1912 Democratic Party presidential primaries

1912 Democratic Party presidential primaries

March 19 to June 4, 1912 1916 →
1,088 delegates to the 1912 Democratic National Convention 726 (two-thirds) votes needed to win
Candidate Woodrow Wilson Champ Clark Home state New Jersey Missouri Delegate count 324 440.5 Contests won 5 5 Popular vote 435,169 405,537 Percentage 44.6% 41.6%   Candidate Judson Harmon Oscar Underwood Home state Ohio Alabama Delegate count 148 117.5 Contests won 1 – Popular vote 116,294 – Percentage 11.9% –
First place by popular vote First place by convention roll call      Wilson      Clark      Underwood      Harmon      Baldwin      Various[a]
Previous Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson

From March 19 to June 4, 1912, voters of the Democratic Party elected delegates to the 1912 Democratic National Convention for the purpose of choosing a nominee for president in the 1912 election.^[1]

The primaries were inconclusive, with Speaker of the House Champ Clark holding a lead over Woodrow Wilson, but neither candidate close to the two-thirds of the delegates necessary to secure the nomination. In third place, Ohio governor Judson Harmon boasted the support of his home state and New York, the largest single delegation. House Majority Leader Oscar Underwood had strong support from the Deep South but little appeal outside the region.

At the convention, Wilson eventually secured the nomination over Clark after forty back-and-forth ballots.

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