This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2023) |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention 547 delegates votes needed to win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
First place finishes by convention roll call | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
From March 12 to June 27, 1940, voters of the Democratic Party elected delegates to the 1940 Democratic National Convention through a series of primaries, caucuses, and conventions. [1] Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the party's presidential nominee despite not formally declaring a campaign for a third term. Supporters effectively drafted Roosevelt, who was non-committal about seeking re-election, amid rising concerns over war in Europe. [2]
Ahead of the convention, the primary process and other means of delegate allocation had led to the New York Times to project that Roosevelt had 691.5 delegates in support of him, well above Garner's 69.5 and Farley's 38.5. [3]
Incumbent President Roosevelt remained sufficiently popular to seek nomination for a third term, if he desired, though he had alienated many conservative and Southern members of his party, whom he had relied on for his 1932 nomination, by attempting to purge critics of the New Deal in the 1938 elections.
As foreign policy tensions mounted in Europe following the German annexation of Czechoslovakia and partition of Poland, Roosevelt was urged to run for an unprecedented third consecutive term. [4] Roosevelt encouraged speculation but remained quiet. Privately, he prepared for his post-presidency, putting the finishing touches on a presidential library and signing a contract to become a contributing editor with Collier's upon his departure from office. [4] In response to private lobbying from Senator George W. Norris, Roosevelt openly spoke of his hopes for retirement. In February, he suffered a minor heart attack. Meanwhile, the war in Europe had largely dragged to a halt, entering a phase now known as the "Phoney War." Amid rising hope for peace, Roosevelt returned to focusing on retirement. [4]
The heir apparent to Roosevelt, should he decline to run, was Secretary of State Cordell Hull. Roosevelt encouraged his ambitions, intimating to Hull's wife at a cabinet dinner that the Secretary "had better get used to [making speeches]," because "[h]e'll have a lot of it to do soon." [5] However, Hull found it impermissible to campaign while actively serving as Secretary and, knowing that his nomination would depend on Roosevelt's support, remained silent pending Roosevelt's decision. [5]
Any chance of peace in Europe was ended on April 9, 1940, when Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. [5] Around one month later, the Battle of France began and French forces quickly fell into retreat. Though Roosevelt never formally declared a candidacy, supporters entered his name in presidential preference contests and stood as delegates with the promise to nominate Roosevelt at the national party convention. In the Illinois primary, which required a candidate to make a sworn declaration of intent to seek the presidency, Roosevelt's name was placed on the ballot without any such declaration. Officials reasoned that he had been at sea when the deadline to declare passed. [6]
Any doubts Roosevelt had about a third term were erased upon the Italian declaration of war on France. This, combined with isolationism among both parties in Congress, solidified his decision to accept re-nomination to a third term. When the Democratic delegates convened in July, none doubted that Roosevelt would accept their nomination. [7]
Vice President John Nance Garner, who had been one of Roosevelt's primary opponents in 1932, announced his candidacy on December 18, 1939. [8] His candidacy centered on opposition to the New Deal, Roosevelt personally, and the idea of a third term, but his conservatism put him on an uphill course with the rank-and-file of the party. [8]
Postmaster General and party chairman James Farley was the second challenger to Roosevelt but far more aligned with the New Deal platform than Garner. Farley had support from professional politicians but suffered from a lack of familiarity with policy issues and lingering anti-Catholicism. Cardinal George Mundelein lobbied Farley not to run, but he forcefully declined: "I will not let myself be kicked around by Roosevelt or anyone else." [5]
The following candidates were "favorite sons," who stood for nomination only in their respective home states for the purpose of controlling that state's delegation at the 1940 Democratic National Convention.
