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%

     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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  1. ^ Kalb, Deborah (2016-02-19). Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved 2016-02-19.