The 1908 United States presidential election in California took place on November 3, 1908, as part of the 1908 United States presidential election. State voters chose 10 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

California voted for the Republican nominee, former War Secretary William Howard Taft and his running mate James S. Sherman of New York. They defeated the Democratic nominees, former representative and the 1896 and 1900 nominee, William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska and his running with John W. Kern, a former Indiana state senator. Taft won the state by a margin of 22.48%. This was the first presidential election in which more votes were cast in Los Angeles County than in San Francisco, although this had also previously occurred in the 1906 gubernatorial election.

Bryan had previously lost California to William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900.

Results + General Election ResultsParty Pledged to Elector Votes Republican Party William Howard Taft Ulysses S. Grant Jr.214,398 Republican Party William Howard Taft Samuel M. Shortridge213,598 Republican Party William Howard Taft Francis M. Smith213,552 Republican Party William Howard Taft Alden Anderson213,533 Republican Party William Howard Taft G. W. Dwinnell213,532 Republican Party William Howard Taft Thomas J. Field213,292 Republican Party William Howard Taft H. G. W. Dinkelspiel213,225 Republican Party William Howard Taft Delos O. Druffel213,071 Republican Party William Howard Taft Byron Erkenbrecher212,931 Republican Party William Howard Taft Lyman M. King212,314 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan James D. Phelan127,492 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan Harry P. Flannery126,796 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan Eugene German126,696 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan W. B. Shearer126,617 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan D. W. Carmichael126,527 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan Charles Edelman126,483 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan A. W. Maltby126,465 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan E. E. Bush126,393 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan Thomas E. Gibbon126,312 Democratic Party William Jennings Bryan John W. Martin126,190 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mary E. Garbutt28,659 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs G. W. Woodbey28,572 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Benjamin Chambers28,547 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Oliver Everett28,534 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs J. H. Wilder28,533 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs J. C. Weybright28,532 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Mary F. Merrill28,518 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Henry Meyer28,507 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs F. C. Wheeler28,500 Socialist Party Eugene V. Debs Bertha W. Starkweather28,351 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Frederick Heard11,770 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Ray T. Kimball11,735 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Albert K. Nash11,674 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin William H. Dorman11,663 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Adolph R. Buckman11,654 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Horace A. Johnson11,653 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Henry C. Weisenburger11,648 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Granville P. Hurst11,644 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin Christopher C. Crowell11,616 Prohibition Party Eugene W. Chafin John H. Allin11,597 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Al Murphy4,278 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Frank R. Wehe4,122 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Richard Kinsella4,075 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen J. D. McGaughey4,065 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen R. H. Norton4,060 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Raymond E. Fair4,058 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen C. K. Lambie4,055 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Z. W. Craig4,047 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen T. E. Amlin4,043 Independence League Thomas L. Hisgen Henry E. Mills4,042 Write-in Scattering28Votes cast 386,625

