 357 6.62% 6 0.11% 13 0.24% 3,705 68.67% 5,395
Hockley 3,071 84.58% 346 9.53% 199 5.48% 3 0.08% 12 0.33% 2,725 75.05% 3,631
Hood 1,273 84.64% 169 11.24% 56 3.72% 1 0.07% 5 0.33% 1,104 73.40% 1,504
Hopkins 3,885 83.24% 479 10.26% 284 6.09% 4 0.09% 15 0.32% 3,406 72.98% 4,667
Houston 2,014 64.88% 532 17.14% 541 17.43% 5 0.16% 12 0.39% 1,473[a] 47.45% 3,104
Howard 4,179 82.72% 561 11.10% 285 5.64% 15 0.30% 12 0.24% 3,618 71.62% 5,052
Hudspeth 437 87.75% 49 9.84% 10 2.01% 1 0.20% 1 0.20% 388 77.91% 498
Hunt 5,082 71.91% 1,195 16.91% 763 10.80% 3 0.04% 24 0.34% 3,887 55.00% 7,067
Hutchinson 4,527 75.34% 1,382 23.00% 84 1.40% 6 0.10% 10 0.17% 3,145 52.34% 6,009
Irion 366 83.18% 63 14.32% 9 2.05% 2 0.45% 0 0.00% 303 68.86% 440
Jack 1,426 78.48% 265 14.58% 110 6.05% 1 0.06% 15 0.83% 1,161 63.90% 1,817
Jackson 1,343 68.10% 488 24.75% 122 6.19% 12 0.61% 7 0.35% 855 43.35% 1,972
Jasper 1,777 70.32% 284 11.24% 450 17.81% 5 0.20% 11 0.44% 1,327[a] 52.51% 2,527
Jeff Davis 309 76.87% 75 18.66% 17 4.23% 0 0.00% 1 0.25% 234 58.21% 402
Jefferson 22,475 67.06% 5,749 17.15% 5,108 15.24% 119 0.36% 63 0.19% 16,726 49.91% 33,514
Jim Hogg 725 87.45% 73 8.81% 29 3.50% 1 0.12% 1 0.12% 652 78.64% 829
Jim Wells 3,781 71.35% 1,402 26.46% 101 1.91% 1 0.02% 14 0.26% 2,379 44.89% 5,299
Johnson 4,042 77.70% 707 13.59% 434 8.34% 4 0.08% 15 0.29% 3,335 64.11% 5,202
Jones 3,599 86.16% 432 10.34% 132 3.16% 3 0.07% 11 0.26% 3,167 75.82% 4,177
Karnes 2,198 73.98% 592 19.93% 176 5.92% 2 0.07% 3 0.10% 1,606 54.05% 2,971
Kaufman 3,479 71.15% 764 15.62% 629 12.86% 11 0.22% 7 0.14% 2,715 55.53% 4,890
Kendall 511 28.56% 1,207 67.47% 65 3.63% 2 0.11% 4 0.22% -696 -38.91% 1,789
Kenedy 45 55.56% 31 38.27% 5 6.17% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 14 17.29% 81
Kent 479 89.70% 33 6.18% 22 4.12% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 446 83.52% 534
Kerr 1,505 46.97% 1,520 47.44% 162 5.06% 8 0.25% 9 0.28% -15 -0.47% 3,204
Kimble 851 68.08% 303 24.24% 95 7.60% 0 0.00% 1 0.08% 548 43.84% 1,250
King 231 95.85% 6 2.49% 4 1.66% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 225 93.36% 241
Kinney 370 64.35% 175 30.43% 30 5.22% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 195 33.92% 575
Kleberg 2,083 72.50% 697 24.26% 70 2.44% 11 0.38% 12 0.42% 1,386 48.24% 2,873
Knox 1,792 89.24% 157 7.82% 52 2.59% 0 0.00% 7 0.35% 1,635 81.42% 2,008
Lamar 6,306 75.39% 1,018 12.17% 1,015 12.13% 2 0.02% 24 0.29% 5,288 63.22% 8,365
Lamb 3,286 83.25% 475 12.03% 173 4.38% 7 0.18% 6 0.15% 2,811 71.22% 3,947
