History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008 [4 ed.]

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History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008 Election Overviews By Bonnie K. Goodman, BA, MLIS, 2009-2010

The draft copies of the Election Overviews compiled by Bonnie K. Goodman, BA, MLIS that appear in Gil Troy, Arthur M. Schlesinger, and Fred L. Israel, eds. History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008. 4th ed. New York: Facts On File, 2011.

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Table of Contents History of American Presidential Elections 1789-2008 ................................................................. 2 Election Overviews ......................................................................................................................... 2 1789............................................................................................................................................. 5 1792........................................................................................................................................... 10 1796........................................................................................................................................... 14 1800........................................................................................................................................... 19 1804........................................................................................................................................... 27 1808........................................................................................................................................... 32 1812........................................................................................................................................... 36 1816........................................................................................................................................... 41 1820........................................................................................................................................... 46 1824........................................................................................................................................... 50 1828........................................................................................................................................... 55 1832........................................................................................................................................... 61 1836........................................................................................................................................... 68 1840........................................................................................................................................... 75 1844........................................................................................................................................... 82 1848........................................................................................................................................... 90 1852........................................................................................................................................... 96 1856......................................................................................................................................... 103 1860......................................................................................................................................... 111 1864......................................................................................................................................... 119 1868......................................................................................................................................... 125 1872......................................................................................................................................... 132 1876......................................................................................................................................... 139 1880......................................................................................................................................... 147 1884......................................................................................................................................... 153 1888......................................................................................................................................... 160 1892......................................................................................................................................... 166 1896......................................................................................................................................... 173 3

1900......................................................................................................................................... 180 1904......................................................................................................................................... 187 1908......................................................................................................................................... 194 1912......................................................................................................................................... 200 1916......................................................................................................................................... 210 1920......................................................................................................................................... 218 1924......................................................................................................................................... 228 1928......................................................................................................................................... 238 1932......................................................................................................................................... 246 1936......................................................................................................................................... 255 1940......................................................................................................................................... 264 1944......................................................................................................................................... 274 1948......................................................................................................................................... 283 1952......................................................................................................................................... 294 1956......................................................................................................................................... 303 1960......................................................................................................................................... 311 1964......................................................................................................................................... 321 1968......................................................................................................................................... 332 1972......................................................................................................................................... 344 1976......................................................................................................................................... 354 1980......................................................................................................................................... 364 1984......................................................................................................................................... 374 1988......................................................................................................................................... 383 1992......................................................................................................................................... 392 1996......................................................................................................................................... 403 2000......................................................................................................................................... 412 2004......................................................................................................................................... 425 2008......................................................................................................................................... 437

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1789

Election Year: 1789 Election Day Date:    

December 15, 1788 - January 10, 1789 Electors chosen first Wednesday in January 1789 Electors voted February 4, 1789 Senate ratified the election on April 6, 1789

Winning Ticket: President: George Washington (57, Episcopalian), Virginia, No Party, 69 85.2% Vice-President: John Adams (53, Unitarian) Massachusetts, No Party, 34 42.0% Losing Ticket(s):     

John Adams, Massachusetts, No Party, (53, Unitarian) 34 42.0% John Jay (44, Episcopalian) New York, No Party, 9 11.1% Robert H. Harrison (44, )Maryland, No Party, 6 7.4% John Rutledge (50, Episcopalian) South Carolina No Party 6 7.4% Other - - 14 17.3% Electoral votes not cast - 24 29.6%

Electoral Vote: Winner: 69 Main Opponent: 34   

Total/Majority: 69/35

Total Number of Electors 69 Total Electoral Votes Cast 138 Number of Votes for a Majority 35

Popular Vote:   

Federalist electors 35,866 92.4% Anti-Federalist electors 2,952 7.6% Total 38,818 100.0%

Voter Turnout:   

Less than 1.3% of the population voted, eligibility to vote depended on property ownership requirements. Only 10 states participated in the election. The New York legislature did not appoint the state’s electors in time to vote.

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North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution, and could not appoint any electors. Two of Maryland’s electors did not vote. One Virginian elector did not vote, while one district did not submit returns in time to choose an elector.

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters:  

There was no formal campaign in 1788. Candidates were to be passive and appear disinterested: The Presidency has “no fascinating allurements for me,” George Washington told friends.

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

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Each state would appoint by the legislature or popular vote several presidential electors (the Electoral College), who pledged to vote for particular candidates when the Electoral College convened. Diluting the popular vote for the Presidency was intended to preserve the nation’s virtue, and protect America from “mobocracy.” Under Article II of the Constitution, each elector cast two ballots for President with the second one for Vice-President. Alexander Hamilton schemed to ensure that John Adams would get fewer votes to be Vice President than Washington for President would. Hamilton worried about “that defect in the constitution which renders it possible that the man intended for VicePresident may, in fact, turn up President.”

Population: 1790 Census: 3,929,214; (2.4 million free population) (600,000 slaves) Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.19 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $4.03 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.65 Population (in thousands): 3,929 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $48 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,025 Number of Daily Newspapers: 

1790: 70 weeklies; 10 semi- weeklies; 3 tri-weeklies; 8 dailies.

Method of Choosing Electors:   

Direct (popular) vote (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia) Public vote, but the legislature had the final decision (New Hampshire, Massachusetts) Selected by the legislature (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina)

Method of Choosing Nominees: N/A since there was no formal party system in place. Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): The Vice-Presidency was the only contested office in 1789. 6

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries):            

John Adams, Former Minister to Great Britain (Massachusetts) James Armstrong, politician (Georgia) George Clinton, Governor of New York Robert H. Harrison, judge (Maryland) John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts and Former President of the Continental Congress Samuel Huntington, Governor of Connecticut John Jay, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (New York) Benjamin Lincoln, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts John Milton, Secretary of State of Georgia John Rutledge, Former Governor of South Carolina Edward Telfair, Former Governor of Georgia George Washington, retired Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (Virginia)

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  

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George Washington, the hero of the American Revolution was considered the obvious choice to be the first President. In drafting the Constitution, the power entrusted to the President would not have “been so great had not many of the members cast their eyes toward General Washington as President; and shaped their Ideas of the Powers to be given to a President, by their opinions of his Virtue,” Pierce Butler, former delegate to the Constitutional Convention, in May,1788. “You cannot refuse being elected President,” Marquis de Lafayette, among others, insisted to Washington.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

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"Every public and personal consideration will demand from you an acquiescence in what will certainly be the unanimous wish of your country." Alexander Hamilton to George Washington “We cannot, Sir, do without you, and I and thousands more can explain to anyone but yourself why. . .” Former Governor of Maryland Thomas Johnson The Anti-Federalist forces, opposed to the Constitution itself, try to get a Northern AntiFederalist as Vice President, pushing Governor George Clinton of New York, and failed miserably. In the two states where the popular vote chose electors, Pennsylvania and Maryland, there was some excitement, with rival electoral tickets, speeches, accusations of fraud.

Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

Republican Virtue; the presidency was not to be sought or campaigned for. The first presidential election went off quite smoothly, aside from some scuffles in Virginia. 7

Major Personalities (General Election): Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson Campaign Tactics: Avoid “self-serving electioneering” Turning Points (General Election): Turning Points (General Election):  It was an uncontested election with General Washington the only candidate for president.  Partisanship emerged in the vice presidential choice. Federalists with Alexander Hamilton looking to deny John Adams the vice presidency ensured his vote count was lower because he doubted Adams loyalty to Washington. James Madison was also wary of Adams for the vice presidency. Anti-Federalists wanted Governor George Clinton of New York for the vice presidency.  None of the candidates gave a “manifesto” stating how they would govern if elected.  Counting the Electoral votes for the first election was delayed for weeks because a quorum could not be reached in the Congress.  March 4, 1789: Original Inauguration day, however, the electoral votes had not yet been counted, only eight of the 22 Senators and 18 of the 59 Representatives were present.  April 5, 1789: First day there was a quorum to count the electoral votes.  Popular Campaign Slogans:  “American Fabius”  Toasts: “Farmer Washington – may he like a second Cincinnatus, be called from the plow to rule a great people.”  “May the Saviour of America gratify the ardent wishes of his countrymen by accepting the post which the voice of mankind has assigned him.” Popular Campaign Slogans: “American Fabius” 

Toasts: “Farmer Washington – may he like a second Cincinnatus, be called from the plow to rule a great people.”

Campaign Song: “Great Washington shall rule the land/While Franklin’s counsel aids his hand.’ Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“My movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution.” George Washington

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):

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“My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” John Adams to his wife Abigail Adams

Further Reading: Elkins, Stanley M. and Eric McKitrick, The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788–1800. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 1995. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Resulted in the election of the first President of the United States. Showed that the system worked.

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1792

Election Year: 1792 Election Day Date: November 2 – December 5, 1792 Prior to 1845, elections days were held in the 34 days prior to when the electors would vote on the first Wednesday in December. Winning Ticket: George Washington (61, Episcopalian) Virginia, Federalist, 132 97.8% Vice President John Adams (57, Unitarian) Massachusetts, Federalist, 77 57.0% Losing Ticket(s):     

John Adams (57, Unitarian) Massachusetts, Federalist 77 57.0% George Clinton (54, Presbyterian), New York, Democratic-Republican 50 37.0% Thomas Jefferson(49, no denomination) Virginia, Democratic-Republican 4 3.0% Aaron Burr (37, Presbyterian) New York, Democratic-Republican 1 0.7% Electoral votes not cast - 6 4.4%

Electoral Vote:     

Winner: 132 Main Opponent: 77 Total Number of Electors 132 Total Electoral Votes Cast 264 Number of Votes for a Majority 67

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Partisanship taking root. War of pamphlets; newspaper clashes: the National Gazette versus the Gazette of the United States Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

Law of March 1792: Defining voting procedures and mandating the electoral vote on first Wednesday in December

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: George Washington, John Adams, No Party Designation, 1789-1797 Population: 1792: 4,172,000 10

Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.22 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $4.58 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.86 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $53 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,09 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1790: 70 weeklies; 10 semi- weeklies; 3 tri-weeklies; 8 dailies. Method of Choosing Electors: Legislature appointed electors (All electors from the original 13 states and newly admitted Kentucky and Vermont) Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):  

Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 showed citizen restiveness and anti-tax sentiments. United States caught between French and British machinations.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): 

Washington was unopposed for the Presidency

Vice-Presidency (Second Presidential ballot)     

John Adams, Vice President of the United States from Massachusetts Aaron Burr, U.S. senator from New York George Clinton, Governor of New York Thomas Jefferson, United States Secretary of State from Virginia George Washington, President of the United States from Virginia

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Opposition to John Adams for the Vice President; Anti-Administration leaders substitute Aaron Burr for the ticket and then decide on George Clinton.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Philip Freneau of the National Gazette (Republican); John Fenno of the Gazette of the United States (Federalist); James Madison; John Jay; Thomas Jefferson; Alexander Hamilton Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

"Spirit of party": The rift between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, and the rise of parties, made George Washington anxious to retire after one term – and 11

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Washington’s supporters especially anxious to keep him in office. Eventually, both Federalists and Democratic-Republicans supported Washington. October 16, 1792: Anti-administration leaders met in Philadelphia with delegates from NY, PA, VA, and SC., they supported both Washington and Clinton for the ticket. Republicans in New York tried to get Governor George Clinton on the ticket, rather than Aaron Burr; they proposed this to the anti-administration leaders in Virginia, who did not want Burr on the ticket or Clinton that much, but they wanted New York’s 12 Electoral votes and agreed to Clinton.

General Election Controversies/Issues: The emergence of a two-party system and “electioneering.” 



Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was an economic nationalist who was the favorite of commercial interests. His supporters were the Federalists. The Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson championed the agrarian way of life and condemned Hamilton's blueprints for a strong central government. Jefferson’s supporters were the DemocraticRepublicans. Democratic-Republicans: Unable to criticize Washington; the party criticized VicePresident Adams for aligning with the Federalists by voting for Alexander Hamilton’s legislation in the Senate.

Turning Points (General Election): 

Washington was elected unanimously.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Federalists: “Long Live the President” Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"How unfortunate and how much it is to be regretted . . . that internal dissensions should be harrowing and tearing our vitals." George Washington

Important Quotation: 

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"At an election in a certain State a bystander observing the particular situation of a great number of the electors, who had been regaled at the expense of one of the candidates, remarked on the occasion, That the Voice of the People, was the Voice of Grog." The Gazette of the United States, November 1792 “I cannot but hope that you can resolve to add one or two more years to the many years you have already sacrificed to the good of mankind.” Thomas Jefferson begging George Washington not to retire. The opposition “has been as busy as the Devil in a gale of wind.” Theodore Sedgwick, a Federalist “Our elections are unanimous for the old King and his second.” David Cobb, a Federalist 12

Further Reading: Stanley M. Elkins and Eric McKitrick, The Age of Federalism: The Early American Republic, 1788–1800. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 1995. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Only Presidential election not held exactly four years from the previous election. George Washington received one vote from each elector who cast a ballot and was the unanimous choice for President.

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1796

Election Year: 1796 Election Day Date: Prior to 1845, 34 day period before the first Wednesday of December Winning Ticket: John Adams (61, Unitarian) Massachusetts, Federalist 71 51.4% Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (53, no denomination) Virginia, Democratic-Republican 68 49.3% Losing Ticket(s):       

Thomas Jefferson (53, no denomination), Virginia, Democratic-Republican 68 49.3% Thomas Pinckney (56, Episcopalian ) South Carolina Federalist 59 42.8% Aaron Burr New York (41, Presbyterian) Democratic-Republican 30 21.7% Samuel Adams (74, Congregationalist) Massachusetts Federalist 15 10.9% Oliver Ellsworth (51, Congregationalist) Connecticut Federalist 11 8.0% George Clinton (57, Presbyterian) New York Democratic-Republican 7 5.1% Other - - 15 10.9%

Electoral Vote:      

Winner 71 Main Opponent 68 Total Number of Electors 138 Total Electoral Votes Cast 276 Number of Votes for a Majority 70 Maryland had only 10 electoral votes, but one elector cast his two ballots for Jefferson and Adams.

Voter Turnout: As high as 25% in Pennsylvania Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: George Washington, John Adams, No Party Designation, 1789-1797 Population: 1796: 4,701,000

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Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.41 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $6.15 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.71 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $88 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,307 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1800: 178 weeklies; 10 semi-weeklies; 3 tri-weeklies; 24 dailies Method of Choosing Electors: The public voted for presidential electors in six of the sixteen states that were then part of the Union. In ten states, the legislature named the electors.  

Electors chosen by state legislature: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont. Electors chosen by popular vote (General Ticket system, usually winner take all): Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus (Prominent Congressional members chose the nominees to represent their party) Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

Anger over the Jay Treaty with England Intense debate over the French Revolution The continuing division between Jefferson’s agrarian perspective and Hamilton’s more urban and industrial approach.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries):  

Charles Pinckney, a South Carolinian was the Federalist choice for Vice-President. Aaron Burr of New York was the Republicans choice for Vice-President.

The Candidates:            

John Adams, Vice President of the United States (Massachusetts) Samuel Adams, Governor of Massachusetts Aaron Burr, U.S. Senator (New York) George Clinton, Former Governor of New York Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (Connecticut) John Henry, U.S. Senator (Maryland) James Iredell, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (North Carolina) John Jay, Governor of New York Thomas Jefferson, Former Secretary of State of the United States (Virginia) Samuel Johnston, U.S. Senator (North Carolina) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Former Major General (South Carolina) Thomas Pinckney, U.S. Minister to Great Britain (South Carolina)

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Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Thomas Jefferson; Alexander Hamilton; General Election Controversies/Issues: Jay Treaty; Federalists viewed as overly pro-British, Republicans pro-French Campaign Tactics: 

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Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses; work on the campaign through letter writing from behind the scenes. Federalists organized meetings and rallies in support of the Jay Treaty and President Washington. John Adams professed to “hate speeches, messages, addresses and answers, proclamations, and such affected, studied, contraband things … levees and drawing rooms. In Pennsylvania, Republicans produced 50,000 Republican ballots, to distribute the week before the election, part of the blizzard of paper in that state and the rest of the country.

Major Personalities (General Election): Alexander Hamilton; Charles Pinckney (Federalist candidate for vice-president) Turning Points (General Election):    

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Thomas Jefferson remained at Monticello; John Adams remained at Peacefield, appearing dignified and passive amid the fray. Aaron Burr spent six weeks touring the New England states boosting his own candidacy With the electors free to vote for any candidate, the electioneering intensified after the November election. Because the original Constitutional scheme did not differentiate a vote for President and Vice President, Hamilton tried to get Southern electors committed to an Adams-Pinckney ticket to throw away some Adams votes, so that Pinckney would get more votes than Adams and become President rather than Vice President. Instead, hearing of the plot, some New England Federalist electors did not vote for Pinckney after they voted for Adams so Pinckney had fewer votes. In late October, Pierre Adet, the French minister to the United States, campaigned against Adams and denounced the Federalists foreign policy and position towards France, and announced that French-American relations would improve if Jefferson were President. The Republicans tried to distance themselves from Adet’s comment, but the Federalists were outraged and used it as an opportunity to tangibly link Jefferson to French sympathies. Strong support for the French Revolution and Democratic-Republicans led to the election of Jefferson as Vice-President.

Campaign Song: John Adams: Adams and Liberty Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 16

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Federalists denounced Jefferson as a Jacobin, an Atheist, a demagogue, a coward, a traitor, and his supporters as “cut-throats who walk in rags and sleep amid filth and vermin.” One Republican pamphlet read, “Thomas Jefferson is a firm republican – John Adams is an avowed monarchist.” John Adams mocked as “His Rotundity.”

Election Issues: 

With each elector voting twice for President under the rules at the time, and with the runner-up elected Vice-President, electors would try to ensure fewer votes for the VicePresident of choice. The electors tried to manipulate the vote; one electoral vote per state at least would go to another Vice-President candidate, however slow communication methods of the time made it difficult to coordinate especially when elections were held on the same day.

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Many split ticket votes; All South Carolina (8) electors and one Pennsylvania elector voted for Thomas Pinckney and Jefferson; 3 North Carolina electors voted James Iredell; one elector in Maryland voted Adams-Jefferson

Campaign Quotations:  

"Remain with us at least while the storm lasts, and until you can retire like the sun in a calm, unclouded evening." John Jay to George Washington "Washington's Farewell Address was a signal, like dropping a hat, for the party racers to start." Fisher Ames, Federalist

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

John Adams promised to respect “the rights, interest, honor, and happiness of all the states in the Union without regard to a northern or southern, an eastern or western, position.” Adams also promised a “system of neutrality and impartiality among the belligerent powers of Europe.”

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, replying to Adams’ denunciation of the French: “I am sure, from the honesty of your heart, you will join me in detestation of the corruption of the English government.” Further Reading: McCullough, David. John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

The first formal transfer of power under the new constitution. Historian Page Smith notes 1796 marked: “the first time in modern history that the elected chief executive of an independent nation had surrendered office of his own

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volition in accordance with a preconceived plan (the Constitution) on the election of his successor.” First contested American presidential election. Only election of President and Vice President from opposing tickets. First non-incumbent Presidential election. Showed the system worked.

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1800

Election Year: 1800 Election Day Date: December 3, 1800 (Electoral College Vote) Prior to 1845, 34 day before the first Wednesday of December Winning Ticket: Thomas Jefferson (57, no denomination) Virginia, Dem.-Rep. Electoral 73 52.9% House 10 62.5% Vice President: Aaron Burr (45, Presbyterian) New York, Dem.-Rep. 73 52.9% 4 25.0% Losing Ticket(s):    

John Adams (65, Unitarian), Massachusetts, Federalist 65 47.1% 0 0.0% Charles Pinckney (54, Episcopalian) South Carolina Federalist 64 46.4% 0 0.0% John Jay (55, Episcopalian) New York Federalist 1 0.7% 0 0.0% Blank - - - - 2 12.5%

Electoral Vote:     

Winner: 73 Main Opponent: 73 Total Number of Electors 138 Total Electoral Votes Cast 276 No. of Votes for a Majority 70

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

handbills, pamphlets, party newspapers and articles, letters.

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

Before 12th Amendment ratified in 1804, votes for President and Vice President not listed on separate ballots, there were two ballots each for the Presidency, and the runnerup became Vice-President.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: John Adams (Federalist), Thomas Jefferson 1797-1801 Population: 1800 5,297,000 +33.3%

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Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.48 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $7.40 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.43 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $90 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,397 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1800: 178 weeklies; 10 semi-weeklies; 3 tri-weeklies; 24 dailies Method of Choosing Electors:     

Appointed by the state legislature. Popular vote, one elector per electoral district: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina General ticket system (Statewide popular vote/winner takes all): Rhode Island, Virginia. Statewide popular vote, however if there is no majority the state legislature appoints the elector from the top two candidates: New Hampshire. One elector per district, the popular vote in each county to choose an electoral delegate, the state’s electoral delegates from a district choose the elector: Tennessee.

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus (informal nominations) Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Alien and Sedition Acts; New army; Taxes, States' rights

John Adams Presidency:       

Republicans doubted his commitment to republican institutions, Republicans criticized deteriorating relations with France; Alien and Sedition Acts (stopped criticism of his administration) "XYZ Affair" French agents tried to bribe American diplomats in Paris High Federalists (or Hamiltonians): Adams an appeaser; peace mission to France in 1799, instead of war Federalist Party favors strong federal government, commerce, relations with Great Britain. Jefferson-Republican or Democratic-Republican Party favors agricultural-based society and relations with France.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Federalist Party:   

John Adams, President of the United States (Massachusetts) John Jay, Governor of New York (New York) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney former U.S. Minister to France (South Carolina)

Jefferson-Republican or Democratic-Republican Party: 

Thomas Jefferson Vice President of the United States (Virginia) 20

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Aaron Burr, former U.S. Senator (New York)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):   

Avoiding a split election as in 1796 resulting in a President and Vice President from different parties The Federalist party divided between Adams and Alexander Hamilton (High Federalists or Hamiltonians) Hamilton broke with Adams over reconciling with France after "XYZ Affair" of 1797. Adams would not cede the Federalist Party leadership to Hamilton

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, John Jay, James Monroe, Gouverneur Morris, George Clinton, John Marshall, Horatio Gates, George Washington Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Federalist caucus (1st) May 3, 1800, U.S. Senate chamber, U.S. Capitol building, Washington DC Democratic-Republican caucus (1st), May 11, 1800, Marache’s Boarding House in Philadelphia (secret meeting)

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic-Republicans:  

Presidential: Thomas Jefferson Vice Presidential: Aaron Burr

Federalist Party Nomination:  

Presidential: John Adams was nominated for a second term Vice Presidential: Charles C. Pinckney of the XYZ mission

Convention/Caucus Turning Points: Democratic-Republican caucus (1st) 

Chose Aaron Burr as a running mate because of his victory in acquiring the New York State Legislature and 12 electoral votes for the Democratic-Republicans.

Federalist caucus: first official caucus 

The caucus agreed to prevent the same scattering of votes for President and Vice President as in 1796

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General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Federalist split; Adams and Hamilton Jefferson’s religion as a Deist, (although both Adams and Jefferson were Deists)

Major Personalities (General Election): Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Charles Pinckney; James Gunn (Senator, Georgia) Campaign Tactics: 



Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses; work on the campaign through letter writing from behind the scenes. Mudslinging (slander, personal attacks)

Democratic-Republicans:     

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Jefferson wrote letters addressing pressing issues including; national debt reduction, military reduction, peaceful commerce, freedom of religion and press. Accused Federalists of destroying republican values by favoring the British and immigrants. Character attacks; Adams a monarchist, President for Life, “fool, hypocrite, criminal, and tyrant.” Character attacks: Called the Adams Presidency "one continued tempest of malignant passions." Rumor that Adams was arranging that one of his sons marry one of King George III's daughters and create an American dynasty and a reunion with Britain. Added to the story of George Washington pleading with Adams to abandon his plans to show a comparison of virtues and republican ideals. Attack on position on the issues: Federalists “hawkish policy towards France,” “suppression of domestic dissent.”