Results by county County William Howard TaftRepublican William Jennings BryanDemocratic Eugene V. DebsSocialist Eugene W. ChafinProhibition Thomas L. HisgenIndependence Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda21,38064.24%7,11021.36%3,46210.40%6081.83%7232.17%14,27042.87%33,283Alpine7587.21%1112.79%00.00%00.00%00.00%6474.42%86Amador1,03551.88%87443.81%381.90%251.25%231.15%1618.07%1,995Butte3,09452.74%2,14636.58%3846.55%1993.39%430.73%94816.16%5,866Calaveras1,32355.54%83334.97%1677.01%170.71%421.76%49020.57%2,382Colusa73038.58%1,06456.24%522.75%331.74%130.69%-334-17.65%1,892Contra Costa3,33660.61%1,59929.05%4387.96%711.29%601.09%1,73731.56%5,504Del Norte45059.29%20226.61%719.35%283.69%81.05%24832.67%759El Dorado98644.74%1,01946.23%1486.72%221.00%291.32%-33-1.50%2,204Fresno6,38450.89%4,74337.81%8686.92%5084.05%420.33%1,64113.08%12,545Glenn61844.72%71151.45%191.37%282.03%60.43%-93-6.73%1,382Humboldt4,22165.02%1,20618.58%86513.32%1382.13%620.96%3,01546.44%6,492Imperial90947.64%67535.38%20410.69%1025.35%180.94%23412.26%1,908Inyo58340.94%61843.40%15811.10%372.60%281.97%-35-2.46%1,424Kern2,27045.60%2,21544.50%3807.63%571.15%561.12%551.10%4,978Kings1,19853.22%85938.16%1124.98%703.11%120.53%33915.06%2,251Lake62542.84%62843.04%1107.54%644.39%322.19%-3-0.21%1,459Lassen55154.61%36135.78%818.03%90.89%70.69%19018.83%1,009Los Angeles41,48356.77%22,07630.21%4,7026.43%4,0335.52%7831.07%19,40726.56%73,077Madera59644.85%57443.19%1219.10%211.58%171.28%221.66%1,329Marin2,73268.25%98324.56%2195.47%280.70%411.02%1,74943.69%4,003Mariposa35236.86%48050.26%869.01%141.47%232.41%-128-13.40%955Mendocino2,74655.56%1,75235.45%2935.93%881.78%631.27%99420.11%4,942Merced1,10744.58%1,10044.30%1526.12%1044.19%200.81%70.28%2,483Modoc62049.92%57446.22%241.93%120.97%120.97%463.70%1,242Mono22459.89%12132.35%256.68%00.00%41.07%10327.54%374Monterey2,48653.64%1,61634.87%2114.55%2655.72%571.23%87018.77%4,635Napa2,40559.08%1,33632.82%2065.06%1002.46%240.59%1,06926.26%4,071Nevada1,82550.86%1,36838.13%2968.25%762.12%230.64%45712.74%3,588Orange3,24453.74%1,91131.65%3756.21%4517.47%560.93%1,33322.08%6,037Placer1,86551.45%1,49141.13%1714.72%691.90%290.80%37410.32%3,625Plumas65957.91%39534.71%595.18%121.05%131.14%26423.20%1,138Riverside3,22957.24%1,37424.36%56510.02%4277.57%460.82%1,85532.88%5,641Sacramento6,51555.15%4,53338.37%6085.15%1060.90%520.44%1,98216.78%11,814San Benito93753.57%68439.11%633.60%522.97%130.74%25314.47%1,749San Bernardino4,72952.90%2,68530.03%7778.69%6186.91%1311.47%2,04422.86%8,940San Diego5,41257.56%2,39325.45%1,34214.27%2122.25%440.47%3,01932.11%9,403San Francisco33,18455.19%21,26035.36%4,5237.52%4060.68%7511.25%11,92419.83%60,124San Joaquin4,47052.20%3,33138.90%5476.39%1671.95%490.57%1,13913.30%8,564San Luis Obispo2,00850.76%1,38134.91%3709.35%1543.89%431.09%62715.85%3,956San Mateo2,86562.91%1,31428.85%3016.61%290.64%450.99%1,55134.06%4,554Santa Barbara2,71355.19%1,64033.36%3767.65%1042.12%831.69%1,07321.83%4,916Santa Clara7,95058.88%3,83628.41%8836.54%6965.15%1371.01%4,11430.47%13,502Santa Cruz2,88654.71%1,64331.15%4508.53%2374.49%591.12%1,24323.56%5,275Shasta1,89147.61%1,38934.97%57714.53%691.74%461.16%50212.64%3,972Sierra60055.40%51037.86%544.99%111.02%80.74%19017.54%1,083Siskiyou1,81347.40%1,65743.32%2646.90%391.02%521.36%1564.08%3,825Solano3,11554.72%2,03335.71%4027.06%1021.79%410.72%1,08219.01%5,693Sonoma5,42757.50%3,16833.56%4835.12%2853.02%760.81%2,25923.93%9,439Stanislaus1,66346.45%1,39038.83%1825.08%3158.80%300.84%2737.63%3,580Sutter89654.94%65239.98%452.76%281.72%100.61%24414.96%1,631Tehama1,06447.46%89439.88%2049.10%622.77%180.80%1707.58%2,242Trinity39344.41%33137.40%13014.69%141.58%171.92%627.01%885Tulare2,74247.95%2,32940.73%4668.15%1432.50%380.66%4137.22%5,718Tuolumne94344.40%87841.34%1878.80%723.39%442.07%653.06%2,124Ventura1,86456.57%1,18135.84%1584.80%481.46%441.34%68320.73%3,295Yolo1,70749.01%1,55344.59%1273.65%742.12%220.63%1544.42%3,483Yuba1,27055.92%90239.72%783.43%110.48%100.44%36816.20%2,271Total 214,39855.45%127,49232.98%28,6597.41%11,7703.04%4,2781.11%86,90622.48%386,597

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic El Dorado Glenn Inyo Lake

See also United States presidential elections in California 1908 California Amendment 14

Notes

References