Lampasas 1,459 80.74% 276 15.27% 72 3.98% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 1,183 65.47% 1,807
La Salle 719 78.75% 135 14.79% 57 6.24% 0 0.00% 2 0.22% 584 63.96% 913
Lavaca 3,046 67.52% 1,165 25.83% 265 5.87% 18 0.40% 17 0.38% 1,881 41.69% 4,511
Lee 1,540 72.57% 465 21.91% 109 5.14% 3 0.14% 5 0.24% 1,075 50.66% 2,122
Leon 1,231 72.84% 184 10.89% 271 16.04% 1 0.06% 3 0.18% 960[a] 56.80% 1,690
Liberty 2,199 56.14% 735 18.76% 931 23.77% 12 0.31% 40 1.02% 1,268[a] 32.37% 3,917
Limestone 3,289 72.57% 688 15.18% 510 11.25% 10 0.22% 35 0.77% 2,601 57.39% 4,532
Lipscomb 668 63.68% 354 33.75% 18 1.72% 1 0.10% 8 0.76% 314 29.93% 1,049
Live Oak 945 60.31% 479 30.57% 131 8.36% 4 0.26% 8 0.51% 466 29.74% 1,567
Llano 1,384 82.38% 253 15.06% 39 2.32% 3 0.18% 1 0.06% 1,131 67.32% 1,680
Loving 62 65.26% 29 30.53% 4 4.21% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 33 34.73% 95
Lubbock 11,114 73.08% 2,837 18.66% 1,202 7.90% 30 0.20% 24 0.16% 8,277 54.42% 15,207
Lynn 2,179 86.16% 224 8.86% 120 4.74% 0 0.00% 6 0.24% 1,955 77.30% 2,529
Madison 801 70.63% 134 11.82% 188 16.58% 0 0.00% 11 0.97% 613[a] 54.05% 1,134
Marion 703 64.97% 200 18.48% 159 14.70% 0 0.00% 20 1.85% 503 46.49% 1,082
Martin 945 87.74% 77 7.15% 52 4.83% 0 0.00% 3 0.28% 868 80.59% 1,077
Mason 836 61.65% 498 36.73% 14 1.03% 0 0.00% 8 0.59% 338 24.92% 1,356
Matagorda 1,628 49.35% 1,016 30.80% 640 19.40% 8 0.24% 7 0.21% 612 18.55% 3,299
Maverick 695 69.92% 270 27.16% 22 2.21% 6 0.60% 1 0.10% 425 42.76% 994
McCulloch 2,166 81.92% 393 14.86% 80 3.03% 0 0.00% 5 0.19% 1,773 67.06% 2,644
McLennan 16,034 79.55% 3,088 15.32% 913 4.53% 81 0.40% 41 0.20% 12,946 64.23% 20,157
McMullen 222 73.51% 61 20.20% 17 5.63% 1 0.33% 1 0.33% 161 53.31% 302
Medina 1,875 53.27% 1,492 42.39% 144 4.09% 4 0.11% 5 0.14% 383 10.88% 3,520
Menard 663 66.57% 283 28.41% 43 4.32% 1 0.10% 6 0.60% 380 38.16% 996
Midland 2,032 53.22% 1,410 36.93% 370 9.69% 1 0.03% 5 0.13% 622 16.29% 3,818
Milam 3,261 75.98% 646 15.05% 359 8.36% 15 0.35% 11 0.26% 2,615 60.93% 4,292
Mills 1,135 80.04% 205 14.46% 69 4.87% 5 0.35% 4 0.28% 930 65.58% 1,418
Mitchell 2,181 87.80% 230 9.26% 64 2.58% 1 0.04% 8 0.32% 1,951 78.54% 2,484
Montague 2,872 80.74% 475 13.35% 194 5.45% 2 0.06% 14 0.39% 2,397 67.39% 3,557
Montgomery 1,795 53.77% 544 16.30% 984 29.48% 3 0.09% 12 0.36% 811[a] 24.29% 3,338
Moore 1,748 83.20% 323 15.37% 27 1.29% 1 0.05% 2 0.10% 1,425 67.83% 2,101
Morris 1,164 74.81% 143 9.19% 247 15.87% 0 0.00% 2 0.13% 917[a] 58.94% 1,556