Federalists:   

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Character Attacks on Jefferson, “Jacobin”; accused of cheating British creditors, swindling a widow, being a coward as Governor of Virginia during the Revolution Attack on position on the issues: dismantling Hamilton's financial system; French influence on commerce; Attack Democratic-Republican orientation toward France rather than Britain by accusing Jeffersonians of mimicking the French revolutionaries: murdering opponents, burning churches, destroying the country. "High Federalists": Aligned with Alexander Hamilton, deemed Adams too moderate. Hamilton schemed to get Charles Cotesworth Pinckney elected President

Turning Points (General Election):

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New York State Elections (April 29 to May 1, 1800) o State Election days varied and could be held between April and December o New York’s election day was in April o Burr turned a Federalist majority in New York into a Democratic-Republican majority Adams distanced from the High Federalists to unite the Federalists. Adams discovered after the Federalist caucus that Hamilton was planning to have Secretary of State Charles Pickering, Adams’s running mate, elected President and Secretary of War James McHenry elected Vice President, Adams dismissed both from his cabinet, firing Pickering on May 12, 1800. Adams replaced them with Virginia Federalists to lure votes away from Jefferson. States changed the method of choosing Electors in attempts to manipulate the outcome of the election: o Virginia switched to General Ticket (Winner Take All) (Prevent votes for Adams). o Massachusetts changed to a legislative appointment (Ensure votes for Adams). o New Hampshire and Georgia from General Ticket to the legislative appointment. o Rhode Island only state to change from legislative appointment to General Ticket. o Pennsylvania, deeply divided, agreed on Legislative appointment. o After New York’s election switched the crucial 12 Electoral Votes away from the Federalists to the Democratic-Republicans, Hamilton asked Governor John Jay to reconvene the Federalist legislature and adopt the popular vote General Ticket. Jay ignored Hamilton’s request. Battleground states: Electors by popular vote (MD, NC, and RI); Legislative appointment (GA, PA, and SC) September 30, 1800: Resumption of normal diplomatic relations with France Letter from Alexander Hamilton Concerning the Public Conduct and Character of John Adams (fifty-four-page criticism of Adams) Hamilton's plan backfired and the split in the Federalist Party allowed the Democratic-Republicans to win in 1800. Letter was printed in the press a week before the election. o Hamilton/Adams split was so severe, that Hamilton decided that Jefferson would be better as President than Adams o Hamilton most preferred the Federalist vice Presidential candidate, General Charles Pinckney. o Hamilton believed Pinckney could draw more votes in his native South than Adams, and if the New England electors voted, equally for both Adams and Pinckney; than Pinckney could triumph. o Noah Webster and other Federalists came to Adams’ defense.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democratic-Republicans:  

“With Jefferson, we shall have peace, therefore the friends of peace will vote for Jefferson – the friends of war will vote for Adams or for Pinckney “Is it not high time for a CHANGE? 23



The election will determine “Whether the present system of war, debt, and increasing taxation shall continue to be pursued, or a new line of conduct shall be adopted?”

Federalists: 

Jefferson’s election will “destroy religion, introduce immorality, and loosen all the bonds of society.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Federalists:   



Fisher Ames: “sound the tocsin about Jefferson” and display “the dread evils to be apprehended from a Jacobin President.” Reverend William Linn: “The voice of the nation in calling a deist to the first office must be construed into no less than rebellion against God.” Federalist: “Can serious and reflecting men look about them and doubt that if Jefferson is elected, and the Jacobins get into authority, that those morals which protect our lives from the knife of the assassin -- which guard the chastity of our wives and daughters from seduction and violence -- defend our property from plunder and devastation, and shield our religion from contempt and profanation, will not be trampled upon and exploded?” “Look at your houses, your parents, your wives, and your children. Are you prepared to see your dwellings in flames, hoary hairs bathed in blood, female chastity violated, or children writhing on the pike and the halbert? . . . Look at every leading Jacobin as at a ravening wolf, preparing to enter your peaceful fold, and glut his deadly appetite on the vitals of your country. . . . GREAT GOD OF COMPASSION AND JUSTICE, SHIELD MY COUNTRY FROM DESTRUCTION.” Writer for the Connecticut Courant, September 29, 1800

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"We are all Republicans; we are all Federalists. If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its Republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it". Thomas Jefferson, Inaugural Address, 1801

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 



"Hamilton is an intriguant ... a man devoid of every moral principle--a Bastard, and as much a foreigner as Gallatin. Mr. Jefferson is an infinitely better man, a wiser one, I am sure, and, if President, will act wisely." John Adams about Alexander Hamilton "I know it, and would rather be Vice President under him, or even Minister Resident at the Hague, than indebted to such a being as Hamilton for the Presidency." John Adams to his Secretary of War James McHenry

Campaign Quotations: 24









"If we must have an enemy at the head of the Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." Alexander Hamilton ". . . I should be deficient in candor, were I to conceal the conviction, that he does not possess the talents adapted to the Administration of Government, and that there are great and intrinsic defects in his character which unfit him for the office of Chief Magistrate." Alexander Hamilton about John Adams "Murder, robbery, rape, adultery, and incest will all be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood, and the nation black with crimes." Connecticut Courant ‘‘I do not believe that the Most High will permit a howling atheist [Jefferson] to sit at the head of this nation…. In the morning we had news of the death of Mr. Jefferson. It is to be hoped that it is true.’’ Thomas Robbins, Federalist minister, in his diary

Election Issue:     



The Democratic-Republicans planned for one elector to abstain from voting for Burr instead, there was an electoral tie. Burr, however, refused to step aside so Jefferson could be President. Therefore, the election was thrown to the Federalist House of Representatives. Contingent election of 1801: February 11, 1801, the House of Representatives met to decide the election, in the unfinished Capitol building, Washington. Each state was allowed one vote per delegation if there was a tie the state would cast a blank ballot With a deadlock, the Congressional Federalists saw the opportunity to place Burr in the Presidency rather Jefferson. Alexander Hamilton preferred Jefferson to Burr. Hamilton convinced several Federalist Congressman to cast blank ballots and end the deadlock. On the 36th ballot with 10 State delegations voting for Jefferson, 4 voting for Burr and 2 making no choice. o o

1st 35 ballots Jefferson 8 Burr 6 abstentions 2 36th ballot Jefferson 10 Burr 4 abstentions 2

Significant Books from the Campaign:  

John Mason, The Voice of Warning to Christians on the Ensuing Election (1800). William Linn, Serious Considerations on the Election of a President (1800).

Further Reading:  

Larson, Edward John. A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign. New York: Free Press, 2007. Ferling, John E. Adams Vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 25

    

The most significant election in terms of impact on the electoral process. Prompted the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, requiring electors to cast votes separate ballots for President and Vice-President. The 1800 revolution empowered Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republicans. The first time the opposition won the Presidency. Jefferson's 22.8% victory margin in the popular vote is a challenger’s largest victory margin over an incumbent President.

26

1804

Election Year: 1804 Election Day Date: December 5, 1804 (Electoral College Vote) Prior to 1845, 34 day period before the first Wednesday of December Winning Ticket: 

President Thomas Jefferson (61, no denomination) VA, George Clinton (65, Presbyterian) NY, Democratic-Republican 162 92.0%

Losing Ticket(s): 

Charles Pinckney (58, Episcopalian) SC, Rufus King (49, Episcopalian) NY Federalist 14 8.0%

Electoral Vote:   

Winner: 162 Main Opponent: 14 Total/Majority: 176/89

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Pamphlets, party press, Republican militia unit parades, and dinners with multiple toasts. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Twelfth Amendment: Presidential electors now vote specifically for the President and Vice President on separate ballots. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Democratic-Republican 1801-1805 Population: 1804: 5,991,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.53 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $8.45 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.24 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $88 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,411 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1800: 24 Method of Choosing Electors:

27

Only 11 of the 17 states chose electors by popular vote. Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements.   

Electors chosen by state legislature: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, New York, South Carolina, Vermont. Electors chosen by voters statewide (General Ticket): New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Massachusetts. Electors chosen with popular vote by district: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee.

Method of Choosing Nominees: Democratic-Republicans: Congressional Caucus Federalists: No caucus, no formal candidate Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Taxes were down; national debt was lowered, the nation was at peace; military appropriations reduced by a half; Louisiana Purchase. Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic-Republican Party nomination 

President: Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States from Virginia

Federalist Party nomination  

President: Charles C. Pinckney, Former U.S. Minister to France from South Carolina Vice-President: Former United States Senator Rufus King of New York

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Pinckney rejected a French bribe saying “No! No! No! Not a sixpence” and was linked with the slogan “Millions for Defense, Not one cent for Tribute.” Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Charles Pickney; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

  

Aaron Burr was not re-nominated as the Democratic-Republicans, decided to pursue the governorship of New York since George Clinton was not running again because he was the Democratic-Republican vice Presidential nominee. Federalists were divided between Alexander Hamilton supported candidate Morgan Lewis and Aaron Burr. Lewis won a 58-42% victory. July 12, 1804, Alexander Hamilton’s campaign for Morgan Lewis and subsequent correspondence with Burr, prompted a duel between Burr and Hamilton, with Burr killing Hamilton. 28

Conventions/Caucuses (Dates & Locations):  

Democratic-Republican Caucus: February 25, 1804, Washington Federalists: no caucus

Caucuses Turning Points: Democratic-Republican Caucus:  

108 Republican Congressmen re-nominate Jefferson Chose loyal Republican George Clinton from New York for the Vice Presidential nomination.

Federalists: 

Informally agreed to nominate for President Charles C. Pinckney and Rufus King for Vice-President

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic-Republican Nomination Presidential 1st Ballot 

Thomas Jefferson 108

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot      

George Clinton 67 John Breckinridge 20 Levi Lincoln 9 John Langdon 7 Gideon Granger 4 Samuel Maclay 1

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): General Election Controversies/Issues:   

Jefferson’s growing popularity during his term. American trade boomed because the French Revolutionary Wars in Europe had been temporarily suspended. The Louisiana Purchase.

29

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Samuel Harrison Smith, National Intelligencer, William Duane, Aurora Campaign Tactics: 

Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses; work on the campaign through letter writing from behind the scenes

Turning Points (General Election): 

      

Federalist planned to cast some of their votes for George Clinton, which would give Clinton the Presidency and Jefferson the Vice Presidency, however, when the Twelfth Amendment was ratified this was an impossibility. At the opening of the campaign in the fall, Jefferson already amassed 111 electoral votes, above the majority of 89. Democratic-Republican won electors in Federalist states New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Federalists attacked Jefferson’s policies and him personally. Federalists criticized Jefferson’s defense policy and argued the Louisiana Purchase was unconstitutional. Federalists accused Jefferson of making a slave, Sally Hemings "Black Sal" his concubine, and fathering her children. Jefferson remained silent on the charge "the man who fears no truth has nothing to fear from lies." However, Jefferson denied the charge in letters to friends. Jefferson friends, supporters publicly denied and defended Jefferson from the accusations.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Federalists hail “The Friends of the People – Not their Flatterers”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Thomas Jefferson denounced as a “demagogue” and an infidel.

Federalists: 

Pamphlet 1804 “Observations Upon Certain Passages in Mr. Jefferson’s Notes on Virginia, Which Appear to have a Tendency to Subvert Religion and Establish a False Philosophy” (NY, 1804)

Democratic-Republicans:

30



“We enjoyed peace and respect abroad, happiness and tranquility at home. With many burdens lightened, and no new impositions laid we have yet been enabled … to diminish the public debt.”

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“That they should acquiesce in the will of the great majority is but a reasonable expectation…yet…I am the single object of their accumulated hatred. I do not care for this now…. They can never now excite a pain in mind by anything personal, but I wish to consolidate the nation, and to see these people disarmed either of the wish or the power to injure their country.” Thomas Jefferson, 1803

Further Reading: Dumas Malone’s fourth volume of “Jefferson and His Time”, Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the President, First Term, 1801-1805. Boston: Little, Brown, 1981, 1970. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

The first presidential election following the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Jefferson's 45.6 percentage point victory margin remains the highest victory margin in a presidential election with multiple major party candidates.

31

1808

Election Year: 1808 Election Day Date: November 4-December 6, 1808; December 7 the electors cast their ballots Winning Ticket: 

James Madison (57, Episcopalian) VA, George Clinton (69, Presbyterian) NY, Dem.Rep. 122 69.3% 113 64.2%

Losing Ticket(s):      

Charles Pinckney (62, Episcopalian) SC, Rufus King (58, Episcopalian) NY, Federalist 47 26.7% 47 26.7% John Langdon (67, Congregationalist) NH Dem.-Rep. 9 5.1% George Clinton NY, 6 James Madison VA Dem.-Rep. 6 3.4% 3 1.7% James Monroe (50, Episcopalian) VA Dem.-Rep. 3 1.7% Non-voting Electors - - 1 0.6% 1 0.6%

Electoral Vote:   

Winner: 122 Main Opponent: 47 Total/Majority: 175/88

Voter Turnout: States carried 12/5 Popular vote 124,732/62,431 Percentage 64.7%/32.4% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Partisan press, pamphlets, handbills,

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Last election where Virginia held the most electoral votes. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Thomas Jefferson, George Clinton Democratic-Republican 1805-1809 Population: 1808: 6,797,000

32

Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.64 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $9.35 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.84 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $94 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,376 Method of Choosing Electors:  



Appointed by the state legislature: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, Vermont. Popular statewide vote (General Ticket system, usually winner takes all): New Hampshire, New Jersey (superseded by the legislature), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia. Popular vote, one elector per district: Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee.

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Quids – Democratic-Republicans who were against James Madison, dismissed as “Quids” from the Latin for “what” to mock their lack of firm principles

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): James Madison, position on France; Federalist accused him of being weak, under Jefferson control; Old Republicans accused him of being a crypto-Federalist Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

James Madison, his position on France; supported June 1781 pro-France Peace instructions, the disclosure of responses to French insults ended the issue.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican Caucus, late January 1808 Federalist Caucus, late August 1808

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican:  

Presidential Ballot: James Madison 83, James Monroe 3, George Clinton 3, not voting 5. Vice Presidential Ballot: George Clinton 79, John Langdon 5, Henry Dearborn 3, John Q. Adams, 1. 33

General Election Controversies/Issues:   

Embargo Act of 1807 (“Dambargo”) Favoring France over Britain Impressment

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): John Langdon, George Clinton, Robespierre Campaign Tactics: 



Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses; work on the campaign through letter writing from behind the scenes. As of March 1808, Madison’s official dispatches on the Embargo are published; letters from the rejected Monroe Pickney treaty. Letters between Madison and British Envoy George Rose. In April, an insulting letter from Champagny is made public. In November, Jefferson releases a final batch of letters to Congress, demonstrates Madison was not partial to France.

Turning Points (General Election): 









June 30, 1808: Madison supporters in New York State decide to punish Clinton. Convene at a convention in Fishkill and endorse James Madison for President and nominate New Hampshire's Democratic-Republican Governor John Langdon for Vice President, despite the fact that Langdon was the head of the slate of electors pledged to the MadisonClinton ticket. September 9, 1808: Opposition to the Embargo Act by Democratic-Republican Party; Vice President Clinton and New Hampshire Governor John Langdon. Langdon denies accusations in the Boston MA Democrat that he supported the Embargo. Albany Register claims Jefferson and Madison were naturalized French citizens, by the revolutionary parliament in 1793; Federalists called Madison "Frenchman." In reality, a year before Robespierre came into power the French Revolutionary Assembly conferred honorary citizenship on Washington and Hamilton as well as Madison, but not Jefferson. October 20, 1808: Newspapers discuss the anomaly of having four candidates. The Connecticut Journal writes that only James Madison is worthy from the four. Federalists controlled the Connecticut legislature and therefore the electors would vote for Pinckney. As of March 1808, Madison’s official dispatches on the Embargo are published; letters from the rejected Monroe Pickney treaty. Letters between Madison and British Envoy George Rose. In April, an insulting letter from Champagny is made public. In November, Jefferson releases a final batch of letters to Congress, demonstrates Madison was not partial to France.

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:

34

 

A New York cartoon pictured a huge turtle labeled "O-grab-me" snapping at the backside of an American shipowner: “Our ships all in motion once whitened the ocean; They sailed and returned with a cargo. Now doomed to decay they are fallen a prey To Jefferson, worms and EMBARGO.”

Federalists:  



Gazette of the United States: The Pinckney-King ticket is the “Washington and antiEmbargo ticket” Commercial Advertiser: America’s troubles “originated in that jealous Virginia spirit, which pines at the prosperity and opulence of the North” and devastates “the commerce of the Union” like a “pestilent flock of insects.” Commercial Advertiser: “French Citizens at the head of an American government.” Jefferson and Madison “inexorably bound to the skirts of Napoleon’

Campaign Song: Democratic-Republicans, James Madison: Huzzah for Madison, Huzzah Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): Campaign Quotes: 



"Our President delights in the measure because the name hides so well his secret wishes. Read it backward, and you have the phrase, 'Ograb-me.' Divide it into syllables and read backward, and you have the Jeffersonian injunction, 'Go bar 'em.' Transpose the seven letters of the word, and you will have what the embargo will soon produce, 'mobrage.'" Federalist (Madison) “best fitted to guide us through the impending storm… irreproachable morals, solid talents, intelligence, fidelity and zeal… He had invariably displayed a dignity and moderation which are at once the best evidence, and the surest preservative of republican principles. National Intelligencer

Further Reading: 

Brant, Irving. The Fourth President: A Life of James Madison. Indianapolis: BobbsMerrill, 1970.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

First time when a new President was elected and the incumbent vice-President was reelected.

35

1812

Election Year: 1812 Election Day Date: Prior to 1845, elections days were held in the 34 days prior to when the electors would vote on the first Wednesday in December. Winning Ticket: 

James Madison (61, Episcopalian) VA, Elbridge Gerry (68, Episcopalian) MA, Dem.Rep. 128 58.7% 131 60.1%

Losing Ticket(s): DeWitt Clinton (43, Presbyterian) NY Jared Ingersoll (63, Presbyterian) PA 

Non-voting Electors - - 1 0.5% 1 0.5%

Breakdown by ticket:   

Democratic-Republican James Madison, Elbridge Gerry, 128 Federalist DeWitt Clinton, Jared Ingersoll 86 Dissident Democratic-Republican DeWitt Clinton Elbridge Gerry 3

Electoral Vote:    

Winner: 128 Main Opponent: 89 Total/Majority: 217/109 One Elector from Ohio did not vote.

Voter Turnout: varied by state but frequently 60 to 80% of white adult males Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Madison, George Clinton, Democratic-Republican, 1809-1813 Population: 1812: 7,651,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.78 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $11.55 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.74 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $102 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,510 36

Number of Daily Newspapers: 1810: 26 Method of Choosing Electors:    

Appointed by the state legislature: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont Popular statewide vote: (General Ticket system, usually winner take all) New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia Popular vote, one elector per district: Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee Two Electors are chosen by voters statewide, One Elector chosen per Congressional district by the voters of that district: Massachusetts

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus 

The democratization of nominating procedures includes more conventions, evolving county organizations, the proliferation of voluntary societies like the Tammany Society to stir public interest (limited to the north; in the south, party caucus still ruled).

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

British Impressment, War of 1812, June 12, 1812, a month after the DemocraticRepublican caucus, Congress voted to go to war with Britain

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic-Republican candidates 

James Madison, President of the United States from Virginia

Federalist candidates 

DeWitt Clinton, Mayor of New York City

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  



Factions of anti- and pro-war Democratic-Republicans opposed Madison and sought their own candidate. The Federalists’ "fusion" ticket with dissident Democratic-Republicans endorsed Dewitt Clinton and nominated for Vice-President Jared Ingersoll, United States Attorney in Pennsylvania. The Federalists’ dilemma: “I am far enough from desiring Clinton for President of the United States…. But I would vote for any man in preference to Madison,” Timothy Pickering.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):

37

 

A major political party’s faction decides to nominate its own candidate. More semi-secret fraternal societies are established including Federalists: Washington Benevolent Societies; New York Democrats: Tammany Societies.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Dewitt Clinton, John Marshall, Rufus King Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  

Vice President George Clinton, a leader of the Democratic-Republican opposition to Madison’s re-nomination, died in office on April 12, 1812. The Vice President’s nephew, DeWitt Clinton, stepped in as Madison’s leading opponent.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):   

Democratic-Republican Congressional nominating caucus May 18, 1812 Dissident Democratic-Republicans nominating caucus May 29, 1812, New York Legislature Federalist nominating caucus September 1812, New York City

Convention/Caucus Turning Points: 

Federalist nominating caucus: The Federalist Party conducts a caucus that resembles a nominating convention. Federalists divided over nominating Clinton, especially concern over ruining Clinton chances in the West with an official nomination. The Federalists’ “fusion” ticket with dissident Democratic-Republicans endorsed Dewitt Clinton and nominated for Vice-President Jared Ingersoll, United States Attorney in Pennsylvania.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic-Republican First Caucus Balloting Presidential Ballot  

James Madison 81 Abstaining 1

Vice Presidential Ballot   

John Langdon 64 (declined because of his age) Elbridge Gerry 16 Scattering 2

Second Caucus Balloting Vice-Presidential Ballot  

Elbridge Gerry 74 Scattering 3 38

Dissident Democratic-Republicans 

Dewitt Clinton

Federalists  

President Dewitt Clinton Vice-President Jason Ingersoll

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

British Impressment; War of 1812; "Khaki election" For the first time US involvement in a war was the major campaign issue; resulted in peace groups; critics and supporters.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Altering campaign messages and strategies for regional & audience differences; first nominating Convention, although officially still considered a caucus. Major Personalities (General Election): John Adams, Rufus King Campaign Tactics:  

Madison: Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses. Clinton a Hawk in the South and West, and a Dove in the Northeast; varied his pamphlets and speeches by region and audience of War Republicans, Peace Republicans, or AntiWar Federalists.

Turning Points (General Election): 



 

September 14, 1812: The Baltimore Whig publishes a letter (the NYC Statesman reprints it) by a North Carolinian which predicts almost accurately the election results, only two errors placing North Carolina and Vermont in the Clinton column. The author, however, predicts a Clinton win 110-108. Federalists decide not to nominate a candidate and instead leave the decision to the states to create Clinton fusion tickets. Only Federalists in Virginia nominate instead Rufus King for President. Former President John Adams heads the Madison electoral ticket in his Quincy district. October 30, 1812: Ohio and Pennsylvania the first states to vote. Many dissident Democratic-Republican Party leaders support Clinton; however, there is an overwhelming majority, which votes for Madison.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Federalists: "Madison and War! or Clinton and Peace" 39



Clinton slogan: “Peace and Commerce”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Federalists and Dissident Democratic-Republicans:    



"It is time to have a change," Albany Register "Mr. Madison's War" "The Little Man in the Palace" Madison’s foreign policy one of “Jesuitical tergiversation, of futile experiments, and pusillanimous subterfuges.” from the “Republican Crisis, An Exposition of the Political Jesuitism of James Madison.” By an Observant Citizen of the District of Columbia. “In this awful crisis, the finger of heaven points to Dewitt Clinton, as the saviour of his country, under the good providence of the Most High.”

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

Praising South Carolina’s “Fidelity to the national rights and sensibility to the national character,” James Madison proclaims: “It is a war worthy of such a determination. Having its origin neither in ambition or in vain glory, and for its object neither an interest of the Government distinct from that of the People, nor an interest of part of the people in opposition to the welfare of the whole.”

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"That base wretch . . . who is for WAR"…. base, outrageous WAR shall cease." Dewitt Clinton

Campaign Quotations:  

“The day is past -- th' Election's o'er And Madison is King once more! Ye demagogues lift up your voice -- Mobs and banditti -- all rejoice!” "The father of the Constitution, while a candidate for the Presidency, no one, however intimate, ever heard him open his lips or say one word on the subject." Charles Ingersoll

Further Reading: 

Brant, Irving. The Fourth President: A Life of James Madison. Indianapolis: BobbsMerrill, 1970.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

First wartime election. Highest popular vote turnout thus far, Massachusetts the first state to have over 50,000 votes for a candidate (Clinton) the next time would be in 1828.

40

1816 Election Year: 1816 Election Day Date: February 12, 1817, House and Senate counted the electoral votes Winning Ticket: 

James Monroe (58, Episcopalian) VA, Daniel Tompkins (42, Presbyterian) NY Dem.Rep. 183 82.8% 183 82.8%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Rufus King (61, Episcopalian) NY, John Eager Howard (64, Episcopalian) MD Federalist 34 15.4% 22 10.0% James Ross (54, ) PA, Federalist, 5 2.3% John Marshall (61, Episcopalian) VA Federalist 4 1.8% Robert Harper (51, Presbyterian) MD Federalist 3 1.4% Non-voting Electors - - 4 1.8% 4 1.8%

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Madison, Elbridge Gerry, Democratic-Republican 1809-1817 Population: 1816: 8,540,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.81 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $12.82 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.33 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $95 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,501 Number of Daily Newspapers: 42 Method of Choosing Electors:   

Appointed by the state legislature: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont Popular statewide vote (General Ticket system, usually winner take all): New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia Popular vote, one elector per district: Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):

41

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







Victory in the War of 1812 by the Democratic-Republican President against the British, (No American land lost, Victory on Lake Champlain, and in New Orleans by General Andrew Jackson – but at a price, including the burning of Washington) Hartford Convention of December 1814, with New England Federalists threatening secession, ultimately dooms the Federalist Party with the mark of “Hartford Conventionism.” Republicans become more like the Federalists as the party of nationalism and centralization – advocating a national bank, a protective tariff, and internal improvements -- blurring the party’s identity. John Randolph: Congress’s record under Madison’s leadership is nothing but “old Federalism, vamped up into something bearing the superficial appearance of Republicanism.” Republicans succeed in New England by attacking the state churches in a push for religious liberty

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic-Republican Party nomination Democratic-Republican candidates   

James Monroe, U.S. Secretary of State (Virginia) William H. Crawford, U.S. Secretary of War (Virginia) Daniel D. Tompkins, Governor of New York

Federalist Party nomination Federalist candidates 

Rufus King, U.S. Senator from New York

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

Fights over the timing and value of the caucus. Country tiring of Virginia presidents -- John Adams complains that his son John Quincy may have to wait in Europe for his turn to lead “’till all Virginians shall be extinct.”

