The 1912 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1912, as part of the 1912 United States presidential election. State voters chose 29 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Illinois was won by New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson (D–New Jersey), running with Indiana governor Thomas R. Marshall, with 35.34% of the popular vote, against the 26th president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt (P–New York), running with California governor Hiram Johnson, with 33.72% of the popular vote, the 27th president of the United States William Howard Taft (R–Ohio), running with Columbia University President Nicholas Murray Butler, with 22.13% of the popular vote and the five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States Eugene V. Debs (S–Indiana), running with the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States Emil Seidel, with 7.09% of the popular vote.
As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election in which Lee County, Ogle County and Edwards County did not support the Republican nominee, and the last time the Democratic candidate carried Illinois without winning Cook County.
Primaries
The first state-wide presidential preference primaries were held in Illinois on April 9, 1912, alongside primaries for other federal and state offices. The Democratic Party ballot included Champ Clark and Woodrow Wilson. The Prohibition Party ballot included Eugene W. Chafin. The Republican Party ballot included William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Robert M. La Follette. The Socialist Party of America ballot included Eugene V. Debs.
Delegates were allocated by congressional district, with each district awarding two delegates, and an additional eight delegates elected at-large. The total vote in the state-run primary elections was 732,222.
Democratic
A primary for the Democratic presidential candidate was held in Illinois on April 9, 1912. Clark defeated Wilson, winning 24 of the 25 congressional districts and all 58 of the delegates. Wilson, despite winning the 16th district, received no delegates due to the unit rule, which forced states to give all their votes to one candidate, even if that state elected delegates by congressional district.
Prohibition Party
A primary for the Prohibition presidential candidate was held in Illinois on April 9, 1912.
Republican
A primary for the Republican presidential candidate was held in Illinois on April 9, 1912. The primary saw Taft, supported by the Lorimer organization, face off against Roosevelt and Robert M. La Follette. Roosevelt defeated Taft two-to-one in the state, winning 24 of the 25 congressional districts, and therefore 56 of the delegates. La Follette performed strongest in mining and union labor districts. The New York Times attributed Roosevelt's victory in the state to anti-Lorimer sentiment, despite Taft's private dislike of Senator William Lorimer. Additionally, some of the support was attributed to anti-reciprocity sentiment held among farmers in the state.
A primary for the Socialist Party of America presidential candidate was held in Illinois on April 9, 1912.
Results
The total vote in the general election was 1,146,173. The general elections coincided with those for House as well as those for state offices.