The two-term tradition, although not yet enshrined in the Constitution, had been established by George Washington when he refused to run for a third term in 1796 other former presidents, such as Ulysses S. Throughout the winter, spring, and summer of 1940, there was much speculation as to whether Roosevelt would break with longstanding tradition and run for an unprecedented third term. Roosevelt led in all pre-election polls and won a comfortable victory his margins, though still significant, were less decisive than they had been in 19.Īdministrator of the Federal Security Agency However, Willkie's association with big business damaged his cause, as many working class voters blamed corporations and business leaders for the Great Depression. He criticized perceived incompetence and waste in the New Deal, warned of the dangers of breaking the two-term tradition, and accused Roosevelt of secretly planning to take the country into World War II. Willkie, who had not previously run for public office, conducted an energetic campaign, managing to revive Republican strength in areas of the Midwest and Northeast. Roosevelt, acutely aware of strong isolationist and non-interventionist sentiment, promised there would be no involvement in foreign wars if he were re-elected. Dewey on the sixth presidential ballot of the 1940 Republican National Convention. Willkie, a dark horse candidate, defeated conservative Senator Robert A. The 1940 Democratic National Convention re-nominated Roosevelt on the first ballot, while Garner was replaced on the ticket by Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. He and his allies sought to defuse challenges from other party leaders such as James Farley and Vice President John Nance Garner. Roosevelt did not want to campaign for a third term initially, but was driven by worsening conditions in Europe. The election was contested in the shadow of World War II in Europe, as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression in the United States. It was also the fourth presidential election, and the first since 1920, in which both major party candidates were registered in the same home state, with the others being in 1860, 1904, 19. Roosevelt defeated Republican businessman Wendell Willkie to be reelected for an unprecedented third term in office. Incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. It was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1940. The 1940 United States presidential election was the 39th quadrennial presidential election. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state. Blue denotes those won by Roosevelt/Wallace, red denotes states won by Willkie/McNary.
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