The following candidates were the subject of media speculation regarding a potential candidacy or were ambitious of the presidency, but ultimately declined to run:
Democratic Presidential Nominating State Conventions and Primaries | |||||||
Date | State | Contest Type | Candidate | Votes Won (#) | Votes Won (%) | Delegates Won | Reference(s) |
March 12 | New Hampshire | Primary (8 of 8 delegates) | Uninstructed (Support Franklin D. Roosevelt) | 10,567 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] | 49.50 / 100 (50%) | 8 / 8 (100%) | [9] |
Uninstructed (Support James Farley) | 4,503 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 3] | 21.10 / 100 (21%) | - | ||||
Uninstructed (Support John Nance Garner) | 3,457 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 4] | 16.20 / 100 (16%) | - | ||||
Uninstructed | 2,819 [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 5] | 13.21 / 100 (13%) | - | ||||
April 2 | Wisconsin | Primary (24 of 24 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 322,991 | 75.35 / 100 (75%) | 21 / 24 (88%) | - |
John Nance Garner | 105,662 | 24.65 / 100 (25%) | 3 / 24 (13%) | ||||
April 9 | Illinois | Primary (50 of 58 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1,176,531 | 86.04 / 100 (86%) | 50 / 50 (100%) | - |
John Nance Garner | 190,081 | 13.95 / 100 (14%) | - | ||||
Others | 35 (W) | 0.00 / 100 (0%) | - | ||||
Nebraska | Primary (14 of 14 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 111,902 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 14 / 14 (100%) | - | |
April 30 | Massachusetts | Primary (34 of 34 delegates) | Uninstructed (Support James Farley) | 76,919 [lower-alpha 6] | 100 / 100 (100%) | 32.5 / 34 (96%) | [10] |
Uninstructed | - | 1 / 34 (3%) | |||||
Uninstructed (Support Franklin D. Roosevelt) | - | 0.5 / 34 (1%) | |||||
May 5 | South Dakota | Primary (8 of 8 delegates) | Uninstructed | 27,636 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 8 / 8 (100%) | - |
May 7 | Alabama | Primary (22 of 22 delegates) | Uninstructed (Support William B. Bankhead) | 196,508 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 22 / 22 (100%) | - |
California | Primary (44 of 44 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 723,782 | 74.05 / 100 (74%) | 44 / 44 (100%) | - | |
John Nance Garner | 114,594 | 11.72 / 100 (12%) | - | ||||
Willis Allen | 90,718 | 9.28 / 100 (9%) | - | ||||
Ellis E. Patterson | 48,337 | 4.95 / 100 (5%) | - | ||||
May 14 | Ohio | Primary (52 of 52 delegates) | Uninstructed (Support Charles W. Sawyer) | 283,952 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 52 / 52 (100%) | - |
West Virginia | Primary (16 of 16 delegates) | H. C. Allen (Supporting Franklin D. Roosevelt) | 102,729 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 16 / 16 (100%) | [11] | |
May 17 | Oregon | Primary (10 of 10 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 109,913 | 87.17 / 100 (87%) | 10 / 10 (100%) | - |
John Nance Garner | 15,584 | 12.36 / 100 (12%) | - | ||||
Others | 601 | 0.48 / 100 (0.5%) | - | ||||
May 21 | New Jersey | Primary (32 of 32 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 34,278 (W) | 99.51 / 100 (100%) | 32 / 32 (100%) | [12] |
John Nance Garner | 59 (W) | 0.17 / 100 (0.2%) | - | ||||
Others | 111 (W) | 0.32 / 100 (0.3%) | - |
Many delegations were not selected in public primaries. The following table shows delegates awarded at a state level by convention, committees, and other means.