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

At the start of 1816, Democratic-Republican Presidential nomination contest primarily between William H. Crawford and James Monroe, with Crawford maintaining a majority of support and Monroe a minority.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):

42

 



February 8, 1816: Democratic-Republican Party Caucus, First Session (unofficial), party division on a candidate. March 12, 1816: Democratic-Republican Party Caucus, Second Session suspected to have been organized by Monroe opponents. Chairman: U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Morrow OH. Only Fifty-seven Congressional members present was postponed to March 16, 1816. March 16, 1816: Democratic Republican Caucus Third Session in U.S. House chamber, with 118 members attending. Chairman: U.S. Sen. Samuel Smith, Maryland; Secretary, U.S. Rep. Richard M. Johnson Kentucky.

Convention/Caucus Turning Points: 

Democratic-Republican Caucus Third Session in U.S. House chamber, with 118 members attending. Members fight over the timing and value of the caucus; Henry Clay suggests the resolution not to nominate a candidate at the caucus, members vote this down. They nominate James Monroe for President and Daniel D. Tompkins for Vice President. There is opposition from the anti-Monroe faction.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic-Republican Presidential Ballot  

James Monroe 65 William H. Crawford 54

Vice Presidential Ballot  

Daniel D. Tompkins 85 Simon Snyder 30

Federalist  

The Federalist caucus did not make a formal nomination. Federalists supported New York Senator Rufus King; John E. Howard of Maryland was the candidate for vice president.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Nominating caucus Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Avoid “self-serving electioneering”; Party workers were in charge of the campaigning worked with partisan presses; (work on the campaign through letter writing from behind the scenes).

Major Personalities (General Election): William Crawford; 43

Turning Points (General Election): 

 

Pennsylvania Federalists tried to form an anti-Monroe coalition with anti-Caucus Republicans, and nominate William Crawford and a Federalist vice Presidential nominee. However, anti-Caucus Republicans chose not to oppose Monroe. Republicans succeed in New England by attacking the state churches in a push for religious liberty. Federalists wanted Rufus King for a nominee, considered him a presumptive nominee. King was wrongfully accused by Secretary of the Treasury of owing money to the government, the money had been given to King when he was Minister to England in 1796-1803 to get Lafayette released from a French prison. The government had marked that money as a loan. Party newspapers wrote and published editorials, including King’s own letter to Monroe, which cleared.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democratic-Republican: “Munroe” (many campaign mugs mistakenly misspelled Monroe’s name)

Campaign Song: Democratic-Republicans: (James Monroe) Monroe is the Man Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Federalist warns against: "Virginia Dynasty” (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe)

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"Existence of parties is not necessary to free government" James Monroe

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

"Federalists of our age must be content with the past." Rufus King Monroe "had the zealous support of nobody, and he was exempt from the hostility of everybody." Rufus King

Campaign Quotations 

"Our two great parties have crossed over the valley and taken possession of each other's mountain." John Adams

Further Reading: 

Cunningham, Noble E. The Presidency of James Monroe. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995.

Election Issues: 44



Representative John W. Taylor of New York wanted to disallow Indiana's votes, claiming Indiana was a territory not a state during the actual voting. Indiana’s constitutional convention passed the state constitution on June 29, 1816. Congress admitted Indiana as the 19th state of the Union on December 11, 1816, a week after the Electoral College voted on December 4, 1816. The House nevertheless included Indiana’s votes.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Election of 1816 ushered in the "era of good feelings," many believe it marked the end of party politics. Federalist Party collapses, the Virginia dynasty begins its finale.

45

1820 Election Year: 1820 Election Day Date: November 1, 1820- December 6, 1820 Winning Ticket: James Monroe (62, Episcopalian) VA Daniel Tompkins (46, Presbyterian) NY Dem.-Rep. 231 98.3% 218 92.8% Losing Ticket(s):     

Richard Stockton (56, Presbyterian) NJ Dem.-Rep. 8 3.4% Daniel Rodney (56, Episcopalian) DE Dem.-Rep. 4 1.7% Robert Harper (55, Presbyterian)MD Dem.-Rep. 1 0.4% John Q. Adams (53, Unitarian) MA Richard Rush (50)PA Dem.-Rep. 1 0.4% 1 0.4% Non-voting Electors - - 3 1.3% 3 1.3%

Voter Turnout: Probably less than 1% of the male population – one of the smallest votes on record. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Of the 5 new states (including Missouri), Maine and Illinois chose electors by district, and Mississippi by general ticket system. By 1820, 163 of the 235 electors were chosen by direct suffrage. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Monroe Daniel D Tompkins Democratic-Republican 1817-1825 Population: 1820: 9,618,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.70 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $14.41 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.88 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $73 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,499 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1820: 42 Method of Choosing Electors:  

Appointed by the state legislature: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Vermont. Popular statewide vote (General Ticket system, usually winner take all): Connecticut, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia.



Popular vote, one elector per district: Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee.

46



Two Electors are chosen by voters statewide, One Elector chosen per Congressional district by the voters of that district: Maine, Massachusetts.

Method of Choosing Nominees: Congressional Caucus Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):  

The admission of Missouri to the Union as a slave state under the Missouri Compromise; Panic of 1819: banks failed, land values plummeted, thousands lost their jobs.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic-Republican candidates 

James Monroe, President of the United States (Virginia)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):   

Major tensions roiled the nation economically, over slavery, despite the “Era of Good Feelings” label. Monroe was not even formally re-nominated due to, Lynn Turner writes, “a heavy rainstorm and an even heavier blanket of indifference.” Struggle over vice presidency between Daniel Tompkins, DeWitt Clinton, and Henry Clay.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

Informal nomination, April 8, 1820, Democratic-Republican Caucus, U.S. House chamber at 7:30. 40 delegates attended, with few or no delegates from VA, PA, NC, MA, and NJ. A large portion of the New York delegation attended to ensure Tompkins nomination as VP.

Convention/Caucus Turning Points: 

President James Monroe and Vice-president Daniel Tompkins were not formally nominated. Monroe was unopposed, but there were several Federalist Vice-Presidential candidates.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic-Republican

47

Informal Ballot (unanimous)  

Presidential Ballot James Monroe 40 Vice Presidential Ballot Daniel D. Tompkins 40

Federalist Vice Presidential    

Richard Stockton Federalist New Jersey (8) Daniel Rodney Federalist Delaware (4) Robert Goodloe Harper Federalist Maryland (1) Richard Rush Federalist Pennsylvania (1)

Convention/Caucus Chairmen: Hugh Nelson, VA Campaign Tactics: No serious opposition to Monroe and Tompkins Major Personalities (General Election): Henry Clay; Daniel Webster; William Plumer, Sr. Turning Points (General Election):  



 

Missouri Compromise calmed the electorate, at least temporarily. William Plumer, Sr., of New Hampshire cast the sole electoral vote against Monroe and for John Quincy Adams. Plumer was a harsh critic of Monroe and had heard that Daniel Webster wanted to advance Adams as Vice President. Plumer decided to cast his vote for Adams for President. An American myth grew – despite no evidence backing it -- that Plumer voted for Adams and not Monroe to preserve Washington’s distinction as being the only President elected unanimously. With Monroe’s reelection almost certain, local issues prevailed: (In several states, such as Ohio, Illinois, Maine, and Mississippi, the election became a free for all as the official DRP slate of Electors was challenged by anti-caucus Electors who did not always run as a team. William Henry Harrison was elected a Presidential Elector as an anti-caucus candidate in Ohio. In Pennsylvania, a slate of Electors was raised in support of DeWitt Clinton, though its support was limited mainly to Philadelphia. In Massachusetts, former President John Adams agreed to run on the Federalist slate of Electors if the ticket would agree to support Monroe. Slates of Federalist Electors also ran in CT, MD, and NC.)

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“Having no pretensions to the high and commanding claims of my predecessors, whose names are so much more conspicuously identified with our Revolution, and who contributed so preeminently to promote its success, I consider myself rather as the

48

instrument than the cause of the union which has prevailed in the late election.” James Monroe, Second Inaugural Address, March 5, 1821 Campaign Quotations: 

 

"It is inexpedient, at this time, to proceed to the nomination of persons for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States." Richard M. Johnson Washington Gazette, 4/10/1820 "The unanimous re-election of Mr. Monroe is morally certain as certain as almost any contingent event can be." National Intelligencer, October 17, 1820 “There appears no great excitement in any quarter, concerning the next presidential election. In most of the States, the elections occur with great quietness, too great, perhaps, for the general safety of the Republic.” Ohio Monitor (Columbus), April 1820.

Further Reading: 

Cunningham, Noble E. The Presidency of James Monroe. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1995.

Election Issues: 

Despite the Missouri Compromise, the Missouri constitution had unacceptable clauses regarding slavery and bans on free blacks voting that kept it from being admitted to the Union before the electoral ballots were counted. Some in Congress wanted to count Missouri’s votes nevertheless, other objected. To end the impasse, the President of the Senate announced the tallies – nearly unanimously for Monroe – with Missouri’s 3 electoral votes, and without.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

The third and last presidential election in American history in which a candidate effectively ran unopposed.

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1824 Election Year: 1824 Election Day Date: October 26 - December 1, 1824 Winning Ticket: John Quincy Adams (57, Unitarian) John Calhoun (42, Unitarian) DemocraticRepublican 114,023 31.5% 113,142 30.92% 84 32.2% 13 54.2% Losing Ticket(s):     

Andrew Jackson (57, Presbyterian), John Calhoun (42, Unitarian) DemocraticRepublican 152,901 42.5% 99 37.9% 7 29.2% William Crawford (52), Nathaniel Macon (66), Democratic-Republican 46,979 13% 41,032 11.21% 41 15.7% 4 16.7% Henry Clay (47, Episcopalian), Nathan Sanford (47), Democratic-Republican 47,217 13% 37 14.2% - 0.0% Unpledged Republican-Republican 6,616 1.81% 0 0.0% - 0.0% Others-- 6,230 1.70% 0 0.0% - 0.0%

Voter Turnout: %VAP 26.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Contrafacta (well known songs and tunes which have been lyrically altered to promote political agendas and candidates); political cartoons and partisan writings; new genre of campaign biographies Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: The end of the Congressional Caucus “King Caucus” as the central vehicle for nominating candidates Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Monroe, Daniel D Tompkins, Democratic-Republican, 1817-1825 Population: 1824: 10,795,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.75 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $17.30 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.32 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $69 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,602 Number of Daily Newspapers: 42 Average Daily Circulation: N/A Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote except in 6 of 24 states.

50

 

 

Each Elector appointed by the state legislature: Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, South Carolina, Vermont. Each Elector was chosen by voters statewide (General Ticket system, usually winner take all): Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia. The state is divided into electoral districts, with one Elector chosen per district by the voters of that district: Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee. Two Electors chosen by voters statewide, One Elector chosen per Congressional district by the voters of that district: Maine.

Method of Choosing Nominees: State legislatures; caucus Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): The legitimacy of the Congressional Caucus questioned Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries):     

General Andrew Jackson, United States Senator Tennessee John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, Massachusetts William H. Crawford, Secretary of the Treasury, Georgia Henry Clay, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kentucky John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, South Carolina

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

The “A.B. Plot” accusations of corruption against Willliam Crawford made first anonymously by Ninian Edwards signing his letters “A.B.” Push for universal suffrage.

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  



The end of the Congressional Caucus (King Caucus) method of nominating candidates. John C. Calhoun first tried for the Presidency, but when he could not even get support from his home state of South Carolina, he began his ultimately successful push for the Vice Presidency. Frontrunner and caucus nominee William Crawford became paralyzed and blind in September 1823, either from a stroke or a drug overdose to treat a staph infection, erysipelas. Eight weeks later, he recovered partially but remained feeble.

Conventions (Dates & Locations): February 1824, 66 Republicans, (Democratic-Republicans) Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: No formal party nominations 51

 

The legislature of Tennessee, 1822 and Convention of Pennsylvanian DemocraticRepublicans, 1824, nominated Andrew Jackson Congressional caucus nominated for President William Crawford and for Vice-president Albert Gallatin

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

New York state fight between supporters of DeWitt Clinton and his opponents, “The Bucktails,” whose leaders, including Martin Van Buren, were known as the “Albany Regency.”

Campaign Innovations (General Election):   

John C. Calhoun plunged into the campaign in unprecedented ways, participating on the editorial staff of The Patriot, a partisan paper supporting him. Andrew Jackson’s public statements and letters encouraged a new, more democratic kind of grassroots campaigning. First campaign biographies, for all four leading candidates, especially Senator John Henry Eaton’s Life of Jackson, first published in 1817, updated and rereleased in 1824.

Major Personalities (General Election): Campaign Tactics: 

Andrew Jackson’s letter writing to clarify his positions on the issues.

Turning Points (General Election):  

Andrew Jackson’s rise in popularity to become the front-runner in the election October 12, 1824: Gallatin withdrew from the race late in the campaign according to Rhode Island American.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  

pro-Adams: “John Quincy Adams, Who can write,/Andrew Jackson, Who can fight”; “Be Firm for Adams” pro-Jackson: “Andrew Jackson, Hero of the Battle of New Orleans”; “Old Hickory”

Campaign Song:  

Andrew Jackson "Hunters of Kentucky: “But Jackson he was wide awake, And was not scared at trifles, For well he knew Kentucky’s boys, With their death-dealing rifles.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:

52







Praising Andrew Jackson as “the soldier, the statesman, and the honest man; he deliberates, he decides, and he acts; he is calm in deliberation, cautious in decision, efficient in action.” Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives, July 20, 1822 “Resolved, that this convention entertained the highest respect for the distinguished talents and public services of the honorable John Q. Adams, and do fully believe that no man possesses better qualifications for the important office of president of the United States.” Maine Legislative caucus, January 16, 1823 E.P. in Washington National Intelligencer – asked all others to withdraw in favor of Jackson, “the only surviving hero of the Revolution… the second Washington.”

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"The office of chief magistrate . . . is one of great responsibility. As it should not be sought . . ., so it cannot, with propriety, be declined. . . . My political creed prompts me to leave the affair . . . to the free will of those who have alone the right to decide." Andrew Jackson, January 1823

Campaign Quotations:  

"The sickly thing is to be fed, cherished, pampered for a week, when it is fondly hoped it will be enabled to cry the name of Crawford, Crawford, Crawford." Baltimore newspaper "I cannot believe that killing 2,500 Englishmen at New Orleans qualifies for the various, difficult, and complicated duties of the Chief Magistracy." Henry Clay to Francis Preston Blair, January 29, 1825

Significant Books: 

Senator John Henry Eaton. The Life of Andrew Jackson (1817, revised 1824).

Further Reading: 

Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson: 2. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

Election Issues: 

None of the candidates received a majority of the votes needed for election. Under the 12th Amendment, the House of Representatives decided the election. On February 9, 1825, when the House voted, Speaker of the House Henry Clay supported John Q. Adams, even though Andrew Jackson won the popular vote. Adams won a majority on the first ballot. Jacksonians charged there was a "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Clay after Adams named Clay Secretary of State.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:

53

 

This election marked the end of the Congressional Caucus (King Caucus) and the "era of good feelings." The Jacksonians’ cries of “Corrupt Bargain” advanced the democratic revolution that would bring them to power four years later and popularize campaigning.

54

1828 Election Year: 1828 Election Day Date: October 31 – November 13, 1828 (December 3, 1828) Winning Ticket: Andrew Jackson (61, Unitarian), John Calhoun (46, Unitarian), Democratic 642,806 55.93% 178 68.2% Losing Ticket(s):  

John Quincy Adams (61, Unitarian), Richard Rush (58), National Republican 501,967 43.68% 83 31.8% Others-- 4,443 0.39% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 57.6% Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes:   



The Democratic-Republicans evolve into the Democratic (Jacksonian) Party Jacksonians established network of fund-raising committees, held public dinners and banquets to raise money. first campaign appealing to masses – develop the committee system running the campaign, raising money, generating pamphlets, organizing banquets, coordinating with other committees in state and out of state. Campaign to the public: parades; Hickory Clubs, Hickory Poles, Grand Barbecues, and the firing of cannon.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun, Democratic-Republican 1825-1829 Population: 1828: 12,158,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $0.89 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $19.55 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.54 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $73 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,608 Number of Daily Newspapers: 600 newspapers: 50 dailies, 150 semi-weeklies, 400 weeklies. Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (General Ticket system, usually winner take all) except in Delaware and South Carolina were they were chosen by the legislature 

Each Elector appointed by the state legislature: Delaware, South Carolina 55



 

District Ticket State is divided into electoral districts, with one Elector chosen per district by the voters of that district: Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Tennessee – vote split proportionally Each Elector was chosen by voters statewide (all other states) winner take all Note: Rhode Island and Virginia restricted suffrage with property qualifications, Louisiana required tax payments for voting.

Method of Choosing Nominees: The Congressional Caucus system was discredited and discontinued. State legislatures, special conventions, endorsements, and mass meetings. Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Anti-Adams Message Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic candidate: Andrew Jackson, former U.S. senator (Tennessee) National Republican candidate: John Quincy Adams, President of the United States (Massachusetts) Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): John Adams ascension to the Presidency in 1824 without a plurality of popular votes Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Martin Van Buren of New York, John Eaton of Tennessee, Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 



After the 1826 Congressional elections, the Jacksonian (Democratic) Party enjoyed increased strength in Congress, with the Jacksonian Andrew Stevenson becoming Speaker of the House of Representatives. Adamsites or "Coalitionists," Adams-Clay supporters formed the "National Republican Party."

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

No official nominating caucuses or conventions National Republicans, New England, state legislatures, special conventions, and mass meetings throughout the country.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees:

56



 

Democratic Party: Andrew Jackson nominated by the Tennessee legislature in 1825, endorsements at conventions and mass meetings. John C. Calhoun, up for re-election as Vice-President, picked this time to run with Jackson. National Republicans’ John Quincy Adams nominated for reelection by New England state legislatures and special conventions. National Republicans nominated Treasury Secretary Richard Rush for Vice-president.

Party Platform/Issues: National Republicans 

National bank; protective tariff, federal appropriations for internal improvements, science; education.

Democrats: 

"Reform the government" by removing incompetent officeholders who received their positions "against the will of the people." Jackson also said he took "a middle and just course" on the tariff and opposed federally sponsored internal improvements, though he favored using surplus federal revenue to help the states build roads and canals.

General Election Controversies/Issues:      

Longest and nastiest campaign until that point. No real issues. Debate whether the late President Thomas Jefferson had endorsed or supported Andrew Jackson’s nomination. The legality of Andrew Jackson’s marriage questioned. Jackson’s mother attacked as a “COMMON PROSTITUTE.” “Theft” of the 1824 “corrupt bargain” election.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Negative Campaigning; Mudslinging

Major Personalities (General Election): 

Thomas Jefferson; Martin Van Buren; Rachel Jackson, Duff Green of the United States Telegraph, Thomas Ritchie of the Richmond Enquirer, Joseph Gales and William W. Seaton of the National intelligencer

Campaign Tactics:  

Mudslinging in partisan presses. Adams refused to campaign; did not trust political parties.

57

 



Democrats organized barbecues, parades, local Jackson Clubs, rise of "Hickory poles"; use of the partisan press. Jackson did not campaign publicly, ceased his letter writing on his positions. John H. Eaton, Van Buren, and James Knox Polk. Eaton told Jackson "Be still – Be at home." Van Buren wrote, "Our people do not like to see publications from candidates." Jackson only wrote two letters, one answering Indiana’s state legislature on the tariff issue and another to deny his involvement with the Aaron Burr conspiracy.

Turning Points (General Election):     



The rise of workingmen’s organizations: Mechanics Union of Trade Associations (founded, 1827, Philadelphia), Workingmen’s Party (Philadelphia, 1828) Jackson only wrote two letters, one answering Indiana’s state legislature on the tariff issue and another to deny his involvement with the Aaron Burr conspiracy Jackson’s partisan press attacked Adams; "corrupt bargain" of 1825; creating a monarchy; Charles Hammond, the editor of the Cincinnati Gazette accused Jackson of adultery John Binns of Philadelphia "coffin handbill," which accused Jackson of unnecessarily sentencing/murdering eight of his militiamen during the Creek War in 1813 on grounds of desertion because they wanted to leave for home after their term of service ended. Jackson spoke out against Adam’s administration’s "base calumnies."

Popular Campaign Slogans:     

Democratic: Andrew Jackson "Old Hickory"; "The Hero of New Orleans" “Jackson and Reform” “Jackson, Calhoun, and Liberty” Andrew Jackson: “Advocate of the American System!!!” John Quincy Adams: “The Pimp of the Coalition”

Campaign Song:  



"Little Know Ye Who's Comin'" [anti-Jackson] “Jackson’s Toast”: Then toast our Jackson, good and great/, The man whom we admire/ He soon will mount the chair of state/ Which patriots all desire Hickory Wood, The battle of New Orleans and the General Jackson March

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:    

National Republicans "Jackass" (Reference to Jackson) “Coffin Handbill” accuses General Jackson of murder William Morgan and anti-Masonic accusations One National Republican: “The Hurra Boys, were for Jackson … and all the noisy Turbulent Boisterous Politicians are with him and to my regret they constitute a powerful host.” 58

  

   

  

Opposition newspaper “What have hickory trees to do with republicanism and the great contest?” Henry Clay calls Jackson a “military chieftain” Charles Hammond, Cincinnati Gazette Editorial, saying” “General Jackson’s mother was a “COMMON PROSTITUTE” brought to this country by the British soldiers! She afterwards married a MULATTO MAN, with whom she had several children, of which number General JACKSON IS ONE!!!” John Quincy Adams accused, when ambassador, of pimping for the Czar of Russia. John Quincy Adams’ “royal extravagances” attacked. Democratic Party: "It is rumored that it is the intention of Mr. Adams to return to England, there to purchase a PATENT OF NOBILITY." “Those who fear to grease their fingers with a barbecued pig, or twist their mouths away at whiskey grog, or start at the fame of a ‘military chieftain’ or are deafened by the thunder of the canon, may stay away [from the Barbecue].” “O fie, Mr. Clay – English paper, English wax, English pen-knives, is this your American System?” Jacksonians accused Adams of secretly working to “unite CHURCH AND STATE after the manner of the English monarchs.” GENERAL JACKSON: THE GALLANT SUCCESSFUL DEFENDER OF NEW ORLEANS & CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 1828, campaign button

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):  

The Democrats may have spent as much as $1 million to get Jackson elected. Hezekiah Niles estimated that the “franking privileges” Jacksonian Congressmen used amounted to an implicit federal subsidy of about $2,250,000 a year.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"My real friends want no information from me on the subject of internal improvement and manufactories, but what my public acts have afforded, and I never gratify my enemies. Was I now to come forward and reiterate my public opinions on these subjects, I would be charged with electioneering for selfish purposes." Andrew Jackson

Campaign Quotations: 



"I recall with pleasure the remembrance of our joint labors while in the Senate together in times of great trial and of hard battling, battles indeed of words, not of blood, as those you have since fought so much for your own glory & that of your country; with the assurance that my attempts continue undiminished, accept that of my great respect & consideration." Thomas Jefferson, 1825 to Andrew Jackson "One might as well make a sailor of a cock, or a soldier of a goose, as a President of Andrew Jackson." Thomas Gilmer quoting Thomas Jefferson

59



“Political meetings are continually taking place in the different Towns of the State, where Resolutions are passed and Delegates appointed to attend at Trenton to fix on the Electoral Ticket.” John Quincy Adams supporter in New Jersey

Significant books from the campaign: 

Reminiscences; or, an Extract from the Catalogue of General Jackson's Youthful Indiscretions between the Age of Twenty-three and Sixty. (1828)

Further Reading: 

Cole, Donald B. Vindicating Andrew Jackson: The 1828 Election and the Rise of the Two-Party System. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2009.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

   

1828 Democratic Jacksonian revolution. The first Presidential win and election for the Democratic Party: Since 1824, Jackson “consolidated a power base” that became the Democratic Party consisting of Jackson supporters, former William Crawford supporters (Old Republicans), John C. Calhoun supporters. (First time a presidential candidate won more than 100,000 votes in a state, for Andrew Jackson in Pennsylvania). Start of the Second Party System marked by increased voter interest in all aspects of the campaign and election process, an increase of nearly 800,000 popular votes. Second of two times when a new President was elected and the incumbent Vice-President was re-elected. Probably first million-dollar campaign.

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1832 Election Year: 1832 Election Day Date: November 2 - December 5, 1832 11/2 - OH, PA; 11/3 – CT; 11/5 - GA, IL, ME, MA, MO, NH; 11/5-6 – NJ; 11/5-7 - NY, VA; 11/6 - KY; 11/6-7 – LA; 11/12 - AL, MD; 11/13 - VT; 11/15 – NC; 11/15-16 – TN; 11/21 - RI Winning Ticket: 

Andrew Jackson (65, Unitarian), Martin Van Buren (50, Dutch Reformed), Democratic 688,242 54.5% 219 76.0%

Losing Ticket(s):      

Henry Clay (55, Episcopalian), John Sergeant (53), National Republican 473,462 36.93% 49 17.0% John Floyd (49, Roman Catholic), Henry Lee (50), Ind. Democrat 0 0.00% 11 3.8% William Wirt (60, Presbyterian), Amos Ellmaker (45, Episcopalian), Anti-Masonic 101,05199,817 7.78% 7 2.4% Others-- 7,061 0.55% 0 0.0% John Floyd's electoral votes came from South Carolina. Two electors from Maryland did not cast votes.

