[x]

Even in the 1950s and 60s, the absolute biggest porkers in congress were the New Deal Southern Democrats. The supported every big government program that came down the pike, especially if the could get a piece of the action.

Southern Democrat committee chairmen really brought home the pork for their states. Bob Byrd was a survivor of that era.

FWIW, I may have been too cautious in my last post. In the three-way race of 1912 Wilson got 60, 70, 80, 90 percent in the Deep South states and 30 or 40 percent in the Northern states he carried. In 1916 he lost most of the North and carried all the South. Northern states had more people in those days, but it's entirely possible that a majority of Wilson's vote in 1912 came from Southerners. Of course many of the Northerners who voted against him were progressives themselves, but there were reasons why many considered the Virginia-born Wilson a Southern President.

[Ditto]

Southern Democrat committee chairmen really brought home the pork for their states.

Yep. Back in those day, every committee in congress was controlled by democrats, and most of them congresscritters for life from southern states. They had the seniority. There was no competition in the south then. It was 'The Solid South" a one-party state --- solid Democrats and FDRs backbone through the 30s and 40s. They paved the way from the Wilson era all the way to the 1960s in putting an ever bigger federal machine in place --- as long as they got their piece of the action, and they got plenty of it.

They ran the show. If you wanted anything done, you had to bribe them, and they were always willing to accept the right offer. The Constitution??? They really didn't give a s***, unless it came to a supposed 'state right' to treat blacks like they were still slaves.

[Ditto]

it's entirely possible that a majority of Wilson's vote in 1912 came from Southerners

No doubt. The deep South put the SOB in office.

1912 Election

Results by county explicitly indicating the percentage of the winning candidate in each county. Shades of blue are for Woodrow Wilson, shades of red are for William Taft, shades of green are for Theodore Roosevelt, and shades of yellow are for Eugene Debs. Grey indicates counties with no information or results.

1916 Election

Results by county explicitly indicating the percentage of the winning candidate in each county. Shades of blue are for Woodrow Wilson, shades of red are for Charles Hughes, and shades of green are for no candidate. Grey indicates counties with no information or results.