Delegates not awarded via primaries | |||||||
Other delegate allocation | |||||||
Date | State | Contest Type | Candidate | Votes Won (#) | Votes Won (%) | Delegates Won | Reference(s) |
March 27 | Maine | State Convention (10 of 10 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 10 / 10 (100%) | [13] | |
April 6 | Arizona | State Convention (6 of 6 delegates) | Uninstructed | - | 6 / 6 (100%) | [14] | |
April 7 | Puerto Rico | State Convention (6 of 6 delegates) | James Farley | - | 6 / 6 (100%) | [15] | |
April 25 | Georgia | State Committee (24 of 24 delegates) | Uninstructed (Support Franklin D. Roosevelt) | - | 24 / 24 (100%) | [16] | |
April 15 | New York | State Convention (8 of 94 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 8 / 8 (100%) | [17] | |
April 26 | Hawaii | State Convention (6 of 6 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 6 / 6 (100%) | [18] | |
May 11 | Oklahoma | State Convention (22 of 22 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 22 / 22 (100%) | [19] | |
May 12 | Iowa | State Convention (22 of 22 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 22 / 22 (100%) | [20] | |
May 13 | North Dakota | State Convention (16 of 16 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 16 / 16 (100%) | [21] | |
April 23 | Pennsylvania | Primary Convention (72 of 72 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 724,657 | 100 / 100 (100%) | 72 / 72 (100%) | [ citation needed ] |
May 17 | North Carolina | State Convention (26 of 26 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 26 / 26 (100%) | [22] | |
May 20 | Delaware | State Convention (6 of 6 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 6 / 6 (100%) | [23] | |
May 23 | Vermont | State Convention (6 of 6 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 6 / 6 (100%) | [24] | |
May 22 | Maryland | State Convention (16 of 16 delegates) | Millard Tydings | - | 16 / 16 (100%) | [25] | |
June 4 | Connecticut | State Convention (16 of 16 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 16 / 16 (100%) | [26] | |
June 5 | Louisiana | State Committee (20 of 20 delegates) | Uninstructed (Later Supported O. John Rogge) [27] | - | 20 / 20 (100%) | [28] | |
June 10 | Kansas | State Convention (18 of 18 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 18 / 18 (100%) | [29] | |
June 11 | Mississippi | State Convention (18 of 18 delegates) | - | - | - | [30] | |
June 14 | Virginia | State Committee (22 of 22 delegates) | Uninstructed | - | 20 / 20 (100%) | [31] | |
June 15 | Michigan | State Convention (38 of 38 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 38 / 38 (100%) | [32] | |
June 16 | Nevada | State Convention (12 of 12 delegates) | Uninstructed | - | 12 / 12 (100%) | [33] | |
Washington | State Convention (16 of 16 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 16 / 16 (100%) | [34] | ||
June 18 | Arkansas | State Committee (18 of 18 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 18 / 18 (100%) | [35] | |
June 22 | Illinois | State Convention (8 of 58 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 8 / 8 (100%) | [36] | |
June 27 | Indiana | State Convention (28 of 28 delegates) | Franklin D. Roosevelt | - | 28 / 28 (100%) | [37] | |
The 1932 United States presidential election was the 37th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1932. The election took place against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The incumbent Republican President Herbert Hoover was defeated in a landslide by Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, the governor of New York and the vice presidential nominee of the 1920 presidential election. Roosevelt was the first Democrat in 80 years to simultaneously win an outright majority of the electoral college and popular vote, a feat last accomplished by Franklin Pierce in 1852, as well as the first Democrat in 56 years to win a majority of the popular vote, which was last done by Samuel J. Tilden in 1876. Roosevelt was the last sitting governor to be elected president until Bill Clinton in 1992. Hoover became the first incumbent president to lose an election to another term since William Howard Taft in 1912, and the last to do so until Gerald Ford lost 44 years later. The election marked the effective end of the Fourth Party System, which had been dominated by Republicans. It was the first time since 1916 that a Democrat was elected president.
The 1940 United States presidential election was the 39th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1940. Incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican businessman Wendell Willkie to be reelected for an unprecedented third term in office. Until 1988, this was the last time in which the incumbent's party won three consecutive presidential elections.
Each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and territories of the United States holds either primary elections or caucuses to help nominate individual candidates for president of the United States. This process is designed to choose the candidates that will represent their political parties in the general election.