Voter Turnout: 55.4% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speeches, tracts, pamphlets, journals, partisan papers, cartoons, torchlight parades, barbecues, glee clubs, mass meetings with orators, parades, skyrockets, Roman candles, and political and fraternal lodges. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: All major parties nominated Presidential and VicePresidential candidates at conventions. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, Democratic 1829-1832 Population: 1832: 13,676,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1.12 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $25.61 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.37 Population (in thousands): 13,676 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $82 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,873 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1828: 65 dailies; fewer than 900 newspapers in total 61

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote everywhere except in South Carolina where electors were appointed by the state legislature Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):      

The Peggy “Eaton Affair” – dissension in Jackson Cabinet ranks. Fights with Calhoun: Jackson “Our Federal Union, it must be preserved,” April 13, 1830. Calhoun writes "Fort Hill Letter (1831)" justifying nullification. The Second Bank of the U.S. as "Mammoth Monopoly": “The bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me, but I will kill it.” Andrew Jackson Tariff Growing sectional tensions

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Vice-President    

John Calhoun Martin Van Buren Philip P. Barbour Richard M. Johnson

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Feud between Vice President John C. Calhoun and Secretary of State Martin Van Buren

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

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Democratic Convention Credentials Committee: The convention voted 126-153 against giving DC delegates a vote. States received the same number of delegates as they had electors. Balloting was by the state not individual delegates, with one delegate per state announcing their state’s vote. Two-thirds of the delegates’ votes were required for the nomination. Nomination speeches were banned, but this measure was soon abandoned. National Republican convention, Washington, DC, May 7, 1832: -- Henry Clay appears before the delegates to thank them for the nomination, the first appearance of a nominee at a meeting to accept a nomination. The first party platform – to protect American industry, advance internal improvements, condemn the spoils system, and support the Senate against an aggressive President and press.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): John C. Calhoun; Martin Van Buren Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):

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On January 25, 1832, Vice President Calhoun voted against Van Buren’s confirmation as Minister to Great Britain after the vote in the Senate ended in a tie

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

  

Democratic National Convention, (first Democratic convention), May 21, 1832, to May 23, 1832, The Athenaeum, Baltimore, Maryland, Robert Lucas (Ohio), 1st ballot, Andrew Jackson (Tennessee), Martin Van Buren (New York) National Republican Party nomination, December 12-15, 1831, the Athenaeum, Baltimore, Maryland Anti-Masonic Party nomination (first party convention) September 26-28, 1831, the Athenaeum, Baltimore, Maryland Barbour Democratic Party convention nominated Andrew Jackson with Philip P. Barbour, June 1832, Staunton, Virginia.

Convention Turning Points: National Republican Convention:   

Only convention of a major party in which the chairman called upon all delegates individually for their votes. Peter Livingston (NY) gave the first convention nominating speech in presidential history. John Sergeant of Pennsylvania (vice-Presidential nominee).

Democratic National Convention:  



The convention passed a resolution regarding Andrew Jackson: “We most cordially concur in the repeated nominations which he has received in various parts of the union.” The party refused to re-nominate John Calhoun for Vice President because of his tariff policy and support of the nullification doctrine, which would allow states to nullify federal laws. The party nominated instead, Martin Van Buren for the Vice Presidency.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party nomination Presidential vote 

Andrew Jackson 283

Vice Presidential vote  

Martin Van Buren 208 Philip P. Barbour 49 63

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Richard M. Johnson 26

National Republican Party nomination Presidential balloting 

Henry Clay 64

Vice Presidential balloting   

John Sergeant 2 Abstaining 1 Abstaining 6

Third Party Candidates: Anti-Masonic Party nomination Presidential balloting   

William Wirt 108 John C. Spencer 1 Abstaining 2

Vice Presidential balloting   

Amos Ellmaker 108 Richard Rush 1 Abstaining 1

Barbour Democratic Party nomination  

President: Andrew Jackson Vice-President: Philip P. Barbour

(Barbour withdrew, but ticket appeared on the ballot in 5 states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia). Convention Speaker: Explains the call for a convention, which originated in New Hampshire: “The representatives of the people of New Hampshire… believed that the example of this convention would operate favorably in future elections; that the people would be disposed after seeing the good effects of this convention in conciliating the different and distant sections of the country, to continue this mode of nomination.” Frederick A. Sumner, New Hampshire Convention Chairman:

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Democratic Temporary and Permanent Chairman: Gov. Robert Lucas, OH National Republican: Temporary Chairman: Abner Lacock, PA; Permanent Chairman: James Barbour, VA

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Second Bank of the United States, Jackson hated "ragg, tagg banks." On July 10, 1832, he vetoed the renewal of the Bank's charter and withdrew federal deposits from the Bank. Protective Tariff Bill of 1832, South Carolina planned a convention for November 1832 to nullify the tariff within the state’s borders.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Business funding, Political Cartoons (Caricatures) Campaign Tactics: 

National Republican Biddle distributed 30,000 copies of Jackson’s Veto; Clay’s supporters in Philadelphia received funding from the banks to attack Jackson's use of presidential veto power, this included anti-Jackson newspapers, pro-Bank Congressmen, anti-Jackson speeches, tracts, pamphlets, and journals were distributed to thousands.

Major Personalities (General Election): Henry Clay; Nicholas Biddle (Philadelphia's B.U.S. President); Thomas Hart Benton Turning Points (General Election): Employers threatened their workers not to vote for Jackson. Jackson convinced the public that he vetoed the bank to protect the people from the “privileged elite.” Popular Campaign Slogans:         

Democratic Andrew Jackson: "Stand by the Hero" “Jackson, Sutherland, Democracy and No Bank: Equal Rights to All Legal Voters” “reform, retrenchment and economy|” Let us focus on “measures not men” Clay: The spirit of Jacksonianism is JACOBINISM … Its Alpha is ANARCHY and its Omega DESPOTISM. Washington National Intelligencer: “The Constitution is gone.… It is a dead letter, and the will of a DICTATOR is the Supreme Law.” MVB “The Little Magician” William L. Marcy, a Jacksonian said: “to the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy,” so Jackson’s opponents attacked the “spoils system.” Cartoon mocking “King Andrew the First” captioned: “Born to Command,” “of veto memory” “had I been consulted|.” 65

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Anti-Jackson editorial: editorials and cartoons are great “but a hickory pole, a taking cry, a transparency, a burst of sky rockets and roman candles (alas! that it should be so!) have a potency over a large third of our voters that printed eloquence can not exert.”

Campaign Song: 

Democratic Andrew Jackson Supporters, “Hunters of Kentucky” (Battle of New Orleans anthem)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

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Democratic "NO BANK! DOWN WITH THE BANK! NO RAG MONEY!"; "Gold and silver, the only currency recognized by the Constitution!"; "Emperor Nicholas"; "Czar Nick"; "Old Nick." National Republican “King Andrew” (Cartoons) (Tyrant, Usurper, Dictator, King Andrew I, King of Kings); "THE KING UPON THE THRONE: The People in the dust!!!" barbecues, parades, sky rockets, Roman candles, Lodges “Jackson, Sutherland, Democracy and No Bank: Equal Rights to All Legal Voters” AJ “reform, retrenchment and economy|” AJ” Let us focus on “measures not men” Clay: The spirit of Jacksonianism is JACOBINISM … Its Alpha is ANARCHY and its Omega DESPOTISM. Washington National Intelligencer: “The Constitution is gone... It is a dead letter, and the will of a DICTATOR is the Supreme Law.” Martin Van Buren as ”The Little Magician.” William L. Marcy, a Jacksonian said: “to the victor belongs the spoils of the enemy,” so Jackson’s opponents attacked the “spoils system.” Cartoon mocking “King Andrew the First” captioned: “Born to Command,” “of veto memory” “had I been consulted|.” Anti-Jackson editorial: editorials and cartoons are great “but a hickory pole, a taking cry, a transparency, a burst of sky rockets and roman candles (alas! that it should be so!) have a potency over a large third of our voters that printed eloquence can not exert.

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): National Republican: The Bank spent an estimated $100,000 on the campaign Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“Gentlemen, I never until now believed that Calhoun could poison the minds and pervert the souls of that gallant people. But now I see he has done it. Of course I shall be reelected. It will be my duty, if God spares my life, to enforce the laws of the United States, and preserve our Federal Union as it is until the 4th of March, 1837-more than four years hence.” Andrew Jackson

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“The veto works well. Instead of crushing me as was expected and intended, it will crush the Bank.” Andrew Jackson

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate(s)): 



"I am surprised and alarmed at the new source of executive power which is found in the result of a presidential election. I had supposed that the Constitution and the laws were the sole source of executive authority . . . that the issue of a presidential election was merely to place the Chief Magistrate in the post assigned to him. . . . But it seems that if, prior to an election, certain opinions, no matter how ambiguously put forth by a candidate, are known to the people, those loose opinions, in virtue of the election, incorporate themselves with the Constitution, and afterward are to be regarded and expounded as parts of the instrument." Henry Clay "My opinion is that he may be President for life if he chooses." William Wirt about Jackson

Campaign Quotes: 

"I fear the Bank influence more than anything else. I have no doubt that the Bank managers will expend a large sum of money.” Jackson supporter

Further Reading: 

Remini, Robert V. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

First Democratic National Convention held. First Party Platform adopted (National Republican) Andrew Jackson’s landslide re-election victory

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1836 Election Year: 1836 Election Day Date: November 3 - December 7, 1836 11/4 -- OH, PA; 11/7 -- CT, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, MO, NH, NY, VA; 11/10 – NC; 11/14 -- AL, MA; 11/15 – VT; 11/16 to 17 – NJ; 11/17 – TN; 11/23 -- RI Winning Ticket: Martin Van Buren (54, Dutch Reformed), Richard Johnson (56, Baptist), Democratic 762,978 50.79% 170 57.8% Losing Ticket(s):     

William H. Harrison (63, Episcopal), Francis Granger (44), Whig 736,250 36.59% 73 24.8% Hugh White (63), John Tyler (46, Episcopalian) Whig 146,107 9.72% 26 8.8% Daniel Webster(54, Unitarian Universalist), Francis Granger (44)Whig 41,201 2.74% 14 4.8% Willie Person Mangum (44, ), John Tyler (46, Episcopal, possibly Deist), Whig -- 0 0.00% 11 3.7% Other (+) - - 2,305 0.15% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 55.2% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: State and local committees (fundraising, distribute campaign material); partisan papers; rallies, barbecues, and dinners. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Andrew Jackson, (1829-1837) Martin Van Buren (1833-1837), Democratic Population: 1836: 15,340,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1.46 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $29.11 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.03 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $95 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,897 Number of Daily Newspapers: 65 (1830); 138 (1840) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote in all states except in South Carolina where the electors were appointed by the state legislature Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions 68

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):    

Bank of the United States (Andrew Jackson’s opposition to it). States' rights (Andrew Jackson v. Sen. John C. Calhoun and the Nullifiers. (Whig Party) opposition). Sectional differences: The Whigs were unable to support a single candidate -- there were four Whig Presidential candidates on the ballot.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party nomination 

Martin Van Buren, Vice President of the United States (New York)

Whig Party nomination    

William Henry Harrison, former U.S. Senator (Ohio) Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator (Massachusetts) Hugh L. White, U.S. Senator (Tennessee) Willie Person Mangum, U.S. Senator (North Carolina)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  





States’ rights in the South. Southern Democrats disliked Jackson’s chosen successor Democrat Van Buren and his running mate Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson, Kentucky who lived and had two children with a “mulatto” woman, Julia Chinn, an “octoroon” slave. Hugh Lawson White (Senator, Tennessee) a moderate on states' rights was the Southern Nullifiers’ choice. The Alabama and Tennessee state legislatures nominated him as the Whig candidate. Daniel Webster (Senator, Massachusetts) was the most popular Whig candidate in the North in early 1835. By the end of 1835, the former general William Henry Harrison was gaining support in the North. By mid-1836, the Northern Free States except for Massachusetts and three Border States supported Harrison as the Whig candidate.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

The National Republicans, anti-Masons, and anti-Jackson Democrats led by John Calhoun combined in 1833-1834 to form the Whig party to oppose the Democratic Party.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Andrew Jackson, Edward Rucker, Tennessee (Delegate, cast 15 votes at the DNC for Van Buren, Johnson); "Locofocos" (Equal righters, radical Democrats acquired their name when debating with conservatives at the Democratic convention, Conservatives blew out the gaslights upon angrily leaving a meeting and equal righters lit the candles with their "locofoco" matches).

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Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic Party, May 20-22, 1835, Fourth Presbyterian Church; Baltimore, Andrew Stevenson (Virginia) 1st ballot, Martin Van Buren (New York) Richard M. Johnson (Kentucky). Whig Party had no national convention; nominated candidates at legislative caucuses, regional meetings, and state conventions.

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:  

The convention was held a year and a half in advance to ensure there would be no opposition to Jackson’s chosen successor, Vice President Martin Van Buren. Alabama, Illinois, and South Carolina did not participate in the convention.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination Presidential ballot 

Martin Van Buren and Richard M. Johnson nominated on the first ballot

Vice-Presidential ballot  

Richard Mentor Johnson Kentucky 178 67% William Cabell Rives Virginia 87 33%

Whigs (North, border states) Presidential ballot 

William Henry Harrison

Vice Presidential ballot 

Francis Granger

Whigs (Middle and lower South) Presidential ballot 

Hugh L. White 70

Vice Presidential ballot 

John Tyler

Whigs (Massachusetts) Presidential ballot 

Daniel Webster

Vice President 

Francis Granger

Whigs (South Carolina) Presidential ballot 

Willie P. Mangum

Vice Presidential ballot 

John Tyler

Convention Chairman: Democratic Andrew Stevenson (Virginia) Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Democratic: Andrew Stevenson (Virginia) Chairman Party Platform/Issues:   

Democratic Party: No platform; positions on the most important issues slavery and states’ rights Moderate position on slavery; to maintain southern support it was decided the abolition of slavery would be a state decision rather than a federal one Van Buren stated in his acceptance letter that he would continue Jackson's policies in his administration.

General Election Controversies/Issues: States’ Rights; Bank of the United States; High Tariffs; opposition to internal improvements; South Carolina's 1833 attempt to nullify the tariff. Campaign Innovations (General Election): "Ruckerize" (engage in political skullduggery)

71

Major Personalities (General Election): Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay Campaign Tactics:   

Mudslinging; vicious Whig attack on Van Buren. Democrats defended Van Buren, counter attacked. Whig Party: Favorite son strategy, nominate several candidates with local support to divide the vote and lead it to the House of Representatives.

Turning Points (General Election): 

The Whigs could not keep up with Van Buren’s campaign with four candidates running.

Campaign Song: Democratic Party: (Martin Van Buren) Rockabye, Baby Popular Campaign Slogans:    

Whigs, “Old Tippecanoe” Whigs “EQUAL & FULL PROTECTION TO AMERICAN INDUSTRY” “Hurrah for Harrison” Democrats: “VAN BUREN & DEMOCRACY”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democrats, “Rumpsey dumpsey, rumpsey dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh”; "The Hero of the Thames" Whigs, "King Andrew the First"

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"I shall, if honored with the choice of the American people, endeavor to tread generally in the footsteps of President Jackson— happy if I shall be able to perfect the work which he has so gloriously begun." Martin Van Buren

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):   

"We desire a candidate who will concentrate all our suffrage and we desire what is impossible." Whig Party "We are to be cursed with Van Buren for President." Thurlow Weed, New York Whig leader "The people are for him. Not so much for him as for the principle, they suppose he represents. That principle is Democracy." William T. Seward, New York Whig

Campaign Quotations: 72

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"We have nothing to fear from the combined fragments we have to contend with." a Democratic Partisan “An adroit and subtle, rather than a great man, I judge that he owed his election … to the personal favor and imperious will of Andrew Jackson,” Horace Greeley on Martin Van Buren. “The remarkable character of this election is, that all the candidates are at most third-rate men” John Quincy Adams [Martin Van Buren] "travels about the country and through the cities in an English coach; has English servants, dressed in uniform -- I think they call it livery... ; no longer mixes with the sons of little tavern-keepers; forgets all his old companions and friends in the humbler walks of life ... ; eats in a room by himself; and is so stiff in his gait, and prim in his dress, that he is what the English call a dandy. When he enters the Senate chamber in the morning he struts and swaggers like a crow in a gutter. He is laced up in corsets, such as women in a town wear, and, if possible, tighter than the best of them. It would be difficult to say, from his personal appearance, whether he was a man or woman, but for his large red and gray whiskers." Davy Crockett, The Life of Martin Van Buren, HeirApparent to the "Government," and the Appointed Successor of General Andrew Jackson.

Significant books from the campaign: 



Crockett, Davy. The Life of Martin Van Buren, Heir-Apparent to the "Government," and the Appointed Successor of General Andrew Jackson. Philadelphia [Pa.]: Robert Wright, 1835. Richard Emmons, "Tecumseh, or the Battle of the Thames, a National Drama in Five Acts"

Further Reading: 

Remini, Robert V. Martin Van Buren and the Making of the Democratic Party. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1959.

Election Issues: 

 

Michigan electoral votes were cast before it became a state on January 26, 1837. Congress resolved on February 4, 1837, to count the electoral vote twice including and excluding Michigan. Virginia electors voted for Van Buren but instead voted for William Smith for Vice President refusing to vote for Richard Mentor Johnson. Richard Mentor Johnson had one vote less than the 148 electoral vote majority needed. As per Twelfth Amendment, the Senate decided the Vice-Presidential election from the top two vote-getters Johnson and Francis Granger. The Senate elected Johnson in a single ballot by 33 to 16.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Last election until 1988 that an incumbent Vice President was elected President, 73

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Otherwise, the Vice President became President only through death or resignation. Only race where a major political party intentionally ran several presidential candidates. First and so far only time a Vice Presidential election was thrown into the Senate. Increasingly visible partisan lines in electoral politics, reflecting the emerging party system.

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1840 Election Year: 1840 Election Day Date: October 30 - December 2, 1840 10/30 - OH, PA; 11/2 - AR, CT, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MS, MO, NH, VA; 11/2-4 – NY; 11/3 – LA; 11/3-4 – NJ; 11/9 - AL, MA; 11/10 - DE, ME; 11/12 – NC; 11/13 – RI; 11/19 - TN, VT Winning Ticket: 

William H. Harrison (67, Episcopal), John Tyler (50, Episcopal), Whig 1,275,583 52.87% 234 79.6%

Losing Ticket(s):  

Martin Van Buren (58, Dutch Reformed), Richard M. Johnson (60, Baptist), Democratic 1,129,645 46.82% 60 20.4% James G. Birney (48, Presbyterian), Thomas Earle (48), Liberty 7,453 0.31% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 80.2% 2,412,698 voters Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

 

Mass appeal; increased involvement of the average citizen; torchlight parades; barbecues, rallies, songfests; Tippecanoe Shaving Soap, Log-Cabin Emollient, “Harrrison and Tyler” neckties. “Old Cabin Whisky” made by E.C. Booz Distillery of Philadelphia. Tippecanoe Song Sheets, Long Cabin Cotillions

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Gradual democratization of American politics; extension of suffrage by lowering or abolishing property or tax-paying qualifications. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Martin Van Buren, Richard M. Johnson, Democratic, 1837-1841 Population: 1840: 17,120, 000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1.56 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $31.46 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.95 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $91 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,838 Number of Newspapers: 1,577 with 209 dailies 75

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote in all states except in South Carolina where the state legislature appointed electors Method of Choosing Nominees: National and/or regional conventions Central Issues:   

Panic of 1837 Continuing fights over Tariff, over nullification, over the early Abolition movement. “Gag Rules” squelching discussion about slavery in Congress.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates 

Martin Van Buren, President of the United States (New York)

Whig Party candidates   

William Henry Harrison, former U.S. senator (Ohio) Henry Clay, U.S. senator (Kentucky) Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the U.S. Army (New Jersey)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Abolition, the Bank, tariff Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Henry Clay; Thurlow Weed; Thaddeus Stevens Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

Henry Clay’s Senate speech February 7, 1839, "I had rather be right than president"; Petitions for the Abolition of Slavery, supported the gradual and eventual abolition of slavery over time, deemed pro-Southern and pro-slavery, it was reminiscent of the 1824 Corrupt Bargain.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):   

Democratic National Convention, May 5-6, 1840, Hall of the Musical Association, Baltimore Anti-Masonic Party National Convention, Philadelphia, November, 1838 Democratic Whig National Convention, Harrisburg, December 4-7, 1839 Temporary Chairman: Isaac C. Bates MA; Permanent Chairman: James Barbour, VA

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:

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Delegates refused to re-nominate Richard Johnson; a weak vote getter; he was the only Vice Presidential candidate to be elected through a vote in the House of Representatives. Southerners were offended by his personal life; Johnson lived with a slave Julia Chinn he had two children with; however, Chinn died in 1833. North was offended that Johnson still was a slave owner. State Democratic leaders given the decision to nominate a Vice Presidential candidate. The first time a party platform was adopted at a convention.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Presidential 1st ballot Martin Van Buren Vice Presidential ballot  

Refused to re-nominate Richard Mentor Johnson. No official nominee; Richard Johnson, Littleton W. Tazewell, and James Knox Polk remained in the running for electoral votes.

Convention Chairman: Gov. William Carroll (Tennessee) Convention Speaker- Sen. Felix Grundy (Tennessee) Whig Party Presidential 5th ballot   

William H. Harrison OH 94 94 91 91 148 Henry Clay KY 103 103 95 95 90 Winfield Scott NJ 57 57 68 68 16

Vice Presidential 1st ballot  

John Tyler 231 Abstaining 23

Keynote speaker- former governor James Barbour of Virginia Third Party Candidates: Anti-Masonic Party nomination Presidential vote 77

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William Henry Harrison 119

Vice Presidential vote 

Daniel Webster 11

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues:  

Whig Candidate William H. Harrison’s position on the issues was essentially unknown. There was no Whig platform. Democrats: Against national bank; pro-slavery/anti-abolitionists; slavery to be decided by the states, against the federal assumption of state debts; pro “economy in government”; minimal amount of taxes.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Panic of 1837; Economic depression Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

The Whigs helped popularize the campaign, it was called the “Hurrah and Hallelujah” campaign. Harrison was the first Presidential candidate to go on the stump and gave speeches at Fort Meigs, Columbus, Cleveland, and elsewhere.

Campaign Tactics: Whigs: 

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“Log-Cabin-Hard-Cider campaign: (speeches, songs, cheers, and hard cider; log cabins decorated with coonskins; log-cabin newspapers; songbooks, pamphlets, and leaflets; thousands of Tippecanoe badges, Tippecanoe handkerchiefs, and other Tippecanoe products); Horace Greeley The Log Cabin; Vast encampments “acres of men” [and women] – tens of thousands at gatherings at the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe, at Springfield, Illinois, at Columbus, Ohio, more than 100,000 at Nashville, Tennessee. Around 60,000 march from Boston Common to Bunker Hill. Harrison’s campaign trips in June and September 1840 to show he was healthy, only recounted military anecdotes. Wrote letters and strategize.

Democratic Party: 

Van Buren conducted a passive campaign, wrote a few letters on his position on the issues.

Major Personalities (General Election): Horace Greeley 78

Turning Points (General Election):   

Whigs: Depicted Democrat President Van Buren as being out of touch with the people living in luxury in the newly renovated White House, Harrison hailed as a man of the people despite his lush lifestyle. Democrats: Whiggery is “federalism and abolition united.” Whigs portrayed as corrupting public morals with hard-cider-and-booze campaign.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

  

Whigs William Henry Harrison, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”; "Old Buckeye"; "Van, Van, is a used-up man"; "Keep the ball rolling"; "The Farmer's President"; "The Hero of Tippecanoe"; "Harrison, Two Dollars a Day and Roast Beef" “Harrison and Reform” “As rolls the ball, Van’s reign does fall, And he may look to Kinderhook” Van Buren as O.K. “Old. Kinderhook”

Campaign Song: 

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Whig songs: "The Soldier of Tippecanoe", "The Farmer of North Bend", The Harrison Cause," Hurrah for Old Tip," The Log Cabin Song," Old Tip and the Log Cabin Boys"; "Should Brave Old Soldiers Be Forgone" Democratic songs: “Hush-a-bye-baby; Daddy’s a Whig”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

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Whig, "Martin Van ruin"; The Whigs rolled balls called “Harrison Balls” down the streets using twine, paper, leather, or tin. They would grow to be as large as ten or twelve feet in diameter and would be covered with slogans: "Stop that barrel!" "The North Bend Farmer and His Visitors". “The Regal Splendor of the President’s Palace” a mass pamphlet circulated the speech of Rep. Charles Ogle (Whig-PA) on April 14-16, 1840, attacking Van Buren as an aristocrat, also known as “The Gold Spoon Oration.” Democratic called Harrison "General Mum" and the “Imbecile” attacking Harrison’s silence on national issues.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):  

“I am the most persecuted and calumniated individual now living,” William Henry Harrison in response to Democratic mockery. “I am not with you today, Fellow Citizens, in accordance with my own sense of propriety. Much more consonant would it be with my feelings to remain at the domestic fireside… Indeed I sometimes fear that upon me will fall the responsibility of establishing a dangerous precedent… You must have already perceived, that I am not CAGED, and that I am not the old man on crutches … they accuse me of being.” William Henry Harrison at a Chillicothe, Ohio rally. 79



"I suffer from the numerous (and as to the larger portion) most rediculous [sic] applications for opinions on almost every subject." William H. Harrison

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"In what grave and important discussion are the Whig journals engaged? . . . We speak of the divorce of bank and state, and the Whigs reply with a dissertation on the merits of hard cider. We defend the policy of the Administration; and the Whigs answer 'log cabin,' 'big canoes,' 'go it Tip, Come it Ty.' We urge re-election of Van Buren because of his honesty, sagacity, statesmanship . . . and the Whigs answer that Harrison is a poor man and lives in a log cabin." A frustrated Democrat.