Motley 774 85.90% 75 8.32% 48 5.33% 1 0.11% 3 0.33% 699 77.58% 901
Nacogdoches 3,195 70.47% 833 18.37% 467 10.30% 4 0.09% 35 0.77% 2,362 52.10% 4,534
Navarro 4,679 72.05% 1,188 18.29% 587 9.04% 11 0.17% 29 0.45% 3,491 53.76% 6,494
Newton 957 68.41% 110 7.86% 316 22.59% 0 0.00% 16 1.14% 641[a] 45.82% 1,399
Nolan 3,408 83.76% 552 13.57% 99 2.43% 5 0.12% 5 0.12% 2,856 70.19% 4,069
Nueces 15,240 69.96% 5,577 25.60% 754 3.46% 103 0.47% 109 0.50% 9,663 44.36% 21,783
Ochiltree 1,025 73.06% 344 24.52% 30 2.14% 0 0.00% 4 0.29% 681 48.54% 1,403
Oldham 339 74.02% 100 21.83% 18 3.93% 1 0.22% 0 0.00% 239 52.19% 458
Orange 4,957 72.76% 987 14.49% 851 12.49% 14 0.21% 4 0.06% 3,970 58.27% 6,813
Palo Pinto 3,736 74.05% 977 19.37% 297 5.89% 10 0.20% 25 0.50% 2,759 54.68% 5,045
Panola 1,751 62.14% 256 9.08% 792 28.11% 6 0.21% 13 0.46% 959[a] 34.03% 2,818
Parker 3,061 75.02% 806 19.75% 180 4.41% 16 0.39% 17 0.42% 2,255 55.27% 4,080
Parmer 1,091 76.78% 280 19.70% 45 3.17% 0 0.00% 5 0.35% 811 57.08% 1,421
Pecos 1,430 79.40% 317 17.60% 51 2.83% 1 0.06% 2 0.11% 1,113 61.80% 1,801
Polk 1,422 62.64% 317 13.96% 518 22.82% 6 0.26% 7 0.31% 904[a] 39.82% 2,270
Potter 9,622 67.66% 4,110 28.90% 414 2.91% 35 0.25% 41 0.29% 5,512 38.76% 14,222
Presidio 907 78.66% 212 18.39% 25 2.17% 7 0.61% 2 0.17% 695 60.27% 1,153
Rains 739 78.28% 111 11.76% 90 9.53% 3 0.32% 1 0.11% 628 66.52% 944
Randall 1,936 69.84% 722 26.05% 98 3.54% 12 0.43% 4 0.14% 1,214 43.79% 2,772
Reagan 444 76.68% 112 19.34% 21 3.63% 1 0.17% 1 0.17% 332 57.34% 579
Real 446 72.40% 156 25.32% 12 1.95% 0 0.00% 2 0.32% 290 47.08% 616
Red River 2,987 75.49% 323 8.16% 637 16.10% 5 0.13% 5 0.13% 2,350[a] 59.39% 3,957
Reeves 1,383 77.31% 309 17.27% 95 5.31% 1 0.06% 1 0.06% 1,074 60.04% 1,789
Refugio 1,637 74.44% 489 22.24% 64 2.91% 4 0.18% 5 0.23% 1,148 52.20% 2,199
Roberts 317 75.84% 76 18.18% 25 5.98% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 241 57.66% 418
Robertson 2,147 74.11% 246 8.49% 495 17.09% 1 0.03% 8 0.28% 1,652[a] 57.02% 2,897
Rockwall 947 75.64% 117 9.35% 164 13.10% 3 0.24% 21 1.68% 783[a] 62.54% 1,252
Runnels 2,954 81.72% 526 14.55% 117 3.24% 9 0.25% 9 0.25% 2,428 67.17% 3,615
Rusk 4,322 58.60% 1,294 17.55% 1,730 23.46% 11 0.15% 18 0.24% 2,592[a] 35.14% 7,375
Sabine 1,078 75.28% 104 7.26% 238 16.62% 3 0.21% 9 0.63% 840[a] 58.66% 1,432
San Augustine 858 67.83% 137 10.83% 249 19.68% 0 0.00% 21 1.66% 609[a] 48.15% 1,265
San Jacinto 509 65.76% 106 13.70% 153 19.77% 3 0.39% 3 0.39% 356[a] 45.99% 774
San Patricio 2,649 69.29% 963 25.19% 181 4.73% 15 0.39% 15 0.39% 1,686 44.10% 3,823
