1916 Minneapolis mayoral election (Socialist vs. Republican) and Gubernatorial election

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

My ward and precinct voted Republican!

[Bismarck]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

[Senator Incitatus]

Someone with a bit more time on their hands than me might flip through a fire insurance map from the period to check whether the appeal of socialism in Minneapolis, like so much of the Midwest during this period, was an ethnic phenomenon rather than an ideological one.

[Born to Slay. Forced to Work.]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

What does that even mean

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Van Lear was for the record one of the distant forefathers of the DFL.

He narrowly lost reelection in 2018 to a "Loyalist" candidate who was actually a Republican just running under that name. The main issue is that he opposed involvement in WWI and was accused of supporting a German victory. Funny thing is that Germany surrendered just a couple days after the election. After that he was expelled from the Socialist Party and started a Minnesota branch of North Dakota's Nonpartisan League supporting Wilson's domestic agenda. That group also later split due to infighting...and then his faction in it became the Farmer-Labor Party. This party of course later merged with the Democrats creating the modern day DFL.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Van Lear was for the record one of the distant forefathers of the DFL.

He narrowly lost reelection in 2018 to a "Loyalist" candidate who was actually a Republican just running under that name.

And a map of that:

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Someone with a bit more time on their hands than me might flip through a fire insurance map from the period to check whether the appeal of socialism in Minneapolis, like so much of the Midwest during this period, was an ethnic phenomenon rather than an ideological one.

This doesn't necessarily contradict the hypothesis, but the election was mostly over union/anti-union grounds.

The Socialist Party that supported Van Lear at the time was basically a coalition of labor unions. Meanwhile the main backer of Langum was the Citizens Alliance, a business-backed group that against unions.

And this shows in the geography, most of the factories in Minneapolis were alongside the river, so heavily in the north and some in the southeast. There wasn't many in the southwest corner of the city, and the 2nd ward is based around the University of Minnesota.

[Senator Incitatus]

Someone with a bit more time on their hands than me might flip through a fire insurance map from the period to check whether the appeal of socialism in Minneapolis, like so much of the Midwest during this period, was an ethnic phenomenon rather than an ideological one.

This doesn't necessarily contradict the hypothesis, but the election was mostly over union/anti-union grounds.

The Socialist Party that supported Van Lear at the time was basically a coalition of labor unions. Meanwhile the main backer of Langum was the Citizens Alliance, a business-backed group that against unions.

And this shows in the geography, most of the factories in Minneapolis were alongside the river, so heavily in the north and some in the southeast. There wasn't many in the southwest corner of the city, and the 2nd ward is based around the University of Minnesota.

Did the war not play a part in the campaign? Would be surprised given how Van Lear’s mayoralty went if he wasn’t elected on the votes of anti-war Germans (and some Scandinavians). I’m just not clear on what the ethnic makeup of Minneapolis was at the time versus, as the most obvious example, Milwaukee.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Someone with a bit more time on their hands than me might flip through a fire insurance map from the period to check whether the appeal of socialism in Minneapolis, like so much of the Midwest during this period, was an ethnic phenomenon rather than an ideological one.

This doesn't necessarily contradict the hypothesis, but the election was mostly over union/anti-union grounds.

The Socialist Party that supported Van Lear at the time was basically a coalition of labor unions. Meanwhile the main backer of Langum was the Citizens Alliance, a business-backed group that against unions.

And this shows in the geography, most of the factories in Minneapolis were alongside the river, so heavily in the north and some in the southeast. There wasn't many in the southwest corner of the city, and the 2nd ward is based around the University of Minnesota.

Did the war not play a part in the campaign? Would be surprised given how Van Lear’s mayoralty went if he wasn’t elected on the votes of anti-war Germans (and some Scandinavians). I’m just not clear on what the ethnic makeup of Minneapolis was at the time versus, as the most obvious example, Milwaukee.

I don't think there were many Germans in Minneapolis at that time, they mostly were still in agrian areas. I also don't think the war was a big issue yet considering Wilson was running for re-election the same year campaigning that he didn't enter it. It definitely was in 1918 although as that map and results show didn't shift the results that much, although they shifted enough.

[It’s so Joever]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

This doesn’t disprove the obvious fact white southerners rapidly flipped Republican largely over civil rights issues in the 1960s-1980s.

I have zero clue how even the most partisan hack who is interested in electoral geography and well versed in the subject could deny such an obvious and easy trend.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

This doesn’t disprove the obvious fact white southerners rapidly flipped Republican largely over civil rights issues in the 1960s-1980s.

I have zero clue how even the most partisan hack who is interested in electoral geography and well versed in the subject could deny such an obvious and easy trend.

How are white southerners relevant at all in Minneapolis?

[Sumner 1868]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

Not really. I can't speak for why there was correlation between the Democratic and Socialist vote in Minneapolis, but on the West Coast correlation between 1900s and 1910s Socialist and Democratic candidates was zero.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

Not really. I can't speak for why there was correlation between the Democratic and Socialist vote in Minneapolis, but on the West Coast correlation between 1900s and 1910s Socialist and Democratic candidates was zero.

The 1st ward you're probably referring to was heavily immigrant.

[It’s so Joever]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

This doesn’t disprove the obvious fact white southerners rapidly flipped Republican largely over civil rights issues in the 1960s-1980s.

I have zero clue how even the most partisan hack who is interested in electoral geography and well versed in the subject could deny such an obvious and easy trend.

How are white southerners relevant at all in Minneapolis?

Exactly, hence why this map doesn’t disprove anything.

[Bismarck]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

This doesn’t disprove the obvious fact white southerners rapidly flipped Republican largely over civil rights issues in the 1960s-1980s.

I have zero clue how even the most partisan hack who is interested in electoral geography and well versed in the subject could deny such an obvious and easy trend.

White southerners obviously flipped. The parties didn’t flip though.

[Senator Incitatus]

This is the kind of thing the proponents of the so called “party switch” need to see.

This doesn’t disprove the obvious fact white southerners rapidly flipped Republican largely over civil rights issues in the 1960s-1980s.

I have zero clue how even the most partisan hack who is interested in electoral geography and well versed in the subject could deny such an obvious and easy trend.

White southerners obviously flipped. The parties didn’t flip though.

Why (or rather which) white southerners flipped is also a revealing question.

[SInNYC]

U of M existed but was Dinkytown a thing back then? And did West Bank exist? It seems odd that Dinkytown was one of the solid Republican places while West Bank was solidly socialist. For those who dont know, both are university areas today.

I'm guessing West Bank didnt exist, and the very socialist part north of West Bank was factories and a union hotbed?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

U of M existed but was Dinkytown a thing back then? And did West Bank exist? It seems odd that Dinkytown was one of the solid Republican places while West Bank was solidly socialist. For those who dont know, both are university areas today.

I'm guessing West Bank didnt exist, and the very socialist part north of West Bank was factories and a union hotbed?

The name Dinkytown dates to the 40s, although as a community based around the University of Minnesota I'm sure that existed.

The West Bank at that time was mostly Scandinavians who worked in industry, remember that Minneapolis was founded just a little bit north with a riverside industrial plant, and that whole section of the river was big on milling and lumber. It had Augsburg University then, but probably wasn't a significant contributor to the voting population.