Campaign Quotations:  







“Without a why or wherefore/We’ll go for Harrison therefore,” Whig doggerel "The whole country is in a state of agitation upon the approaching Presidential election such as was never before witnessed. . . . Not a week has passed within the last few months without a convocation of thousands of people to hear inflammatory harangues against Martin Van Buren and his Administration! Here is a revolution in the habits and manners of the people. Where will it end? These are party movements, and must in the natural progress of things become antagonistical. . . . Their manifest tendency is to civil war." John Quincy Adams “Providence will cure all -- abolition nothing. It may ruin all; it can save none…. I beseech the abolitionists themselves, solemnly to pause in their mad and fatal course…Amid the infinite variety objects of humanity and benevolence which invite the employment of their energies, let them select some one more harmless, that does not threaten to deluge our country in blood.” Henry Clay, February 7, 1839 "I am the most unfortunate man in the history of parties: always run by my friends when sure to be defeated, and now betrayed for a nomination when I, or any one, would be sure of an election." Henry Clay "They have at last learned from defeat the art of victory. We have taught them how to conquer us!" Democratic Review

Further Reading:  

Gunderson, Robert G. The Log-Cabin Campaign. Kentucky: Univ. of Kentucky Pr, 1957. Shafer, Ronald G. The Carnival Campaign: How the Rollicking 1840 Campaign of "tippecanoe and Tyler Too" Changed Presidential Elections Forever. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press, 2016.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Largest voter turnout in United States history to date The electoral vote featured four candidates who were or would become President: President Martin Van Buren; President-elect William Henry Harrison; Vice-President80



elect John Tyler, who would succeed Harrison upon his death; and James K. Polk (one electoral vote for Vice President) Popularized campaigning – and national politics.

81

1844 Election Year: 1844 Election Day Date: November 1 - December 4, 1844 Winning Ticket: 

James K. Polk (49, Methodist), George M. Dallas (52, Episcopalian) Democratic 1,339,570 49.54% 170 61.8%

Losing Ticket(s):  

Henry Clay (67, Episcopalian), Theodore Frelinghuysen (57, Dutch Reformed Church), Whig 1,300,157 48.09% 105 38.2% James G. Birney (52, Presbyterian), Thomas Morris (68 ), Liberty 62,054 2.30% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 78.9% Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: John Tyler, No Vice President, Whig, 1841-1845 Population: 1844: 19,157,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1.69 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $36.82 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.58 Population (in thousands): 19,157 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $88 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $1,922 Number of Daily Newspapers: 138 Average Daily Circulation: N/A Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote in all states except in South Carolina where the state legislature appointed electors Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Westward expansion; territorial expansionism; Manifest Destiny; Oregon territory and boundary dispute; Annexation of Texas as a slave state despite British (and growing Northern) pressure to abolish slavery in Texas Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): 82

Democratic candidates      

James K. Polk, former Speaker of the House (Tennessee) Martin Van Buren, former President (New York) Lewis Cass, U.S. senator (Michigan) Richard M. Johnson, former Vice President (Kentucky) James Buchanan, U.S. senator (Pennsylvania) John C. Calhoun, former Vice President (South Carolina)

Whig candidates 

Henry Clay, U.S. Senator (Kentucky)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Tyler’s policies were so sympathetic to the Democratic Party they alienated the Whigs. He was driven out of the Whig Party September 13, 1841 for political heresy. Many Democrats backed Van Buren. Tyler faced reelection without the support of either of the major parties.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Use of telegraph to report the Democratic National Convention

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): John Tyler; Martin Van Buren; John C. Calhoun, Robert J. Walker (author of Democratic platform) Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

 

President Tyler presented the Annexation of Texas Treaty to the Senate in April 1844. Secretary of State John C. Calhoun defended slavery in Texas, but the Senate refused to pass the treaty, making it the issue of the 1844 election. Henry Clay and Martin Van Buren opposed the Annexation of Texas Tyler hoped to gain the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, however, most Northern Democrats initially supported former President Martin Van Buren

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  



Whig Party National Convention, May 1, 1844, the Universalist Church Building, Baltimore MD. Democratic National Convention, May 27-29, 1844, Odd Fellows Hall, Baltimore, MD. Hendrick Bradley Wright (Pennsylvania) 9th ballot, James K. Polk, (Tennessee) George M. Dallas (Pennsylvania) The National Democratic Tyler Convention May 27 and May 28, Baltimore, nominated Tyler for a second term but did not nominate a Vice President, possibly the convention hoped to influence the DNC. 83

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:    

   

Martin Van Buren had a plurality of the delegate votes on the first ballot. His letter opposing the immediate annexation of Texas alienated Southern Democrats. The Convention divided into pro- and anti- Van Buren factions. Delegate support divided between Van Buren and Lewis Cass To reduce his chances, Van Buren’s opponents lobbied for a rule requiring the candidate to win nomination with a two-thirds majority instead of simple majority Once the convention adopted the "two thirds" rule to clinch the nomination, Van Buren lost support on subsequent ballots. Polk was nominated on the 9th ballot after shifts, after Van Buren withdrew. Polk originally sought the Vice Presidential nomination, but gained momentum from the delegates in the 8th vote as the only man to unite the divided Democrats. First dark horse candidates nominated. Sen. Silas Wright of New York won the Vice Presidential nomination practically by acclamation, however, because his friend Van Buren was denied the Presidential nomination, Silas notified the convention via telegraph that he was refusing the nomination.

Whig National Convention: 

Henry Clay was nominated on the first ballot despite losing two prior Presidential elections in 1824 and 1832

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Whig Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot 

Henry Clay 275

Vice Presidential 3rd ballot     

Theodore Frelinghuysen 101 118 154 John Davis 83 75 79 Millard Fillmore 53 51 40 John Sergeant 38 33 0 Abstaining 0 0 2

Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 9th ballot after shifts

84

        

Martin Van Buren 146 127 121 111 103 101 99 104 0 0 Lewis Cass 83 94 92 105 107 116 123 114 29 0 Richard M. Johnson 24 33 38 32 29 23 21 0 0 0 John C. Calhoun 6 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 James Buchanan 4 9 11 17 26 25 22 0 0 0 Levi Woodbury 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Charles Stewart 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 James K. Polk 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 231 266 Abstaining 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 6 0

Vice Presidential 3rd ballot         

Silas Wright 258 0 0 (Declined the nomination) John Fairfield 0 107 30 Levi Woodbury 8 44 6 Lewis Cass 0 39 0 Richard M. Johnson 0 26 0 Charles Stewart 0 23 0 George M. Dallas 0 13 230 William L. Marcy 0 5 0 Abstaining 0 11 0

Third Party Candidates:  



Anti-Slavery Liberty Party: President, James Birney The National Democratic Tyler Convention, President John Tyler (Tyler was at first enthusiastic about his chances and accepted the nomination; his address was referenced in the New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette on June 6, but the paper did not print the text of Tyler's letter.) Other: President Joseph Smith, Jr. (Founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints); Vice-President Sidney Rigdon. Smith’s presidential platform consisted of reducing government by a third, and ending slavery through constitutional means. Smith’s campaign ended when he was murdered on June 27, 1844.

Convention Keynote Speaker: N/A Nominating Speech Speakers (President): N/A Party Platform:  

Democratic Party: Territorial expansion, the annexation of Texas; acquisition of the entire Oregon Territory from Great Britain. "That our title to the whole of the Territory of Oregon is clear and unquestionable; that no portion of the same ought to be ceded to England or any other power, and that the reoccupation of Oregon and the reannexation of Texas at the earliest practicable period,

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are great American measures, which this convention recommends to the cordial support of the democracy of the Union." Democratic Party Platform Whig Party: Economic program, against immediate annexation of Texas

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Westward Expansion; territorial expansionism; Manifest Destiny; Oregon territory and boundary dispute; "re-annexation" Annexation of Texas, slavery in Texas, possible war with Mexico; abolition; and the tariff.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Term "Roorback": political forgery in Whig newspapers falsely accusing Polk of slave trading.

Campaign Tactics: Whig Party:  



Experience of Clay vs. the unknown Polk; focused on Polk’s mediocrity. Clay conducted an active and vocal campaign. Clay took a campaign tour a month prior to his nomination, disguised as a business meeting. Letter writing campaign after officially receiving the nomination. Democratic Party: Ads and pamphlets focusing on Henry Clay’s vices.

Major Personalities (General Election): Turning Points (General Election):  







Polk makes one-term pledge to reassure disappointed rivals he will not be on the scene too long. The new democratic ethos generated pressure on Polk to clarify his policy positions. In his June 19, 1844 letter to John Kane, Polk opposed “a tariff for protection merely and not for revenue.” The firestorm the “Kane Letter” ignited – attacked by some for its clarity, others as a “straddle” -- inhibited Polk – and other candidates – from further clarifications. Moreover, Polk was denounced for not clarifying further. Tennessee Governor Lean Jimmy Jones asked of Polk: “Why does he not speak out like a man? Why are his lips sealed as with the stillness of death?” Tyler withdrew from the race on August 25. His official letter was printed in several newspapers on August 29, 1844. Tyler possibly feared his candidacy would take away votes from Polk and give the election to Clay. Henry Clay also ran into trouble with his “Raleigh Letter” and two backpedaling “Alabama Letters” fueling controversy about his stance on slavery and Texas, then raising questions about his integrity and consistency.

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

 



Henry Clay’s inability to take a solid position on the annexation of Texas and the slavery issue which would have garnered him strong support in either the North or South might have cost him the election. James G. Birney, the Liberty Party, ran on an anti-slavery platform and was Clay’s main competition for northern anti-slavery Whigs, Clay’s show of support for the annexation of Texas mollified Southern voters but alienated New York Whigs. Birney threatened to siphon off enough votes of anti-slavery Whigs in the North to put Polk in the White House. The popularity of the Democrats’ proposed total acquisition of the Oregon Territory and westward expansion, prompted Henry Clay to support annexation despite his original opposition, only if it would be accomplished with “just and fair” terms and without war. Many new citizens voted against Henry Clay, fearing Whigs’ anti-immigration sentiments.

Popular Campaign Slogans:       

James K. Polk: “Reannexation of Texas and reoccupation of Oregon”; “Oregon, Texas and Democracy”; “The People’s Candidate”; “Texas and No Bank All of Oregon or None!" “Polk, Dallas, Shunk and the DEMOCRATIC TARIFF OF 1842: WE DARE THE WHIGS TO REPEAL IT” Whigs, Henry Clay: “Just Who is James K. Polk?” Whigs: “Polk, Slavery and Texas” vs. “Clay Union, and Liberty” Henry Clay: “the fearless Friend of his Country’s rights”; “The People’s Choice”; Henry Clay and A Protective Tariff: NO ANNEXATION OF TEXAS! NO extension of Slavery”

Campaign Song:  



Democrats: “Jimmy Polk of Tennessee” Whigs: “The Clay Girl’s Song,” and Sung to the tune of “Vive la Companie”: “Come join in a shout for the name we love best!/Hurrah for Henry Clay! The friend of the People --- the man of the West ---/Hurrah for Henry Clay!” Clay Minstrel or national Songster includes (to Yankee Doodle) “Our noble Harry is the man/The Nation most delights in; To place him first is now the plan; for this we’re all uniting”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

 

Democratic: "Henry Clay's Moral Fitness for the Presidency, Tested by the Decalogue": "The history of Mr. Clay's debaucheries and midnight revelries in Washington is too shocking, too disgusting to appear in public print."; "Twenty-one Reasons Why Clay Should Not Be Elected" Reason Two: "Clay spends his days at the gaming table and his nights in a brothel." "a pistol, a pack of cards, and a brandy-bottle"; "No Duellist!"; "No Gambler!";

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  

  

Christian Voters! Read, Pause and Reflect! Mr. Clay's Moral Character Whigs: "Polk the Plodder" Democrats about Clay: “He wires in and wires out, And leaves the people still in doubt, Whether the snake that made the track, Was going South or coming back.” “Orator Clay had two tones in his voice: The one squeaking thus and the other down so, And mighty convenient he found them both – the squeak at the top and the guttural below.” Harry of the West, Prince Hall, The Great Compromiser Polk dismissed as tool of radical Locofoco movement of New York: “Mr Polk is a loco, out and out, of the free trade school. He is for Free Trade and every other Loco abomination; and against every Whig principle and measure.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): 

Whigs had the financial advantage because of wealthy supporters

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“It has been well observed that the office of President of the United States should neither be sought nor declined. I have never sought it, nor should I feel at liberty to decline it, if conferred upon me by the voluntary suffrages of my fellow citizens.” James K. Polk

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

 

“In the contingency of my election, to which you have averted, if the affair of acquiring Texas should become a subject of consideration, I should be governed by the state of fact, and the state of public opinion existing at the time I might be called upon to act. Above all, I should be governed by the paramount duty of preserving this Union entire, and in harmony, regarding it as I do as the great guaranty of every political and public blessing, under Providence, which as a free people, we are permitted to enjoy.” Henry Clay, August 16, 1844, Tuscumbia North Alabamian, August 16, 1844, “Second Alabama Letter” "I have never said that I would nor would not be a candidate at the next election." Henry Clay "The opposition and persecution to which I have been exposed" Martin Van Buren

Campaign Quotations: 

"I pray you to desist from the abuse of Tyler or his supporters, but treat them as brethren in democracy." Andrew Jackson

Further Reading:

88

Sellers, Charles G. James K. Polk, Continentalist, 1843-1846. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University, 1966. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

Polk was the first “dark horse” candidate. Excruciatingly close election, Polk won the popular vote by 1.4 percentage points and in 15 of the 26 states; the winning lead was less than 8 percentage points. Last election held on different days in different states. In 1848, the elections would be held in all states on the same date in November.

89

1848 Election Year: 1848 Election Day Date: November 7, 1848 Winning Ticket: Zachary Taylor (64, Episcopal), Millard Fillmore (48, Unitarian), Whig, 1,360,235 47.28% 163 56.2% Losing Ticket(s):   

Lewis Cass (66), William O. Butler (57), Democratic, 1,222,353 42.49% 127 43.8% Martin Van Buren (66, Dutch Reformed) Charles F. Adams (41) Free Soil 291,475 10.13% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 2,755 0.10% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 72.7% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Act passed by Congress in 1845, all thirty states in the Union vote on the same first Tuesday after the second Monday in November (always to stay within 34 days of the Electoral College convening, as mandated by Congress since 1792). Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Knox Polk, George M. Dallas, Democratic, 1845-1849 Population: 1848: 21,706,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $2.40 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $46.73 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.14 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $111 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,153 Number of Daily Newspapers: 254 (1850) Average Daily Circulation: 758,454 Method of Choosing Electors:  

Popular vote except in South Carolina where the electors were appointed by the state legislature In Massachusetts, if the electors could not garner a majority vote in the election the state legislature would appoint the state’s electors. In 1848, this law was invoked.

Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions

90

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Mexican-American War, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, new territories of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah: would they be slave or free?

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Whig Party candidates    

Zachary Taylor, U.S. General (Virginia) Henry Clay, U.S. senator (Kentucky) Winfield Scott, U.S. General (New Jersey) Daniel Webster, U.S. senator (Massachusetts)

Democratic Party candidates:   

Lewis Cass, U.S. senator (Michigan) Levi Woodbury, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (New Hampshire) James Buchanan, Secretary of State (Pennsylvania)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

Slavery in the territories. Fights over the Wilmot Proviso attempting to stop slavery from expanding into the new territories acquired in the Mexican-American War.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):  

Democratic National Committee with thirty members, one from each state, and a threeman executive committee coordinates the election. Whigs seven-man executive committee of Congress is chaired by Representative Truman Smith of Connecticut.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Martin Van Buren; "Hunkers"; "Barn burners"; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):   

Whigs gained control of the House in 1846 due to the backlash against the unpopular Mexican-American War. Lewis Cass’s “Nicholson Letter” endorsed popular sovereignty, trusting the people in each territory to decide on slavery. The Free Soil Party headed by Salmon P. Chase and John Parker Hale nominated Martin Van Buren for President. Most of the Liberty party supported Van Buren

91



Henry Clay, frustrated by Taylor’s popularity as Old “Rough and Ready,” the war hero of Buena Visita, sighed: “I wish I could slay a Mexican.”

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

 

Democratic National Convention: May 22-25, 1848, Universalist Church; Baltimore, Andrew Stevenson (Virginia) 4th ballot, Lewis Cass (Michigan); William O. Butler (Kentucky) Whig Party, June 1848, Chinese Museum Building, Philadelphia Free Soil Party, August 1848, Buffalo

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 

   

Martin Van Buren’s New York supporters, "Barn burners," opposed Cass’s nomination at the convention; as anti-slavery Democrats, they feared Cass would extend slavery into the new western territories. They walked out of the convention and formed the Free Soil Party. Lewis Cass, the front-runner is nominated on the fourth ballot. William O. Butler is nominated for the Vice President slot on the second ballot. Cass’s is position on the Wilmot Proviso, helped him win the nomination Cass originally supported the Wilmot Proviso, which would have prevented slavery in the newly acquired territories. However, because of the issue was so divisive; Cass supported the position of “popular sovereignty” allowing the states to make the decision about slavery within their territory.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Whig Party Nomination Presidential 4th ballot      

Zachary Taylor 111 118 133 171 Henry Clay 97 86 74 32 Winfield Scott 43 49 54 63 Daniel Webster 22 22 17 14 John Middleton Clayton 4 3 1 0 John McLean 2 1 0 0

Vice Presidential 2nd ballot    

Millard Fillmore 115 173 Abbott Lawrence 109 87 Andrew Stewart 14 0 Thomas M.T. McKennan 13 0 92



Abstaining 23 6

Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 4th Ballot        

Lewis Cass 125 133 156 179 Levi Woodbury 53 56 53 38 James Buchanan 55 54 39 33 John C. Calhoun 9 0 0 0 William Jenkins Worth 6 6 5 1 George M. Dallas 3 3 0 0 William O. Butler 0 0 0 4 Abstaining 39 38 37 35

Vice Presidential 2nd ballot after shifts      

William O. Butler 114 169 290 John A. Quitman 74 62 0 William R. King 26 8 0 John Y. Mason 24 3 0 James I. McKay 13 11 0 Jefferson Davis 1 0 0

Third Party Candidates: Free Soil Party Nomination President  

Martin Van Buren 154 John Parker Hale 129

Vice-President 

Charles Francis Adams

Party Platform:  

The Whig Party: Chose not to be defined by a platform, running on Taylor’s popularity as a hero. The Democratic Party: The platform limited the power of the federal government over commerce, internal improvement, and slavery. Opposed a national bank and praised the Mexican-American War. The party remained divided over the issue of expanding slavery in the new Western territories. Cries of "Popular sovereignty," "squatter sovereignty," to

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let the new territories decide the question of slavery within their boundaries, disappointed anti-slavery Democrats. "Hunkers" accepted the platform. The Free Soil Party: Opposed the expansion of slavery in the Western territories

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Expansion of Slavery into the new Western territories. Antislavery Northerners opposed any expansion, believing if slavery remained within the original 15 Southern states, it would eventually end.

Campaign Tactics: Mud-slinging: Refusing to debate the main issue, both campaigns focused on attacking each other’s candidates. 



Democratic: Called Taylor a "military autocrat", Britain’s candidate due to the London Times endorsement; criticism of his personal habits; greedy, stingy "economical, comical old Zach", semi-illiterate, a cruel slave master who swore at his troops Whig: Accused Cass of sponsoring legislation that would "affect the sale of white vagabonds into slavery"; graft as Superintendent of Indian Affairs (disproved); real estate speculation while Secretary of War for Jackson and Van Buren. He was accused of being "a sly, artful, intriguing politician," a windbag ("General Gass"), a Michi-gander, and a "pot-bellied, mutton-headed cucumber"; "GEN. CASS NOTATRUTHFUL MAN."

Turning Points (General Election): 

 



After his nomination, weeks passed yet Zachary Taylor did not officially accept his nomination. Taylor’s refusal to pay for non-prepaid letters resulted in 48 envelopes, including the official notification, sitting in the dead-letter office for weeks. Zachary Taylor’s “Allison Letter” saying he was “a Whig but not an ultra Whig” reassured some partisans unsure where this apolitical war hero stood. Taylor’s “Second Allison Letter” – showed Taylor still reaching out to Whig regulars. Taylor said he was following “good Whig doctrine” by saying “I would not be a partisan President and hence should not be a party candidate.” The Democratic Party’s divisions between those who were pro and anti-slavery expansion, allowed the Whigs to capture the Northeast electoral votes and win the election.

Popular Campaign Slogans:      

Whig Party, Zachary Taylor, “For President of the People”; "Old Rough and Ready"; "Old Zach" Free Soil Party "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men" Zachary Taylor “For President of the People” “GENERAL TAYLOR NEVER SURRENDERS” “WE ARE FOR THE UNION AS IT IS, AND FOR THE UNION AS THE WILL OF ALL THE STATES, LEGITIMATELY EXPRESSED, MAY HEREAFTER MAKE IT.” “ZACHARY TAYLOR AS AN UNDOUBTED WHIG” 94

Campaign Song:   

Whigs: “Then go it, boys, strong and steady, And raise the shout for Rough and Ready.” “Rumadum Dum” Democrats: “Heed not disunion’s croaking voice, Expose each dark and damning plan; Elect the leader of your choice – The gallant Cass of Michi-gan.” Free Soilers: “He who’d vote for Zacky Tailor, Needs a keeper or a jailer/And he who still for Cass can be, He is a Cass without the C.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  



Democratic: "Taylor's Two Faces" Anti-Taylor: “Ask a Taylor man if he is in favor of a U.S. Bank. The reply is Buena Vista.” Ask if he expects “to get the votes of the old tired Whigs, who have for years contended for principles.” The reply is “Old Whitey.” Detroit Free Press Lewis Cass said: “If we are not struck with judicial blindness, we shall cling to this Constitution as the mariner clings to the last plank when night and the tempest close around him.”

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):  

"….vilest slanders of the most unprincipled demagogues this or any other nation was every cursed with, who have pursued me like bloodhounds." Zachary Taylor "The people say to General Taylor, 'If you are elected, shall we have a national bank?' He answers, 'Your will, gentlemen, not mine.' 'What about the tariff?' 'Say yourselves.' 'Shall our rivers and harbors be improved?' 'Just as you please. If you desire a bank, an alteration of the tariff, internal improvements, any or all, I will not hinder you. If you do not desire them, I will not attempt to force them on you...' " Abraham Lincoln, House of Representatives, July 27, 1848

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

"My doctrine is simply the doctrine of our revolutionary fathers." Lewis Cass "The Whig party cannot hold together. It contains the seeds of dissolution... For myself, my day is gone by. I think I have sense enough to know that." Lewis Cass

Further Reading: 

Silbey, Joel H. Party Over Section: The Rough and Ready Presidential Election of 1848. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas, 2009.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

1848 was an open race. Having achieved his goals in one term, Polk kept his promise not to seek re-election. His health declined while in office and he died four months after leaving the Presidency. 95



The Free Soil party demonstrated the preeminence of the sectional divisions over slavery; the party took away enough votes from Democrats in the North especially New York, that it cost Cass the election.

1852

Election Year: 1852 Election Day Date: November 2, 1852 Winning Ticket: Franklin Pierce (48, Episcopalian), William King (66, ), Democratic 1,605,943 50.83% 254 85.8% Losing Ticket(s):   

Winfield Scott (66), William Graham (48, Presbyterian) Whig 1,386,418 43.88% 42 14.2% John Hale (46), George Julian (35, Quaker) Free Soil 155,799 4.93% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 11,480 0.36% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 69.6% lowest voter turnout since 1836 Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Millard Fillmore, None Whig, 1850-1853 Population: 1852: 24,999,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $3.04 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $59.76 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.08 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $121 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,391 Average Daily Circulation: Party newspapers: Two million copies, one/voter; neutral newspapers 300,000, Philadelphia, New York and Boston Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote in all states except in South Carolina where the state legislature appointed electors Method of Choosing Nominees: National conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): (lack of clear issues)

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Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates:     

Franklin Pierce, Former U.S. senator (New Hampshire) Lewis Cass, Former Secretary of War, Senator from Michigan, and 1848 presidential nominee James Buchanan, Former Secretary of State and Senator (Pennsylvania) William L. Marcy, Former Secretary of War and Governor of New York Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator (Illinois)

Whig Party candidates   

Millard Fillmore, President of the United States (New York) Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the U.S. Army (Virginia) Daniel Webster, Former U.S. Senator and candidate for the 1848 nomination (Massachusetts)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Compromise of 1850; the Fugitive Slave Act

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

1849: The American “Know Nothing” Party forms: Nativist, Anti-foreign and antiCatholic party. Begins as a secret society in New York.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

The Southern Rights Party formed with a faction of the Democratic Party from the Southern States. The Union party formed in 1851, with a faction of the Whig Party from the Southern States including Georgia.