San Saba 2,050 89.01% 184 7.99% 65 2.82% 0 0.00% 4 0.17% 1,866 81.02% 2,303
Schleicher 495 76.74% 107 16.59% 43 6.67% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 388 60.15% 645
Scurry 2,040 88.39% 201 8.71% 55 2.38% 3 0.13% 9 0.39% 1,839 79.68% 2,308
Shackelford 892 77.84% 211 18.41% 43 3.75% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 681 59.43% 1,146
Shelby 3,051 75.59% 307 7.61% 666 16.50% 2 0.05% 10 0.25% 2,385[a] 59.09% 4,036
Sherman 479 80.91% 98 16.55% 10 1.69% 0 0.00% 5 0.84% 381 64.36% 592
Smith 6,473 57.24% 3,181 28.13% 1,600 14.15% 17 0.15% 38 0.34% 3,292 29.11% 11,309
Somervell 446 76.50% 91 15.61% 46 7.89% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 355 60.89% 583
Starr 1,996 91.22% 179 8.18% 10 0.46% 2 0.09% 1 0.05% 1,817 83.04% 2,188
Stephens 2,132 73.77% 572 19.79% 164 5.67% 11 0.38% 11 0.38% 1,560 53.98% 2,890
Sterling 244 91.04% 17 6.34% 7 2.61% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 227 84.70% 268
Stonewall 968 90.98% 65 6.11% 28 2.63% 1 0.09% 2 0.19% 903 84.87% 1,064
Sutton 433 69.61% 131 21.06% 58 9.32% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 302 48.55% 622
Swisher 1,670 81.78% 307 15.03% 57 2.79% 2 0.10% 6 0.29% 1,363 66.75% 2,042
Tarrant 36,325 59.81% 17,157 28.25% 6,932 11.41% 160 0.26% 165 0.27% 19,168 31.56% 60,739
Taylor 8,184 78.90% 1,658 15.98% 478 4.61% 14 0.13% 39 0.38% 6,526 62.92% 10,373
Terrell 171 64.53% 78 29.43% 14 5.28% 1 0.38% 1 0.38% 93 35.10% 265
Terry 2,283 85.03% 236 8.79% 152 5.66% 2 0.07% 12 0.45% 2,047 76.24% 2,685
Throckmorton 1,026 91.61% 63 5.63% 30 2.68% 1 0.09% 0 0.00% 963 85.98% 1,120
Titus 2,339 76.56% 379 12.41% 332 10.87% 1 0.03% 4 0.13% 1,960 64.15% 3,055
Tom Green 6,777 74.34% 1,822 19.99% 481 5.28% 13 0.14% 23 0.25% 4,955 54.35% 9,116
Travis 19,598 72.03% 5,994 22.03% 1,252 4.60% 203 0.75% 160 0.59% 13,604 50.00% 27,207
Trinity 905 68.82% 150 11.41% 250 19.01% 3 0.23% 7 0.53% 655[a] 49.81% 1,315
Tyler 895 57.70% 177 11.41% 466 30.05% 2 0.13% 11 0.71% 429[a] 27.65% 1,551
Upshur 2,118 66.92% 555 17.54% 485 15.32% 1 0.03% 6 0.19% 1,563 49.38% 3,165
Upton 811 79.20% 155 15.14% 55 5.37% 1 0.10% 2 0.20% 656 64.06% 1,024
Uvalde 1,550 60.90% 866 34.03% 114 4.48% 0 0.00% 15 0.59% 684 26.87% 2,545
Val Verde 1,242 62.79% 672 33.97% 63 3.19% 0 0.00% 1 0.05% 570 28.82% 1,978
Van Zandt 3,264 75.03% 578 13.29% 463 10.64% 11 0.25% 34 0.78% 2,686 61.74% 4,350
Victoria 2,435 60.24% 1,262 31.22% 328 8.11% 10 0.25% 7 0.17% 1,173 29.02% 4,042
