Who won West Virginia in the 1956 presidential election?

Stevenson (Democratic) carried West Virginia in 1956, winning its 8 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did West Virginia have in 1956?

West Virginia cast 8 electoral votes in the 1956 presidential election.

Did West Virginia vote for the national winner in 1956?

No. West Virginia backed Stevenson, while Dwight D. Eisenhower won the presidency nationally.

New Deal CoalitionWV · 8 EV

1956

West Virginia: Stevenson carries 8 EV.

West Virginia cast its 8 electoral votes for Stevenson (Democratic). National winner: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) — West Virginia voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in West Virginia, 1956

In 1956, West Virginia awarded its 8 electoral votes to Stevenson of the Democratic party. Nationally the result broke the other way — Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) won the presidency, leaving West Virginia among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 7th consecutive election in which West Virginia backed the Democratic party, a streak reaching back to 1932. The region divided — Kentucky joined West Virginia for the Democratic ticket, while Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia did not. Across the 41 presidential elections West Virginia has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Democratic party (22 times). The vote fell within the New Deal Coalition — FDR, civil rights, and the long Democratic majority.

In the national count, Dwight D. Eisenhower took 457 of the 531 electoral votes, against Adlai Stevenson II's 73. Dwight D. Eisenhower led the national popular vote with 57.37% of the ballots cast.

The 1956 national map

West Virginia full history →