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  

Justice Levi Woodbury died in 1851, forcing his New England backers to seek a new candidate. The Compromise of 1850 divided the Whig Party; Southern Whigs opposed it, while Northern Whigs supported it. Among Democrats, some Southern Democrats opposed the compromise but the majority supported it.

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

1852 Democratic National Convention, June 1-5, 1852, Maryland Institute; Baltimore, John W. Davis (Indiana) 49th ballot, Franklin Pierce (New Hampshire) William R. King (Alabama) 97

  

Free Soil National Convention, Masonic Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Liberty Party National Convention, Buffalo, New York; 2nd Convention, early September 1852, Syracuse, New York; 3rd Convention, late September 1852, Syracuse, New York The Southern Rights National Convention, Montgomery, Alabama

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:   

Each of the front-runner candidates represented a faction in the slavery debate, none, however, were unable to reach the needed two-thirds delegate support. Franklin Pierce the compromise candidate, dark horse candidate, name introduced on the ballot on the 35th ballot, he won the nomination on the 49th ballot. Senator William R. King of Alabama nominated for Vice President.

Whig National Convention:  

Scott was nominated on the 53rd ballot; the ballot faced sectional differences. Scott won the North by a 142-11 vote, 21 votes for Webster; Fillmore won the South by a margin of 101-17.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 49th ballot      

Franklin Pierce 282 Lewis Cass 2 James Buchanan William L. Marcy Stephen A. Douglas 2 Others 10

Vice Presidential Ballot          

William R. King 125 277 Solomon W. Downs 30 0 John B. Weller 28 0 David R. Atchison 25 0 Gideon J. Pillow 25 0 Robert Strange 23 0 William O. Butler 13 0 Thomas J. Rusk 13 0 Jefferson Davis 2 11 Howell Cobb 2 0 98



Abstaining 2 0

Whig Party Nomination President 1st & 53 ballot   

Millard Fillmore 133, 159 Winfield Scott 131 112 Daniel Webster 29 21

Vice President 

William Alexander Graham

Third Party Candidates: Free Soil Party President  

John P. Hale 192 (New Hampshire Senator) Scattered 16

Vice-President   

George W. Julian of Indiana Samuel Lewis of Ohio Joshua R. Giddings of Ohio

Liberty Party nomination   

1st Convention: President Gerrit Smith of New York; Vice President Charles Durkee of Wisconsin 2nd Convention: Not enough delegates to nominate any candidates Early September 1852, Syracuse, New York 3rd Convention, Late September 1852, Syracuse, New York President William Goodell of New York; Vice President Samuel M. Piper of Virginia

Union Party Nomination   

Georgia state convention August 7, 1852 President Daniel Webster Vice President Charles J. Jenkins of Georgia

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Southern Rights Party  

President George M. Troup, Georgia Senator 62 (unanimous) Vice president John A. Quitman, former Mississippi Governor

The American Party (precursor of the Know-Nothing Party): 

President Jacob Broom, Vice president Reynall Coates

Convention Chairmen: 



Democratic Party: Temporary Chairman: Romulus M. Saunders NC; Permanent Chairman: John W. Davis IN; Benjamin F. Hallett of Massachusetts, first national chairman Whig Party: Temporary Chairman: George Evans ME; Permanent Chairman: John G. Chapman MD

Party Platforms/Issues:  

 

The Whig Party and The Democratic Party had similar party platforms Democratic Party: Limits on the federal government; state’s rights; oppose the national bank. On slavery they concluded; “That the Democratic Party will resist all attempts at renewing, in Congress or out of it, the agitation of the slavery question, under whatever shape or color the attempt may be made.” Southern Rights Party: States' rights and slavery. The American Party: anti-immigrant platform.

General Election Controversies /Issues:  

Compromise of 1850; the Fugitive Slave Act The campaign centered on the personalities of the two major candidates, both MexicanAmerican war heroes.

Campaign Tactics: Mud-slinging Democratic Party: 

 

Referred to Winfield Scott as "Fuss 'n Feathers," called him a prima donna with a penchant for fancy uniforms resulting in a "Reign of Epaulets"; called him "weak, conceited, foolish, blustering disciple of gunpowder." They claimed he "grew up with epaulettes on his shoulders, a canteen on his back, and a breastplate on HIS REAR." Democrats mocked Winfield Scott’s verbal slips during the Mexican War: “firing on the rear” and a “hasty plate of soup.” Pranksters distributed soup bowls at rallies. Democrats had “Granite Clubs” raising “Hickory Poles to the honor of Young Hickory of the Granite Hills.”

100

Whig Party: 



Mocked Franklin Pierce referring to him as the "The Fainting General"; The Military Services of General Pierce a miniature book; called him "a hero of many a well-fought bottle" September 1852: Winfield Scott’s five-week "nonpolitical" tour of the West to garner votes and not appear to be stumping. Scott claimed he was en route to a hospital, told military anecdotes.

Major Personalities (General Election): Daniel Webster Turning Points (General Election): 

Despite the death of Union Party candidate Daniel Webster, the Union ticket was featured on the ballots in Massachusetts and Georgia, winning many votes there, signaling the end of the Whig Party.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Whigs:       

"GUNPOWDER GLORY." “Who is Franklin Pierce?” “Protection to American Labor” “Union for the Sake of the Union” Democrats were “the do-nothing school of politicians, who adjure all the essential powers of the Constitution.” But “negatives are not principles.” [for Scott]: “The Hero of Many Battles” [against Pierce]: “a fourth-rate soldier” and “a small [rather] than a great soldier.”

Democrats:  



"We Polked 'em in '44 we'll Pierce 'em in '52" [One Democratic editor]: “Keep it before the people, that the leading, the most prominent Whigs of the Union are in feeling and sentiment the ‘lineal descendants’ of the old FEDERAL PARTY, of Hartford Convention memory, which was opposed to the War of 1812.” [Democratic Pamphlet]: “Dangers of Electing an Incompetent Man President”

Campaign Song: “Pierce and King” Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"You are looking at the most surprised man that ever lived!" Franklin Pierce, upon hearing of his nomination

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“I hear that rich Irish brogue,” praises the “sweet German accent” Winfield Scott condescending toward immigrants, awkwardly trying to prove he was not anti-immigrant.

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): Significant books about the campaign: 

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Life of Franklin Pierce (1852).

Further Reading: 

Gara, Larry. The Presidency of Franklin Pierce. Lawrence, Kan: Univ. Pr. of Kansas, 1991.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

  

Franklin Pierce won the largest landslide ever, to that point. The Whig Party’s last election; the Party’s demise was caused by the tensions between pro-slavery Southerners and anti-slavery Northerners, in this election, it only won Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Southern Whigs joined the Democratic Party. Northern Whigs would form the Republican Party. Some Northern and Southern Whigs supported the "Know-Nothing" Party in the 1856 presidential election.

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1856 Election Year: 1856 Election Day Date: November 4, 1856 Winning Ticket: James Buchanan (65, Presbyterian), John Breckenridge (35) Democratic 1,835,140 45.29% 174 58.8% Losing Ticket(s):   

John C. Frémont (43, Episcopalian), William Dayton (49, ) Republican 1,340,668 33.09% 114 38.5% Millard Fillmore (56, Unitarian) Andrew Donelson (57) Whig-American 872,703 21.54% 8 2.7% Other (+) - - 3,094 0.08% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 78.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

None of the major candidates stumped; torchlight parades, floats, mass meetings, picnics, campaign songs, slogans, fervent oratory, party pamphlets and handouts.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Franklin Pierce, William R King, Democratic, 1853-1857 Population: 1856: 28,497,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $4.01 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $72.47 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.53 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $141 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,543 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1850 254; 1860 387 Average Daily Circulation: 1850 758,454 1860 1,478,435 Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (general ticket system, usually winner take all) in all states except in South Carolina where the state legislature appointed electors. Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 103



Slavery in the territories; Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854); Repeal of the Missouri Compromise, popular sovereignty; "Bleeding Kansas" between Free-Soilers and proslavery settlers from Kansas; Ohio

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates:   

James Buchanan, Minister to Great Britain (Pennsylvania) Franklin Pierce, President of the United States (New Hampshire) Stephen Douglas, U.S. Senator (Illinois)

American Party Know-Nothing candidates           

John Bell, U.S. Senator (Tennessee) Erastus Brooks, New York State Senator Lewis D. Campbell, U.S. Representative (Ohio) John M. Clayton, U.S. Senator (Delaware) Garrett Davis, former U.S. Representative (Kentucky) Millard Fillmore, Former President of the United States (New York) Sam Houston, U.S. Senator (Texas) George Law, steamboat entrepreneur (New York) John McLean, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (Ohio) Kenneth Rayner, U.S. Senator from (North Carolina) Robert F. Stockton, Former U.S. Senator from (New Jersey)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Third party nominations proliferated as anti-Slavery and pro-slavery factions splintered the parties.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Stephen A. Douglas; Abraham Lincoln Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  



Franklin Pierce, the incumbent, was denied the Democratic party’s nomination January 19, 1854, “Appeal of the Independent Democrats in Congress to the People of the United States” warns against repealing the Missouri Compromise denounces KansasNebraska Act as an “atrocious plot” by the Slave Power. The tumult of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the civil war in “Bleeding Kansas” fragmented both major parties and triggered the formation of the new Republican Party. (On February 28, 1854, an alliance of Conscience Whigs, Free-Soilers, and Anti-Slavery Democrats met in Ripon, Wisconsin, to protest the Kansas-Nebraska Act and recommend the organization of a new political party pledged to oppose the further extension of slavery.)

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

 



 

Whigs divided into “Silver Greys” or “Nationals” who support Millard Fillmore, northern commerce, and the South versus “Conscience” Whigs or “Wooly Heads” who support William Henry Seward and the Anti-Slavery forces. The rise of the anti-immigrant “American Party” known as the “Know Nothings.” On May 19 and 20, 1856, with “Border Ruffians” menacing Lawrence, Kansas, Senator Charles Sumner delivered his stinging speech denouncing the “Crime Against Kansas” and mocking the authors of the “Kansas-Nebraska Act,” including Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina. On May 22, 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks, Butler’s nephew, beat Senator Sumner on the head repeatedly with a thick gutta-perch cane, until it snapped. “The Caning of Sumner” outraged the North, in the midst of the campaign. North American Party formed by Northern Anti-slavery Americans also called “Northern Bolters” or “republican Sympathizers” The emergence of the Republican Party running on an anti-slavery platform

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

   

Democratic National Convention, June 2-6, 1856, Smith and Nixon's Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, John E. Ward (Georgia), 17th ballot, James Buchanan (Pennsylvania), John C. Breckinridge, (Kentucky) Republican National Convention, June 17-19, 1856, Musical Fund Hall; Philadelphia, 2nd ballot, John C. Frémont (California), William L. Dayton (New Jersey) The American National Convention, February 22-25, 1856 National Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania North American Party Convention June 12-20, 1856, New York City The 5th and last Whig National Convention, Hall of the Maryland Institute in Baltimore on September 17-18, 1856.

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:    

Pierce supporters moved to support Stephen A. Douglas to thwart Buchanan’s nomination. Stephen Douglas withdrew on the 16th ballot paved way for James Buchanan “Old Buck.” won the nomination on the 17th ballot receiving all the votes. Eleven candidates for the Vice Presidential nomination; John C. Breckinridge won the nomination on the second ballot, with the help of New England. Breckinridge accepted the nomination in person, which was unprecedented.

Republican National Convention:  

The first national convention of the party, formed in 1854. 600 delegates present primarily representing the Northern states, border states (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and District of Columbia) The convention treated the Kansas territory as a full state with full privileges John C. Frémont became the front105



runner when Salmon P. Chase of Ohio and William H. Seward of New York withdrew their names prior to the vote. Abraham Lincoln vied for the Vice Presidential candidacy with William L. Dayton, a former senator from New Jersey, who was nominated.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Presidential 17th Ballot   

James Buchanan135.5 139 139.5 141.5 140 155 143.5 147.5 146 147.5 147.5 148 150 152.5 168.5 168 296 Franklin Pierce 122.5 119.5 119 119 119.5 107.5 89 87 87 80.5 80 79 77.5 75 3.5 0 0 Stephen Douglas 33 31.5 32 30 31 28 58 56 56 62.5 63 63.5 63 63 118.5 122 0 Lewis Cass 5 6 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 7 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 4.5 6 0

Vice Presidential 2nd Ballot           

John C. Breckinridge 51 296 John A. Quitman 59 0 Linn Boyd 33 0 James Bayard 31 0 Herschel V. Johnson 31 0 Aaron V. Brown 29 0 Benjamin Butler 27 0 James C. Dobbin 13 0 Benjamin Fitzpatrick 11 0 Thomas J. Rusk 7 0 Trusten Polk 5 0

Republican Party Nomination Presidential Ballots      

John C. Frémont 359 520 John McLean 190 37 Charles Sumner 2 0 Nathaniel Prentice Banks 1 0 William H. Seward 1 0 Abstaining 14 9

Vice Presidential Ballots  

William L. Dayton 253 523 Abraham Lincoln 110 20 106

             

Nathaniel Prentice Banks 46 6 David Wilmot 43 0 Charles Sumner 35 3 Jacob Collamer 15 2 John Alsop King 9 2 Samuel C. Pomeroy 8 1 Thomas Ford 7 5 Henry Charles Carey 3 0 Cassius M. Clay 3 1 Joshua R. Giddings 2 0 Whitfield Johnson 2 1 Aaron Pennington 1 0 Henry Wilson 1 0 Scattering 29 3

Third Party Candidates: American Party Nomination Presidential Ballots           

Millard Fillmore 139 179 George Law 27 35 Garrett Davis 18 8 Kenneth Rayner 14 2 John McLean 13 1 Robert F. Stockton 8 2 Sam Houston 6 4 John Bell 5 2 Erastus Brooks 2 1 Lewis D. Campbell 1 0 John Middleton Clayton 1 0

Vice Presidential Ballot   

Andrew Jackson Donelson 181 Scattering 18 Henry J. Gardiner 12

North American Party 



President Nathaniel P. Banks nominated on the 10th ballot over John C. Frémont and John McLean. Bank refused the nomination; Frémont unanimously nominated on the 11th ballot. Vice President William F. Johnston (later withdrew)

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Whig Party Nomination 

The 150 delegates from 26 states unanimously endorsed American Party's national ticket of Fillmore and Donelson.

Convention Chairman: Democratic Party: John E. Ward of Georgia Party Platform/Issues: Democratic Party:   

Domestic and foreign policy sections of the platform; limited federal government and nationalism and expansionism Supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, popular sovereignty, Kansas’ pro-slavery territorial legislature, opposed the Topeka Constitution, the annexation of Cuba, Ostend Manifesto. The Democrats warned that a Republican victory would lead to the secession of numerous southern states.

Republican Party: 

 

“Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism -- Polygamy and Slavery.” Anti-slavery, congressional sovereignty of the territories, an end to polygamy in Mormon settlements, federal assistance for a transcontinental railroad. Repeal of Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Fugitive Slave Act; abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia The Republican platform wanted Kansas immediately admitted into the Union as a free state, opposed the extension of slavery into the territories, and denounced the Ostend Manifesto which called for the annexation of Cuba, where there was slavery.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

“Slave Power”; Slavery in the territories; Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854); Repeal of the Missouri Compromise, popular sovereignty; "Bleeding Kansas” Violence between FreeSoilers and pro-slavery settlers in Kansas; Ohio, Dred Scott case (North); Expansion of slavery (South).

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:

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  

Rocky Mountain Clubs, Wide Awakes, Freedom Clubs, and (in California) Bear Clubs; Jessie Benton Frémont’s image was reproduced on a campaign medallion, first public use of the wife of a Presidential candidate. Depicted Buchanan and Fillmore, old fogies; South, backward and reactionary

Democratic Party: 

Stephen Douglas stumping/speaking tour

Turning Points (General Election): 



Democrats called the Republicans "Black Republicans"; Governor Wise of Virginia claimed, "If Frémont is elected, there will be a revolution." The south would secede and there would be a civil war; "Buck and Breck," "take the Buck by the horns" Eastern businessmen feared the Republicans’ effect on the economy; contributed huge amounts of money to the Democratic Party their victory; Republicans could not compete in donations.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democrats:     

“Young America.” denouncing the “Nebraska Infamy.” “John and Jessie” [regarding Jessie Fremont – first-time candidates’ wife featured on campaign items] “One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny …. UNION” “Clear the Track! Old Buck is Coming. Fremont! Free Niggers! Off for the Rocky Mountains.”

Republicans:  

“Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Speech, Free Men, and Frémont.” “Fremont and Freedom, Principles NOT Party.”

Whig-American: 

[Typical Know Nothing quote] “I know nothing but my Country, my whole Country, and nothing but my Country.”

Campaign Songs: 

Republicans: “We Shall Overcome,” “There is the White House yonder,” “Fillmore Quick Step.”

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

Democrats: “Buchanan and John Breckinridge,” “The Democrats are in the field, And are determined not to yield; And certainly they’ll have good luck, For they have nominated ‘Buck,’” “Buchanan’s Union Grand March”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 



Democrats mock Frémont as “a man whose only merit, so far as history records it is in the fact that he was born in South Carolina, crossed the Rocky Mountains, subsisted on frogs, lizards, snakes, and grasshoppers, and captured a woolly horse.” Republicans reject Buchanan’s “don’t rock the boat” approach, crying “full speed ahead.” Republicans march in clubs of “Wide Awakes” in the East and “Bear Clubs” in California

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"The Black Republicans must be, as they can be with justice, boldly assailed as disunionists, and this charge must be reiterated again and again." James Buchanan

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“Nothing is clearer in the history of our institutions than the design of the nation, in asserting its own independence and freedom, to avoid giving countenance to the Extension of Slavery. The influence of the small but compact and powerful class of men interested in Slavery, who command one section of the country and wield a vast political control as a consequence in the other, is now directed to turn back this impulse of the Revolution and reverse its principles.” John Charles Frémont

Campaign Quotations: 



"You are here today to give a direction to a movement which is to decide whether the people of the United States are to be hereafter and forever chained to the present national policy of the extension of slavery." Republican Chairman Edwin D. Morgan’s welcoming address at the first RN "We Frémonters of this town have not one dollar where the Fillmoreans and Buchaneers have ten each." Horace Greeley

Further Reading: 

Gienapp, William E. The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

End of an era: the second generation of Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Clay, Calhoun, and Webster faded, as did their defining institutions like the Whig Party.

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

The founding of the Republican Party and the growing tensions that erupted in the Civil War mark the emergence of the Third Party system.

1860 Election Year: 1860 Election Day Date: November 6, 1860 Winning Ticket: Winning Ticket: Abraham Lincoln (51, Christian) , Hannibal Hamlin (51, Unitarian) Republican 1,855,993 39.65% 180 59.4% Losing Ticket(s):   

John Breckenridge (39, Presbyterian), Joseph Lane (59, ), Southern Democrat 851,844 18.20% 72 23.8% John Bell (63, ), Edward Everett (66, Unitarian), Constitutional Union 590,946 12.62% 39 12.9% Stephen A. Douglas (47, Baptist), Herschel Johnson (48), Democratic 1,381,944 29.52% 12 4.0%

Other (+) - - 540 0.01% 0 0.0% 

The Fusion ticket of non-Republicans drew 595,846 votes.

Voter Turnout: 81.2% 

The voter turnout rate in 1860 was the second highest on record (81.2%, second only to 1876, with 81.8%).

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Speakers other than the candidate, campaign posters, leaflets, newspaper editorials

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Buchanan, John C Breckinridge, Democratic, 1857-1861 Population: 31,513,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $4.35 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $82.11 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.29 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $138 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,606 111

Number of Daily Newspapers: 387 (1860) Population: 31,513,000 (1860) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular Vote Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Slavery; extending slavery into the territories; states’ rights; Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:     

Abraham Lincoln, Former U.S. Representative Illinois William H. Seward, U.S. Senator New York Simon Cameron, U.S. Senator Pennsylvania Salmon P. Chase, Former U.S. Governor of Ohio Edward Bates, Former U.S. Representative Missouri

Democratic Party candidates:      

Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator from Illinois James Guthrie, Former U.S. Treasury Secretary from Kentucky Robert M. T. Hunter, U.S. Senator from Virginia Joseph Lane, U.S. Senator from Oregon Daniel S. Dickinson, Former U.S. Senator from New York Andrew Johnson, U.S. Senator from Tennessee

Third Party Candidates: Constitutional Union Party candidates      

John Bell, Former U.S. Senator (Tennessee) Sam Houston, U.S. Governor of Texas John J. Crittenden, U.S. Senator from (Kentucky) Edward Everett, Former U.S. Senator (Massachusetts) William A. Graham, Former U.S. Senator (North Carolina) John McLean, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (Ohio)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Founders of the Republican Party such as Salmon P. Chase and William Henry Seward expected the nomination.

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

Abraham Lincoln summed up his strategy in a letter to Samuel Galloway, March 24, 1860: “My name is new in the field, and I suppose I am not the first choice of a very great many. Our policy, then, is to give no offense to others—leave them in a mood to come to us, if they shall be compelled to give up their first love.”

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

  

Torchlight processions of the Wide-Awakes and other paramilitary campaign organizations. There were an estimated 400,000 Wide Awakes, many wearing uniforms sold for $1.15 a piece. Republicans also marched as “Rail Splitters” or “Rail Maulers.” Douglas supporters marched as “The Ever Readys,” “Little Giants,” and “Douglas Invincibles.” Bell supporters: “Bell Ringers” “Minute Men” “Union Sentinels” Breckinridge supporters: “National Democratic Volunteers”

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

The Democratic Party splintered over slavery and sectionalism, resulting in different regional factions nominating their own candidates

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican Party, May 16-18, 1860, The Wigwam; Chicago, Abraham Lincoln of Illinois Hannibal Hamlin of Maine Democratic Party, April 23-May 3, 1860, South Carolina Institute Hall; Charleston Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts 57 none (deadlocked) none (deadlocked). June 18-23, 1860 Front Street Theater, Baltimore, Maryland. Southern Democrats convene simultaneously at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore.

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: April 23-May 3, 1860, South Carolina   

Wording the slavery plank was explosive and divisive. The 50 Southern delegates (led by “Fire-Eaters”) walked out of the first Democratic convention, and more bolted from the second. Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois supported the 1857 Dred Scott case, nullifying the Missouri Compromise. The convention adjourned on May 3 without any decisions on the nominee.

June 18-23, 1860, Baltimore 

Two-thirds of the delegates convened and nominated Senator Douglas for president and Herschel V. Johnson, the former governor of Georgia, for vice president. 113

June 1860, Baltimore 

Southern delegates reconvened and nominated Vice President John C. Breckenridge for President and Senator Joseph Lane of Oregon for Vice President.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 3rd ballot "corrected"             

Abraham Lincoln 102 181 231.5 349 William H. Seward 173.5 184.5 180 111.5 Simon Cameron 50.5 2 0 0 Salmon P. Chase 49 42.5 24.5 2 Edward Bates 48 35 22 0 William L. Dayton 14 10 1 1 John McLean 12 8 5 0.5 Jacob Collamer 10 0 0 0 Benjamin F. Wade 3 0 0 0 Cassius M. Clay 0 2 1 1 John C. Frémont 1 0 0 0 John M. Read 1 0 0 0 Charles Sumner 1 0 0 0

Vice Presidential 2nd ballot         

Hannibal Hamlin 194 367 Cassius M. Clay 100.5 86 John Hickman 57 13 Andrew Horatio Reeder 51 0 Nathaniel Prentice Banks 38.5 0 Henry Winter Davis 8 0 Sam Houston 6 0 William L. Dayton 3 0 John M. Reed 1 0

Democratic Party Nomination Baltimore Presidential Ballot Ballot 1st 2nd     

Stephen A. Douglas 173.5 181.5 James Guthrie 9 5.5 John C. Breckinridge 5 7.5 Horatio Seymour 1 0 Thomas S. Bocock 1 0 114

 

Daniel S. Dickinson 0.5 0 Henry A. Wise 0.5 0

Vice President  

Benjamin Fitzpatrick (refused nomination) Herschel Vespasian Johnson (Georgia)

Southern Presidential Ballot 1st Ballot  

John C. Breckinridge 81 Daniel S. Dickinson 24

Constitutional Union Party Presidential Ballot 2nd Ballot          

John Bell 68.5 138 Sam Houston 57 69 John J. Crittenden 28 1 Edward Everett 25 9.5 William A. Graham 22 18 John McLean 21 1 William C. Rives 13 0 John M. Botts 9.5 7 William L. Sharkey 7 8.5 William L. Goggin 3 0

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 

 

Democratic Party: The party platform stated that slavery would not be allowed to spread any further, abide by the Supreme Court’s decision on the Congress and authority over expansion of slavery; promised that tariffs protecting industry would be imposed, a Homestead Act granting free farmland in the West to settlers, and the funding of a transcontinental railroad. All of these provisions were unpopular in the South. Southern Democratic Party: Supported the expansion of slavery in the territories. Constitutional Union Party: Compromise to save the Union; Opposition to the KansasNebraska Act and the Lecompton Constitution. 115

General Election Controversies/Issues: Slavery in the territories Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

 

Stephen A. Douglas went on the stump, but at first denied it, claiming he merely traveling around to visit his mother in upstate New York, attend his brother-in-law’s graduation from Harvard, and visit his father’s grave in Vermont. “Mr. Lincoln is the next President,” Douglas said after the Republicans swept the bellwether state elections in October. “We must try to save the Union. I will go South.” The first issue-oriented stumping tour.