Walker 1,439 56.12% 570 22.23% 542 21.14% 1 0.04% 12 0.47% 869 33.89% 2,564
Waller 812 49.69% 448 27.42% 359 21.97% 12 0.73% 3 0.18% 364 22.27% 1,634
Ward 2,119 79.72% 414 15.58% 118 4.44% 5 0.19% 2 0.08% 1,705 64.14% 2,658
Washington 1,647 44.01% 1,904 50.88% 190 5.08% 1 0.03% 0 0.00% -257 -6.87% 3,742
Webb 4,595 80.68% 1,004 17.63% 53 0.93% 39 0.68% 4 0.07% 3,591 63.05% 5,695
Wharton 2,811 60.00% 1,354 28.90% 484 10.33% 24 0.51% 12 0.26% 1,457 31.10% 4,685
Wheeler 2,010 81.71% 370 15.04% 67 2.72% 2 0.08% 11 0.45% 1,640 66.67% 2,460
Wichita 12,235 77.11% 2,887 18.20% 683 4.30% 29 0.18% 32 0.20% 9,348 58.91% 15,866
Wilbarger 2,963 77.97% 529 13.92% 295 7.76% 6 0.16% 7 0.18% 2,434 64.05% 3,800
Willacy 1,139 59.20% 676 35.14% 99 5.15% 5 0.26% 5 0.26% 463 24.06% 1,924
Williamson 5,638 80.24% 1,094 15.57% 258 3.67% 26 0.37% 10 0.14% 4,544 64.67% 7,026
Wilson 2,313 76.59% 593 19.64% 108 3.58% 5 0.17% 1 0.03% 1,720 56.95% 3,020
Winkler 1,588 80.08% 296 14.93% 90 4.54% 2 0.10% 7 0.35% 1,292 65.15% 1,983
Wise 3,064 81.10% 448 11.86% 254 6.72% 3 0.08% 9 0.24% 2,616 69.24% 3,778
Wood 2,590 66.67% 629 16.19% 642 16.53% 9 0.23% 15 0.39% 1,948[a] 50.14% 3,885
Yoakum 861 84.41% 119 11.67% 32 3.14% 4 0.39% 4 0.39% 742 72.74% 1,020
Young 3,175 81.45% 516 13.24% 186 4.77% 4 0.10% 17 0.44% 2,659 68.21% 3,898
Zapata 632 60.36% 414 39.54% 1 0.10% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 218 20.82% 1,047
Zavala 618 62.68% 306 31.03% 58 5.88% 3 0.30% 1 0.10% 312 31.65% 986
Totals 824,235 65.96% 303,467 24.29% 113,921 9.12% 3,913 0.31% 4,041 0.32% 520,768 41.67% 1,249,577

Analysis edit

Texas overwhelmingly voted for incumbent Democratic President Harry. S. Truman, who took 66 percent of the state’s vote, to Republican Thomas E. Dewey’s 25.3 percent. Texas was Truman's strongest state, and one of only four in the country which gave him at least sixty percent of the popular vote. Truman carried 246 out of the state's 254 counties, to Dewey’s eight. South Carolina Governor Storm Thurmond, a segregationist Democrat, ran as the Dixiecrat nominee. Despite dominating in the neighboring Deep South, Thurmond received only nine percent of Texas’ popular vote and failed to carry any counties in the state. including those in East Texas, the region in Texas most closely culturally tied to the Deep South. The Dixiecrat ticket did, nonetheless, run second behind Truman in thirty counties. Dewey’s strongest performance was Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country, which gave him over eighty percent of the vote.

