Vermont 1912

[Geoffrey Howe]

Vermont was a very Republican state in the Fourth Party System. However, the GOP was famously split in 1912 between the "conservative" wing led by incumbent Taft and the "progressive" wing led by his predecessor Roosevelt. In VT, Taft narrowly beat Roosevelt with 37% of the vote; Roosevelt only 2 points behind.

Could someone explain what the coalitions for the two candidates were in Vermont or New England generally? Further, could someone explain the map of Vermont in 1912 with their respective support?

Wikipedia: Taft red, Roosevelt green

From hnv1 on Dallasfan65's thread: Taft blue, Roosevelt green

[Geoffrey Howe]

I don't have any direct knowledge of Vermont, but Wikipedia helpfully notes that prior to the construction of Interstate 89 the primary geographical division in Vermont was the Green Mountains; each side of the mountains was entitled to one senator and the governor's office alternated between the sides. The relationship here is far from perfect, but Roosevelt generally did better east of the mountains and Taft west of the mountains.

Good point. Aiken and Gibson (progressive wing) were both from Windham County in the east; but the Proctors (conservative wing) tended to be from Rutland County, to the west of the Green Mountains. The areas which stayed Republican for longer or were more Republican when Vermont started shifting did tend to vote Taft from what I can tell.