Campaign Tactics: 





Republican Party: Abraham Lincoln made no speeches; the party managed the campaign. There were Republican speakers, campaign posters, leaflets, thousands of newspaper editorials. Watching it all from Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln’s law partner William H. Herndon reported that Lincoln was “bored – bored badly.” Democratic Party: Stephen Douglas was the first Presidential candidate to go on the stump; at the start of his month long tour, he gave speeches and interviews they were non-partisan, but increasingly he discussed the issues. In October, after state elections indicated a Republican victory, Douglas decided to tour the Southern states and convince them not to secede should and when Lincoln would be elected President. First time a Presidential candidate’s wife accompanied her husband on the stump. Adele Douglas traveled with husband Stephen Douglas and sat on the train platform while he gave his speeches.

Major Personalities (General Election): Turning Points (General Election):     

President Buchanan and former President Franklin Pierce decided to support Southern Democratic Party nominee John Breckinridge rather than Stephen Douglas The 1860 campaign featured two main contests, in the North and South. In the North, the campaign was between Lincoln and Douglas, in the South it was between John C. Breckinridge and John Bell. Douglas, however, had a presence in Southern cities, while Breckinridge made some headway in the North, particularly Pennsylvania. Fusion tickets of non-Republicans in the North nearly cost Lincoln New York’s electoral votes and the election

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Republican Party (Lincoln): “Vote Yourself a Farm”; “The Republican ball is in motion”; "Honest Old Abe – the People’s Choice "; "the Rail-Splitter of 1830/The President of U.S. 1861"; “The Rail Splitter of the West”; (Lincoln/Hamlin): “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Home”; “Protection to American Industry” 116

 



Southern Democrats (Breckinridge): “Our Rights, The Constitution and the Union.” Constitutional Union Party (Bell) "the Union as it is, and the Constitution as it is;" “Liberty and Union/Now and Forever One and Inseparable/No North, No South, no East, No West, Nothing but Union.” Democratic Party (Douglas): “No Rail Splitter Can Split this Union”; “Popular Sovereignty/Non Intervention by the General Government in Any of the States or Territories of the Union/Let the People of Each Rule.”

Campaign Songs: 

Republicans: “Lincoln and Liberty Too”; (to the tune of “The Old Gray Mare”): “Old Abe Lincoln/Came out of the wilderness/Out of the wilderness/out of the wilderness, Old Abe Lincoln/Came out of the wilderness/Down in Illinois.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

“ADVERTISEMENT FOR A LOST BOY,” mocked Stephen A. Douglas’s charade, claiming he was visiting his mother rather than campaigning. “Talks a great deal and very loud – always about himself. Has an idea he is a candidate for the Presidency.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):  

Republicans for Abraham Lincoln: $150,000 Northern Democrats for Stephen Douglas: $50,000

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." Abraham Lincoln, Early 1860

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"Breckinridge may not be for disunion, but all the disunionists are for Breckinridge." Stephen Douglas

Campaign Quotations: 

 

"It is an irrepressible conflict between opposing and enduring forces. And it means that the United States must and will, sooner or later, become either entirely a slaveholding nation or entirely a free-labor nation." New York Senator William Seward, 1858 "I am now in my sixty-ninth year and am heartily tired of my position as President." James Buchanan "Douglas is going about peddling his opinions as a tin man peddles his wares. The only excuse for him is that since he is a small man, he has a right to be engaged in small business." Jonesboro (Illinois) Gazette

117

Significant Book during the Campaign: 

Hinton Helper, Impending Crisis (1857).

Further Reading: 

Donald, David H. Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

The 1860 Republican antislavery revolution – and the Civil War.

118

1864 Election Year: 1864 Election Day Date: November 8, 1864 Winning Ticket: Winning Ticket: Abraham Lincoln (55, Christian), Andrew Johnson (56, Christian), Republican, 2,211,317, 55.03% 212 91.0% Losing Ticket(s):  

George McClellan (38, Presbyterian), George Pendleton (39), Democratic, 1,806,227, 44.95%, 21 9.0% Other (+) — — 658 0.02% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 73.8% Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: First time states permitted soldiers in the field to vote in an election Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Abraham Lincoln, Hannibal Hamlin, Union 1861–1864 (1865) Population: 1864: 34,376,000 (Does not take into account the 11 states that seceded from the Union in 1861) Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $9.46 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $102.33 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 9.24 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $275 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,977 Number of Daily Newspapers: 387 (1860) Average Daily Circulation: 1,478,435 (1860) Method of Choosing Electors:  

Popular Vote (most General Ticket System). Nevada joined the Union only a few days prior to Election Day and appointed electors.

Method of Choosing Nominees: Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Radical Republicans wanted Constitutional amendments to prohibit slavery and grant blacks legal equality.

119

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): National Union Party candidate: 

Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States (Illinois)

Democratic Party candidates:  

George B. McClellan, Army major general (New Jersey) Thomas H. Seymour, Former U.S. Representative (Connecticut)

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Radical Republican Party candidate: 

John C. Frémont, Former U.S. Senator (California)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 



The Democratic Party divided over the war and slavery into different factions: War Democrats; Peace Democrats; Moderate Peace Democrats; Radical Peace Democrats (Copperheads). Pro-war General George B. McClellan for president, anti-war Representative George H. Pendleton, for vice president.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

War Democrats and Republicans joined and formed the National Union Party.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Charles Sumner; Henry Wilson; Ulysses S. Grant; Salmon Chase; Benjamin Wade; Horace Greeley; Clement Vallandigham; Henry Winter Davis, Ben Wade Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

Radical Republicans split from the Republican Party, formed their own party and convened their own convention.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):   

The Radical Republican National Convention, May 29, 1864, Cleveland, Ohio Union National Convention, June 7–8, 1864, Front Street Theatre, 1st ballot, Abraham Lincoln (Illinois), Andrew Johnson (Tennessee) Democratic National Convention, August 29–31, 1864, The Amphitheatre, Chicago, Horatio Seymour (New York), 1st ballot, George B. McClellan (New Jersey), George H. Pendleton (Ohio) 120

Convention Turning Points: National Union Party:       

Republicans and war Democrats joined to form the “Nation Union” Party. They support Abraham Lincoln and his policies. All Northern states participated. Some Southern states sent delegates. Credentials committee ruled that all Southern states that sent delegates could be seated except South Carolina, they were all denied the right to vote. Final decision: Florida and Virginia were denied voting rights, South Carolina excluded from the convention. Only name beside Lincoln’s on the Presidential ballot was General Ulysses S. Grant. Lincoln allowed the delegates to choose the Vice Presidential candidate; Andrew Johnson won on the first ballot after Kentucky switched their support towards him.

Democratic Party: 



The Democratic Party divided over the war and slavery into different factions: War Democrats; Peace Democrats; Moderate Peace Democrats; Radical Peace Democrats (Copperheads). Pro-war General George B. McClellan for president, anti-war Representative George H. Pendleton, for vice president.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: National Union Party nomination Presidential Ballot    

Lincoln nominated on the first ballot after shifts Abraham Lincoln 494 516 Ulysses S. Grant 22 0 Not Voting 3 3

Vice Presidential Ballot         

Andrew Johnson 200 492 Hannibal Hamlin 150 9 Daniel Dickinson 108 17 Benjamin Butler 28 0 Lovell Rousseau 21 0 Schuyler Colfax 6 0 Ambrose Burnside 2 0 Joseph Holt 2 0 Preston King 1 0 121



David Tod 1 1

Democratic Party Presidential Ballot 1st ballot after shifts     

George B. McClellan 174 202.5 Thomas H. Seymour 38 23.5 Horatio Seymour 12 0 Abstaining 1.5 0 Charles O’Conor 0.5 0

Vice Presidential Ballot 1st ballot after shifts         

George H. Pendleton 55.5 226 James Guthrie 65.5 0 Lazarus W. Powell 32.5 0 George W. Cass 26 0 John D. Caton 16 0 Daniel W. Voorhees 13 0 Augustus C. Dodge 9 0 John S. Phelps 8 0 Abstaining 0.5 0

Radical Republican Party  

President John C. Frémont Vice President John Cochrane

Party Platform/Issues:  

National Union Party: War victory and unconditional surrender by the South; ratification of a constitutional amendment to legally end slavery. The Democratic Party: Peace plank to end the war written by Copperhead Clement Vallandigham; McClellan supported the continuation of the war and restoration of the Union

Major Personalities (General Election): Radical Peace Democrats (Copperheads); Thomas H. Seymour Campaign Tactics: political cartoons

122

 

Thomas Nast “The Chicago Platform” and “Compromise with the South” Republicans published a pamphlet claiming that Peace Democrats and the Confederates made a secret agreement.

Turning Points (General Election):   





The inconsistent political compromises made at the Democratic National Convention undermined McClellan’s campaign. September 1864, Frémont withdrew from the campaign to better the chances of defeating McClellan. Clear military victories for the Union signaling the end of the war with a Union victory: General William Tecumseh Sherman marched towards Atlanta, Ulysses S. Grant pushed Confederate General Robert E. Lee into the outer defenses of Richmond. October 1864, Joseph Holt the judge advocate general of the army wrote a report that claimed there were Confederate sympathizers in the North, reportedly, their societies were affiliated with the Democratic Party, and 10,000 copies of the report were distributed. Lincoln won more than 70 percent of the ballots cast by soldiers.

Popular Campaign Slogans:    

Republican (Union Party): Abraham Lincoln: “Don’t swap horses in the middle of the stream” “Abraham Lincoln/Andrew Johnson/ George Washington/ Porter, Farragut, Dahlgreen/Sherman, Grant, Sheridan/ The Defenders of our Union.” “Lincoln and Johnson: Free.” “Lincoln and Johnson Union Candidates: PEACE, AMNESTY, EMANCIPATION.”

Democratic:  

“General McClellan: The Hero of Western Virginia! South Mountain! and Antietam!” “Fidelity to the UNION under the CONSTITUTION as the ONLY solid foundation for our STRENGTH.”

Campaign Songs: “Abe Lincoln’s Union Wagon”: “Stick to the Wagon, the Great Union Wagon/The Triumphant Wagon, Abe Lincoln’s bound to ride.” Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democratic Party complains of “four years of failure to restore the Union by the experiment of war” A typical Democratic barb: “Honest Old Abe, when the war first began, Denied abolition was part of his plan; Honest old Abe has since made a decree, 123

The War must go on till the slaves all are free. As both can’t be honest, will some one tell how, If Honest Abe then, he is Honest Abe now?” Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“We cannot have free government without elections. If the rebellion could force us to forgo, or postpone a national election it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.” Abraham Lincoln I am very grateful for the renewed confidence, which has been accorded to me, both by the convention and by the National [Union] League. I am not insensible at all to the personal compliment there is in this; yet I do not allow myself to believe that any but a small portion of it is to be appropriated as a personal compliment. The convention and the nation, I am assured, are alike animated by a higher view of the interests of the country for the present and the great future, and that part I am entitled to appropriate as a compliment is only that part which I may lay hold of as being the opinion of the convention and of the League, that I am not entirely unworthy to be instructed with the place I have occupied for the last three years. I have not permitted myself, gentlemen, to conclude that I am the best man in the country; but I am reminded, in this connection, of a story of an old Dutch farmer, who remarked to a companion once that ‘it was not best to swap horses when crossing streams.” Abraham Lincoln, June 9, 1864

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 



“I could not look in the face my gallant comrades of the army and navy, who have survived so many bloody battles, and tell them that their labor and the sacrifice of so many of our slain and wounded brethren had been in vain.” George McClellan “Union with Slavery.” John C. Frémont on the Democratic Party platform

Campaign Quotes: 

“Mr. Lincoln is already beaten. He cannot be elected.” Horace Greeley

Election Issues:   

Only 24 states participated, 11 seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Three new states participated for the first time: Nevada, West Virginia, and Kansas. The reconstructed portions of Tennessee and Louisiana elected presidential electors, although Congress did not count their votes.

Further Reading: 

Waugh, John C. Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for 1864 Presidency. New York: Crown Publishers, 1997.

124

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

The campaign took place smoothly and peacefully during wartime.

1868 Election Year: 1868 Election Day Date: November 3, 1868 Winning Ticket: Winning Ticket: Ulysses Grant (46, Methodist), Schuyler Colfax (45) Republican 3,012,833 52.66% 214 72.8% Losing Ticket(s):  

Horatio Seymour (58, Protestant), Francis Blair, Jr. (47), Democratic 2,703,249 47.34% 80 27.2% Other (+) — — 46 0.00% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 78.1% Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Andrew Johnson, None, Union, 1865–1869 Population: 1868: 37,885,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $8.15 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $106.13 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 7.67 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $215 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $2,801 Number of Daily Newspapers: 574 (1870) Average Daily Circulation: 2,601,547 (1870) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular Vote (most General Ticket/winner take all) Newly Reconstructed state of Florida appointed its electors; the state was readmitted to the Union too late to hold elections. Method of Choosing Nominees: Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 125

   

Reconstruction (the issue in north and south). Congressional Radical Republicans opposed Andrew Johnson’s moderate approach to Reconstruction and preferred harsh legislation and military occupation. Franchise for African Americans in the South. Andrew Johnson’s attempted impeachment by Radical Republicans in Congress, which he escaped by one Senate vote.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidate: 

Ulysses S. Grant, Commanding General of the U.S. Army (Illinois)

Democratic Party candidates:              

Horatio Seymour, Former U.S. Governor of New York George H. Pendleton, Former U.S. Representative and 1864 vice-presidential nominee (Ohio) Thomas A. Hendricks, U.S. Senator (Indiana) Winfield S. Hancock, U.S. Army major general (Pennsylvania) Andrew Johnson, President of the United States (Tennessee) Sanford E. Church, Former Lieutenant Governor of New York Asa Packer, Former U.S. Representative (Pennsylvania) James E. English, Governor of Connecticut Joel Parker, Former Governor of New Jersey James R. Doolittle, U.S. Senator (Wisconsin) Stephen J. Field, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice (California) Francis P. Blair, Former U.S. Representative (Missouri) John T. Hoffman, New York City Mayor (New York) Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the United States (Ohio)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

Reconstruction Despite his impeachment, Johnson hoped to be nominated and elected in his own right as a Democrat but received minimal party support.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Ben Wade (Radical, Ohio); George H. Pendleton; James O. Broadhead Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):

126

 

 

Republican Party: Dropped the “Union Party” label; Ulysses S. Grant announced he was a Republican; sought a Radical Republican vice Presidential candidate. Democratic Party: Early frontrunner George H. Pendleton led the first 15 ballots, but no candidate received a majority of delegate support. On the 4th ballot the convention chairman Horatio Seymour was given 9 votes, the momentum increased and on the 22nd ballot, Seymour was unanimously nominated as the compromise candidate, despite his objections and insistence he would not accept the nomination. “Committee of One Hundred” pushed the candidacy of Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase Blair had recently written to Colonel James O. Broadhead suggesting that Reconstruction laws should be nullified. This inflammatory “Broadhead Letter” helped secure Blair’s nomination.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: May 20–21, 1868, Crosby’s Opera House; Chicago, 1st ballot, Ulysses S. Grant (Illinois), Schuyler Colfax (Indiana) Democratic National Convention: July 4–9, 1868, Tammany Hall; New York Horatio Seymour (New York), 22nd ballot, Horatio Seymour (New York), Francis P. Blair, Jr. (Missouri)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:  



Ulysses S. Grant only nominee placed on the ballot; unanimous roll call vote. Eleven Vice Presidential candidates; four top contenders were Senator Benjamin F. Wade of Ohio, Governor Reuben E. Fenton of New York, Speaker of the House Schuyler. Colfax of Indiana, and Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts. Colfax won the nomination on the sixth ballot.

Democratic National Convention:  

Party still fractured from the Civil War. President Andrew Johnson, a War Democrat attempted to unify the party.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 1st ballot 

Ulysses S. Grant 650

Vice Presidential 5th after shifts ballot 

Schuyler Colfax 115 145 165 186 226 541 127

         

Benjamin Wade 147 170 178 206 207 38 Reuben E. Fenton 126 144 139 144 139 69 Henry Wilson 119 114 101 87 56 0 Andrew G. Curtin 51 45 40 0 0 0 Hannibal Hamlin 28 30 25 25 20 0 James Speed 22 0 0 0 0 0 James Harlan 16 0 0 0 0 0 John A.J. Creswell 14 0 0 0 0 0 Samuel C. Pomeroy 6 0 0 0 0 0 William D. Kelley 4 0 0 0 0 0

Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 22nd after shifts ballot                   

Horatio Seymour 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 317 George H. Pendleton 105 104 119.5 118.5 122 122.5 137.5 156.5 144 147.5 144.5 145.5 134.5 130 129.5 107.5 70.5 56.5 0 0 0 0 0 Thomas A. Hendricks 2.5 2 9.5 11.5 19.5 30 39.5 75 80.5 82.5 88 89 81 84.5 82.5 70.5 80 87 107.5 121 132 145.5 0 Winfield Scott Hancock 33.5 40.5 45.5 43.5 46 47 42.5 28 34.5 34 32.5 30 48.5 56 79.5 113.5 137.5 144.5 135.5 142.5 135.5 103.5 0 Andrew Johnson 65 52 34.5 32 24 21 12.5 6 5.5 6 5.5 4.5 4.5 0 5.5 5.5 6 10 0 0 5 4 0 Sanford E. Church 34 33 33 33 33 33 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asa Packer 26 26 26 26 27 27 26 26 26.5 27.5 26 26 26 26 0 0 0 0 22 0 0 0 0 James E. English 16 12.5 7.5 7.5 7 6 6 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 16 19 7 0 Joel Parker 13 15.5 13 13 13 13 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 3.5 0 0 0 0 0 James R. Doolittle 13 12.5 12 12 15 12 12 12 12 12 12.5 12.5 13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 4 0 Reverdy Johnson 8.5 8 11 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Francis Preston Blair 0.5 10.5 4.5 2 9.5 5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 13.5 13 0 0 0 Thomas Ewing 0 0.5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 John Q. Adams 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Salmon P. Chase 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 4 0 0 George B. McClellan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.5 0 0 Franklin Pierce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 John T. Hoffman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0.5 0 0 Stephen J. Field 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 9 8 0 0 Thomas H. Seymour 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0

Vice Presidential 1st ballot 

Francis Preston Blair 317

Nominating Speech Speakers (President):

128

Democratic National Convention: The chairman of the Ohio delegation: “At the unanimous request and demand of the delegation I place Horatio Seymour in nomination with twenty-one votes-against his inclination, but no longer against his honor.” Party Platform/Issues: Republican Party: 

Reconstruction (the issue in north and south); Supports Reconstruction legislation and military occupation; Franchise for African Americans in the South; Black Suffrage in the North at each state’s discretion; Emphasize granting political rights to the freedmen as the basis for the foundation of state Republican Parties in the conquered South.

Democratic Party: 

Declaration of the Reconstruction Act as unconstitutional: “Subjected ten States, in time of profound peace, to military despotism and negro supremacy.”

General Election Controversies/Issues:    

Reconstruction (the issue in north and south). Seymour supported a Reconstruction policy similar to Abraham Lincoln and President Andrew Johnson’s peaceful reconciliation with the Southern states. Grant supported the Radical Republicans’ Reconstruction plans in Congress. “The Colored Voter: a Sober Appeal to His Interest and His Sober Reason,” article in Nashville, TN, paper.

Major Personalities (General Election): Henry Ward Beecher Campaign Tactics: Mud-slinging  

 



Republican Party: Grant did not actively campaign. Grant took one trip to Denver with Generals William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan. Grant did not speak, just waved to the public at the whistle stops. The remaining time, Grant received well-wishers and supporters at his home in Galena, Illinois, the forerunner to the “front-porch” campaigns. When the fall state elections went overwhelmingly Republican, Democratic party leaders convinced their nominee, Horatio Seymour, to go on a campaign tour. He delivered virtually the same partisan speech at cities from Buffalo south to Philadelphia, then went west to Chicago. Waved the “Bloody Shirt” especially since as Governor of New York Seymour called New York City draft rioters as “My friends.” Accused Seymour and the Democrats of being traitors to the Union by being soft towards the South, ties to Peace Democrats. Radical Republicans attacked Seymour’s character, insanity, health. Claimed Frank Blair wanted to start another Civil War and the assassination of Ulysses Grant. 129

 

 

Democratic Party: Seymour, a great orator, reluctantly agreed to stump. He did not indulge in violence, slander, or fraud; gave the same partisan speech throughout his tour commencing at Buffalo, then Philadelphia, ending in Chicago. The party accused Grant of drunkenness and stupidity, Schuyler Colfax as mean and antiCatholic since he had been briefly a member of the Know-Nothing party. The partisan press attacked Seymour’s character. New York Post: “childless, scheming, not studious, selfish, stealthy, earnest of power, feeble, insincere, timid, closefisted, inept, too weak to be enterprising.” The Hartford Post called Seymour “almost as much of a corpse” as the late former President James Buchanan.

Turning Points (General Election): 



In October, Republicans still feared that the Democrats with Seymour (the “man of charity and peace”) could win against their candidate the warrior and hero Grant. Radical Republicans and the partisan press cranked up their attacks on Seymour. While Republicans appealed for black votes, there was violence and intimidation, by the Ku Klux Klan and others, against African-Americans in the South.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:     

“Let Us Have Peace.” “We saved the Union in the Field — Let Us Preserve it at the Ballot Box.” “In Union is Peace.” “Liberty and Loyalty/Justice and Public Safety.” “Grant takes his cigar — Seymour takes the stump.”

Democrat:       

“Constitution and Union: One currency for the Government and People.” “Peace, Union and Constitutional Government.” “The Lively Life of U.S.G, H.U.G., and U.H.G. the Political Triplets.” [New York World]: “SUBLIME SAMBO — Suffrage for Everybody except Southern white men.” “SEYMOUR/BLAIR: OUR MOTTO: THIS IS A WHITE MAN’S COUNTRY, LET WHITE MEN RULE.” “Seymour for President — No Dummy for Us.” “Grant the Drunkard” “Grant the Butcher,” “Grant the Speculator,” “Grant talks peace but makes war.”

Campaign Songs:

130





Republican: “Grant, Grant, Grant”; “We’ll fight it out There, on the Old Union Line”; “Grant’s Campaign March”; “And if asked what state he hails from/This our sole reply shall be/ ‘From near Appomattox Court House/With its famous apple tree”; Democratic: “Seymour, Blair and Victory!” “I am Captain Grant of the Black Marines/ The stupidest man that ever was seen.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Tanner Clubs — emphasizing Grant’s humble origins Grant traveled with Generals William T. Sherman and General Philip Sheridan to Denver, hailing crowds but not speaking along the way

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“Peace and universal prosperity, its successor, with economy of administration, will lighten the burden of taxation while it constantly reduces the national debt. Let us have peace.” Ulysses S. Grant letter accepting the Republican nomination for president

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 





“I must not be nominated by this Convention, as I could not accept the nomination if tendered. My own inclination prompted me to decline at the outset; my honor compels me to do so now. It is impossible, consistently with my position, to allow my name to be mentioned in this Convention against my protest. The clerk will proceed with the call.” Horatio Seymour at the DNC “I have no terms in which to tell of my regret that my name has been brought before this convention. God knows that my life and all that I value most I would give for the good of my country, which I believe to be identified with that of the Democratic party…” “Take the nomination, then!” cried someone from the floor. “..but when I said that I could not be a candidate, I mean it! I could not receive the nomination without placing not only myself but the Democratic party in a false position. God bless you for your kindness to me, but your candidate I cannot be.” Horatio Seymour at the DNC “I was born a states’ rights Democrat and I shall die one!” Andrew Johnson

Campaign Quotations: 

“…A man who, through all the years of 1860 to 1868, studies how to help southern treason without incurring the risks and pains of overt courageous treasonable acts.” Henry Ward Beecher

Further Reading: 

McFeely, William S. Grant: A Biography. New York: Norton & Company, 1982.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:

131

  

 

The first presidential election during Reconstruction. Texas, Mississippi, Virginia were still not readmitted to the Union and were not allowed to vote. Close popular vote between Seymour and Grants despite Grant’s popularity in the North. Freed blacks were enfranchised while some Southern whites in the former Confederate states were disenfranchised. If more white men in the South could have voted the election might have been closer to a tie. 500,000 blacks voted for the first time, mostly for Grant and the Republicans; Seymour captured a majority of the white vote. Committed to equality and well aware of its political benefits, the Republicans passed the Fifteenth Amendment (ratified in 1870) claiming “the right to vote could not be denied or abridged on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

1872 Election Year: 1872 Election Day Date: November 5, 1872 Winning Ticket: Ulysses Grant (50, Methodist), Henry Wilson (60, Congregationalist), Republican 3,597,439 55.58% 286 81.3% Losing Ticket(s):   

Horace Greeley (61 Universalist), B. Gratz Brown (46)Democratic 2,833,710 43.78% 66 18.8% Charles O’Conor (68, Roman Catholic), Charles F. Adams (65, )Straight-Out Democrat 23,054 0.36% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 17,780 0.27% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 71.3% Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870, said: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged … on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Aggressive Republican fundraising — assessed businesses to deploy as slush funds in states: $10,000 to North Carolina, Maine, Ohio; $40,000 to Indiana; $75,000 to Pennsylvania. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Ulysses Simpson Grant, Schuyler Colfax, Republican, 1869–1873

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Population: 1872: 42,066,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $8.23 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $127.5 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.46 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $196 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $3,030 Number of Daily Newspapers: 574 Average Daily Circulation: 2,601,547 Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): “Grantism” the Grant administration; Reconstruction, treatment of the South; Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidate: 

Ulysses S. Grant, President of the United States (Illinois)

Democratic Party candidates:    

Horace Greeley, editor of New York Tribune (New York) Jeremiah S. Black, former U.S. Secretary of State (Pennsylvania) Thomas F. Bayard, U.S. senator (Delaware) William S. Groesbeck, former U.S. representative (Ohio)

Liberal Republican Party candidates:      

Horace Greeley, editor of New York Tribune (New York) Charles Francis Adams, Former U.S. Representative (Massachusetts) Benjamin Gratz Brown, Governor of Missouri Salmon P. Chase, Supreme Court Chief Justice (Ohio) David Davis, Associate Justice (Illinois) Lyman Trumbull, U.S. Senator (Illinois)

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Roscoe Conkling; Henry Adams; B. Gratz Brown; Horace Greeley; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

In 1870, a group of Missouri Republicans opposing the Radical Republicans split and formed the Liberal Republican Party. Their candidate won the gubernatorial race. 133

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In 1872, reform-minded Republicans took the Liberal Republican Party national, hosting a convention in May 1872 in Cincinnati, Ohio to nominate Presidential and vice presidential candidates. “I could not aid in the reelection of Grant without sinning against decency and my own self-respect,” George Julian, a founder of the Republican Party. In July 1872, the Democrats, at their convention in Baltimore, allied with the Liberal Republican Party by nominating Horace Greeley, long their arch-enemy. One Southern Democrat said, “if the party puts Greeley into our hymn book we’ll sing him through if it kills us.”