This is one of the last presidential elections in Texas in which the following regions were considered strongholds for the Democratic Party: West Texas, the Texas Panhandle, and the Texas Hill Country. Although several Democratic candidates would win a majority of the counties in these regions in future presidential elections, notably Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, these regions were amongst the first in the state to begin splitting their tickets by voting for Republicans on the national level while continuing to vote Democratic at the state level.

This is the last occasion the Plains counties of Ector, Gray, Hansford, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Midland, Ochiltree, Randall, and Roberts have voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[17] In the 21st century, these counties typically give over ninety percent of their vote to Republican nominees, while Roberts and Ochiltree have alternated as the nation's most Republican county. Additionally, 1948 constitutes the last election when Gregg County and Smith County in East Texas, plus Edwards County at the western extremity of its namesake plateau, have voted for the Democratic presidential nominee.[17] As a result of Dallas and Harris counties seeing their populations increase as a result of Republican-leaning northern expatriates moving into the state, this would be the last occasion with the exception of Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide win in the state in 1964 that these two counties backed Democratic presidential candidates until Barack Obama won them back in 2008. As of 2020, Dewey remains the last Republican candidate to fail to win at least thirty percent of Texas’s popular vote in a presidential election.

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad In this county where Thurmond ran second ahead of Dewey, margin given is Truman vote minus Thurmond vote and percentage margin Truman percentage minus Thurmond percentage.

References edit

  1. ^ "Truman Bad 2d in Texas County Vote". Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1948. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b Frederickson, Kari. The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South, 1932-1968. p. 158. ISBN 0807875449.
  3. ^ "Texas Rebels Hail Victory over Truman: Thurmond Wins Nod in 3 Counties". Chicago Tribune. August 30, 1948. p. 3.
  4. ^ Key, Valdimer Orlando (1949). Southern Politics in State and Nation. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 336.
  5. ^ Key. Southern Politics, p. 254
  6. ^ a b Cohodas, Nadine. Strom Thurmond and the Politics of Southern Change. p. 182. ISBN 0865544468.
  7. ^ a b "Truman, in Texas, Ducks Civil Rights: President Ignores Challenge From Gov. Thurmond, Attacks GOP on Power Policy". Los Angeles Times. September 26, 1948. p. 8.
  8. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 147.
  9. ^ Gallup, George (October 15, 1948). "Only Four States Go to Dixiecrats". Chattanooga Daily Times. Chattanooga, Tennessee. p. 6-A.
  10. ^ Duckworth, Allen (October 24, 1948). "Texas". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. p. 16.
  11. ^ Duckworth, Allen (October 25, 1948). "Texas". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. p. 8.
  12. ^ Tucker, Ray (November 1, 1948). "Truman Whistling in a White House Graveyard, Says Tucker, Predicting It'll Be a Dewey Sweep". Mount Vernon Argus. Mount Vernon, New York. p. 8.
  13. ^ Gallup, George (November 1, 1948). "Final Gallup Poll Shows Dewey Winning Election with Wide Electoral Vote Margin". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. pp. 1–2.
  14. ^ "David Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
  15. ^ Key; Southern Politics, p. 502
  16. ^ "1948 Presidential Election Popular Vote] (.xlsx file for €15)". Géoelections.
  17. ^ a b Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. pp. 311–319. ISBN 0786422173.

Works cited edit