1924 United States presidential election in Virginia

The 1924 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 4, 1924. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1924 United States presidential election in Virginia

November 4, 1924

Nominee John W. Davis Calvin Coolidge Party Democratic Republican Home state West Virginia Massachusetts Running mate Charles W. Bryan Charles G. Dawes Electoral vote 12 0 Popular vote 139,797 73,359 Percentage 62.49% 32.79%

County Results Davis   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90%   90-100% Coolidge   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%

President before election Calvin Coolidge Republican Elected President Calvin Coolidge Republican

Elections in Virginia
Federal government U.S. President 1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem 2020 Dem 2024 Dem GOP U.S. Senate 1788 1790 (sp) 1791 1792 (sp) 1793 1794 (sp) 1796 1798 1799 (sp) 1803 1803 (sp) 1804 1804 (sp) 1808 1809 1811 1814 1814 (sp) 1815 (sp) 1816 1816 (sp) 1819 (sp) 1821 1822 (sp) 1823 1824 1824 (sp) 1827 1829 1832 (sp) 1833 1834 (sp) 1835 1836 (sp) 1837 1837 (sp) 1839 1840 1841 (sp) 1845 1845 (sp) 1846 1847 (sp) 1850 1852 1856 1858 1861 (sp) 1863 1865 1865 (sp) 1870 1871 1875 1877 1881 1883 1887 1889 1893 1893 (sp) 1894 1899 1899 1904 1906 1910 1911 1912 1912 (sp) 1916 1918 1920 (sp) 1922 1924 1928 1930 1933 (sp) 1934 1936 1940 1942 1946 1946 (sp) 1948 1952 1954 1958 1960 1964 1966 1966 (sp) 1970 1972 1976 1978 1982 1984 1988 1990 1994 1996 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018 2020 2024 2026 U.S. House 1789 1790 9th sp 1793 1795 1797 1798 (9th sp) 1799 1800 (13th sp) 1801 1803 1804 5th sp 13th sp 1805 13th sp 1807 17th sp 1809 21st sp 1st sp 1811 1813 1814 (11th sp) 1815 15th sp 1816 18th sp 23rd sp 1817 1818 (19th sp) 1819 1820 1st sp 10th sp 17th sp 20th sp 1821 1822 (2nd sp) 1823 1824 (13th sp) 1825 1826 (5th sp) 1827 1829 10th sp 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 4th sp 1861 11th sp 1862 (1st sp) 1869 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 7th sp 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 7th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1st sp 1920 4th sp 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 2nd sp 1946 5th sp 6th sp 7th sp 1948 4th sp 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 6th sp 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 5th sp 1990 1991 (7th sp) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (4th sp) 2002 8th 2004 2006 2007 (1st sp) 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 10th 2020 2022 2023 (4th sp)
State government Governor 1776 1851 1855 1859 1863 C U 1869 1873 1877 1881 1885 1889 1893 1897 1901 1905 1909 1913 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 Lieutenant Governor 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 Attorney General 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 Senate 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 House of Delegates 1975 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 State elections 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2023
Ballot measures Statewide 1970 1972 1974 1976 1977 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 Fairfax County 2016
Alexandria Mayor 2012 2015 2018 2021 (List)
Hampton Mayor 2016
Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney 2011 2015 2019
Norfolk Mayor 2006 2010 2014 2016
Richmond Mayor 2016 2020 2024 City Council 2016
Virginia Beach Mayor 2008 2012 2016 2018 2020 City Council 2020

The 1900s had seen Virginia, like all former Confederate States, almost completely disenfranchise its black and poor white populations through the use of a cumulative poll tax and literacy tests.[1] So severe was the disenfranchising effect of the new 1902 Constitution that the electorate for the 1904 presidential election was halved compared to that of previous elections, and it has been calculated that a third of those who voted were state employees and officeholders.[1]

This limited electorate meant Virginian politics was controlled by political machines based in Southside Virginia — firstly one led by Thomas Staples Martin and after he died the Byrd Organization. Progressive “antiorganization” factions were rendered impotent by the inability of almost all their potential electorate to vote.[2] Unlike the Deep South, historical fusion with the “Readjuster” Democrats,[3] defection of substantial proportions of the Northeast-aligned white electorate of the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia over free silver,[4] and an early move towards a “lily white” Jim Crow party[3] meant that in general elections the Republicans retained around one-third of the small statewide electorate,[5] with the majority of GOP support located in the western part of the state. However, in many areas — like in Tennessee during the same era — the parties avoided competition by an agreed division over local offices.[2]

Virginia was less affected than Oklahoma, Tennessee or North Carolina by the upheavals of World War I and the Nineteenth Amendment, although there was an unsuccessful challenge to lily-white control of the state’s Republican Party in 1921.[3]

During the prolonged national convention, Virginia delegates supported favorite son Senator Carter Glass, who had virtually no support elsewhere.[6] Ultimately the nomination went to a compromise candidate in Wall Street lawyer and former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom John W. Davis of West Virginia. Although West Virginia was a border state whose limited African-American population had not been disenfranchised,[7] Davis did share the extreme social conservatism of Southern Democrats of his era; he supported poll taxes and opposed women's suffrage.[8] In addition, Davis, like Coolidge, favored strictly limited government.[8][9] At the same time a progressive third-party run was predicted as early as winter 1923–24, and ultimately Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. would be nominated by the “Committee for Progressive Political Action”.[10]

Neither Davis, La Follette, nor Republican nominee, incumbent President Calvin Coolidge campaigned in the state, which was always viewed as certain to go for Davis after having voted Democratic at every election since 1876. A Digest poll at the end of October, which included votes for some candidates not on the ballot, had Davis winning by 22.5 percentage points,[11] a figure which understated his final margin of 29.69 points or a 6.22-point improvement from James M. Cox in 1920. Progressive Party candidate La Follette would relegate Davis to third in twelve states and carry his home state of Wisconsin, but had very little appeal amongst Virginia’s restricted electorate, reaching double digits in only four counties and six independent cities. Overall Virginia was La Follette’s sixth-weakest state[lower-alpha 1] after South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and Rhode Island.

Until 2016, this was the last presidential election where a Democrat carried Virginia without winning the presidency, and remains the last time that a Democrat who lost the popular vote has carried the state.