The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosing the delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions which choose the party nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November. Although only a few delegates are chosen in the New Hampshire primary, its real importance comes from the massive media coverage it receives.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention. The primary goal of the Democratic National Convention is to officially nominate a candidate for president and vice president, adopt a comprehensive party platform and unify the party. Pledged delegates from all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the American territories, and superdelegates which are unpledged delegates representing the Democratic establishment, attend the convention and cast their votes to choose the party's presidential candidate. Like the Republican National Convention, the Democratic National Convention marks the formal end of the primary election period and the start of the general election season. Since the 1980s the national conventions have lost most of their importance and become mostly just ceremonial coronation events for the respective candidate, as since the full establishment of primary contests in that time the winning nominees of both parties have always been clear long time before the convention. In 2020, both major parties, and many minor parties, replaced their usual in-person conventions with virtual programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In American politics, a superdelegate is a delegate to a presidential nominating convention who is seated automatically.
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Republican National Convention is to officially nominate and confirm a candidate for president and vice president, adopt a comprehensive party platform and unify the party, as well as publicize and launch the fall campaign.
The 1924 Democratic National Convention, held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City from June 24 to July 9, 1924, was the longest continuously running convention in United States political history. It took a record 103 ballots to nominate a presidential candidate. It was the first major party national convention that saw the name of a woman, Lena Springs, placed in nomination for vice president. John W. Davis, a dark horse, eventually won the presidential nomination on the 103rd ballot, a compromise candidate following a protracted convention fight between distant front-runners William Gibbs McAdoo and Al Smith.
The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois June 27 – July 2, 1932. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York for president and Speaker of the House John N. Garner from Texas for vice president. Beulah Rebecca Hooks Hannah Tingley was a member of the Democratic National Committee and Chair of the Democratic Party of Florida. She seconded the nomination of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, becoming the second woman to address a Democratic National Convention.
The 1940 Democratic National Convention was held at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois from July 15 to July 18, 1940. The convention resulted in the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for an unprecedented third term. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace from Iowa was nominated for vice president.
The 1920 Democratic National Convention was held at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California from June 28 to July 6, 1920. It resulted in the nomination of Governor James M. Cox of Ohio for president and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt from New York for vice president. The 1920 Democratic National Convention marked the first time any party had held its nominating convention in a West Coast city.
The 2008 Ohio Democratic presidential primary took place on March 4, 2008 and was open to anyone requesting a Democratic party ballot. In 2008, any registered Ohio voter could on election day request a primary ballot of either the Democratic or Republican party, by signing an affidavit stating that they supported the principles of the party whose ballot they are obtaining.
The 2008 Oregon Democratic presidential primary was a mail-only primary in the U.S. state of Oregon. Ballots were mailed to registered Democratic voters between May 2 and May 6, 2008. To be counted, all ballots had to have been received by county elections offices by 8:00 p.m. PDT on May 20, 2008. It was a closed primary and voters had to have registered as Democrats by April 29, 2008 to be eligible to vote in any of the partisan races. Barack Obama won the presidential primary with 58% of the vote.
From March 12 to May 17, 1940, voters of the Republican Party chose delegates to nominate a candidate for president at the 1940 Republican National Convention. The nominee was selected at the convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 24–28, 1940.
Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential election. The elections took place within all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad and occurred between February 1 and June 14, 2016.
From March 8 to May 20, 1932, voters and members of the Democratic Party elected delegates to the 1932 Democratic National Convention for the purpose of nominating a candidate for president in the 1932 United States presidential election. New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1932 Democratic National Convention held from June 27 to July 2, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois.
The 2016 Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses were held on April 9 in the U.S. state of Wyoming, representing the first tier of the Wyoming Democratic Party's nomination contest for the 2016 presidential election. Only registered Democrats were allowed to participate in the closed precinct caucuses.
Al Smith, former governor of New York and the 1928 Democratic presidential nominee, ran an unsuccessful campaign for the party's 1932 presidential nomination. He ultimately lost to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his one-time political ally, who would go on to win the general election.
The 1944 United States presidential election in Texas took place on November 7, 1944, as part of the 1944 United States presidential election. State voters chose 23 electors to represent the state in the Electoral College, which chose the president and vice president.