Delegates to the 1912 Democratic National Convention were chosen by two means for the first time. Just over 54% of the delegates (595 out of 1,094) were chosen in primary states, leaving 499 chosen in caucus states. In the Democratic presidential preference primaries of 1912, the four leading candidates won large blocs of delegates. These delegates cast the following first ballot votes: Wilson 203, Clark 178, Harmon 128, and Underwood 86. Burke's 10 delegates in North Dakota voted for Wilson. Unlike the primary states, Clark was the clear winner among the caucus states; delegates chosen in these states cast the following first ballot vote: Clark 262 (52.6%), Wilson 121, Underwood 31, Harmon 20, and others 64. Each state was granted two delegates for each member of Congress, and five territories had six delegates each. Some states chose to send more than their allotted number, with some people casting fractional votes.
Just before the national convention assembled, William J. Bryan sent a telegram to each contender. Bryan, who was a Clark delegate from Nebraska, asked the candidates to support his effort to defeat the choice of Alton B. Parker for temporary chairman. While Clark gave Bryan a guarded response, Wilson offered his full support to Bryan.
The 21st Democratic National Convention assembled in the 5th Maryland Regiment Armory building in Baltimore from 6/25 to 7/2/1912.
Temporary Chairman.The first item of business was the selection of a temporary chairman. The national committee recommended Parker for the post, as expected. Bryan was recognized and recommended his runningmate in the prior race, U.S. Sen. John W. Kern IN. Kern apparently was not aware that Bryan planned to do this. He withdrew and asked Parker to do the same. Parker declined to withdraw, which offended many Bryan supporters. Kern recommended that Bryan be chosen for the post. The convention then chose Parker by a margin of 579 to 508 for Bryan and 7 scattering. In the long run, Parker's victory harmed Clark's chances. More progressive Democrats around the nation started sending telegrams to the delegates, at first urging a more progressive platform and then urging a vote for Wilson as the most progressive contender.
Following a recess, Parker took the chair. As temporary chairman, he also served as the convention's keynote speaker. He urged the selection of Bryan to lead the resolutions committee as a peace offering to the progressives. After his speech, the convention adopted rules and appointed the traditional committees.
On the second day of the convention, committees met in the morning. Democratic orators spoke to the delegates in the afternoon as the committees continued their work. The rules committee reported in the evening with a standard report with one exception; it had voted 41-11 to recommend that the platform be adopted after the nominations. The committee recognized that the convention had to choose between the progressives and the conservatives and did not want to prepare a platform that would conflict with the national ticket. A minor rules issue involved the unit rule and instruction of delegates. The convention voted 565.5 to 492.33 to allow delegates selected in primaries to vote independently of the unit rule.
The credentials committee was ready to report by the end of the session, but due to the lateness of the hour the convention adjourned.
The third day of the convention began with the credentials committee report and a conflicting minority report. The only major question was which delegation to seat from South Dakota. There, three different slates of delegates had appeared on the primary ballot with confusing labels. The committee recommended seating Clark delegates, who had been certified by the state Democratic Party. The convention voted 639.5 to 437 to seat the Wilson delegates, who had been certified by the Secretary of State.
The convention then approved the report of the committee on permanent organization, which included the appointment of U.S. Rep. Ollie James as permanent chairman. A recess until the evening followed.
Presidential balloting. The evening session of 6/27/1912 was taken up with nominations of contenders for the presidential nomination. Before the nominations began, Bryan offered a resolution that the convention would not nominate a candidate who was inclined to favor Wall Street. He originally called for delegates with ties to the business interest to withdraw, but he agreed to drop that clause if the remainder of the resolution were approved. The convention passed his amended text by a roll call vote of 883 to 201.5.
The four top-tier candidates were placed in nomination (Clark, Wilson, Harmon, and Underwood), along with favorite son candidates Baldwin and Marshall. Gov. Burke officially withdrew from contention, and the state Democratic floor leader announced that ND planned to support Wilson.
The first roll call took place after the speeches. In order to satisfy the 2/3 rule, a candidate needed 730 votes. Clark placed first with 40%, followed by Wilson with 30%, Harmon 14% and Underwood 11%. The regional breakdown was interesting. Wilson carried the northeast with 33%. Wilson and Underwood split the southern delegates. Clark won half the delegate vote from the middle west and 85% of the vote from the far west.
Little change took place on the first nine ballots. Wilson, Clark, and Underwood gained, at the expense of Harmon and Baldwin. On the 10th ballot, the New York delegation, controlled by Tammany Hall, switched from Harmon to Clark in an effort to start a bandwagon effect. This shift put Clark over 50% but far short of the 2/3 needed. The Wilson and Underwood campaigns sent their leaders to speak to individual delegations while Clark supporters staged a demonstration. Clark had hit his maximum vote, however, and he slid slightly on succeeding ballots. On the 14th ballot, Bryan stated that given Tammany's support for Clark, he could no longer do the same. He and much of the Nebraska delegation switched to Wilson.
