1856
Reading the 1856 result in Wisconsin
Wisconsin backed Fremont (Republican) in the 1856 presidential election, casting 5 electoral votes for the ticket. Nationally the result broke the other way — James Buchanan (Democratic) won the presidency, leaving Wisconsin among the states he did not carry.
Fremont's win closed out Wisconsin's 2-election run of voting Democratic. The region divided — Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan joined Wisconsin for the Republican ticket, while Illinois did not. Across the 45 presidential elections Wisconsin has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Republican party (24 times). The vote fell within the Antebellum Crisis — Slavery splits the parties.
In the national count, James Buchanan took 174 of the 296 electoral votes, against John C. Frémont's 114. James Buchanan led the national popular vote with 45.29% of the ballots cast.
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