| Presidential Balloting, DNC 1912 (Ballots 1-15 of 46) |
| Contender: Ballot | 1st | 2d | 3d | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
| Champ Clark | 440.5 | 446.5 | 441 | 443 | 443 | 445 | 449.5 | 448.5 | 452 | 556 | 554 | 547.5 | 554.5 | 553 | 552 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 324 | 339.75 | 345 | 349.5 | 351 | 354 | 352.5 | 351.5 | 352.5 | 350.5 | 354.5 | 354 | 356 | 361 | 362.5 |
| Judson Harmon | 148 | 141 | 140.5 | 136.5 | 141.5 | 135 | 129.5 | 130 | 127 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Oscar W. Underwood | 117.5 | 111.25 | 114.5 | 112 | 119.5 | 121 | 123.5 | 123 | 122.5 | 117.5 | 118.5 | 123 | 115.5 | 111 | 110.5 |
| Thomas R. Marshall | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Simeon Baldwin | 22 | 14 | 14 | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Others | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
During the middle third of the ballots, Clark gradually lost votes to Wilson. He fell to 545 on the 17th ballot and never recouped these losses. Kansas switched from Clark to Wilson on the 20th ballot, placing Wilson over the 33% "veto" level for the first time. Harmon dropped out after the 21st ballot, but Clark losses to Gov. Eugene Foss on the same ballot meant that he lost eight votes overall. Once Clark fell below 500, Harmon's delegates switched back. Indiana switched from Marshall to Wilson on the 28th ballot, at which time Clark's lead had dropped to 31 (he had led by 200 earlier). When half of the Iowa delegation defected from Clark to Wilson on the 30th ballot, he took the lead for the first time.
| Presidential Balloting, DNC 1912 (Ballots 16-30 of 46) |
| Contender: Ballot | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | 21st | 22d | 23d | 24th | 25th | 26th | 27th | 28th | 29th | 30th |
| Champ Clark | 551 | 545 | 535 | 532 | 512 | 508 | 500.5 | 497.5 | 496 | 469 | 463.5 | 469 | 468.5 | 468.5 | 455 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 362.5 | 362.5 | 361 | 358 | 388.5 | 395.5 | 396.5 | 399 | 402.5 | 405 | 407.5 | 406.5 | 437.5 | 436 | 460 |
| Oscar W. Underwood | 112.5 | 112.5 | 125 | 130 | 121.5 | 118.5 | 118.5 | 114.5 | 115.5 | 108 | 112.5 | 112 | 112.5 | 112 | 121.5 |
| Eugene Foss | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 2 | 5 | 43 | 45 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 30 |
| Thomas R. Marshall | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | -- | -- | -- |
| Judson Harmon | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 19 |
| Others | 3 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Round after round of nearly identical roll calls continued. Wilson slowly rose to 500, mostly at Clark's expense. The convention recessed for the night after the 42d ballot, at which time Wilson had a lead of 64. On the 43d ballot the next day, IL, WV, and VA switched to Wilson, increasing his total by 100 and placing him at 55%. With this shift, Wilson surpassed Clark's earlier high vote. When Colorado switched from Clark to Wilson, the math indicated that Wilson could exactly hit the 730 threshhold with Underwood's support.
At the beginning of the 46th ballot, Alabama withdrew Underwood's name and freed its delegates. Missouri responded by releasing all Clark delegates from outside of Missouri (an interesting tactic), and Wilson won 90% of the delegate vote. Missouri moved that the nomination be made unanimous, and the convention adjourned.
| Presidential Balloting, DNC 1912 (Ballots 31-46 of 46) |
| Contender: Ballot | 31st | 32d | 33th | 34th | 35th | 36th | 37th | 38th | 39th | 40th | 41st | 42d | 43d | 44th | 45th | 46th |
| Woodrow Wilson | 475.5 | 477.5 | 477.5 | 479.5 | 494.5 | 496.5 | 496.5 | 498.5 | 501.5 | 501.5 | 499.5 | 494 | 602 | 629 | 633 | 990 |
| Champ Clark | 446.5 | 446.5 | 447.5 | 447.5 | 433.5 | 434.5 | 432.5 | 425 | 422 | 423 | 424 | 430 | 329 | 306 | 306 | 84 |
| Oscar W. Underwood | 116.5 | 119.5 | 103.5 | 101.5 | 101.5 | 98.5 | 100.5 | 106 | 106 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 98.5 | 99 | 97 | -- |
| Eugene Foss | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | -- |
| Judson Harmon | 17 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 12 |
| Others | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 9.5 | -- | 6 | 8 |
When the convention re-assembled, the platform was not quite ready. Nomination speeches for vice presidential contenders began but were suspended when the platform was ready. The platform was not overly different from that of 1908. It called for moderate progressive measures, including a single six-year presidential term, direct election of Senators, the national income tax, and presidential primaries.
Vice Presidential Balloting. Underwood and Clark declined to be considered for VP and Burke's name was entered before the platform discussion took place. On the first ballot, Marshall placed first, followed by Burke and Oregon Sen. George Chamberlain. Marshall's vote nearly doubled on the second ballot, as he absorbed 3/4 of the non-Burke delegate vote. Rather than take a third ballot, New Jersey moved successfully that the nomination be made unanimous.
The convention offered a resolution of thanks to Baltimore and adjourned sine die.
20th Democratic National Convention (1908)
22d Democratic National Convention (1916)
Democratic Presidential Primaries of 1912
Popular Vote of 1912
Electoral Vote of 1912
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