Conventions (Dates & Locations): Republican National Convention June 5–6, 1872, Academy of Music, Philadelphia 1st ballot, Ulysses S. Grant (Illinois) Henry Wilson (Massachusetts) Democratic National Convention July 9–10, 1872 Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore, James R. Doolittle (Wisconsin) 1st ballot, Horace Greeley (New York), B. Gratz Brown (Missouri) Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:   

Democrats nominated and endorsed the Liberal Republican Greeley/Brown ticket. Greeley received 686/724 delegate votes cast, while Brown received 713/724. The convention lasted only six hours stretched over two days. It was the shortest major political party convention in history.

Republican National Convention: Vice President Colfax was not renominated; Henry Wilson proved more popular. Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination The Balloting Presidential Ballot 

Ulysses S. Grant 752

Vice Presidential Ballot     

Henry Wilson 399.5 Schuyler Colfax 321.5 Horace Maynard 26 John F. Lewis 22 Edmund J. Davis 16 Edward F. Noyes 1 134

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Joseph Roswell Hawley 1

Democratic Party Nomination The Balloting Presidential Ballot       

Horace Greeley 686 Jeremiah S. Black 21 Thomas F. Bayard 15 William S. Groesbeck 2 Vice Presidential Ballot B. Gratz Brown 713 John W. Stevenson 6

Liberal Republican Party nomination Presidential Ballot 6th After Shifts        

Horace Greeley 147 245 258 251 258 332 482 Charles Francis Adams 203 243 264 279 309 324 187 Lyman Trumbull 110 148 156 141 91 19 21 Benjamin Gratz Brown 95 2 0 0 0 0 0 David Davis 92.5 75 44 51 30 6 6 Andrew Gregg Curtin 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 Salmon P. Chase 2.5 1 0 0 24 32 0 Scattering/Blank 1 0 0 0 2 1 18

Vice Presidential Ballot 2nd       

Benjamin Gratz Brown 237 435 Lyman Trumbull 158 175 George Washington Julian 134.5 0 Gilbert Carlton Walker 84.5 75 Cassius Marcellus Clay 34 0 Jacob Dolson Cox 25 0 Others 20 11

Third Parties Candidates & Nominations: 

Equal Rights Party: President, Victoria Woodhull; Vice President, Frederick Douglass (Small percentage of the popular vote; no electoral votes)

Party Platform:

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Republican Party: Women’s rights, abolish franking privilege; hard-money policy. At the behest of Grant’s supporter, the suffragette Susan B. Anthony, the Republican platform acknowledged “obligations to the loyal women of America.” equal rights regardless of “race, creed, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Liberal Republicans: Universal amnesty to help heal the fissures of Civil War; local selfgovernment; supremacy of civil order over military rule; civil service reform to stop corruption; opposition to land grants for railroads. Divided over the tariff they did not take a position Democratic Party: Endorsed the Liberal Republican platform by a vote of 671 to 62

General Election Controversies/Issues: “Grantism” the Grant administration; Reconstruction, treatment of the South Major Personalities (General Election): Jay Cooke, Cornelius Vanderbilt, A.T. Stewart, Henry Hilton, and John Astor Campaign Tactics: Mud-slinging Republican Party:  

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Republicans mocked their old ally Horace Greeley, calling him eccentric, ridiculed for his freethinking ideas in various editorials over the decades. Republican: Negative campaigning; large campaign budget accumulated by donations from barons Jay Cooke, Cornelius Vanderbilt, A.T. Stewart, Henry Hilton, and John Astor. Political cartoons: Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly anti-Greeley cartoons; Matt Morgan in Leslie’s Illustrated anti-Grant cartoons. Susan B. Anthony attended the conventions of the three major parties but after the Republicans added a platform plank for women’s rights she stumped for Grant.

Democratic/Liberal Republican:  

Grant called a drunkard; accusations of corruption and incompetence in his administration. Greeley took two campaign tours. In August, Greeley toured New England and in September, he toured the Midwest and upper South, where he gave partisan speeches at each stop.

Turning Points (General Election): 

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Greeley was a poor campaigner, haunted by a lifetime of strong political and editorial views, often hostile to Democrats. Backtracking, he claimed he could accept secession under certain circumstances and that his prewar opposition to slavery “might have been a mistake.” Greeley running mate Brown’s gaffes from his drunkenness at speeches and public events. 136

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Together, both candidates alienated so many voters; the Liberal Republican Party did not survive after they lost.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:   

[The Working-Man’s Banner for President Ulysses S., Grant]: “The Galena Tanner”; [for Henry S. Wilson as Vice-President]: “The Natick Shoemaker.” “In God is our strength. Washington/Lincoln. Grant/Wilson.” “Gen. Grant Never has never been defeated, and he Never will be”;

Democratic:   

“Anyone But Grant” “Sage of Chappaqua.” “The Flag of Chappaqua/The Flag of Victory.”

 — “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Universal Amnesty/Impartial Suffrage” Campaign Songs: “Grant is the Man”; “Horace Greeley’s March”. Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Republicans attack Greeley as the “Gabbing Philosopher,” the “Garrulous Old Woman” Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“This glorious record of the past is the party’s best pledge for the future. We believe the people will not entrust the Government to any party or combination of men composed chiefly of those who have resisted every step of this beneficent progress.” Republican Party Platform

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

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“I was, in the days of slavery, an enemy of slavery, because I thought slavery inconsistent with the rights, the dignity, the highest well being of free labor. That might have been a mistake.” Horace Greeley “I have been assailed so bitterly that I hardly knew whether I was running for the Presidency or the penitentiary.” Horace Greeley

Campaign Quotations:

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Frederick Douglass: “If the Republican party goes down, freedom goes down with it.”Ulysses Grant “made a better President than . . . we . . . had any right to expect, and he is a better President every day than he was the day before.” Roscoe Conkling New York Senator New York Republican boss “That . . . a man like Grant should be called . . . the highest product of the most advanced evolution made evolution ludicrous. One must be as commonplace as Grant’s own commonplaces to maintain such an absurdity.” Henry Adams “Six weeks ago, I did not suppose that any considerable number of men, outside of a Lunatic Asylum, would nominate Greeley for President.” Thurlow Weed Grant was “the second choice of most of our people, and they are not agreed on a first.” James Garfield Ohio Congressman

Election Issues:  

On November 29, 1872, Liberal Republican candidate Horace Greeley died before the Electoral College cast its votes. Electoral votes cast posthumously were invalid. Electors committed to Greeley distributed their votes among four candidates, with most going to Greeley’s running mate Brown. Three Georgia electoral votes were cast for Greeley, but Congress considered them invalid.

Further Reading: 

Sproat, John G.“The Best Men”: Liberal Reformers in the Gilded Age: with a New Preface. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982, 1968.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:    

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The only election in which, a candidate died during the electoral process. The Liberal Republican Party dissolved after 1872 “but the Party’s political and ideological impact continued. The first election after the National Woman’s Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association were founded in 1869. The first campaign with a woman running for President, Victoria Woodhull from the Equal Rights Party. She was ineligible, however, because she did not reach the Constitutional 35 years minimum age requirement until September 23, 1873. Woodhull’s running mate Fredrick Douglass, a former slave, and abolitionist was the first African American candidate for Vice President.

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1876 Election Year: 1876 Election Day Date: November 7, 1876 Winning Ticket: 

Rutherford Hayes (54, Christian), William Wheeler (57), Republican 4,034,142 47.92% 185 50.1%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Samuel Tilden (62, Christian), Thomas Hendricks (57), Democratic 4,286,808 50.92% 184 49.9% Peter Cooper (85) Samuel Cary (62), Greenback 83,726 0.99% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 13,983 0.17% 0 0.0%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Party loyalists, volunteers, surrogates campaigned; clubs; campaign textbooks Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Democratic National Committee spent $250,000 on its Literary Bureau to distribute pamphlets, etc. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Ulysses Simpson Grant, Henry Wilson, Republican, 1873–1877 Population: 1880 49,371,340 28.0%, 1876: 46,459,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $8.31 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $146.4 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.67 Population (in thousands): 46,459 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $179 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $3,152 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,610 (1880) Average Daily Circulation: 8,387,188 (1880) Method of Choosing Electors:  

Popular Vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) The legislature of the newly admitted state of Colorado used legislative choice due to a lack of time and money to hold an election. 139

Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Convention Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:     

Rutherford B. Hayes Governor of Ohio James G. Blaine, Senator (Maine) Benjamin H. Bristow, Senator (Kentucky) Oliver P. Morton, Senator Indiana Roscoe Conkling, Senator New York

Democratic candidates:    

Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of New York Thomas A. Hendricks, Governor of Indiana Winfield Scott Hancock, U.S. Major General (Pennsylvania) William Allen, Former Governor of Ohio

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):     

Grant administration (Whiskey Ring scandal, corruption); Economic depression, Panic of 1873 (collapse of Jay Cooke’s banking company, 1873) Coinage Act of 1873 returning to the gold standard denounced by Silverites as the “Crime of ‘73” — growing controversy over currency. Push for “Home Rule” in the South. Arguments about the Civil Rights Act.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): James G. Blaine; Jay Cooke; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):   

1874, the Republicans lost the House after controlling it for 20 years. Spring of 1876: “Mulligan letters” revealed Republican frontrunner James G. Blaine received favors for saving the Little Rock and Fort Smith federal land grant. The Greenback Party organized 1874 in Indianapolis by agricultural interests, championing paper money, greenbacks, to inflate the economy.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

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Democratic National Convention: June 14–16, 1876 Exposition Hall, Cincinnati, 7th ballot, Rutherford B. Hayes (Ohio) William A. Wheeler, (New York) Republican National Convention: June 27–29, 1876, Merchant’s Exchange Building, Saint Louis, John A. McClernand (Illinois) 2nd ballot, Samuel J. Tilden (New York), Thomas A. Hendricks (Indiana) Greenback Party Convention: Spring of 1876, Indianapolis. 140

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 

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James G. Blaine, the front-runner, was only 100 delegate votes short of nomination on the first ballot. However, Anti-Blaine delegates doubted he could win the election; He lost 41% support on the 6th ballot. Reform Republicans ended the deadlock by supporting Ohio reform Governor, Rutherford B. Hayes.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 7th ballot   

Rutherford B. Hayes 384 James G. Blaine 351 Benjamin Bristow 21

Vice Presidential 1st ballot  

William Wheeler 366 Frederick T. Frelinghuysen 89

Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 2nd ballot        

Samuel J. Tilden 401.5 535 Thomas A. Hendricks 140.5 85 Winfield Scott Hancock 75 58 William Allen 54 54 Thomas F. Bayard 33 4 Joel Parker 18 0 James Broadhead 16 0 Allen G. Thurman 3 2

Vice Presidential 1st ballot  

Thomas A. Hendricks 730 Abstaining 8

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Greenback Party nomination 141

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Peter Cooper 352 Others 119

Vice President  

Newton Booth Senator California, anti-monopolist (declined) Samuel F. Cary

Prohibition Party Nomination (Second convention)  

President: Green Clay Smith Vice President Gideon T. Stewart

The American National Party  

President James B. Walker Vice President Donald Kirkpatrick

Convention Keynote Speaker: Republican National Convention: Abolitionist Frederick Douglass Party Platform/Issues:  

Republican Party: Denounced the Democrats; civil rights; fulfill pledges to veterans; tariffs; public land divided and distributed to homesteaders. Democratic Party: advocated honest, efficient government as opposed to the Grant administration’s corruption; end “the rapacity of carpetbag tyrannies” in the South; treaty protection for naturalized U.S. citizens visiting their homelands; Oriental immigration restrictions; tariff reform; opposition to land grants to railroads; civil service reform; ending Reconstruction.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Democratic campaign chairman Abram Hewitt organized the Democratic National Committee into various departments, including a literary bureau and a speaker’s bureau, laying the foundation for the “Educational Campaign.” Major Personalities (General Election): Ulysses S. Grant; Campaign Tactics:  

Mud-slinging campaigns. Neither Tilden nor Hayes actively stumped as part of the campaign. Party loyalists, volunteers, surrogates campaigned.

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Republican Party:  

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“Waving the bloody shirt,” continue to blame the Democrats by making the Civil War the main issue. Attacked Hayes as “a drunkard, a liar, a cheat, a counterfeiter, a perjurer, and a swindler.” Claimed Hayes was anti-immigrant, pro-slavery, pro-confederate, participated in income tax fraud and stealing the pay of deceased soldier when he was a Union general. “Boys in Blue” clubs for Hayes

Democratic Party:    

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Democrats produce a Campaign Textbook Tilden ran as a reformer attacking Republican corruption. Attacks on Grant Administration scandals, Grant “the Mephistopheles [devil] of American politics.” Paramilitary groups in the South, especially the Redshirts and White League following the Mississippi plan disrupted meetings and rallies, harassed Republicans. The violence suppressed black and white Republican voter turnout. Campaign memorabilia included Portraits of Lucy Hayes, the Presidential candidate’s wife.

Turning Points (General Election): 

Since both the candidates agreed on the major issues (hard money, federal troop withdrawal from the South, civil-service reform), the campaign consisted of exchanges of attacks on the candidates and parties.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:  

“Our Boys in Blue/We Go for Hayes.” “Our Nation’s Choice: Let us Strive for Human Rights, Let us Preserve Our Nation’s Honor.”

Democrat:   

“Sound currency, An Honest Administration, Economy & Reform WILL BRING PROSPERITY.” Tilden and Reform: “Reduction of Taxation and Honest Administration of the Government.” “Retrenchment and Reform”

Campaign Songs:

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Republicans: “For Hayes and Wheeler Too,” “The Boys in Blue,” “The National Veterans song,” “Attention Ye Freemen!: ‘Traitors are lurking, and craftily working/In secret to gain what was hopeless in fight…’” Democrats: “The night of gloom is gliding out/Forth breaks the rosy day. And Tilden is the sun of hope/That lights the nation’s way.”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Republican “Not every Democrat was a rebel, but every rebel was a Democrat” Robert Ingersoll to the Grand Army of the Republic Convention: “Every man that tried to destroy this nation was a Democrat. Every man that loved slavery better than liberty was a Democrat.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Republicans and Democrats spent nearly the same amount for their campaigns, close to $2,000,000. Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“What the South most needs is “peace,” and peace depends upon the supremacy of law. There can be no enduring peace if the constitutional rights of any portion of the people are habitually disregarded. A division of political parties, resting merely upon distinctions of race, or upon sectional lines, is always unfortunate, and may be disastrous.” Rutherford B. Hayes, Accepting the Presidential Nomination to the Committee of the Republican National Convention, Columbus, Ohio, July 8, 1876

Campaign Quotations: 

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“I would not accept a nomination if it were tendered unless it should come under such circumstances as to make it an imperative duty, circumstances not likely to arise.” Ulysses S. Grant “Hayes has never stolen. Good God, has it come to this?” New York World

Election Issues: 

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November 7, 1876: After the all the votes were counted there was only a difference over a quarter of a million popular votes between both candidates. Tilden 4,300,000 to Hayes 4,036,000. The Electoral vote was Tilden 184 to Hayes 165, Tilden was just short of one vote to win a majority. There were 20 electoral votes (South Carolina 7, Louisiana 8, Florida 4, and 1one from Oregon) that were being contested. November 8, 1876: Zachariah Chandler, chairman of the Republican national committee and Republican Party leaders worked to ensure Hayes the 20 electoral votes he needed to win, they declared all of Oregan’s 3 votes for Hayes and secured the electoral votes of the three southern states that were still under the carpetbag rule. Both sides declare a victory.

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Oregan had clearly voted Republican; however, one of their electors was ineligible for that post, J. W. Watts. Watts was a postmaster and federal officeholders are prohibited from being electors. Abram Hewitt, chairman of the Democratic national committee convinced the Democratic governor to replace the ineligible elector with a Democrat one, to “offset the palpable frauds” with the votes in Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina. At the same time, Watts resigned his post and along with the other two Republican electors forwarded their votes for Hayes to the state capitol. November 9, 1876: The Republicans declared victory for Hayes in the election; prompting representatives from both parties to go to the Southern states in question and investigate. November 10, 1876: President Grant sent additional troops to the South “to preserve peace and good order, and to see that the proper and legal Boards of Canvasses are unmolested in the performance of their duties.” There was voter fraud in the three questionable states centering around black voters; Democrats intimidated and prevent black voters from voting, while Republicans convinced black voters to vote and often, with voters voting more than once. Republicans justifiably won South Carolina, while the Democrats won Louisiana and Florida. December 6, 1876: When electors voted in their state capitols there were two sets of electoral votes from both parties certified and sent Washington for Louisiana and South Carolina and three from Florida, two sets for Tilden and one for Hayes. December 7, 1876: The lame-duck Congressional session opens. The Republicans control the Senate and the Democrats the House. Congress was responsible for determining what to do with the two sets of returns. However, the Constitution does not explain what should be done with conflicting results. The President of the Senate usually presides over the vote count, however, the Democrats did not want the Republican Senate President to control the decision and the Republican did not want to leave it to the Democratic House December 21, 1876: Senate creates a special committee to determine a process for a resolution, and chaired by Republican George Edmunds of Vermont; the house votes the next day to create a special committee and chaired by Democrat Henry Payne of Ohio January 25, 1877: After much debate, the two Houses decided to set up an Electoral Commission to decide the vote. The commission would consist of five senators, five representatives, and five Supreme Court justices. The commission would give the final decision unless both Houses override the decision. Senate passed the Electoral Commission bill, 47–17, Democrats voted 23–1 and Republicans voted 24–16 for the bill. Justice David Davis an independent who was to fill the 15th position, but a DemocraticGreenback coalition in the Illinois legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate he refuses then to join the commission, he was replaced by Republican Joseph Bradley, who was supposed to remain neutral and nonpartisan. Bradley however, does not remain non-partisan and when every contested Electoral vote passes the Electoral Commission in February and early March, he votes with the Republicans 8–7 in favor if the Republican Hayes/Wheeler ticket. February 26, 1877: The Compromise of 1877, Southern Democrats and Ohio Republicans first meet at the Wormley House hotel in Washington D.C. to negotiate an end to the deadlock; these negotiations ended up as the Compromise of 1877. Democrats would agree with the Electoral Commission's decision and would not filibuster, Hayes 145

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would be elected, in exchange Reconstruction would end, federal troops would withdraw from Louisiana and South Carolina, a Southern would be named to the cabinet, there would be federal aid for internal improvements and education in the South. March 1–2, 1877: Late at night on March 1 into early on March 2, at 3:38 a.m a joint session of Congress reconvenes and at 4:10 a.m and grant Wisconsin’s contested votes to Hayes/Wheeler. The session also declares Rutherford Hayes president of the United States and William Wheeler vice president, by a vote of 185–184 in the Electoral College. March 5, 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated president of the United States. Soon after in the Spring of 1877, Hayes removes the remaining Federal troops in the South, formally ending Reconstruction.

Further Reading: 

Holt, Michael F. By One Vote: The Disputed Presidential Election of 1876. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2008.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Deadlock: Tilden won more popular votes than Hayes but only 184 electoral votes, one vote shy of victory. Hayes had 165. Twenty electoral votes from Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina were disputed. After a lengthy standoff under “the Compromise of 1877,” the extra-constitutional “Electoral Commission” awarded all 20 disputed electoral votes, and the presidency, to Hayes.

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1880

Election Year: 1880 Election Day Date: November 2, 1880 Winning Ticket: James A. Garfield (49, Church of Christ), Chester Arthur (51, Episcopalian), Republican 4,453,337 48.31% 214 58.0% Losing Ticket(s):   

Winfield Hancock (56, Baptist), William English (58,) Democratic 4,444,267 48.22% 155 42.0% James Weaver (47) Benjamin Chambers (63)Greenback 306,135 3.32% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 13,671 0.15% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 79.4% Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Rutherford Birchard Hayes, William A Wheeler, Republican, 1877–1881 Population: 1880: 50,262,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $10.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $191.8 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.40 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $206 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $3,816 Number of Daily Newspapers: 971 (1880) Average Daily Circulation: 3,556,395 (1880) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

Rutherford B. Hayes kept his promise to serve one term and not seek the nomination again in 1880. Republicans ended Reconstruction in the South. Tariffs: Republicans supported higher tariffs; Democrats supported lower tariffs.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): 147

Republican Party candidates:    

James A. Garfield, U.S. Representative (Ohio) Ulysses S. Grant, Former President of the United States (Illinois) James G. Blaine, U.S. Senator from (Maine) John Sherman, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (Ohio)

Democratic Party candidates:     

Winfield Scott Hancock, U.S. Major General (Pennsylvania) Thomas F. Bayard, U.S. Senator (Delaware) Samuel J. Randall, U.S. Representative (Pennsylvania) Henry B. Payne, Former U.S. Representative (Ohio) Allen G. Thurman, U.S. Senator (Ohio)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 



Former President Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) seeking a third term arrived at the Republican convention as the frontrunner. But the pro-Grant “boom” triggered a potent anti-third-term movement crying “Anyone to Beat Grant.” A National Blaine Club and local “Blaine Clubs” championed James G. Blaine.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Ulysses S. Grant; Wharton Barker (Philadelphia banker); Roscoe Conkling and his Stalwarts, James G. Blaine and his “Half-Breeds” Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):    

  

The economy was recovering from the Panic of 1873. In 1878, the Democrats gained control of both Houses of Congress. Three major Republican factions: Stalwarts (regulars): Roscoe Conklin, Thomas Platt, and other bosses, supporters of Grant, and machine politicians, supporting the spoils system, fighting civil service reform and opposing a conciliatory policy toward the South. Half-Breeds: James G. Blaine, Henry Cabot Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt and other Republican moderates who pushed for some reforms but remained party loyalists. Reformers: Carl Schurz, Henry Ward Beechers and other “good government” types appalled by what the party had become. The Greenback Party nominated candidates and championed the use of greenbacks, paper money, as they had in 1876.

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

Republican National Convention: June 2–8, 1880 Interstate Exposition Building; Chicago, 36th ballot, James A. Garfield (Ohio) Chester A. Arthur (New York)

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Democratic National Convention: June 22–24, 1880 Cincinnati Music Hall; Cincinnati John W. Stevenson (Kentucky), 2nd ballot Winfield S. Hancock, (Pennsylvania) William H. English (Indiana)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 

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Conkling wanted a “unit rule” at the Republican National Convention to force state delegations to cast their votes as one. The Half-Breeds defeated this proposal but could not get their hero, Blaine, nominated. James Garfield (Congressman, Ohio, Senator-elect) spoke so eloquently in support of his fellow Ohioan John Sherman, he gained the delegates’ support for himself as a candidate. Garfield became the dark horse candidate on the 35th ballot and the frontrunner for the nomination, beating Grant on the 36th. Garfield was a compromise between the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds.

Democratic National Convention: 

Wisconsin delegation commenced movement to switch votes and catapulted General Winfield Scott Hancock to the nomination on the second ballot

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican National Nomination Presidential 36th ballot   

James A. Garfield 399 Ulysses S. Grant 306 James G. Blaine 42

Vice Presidential 1st ballot Levi P. Morton (withdrew on NY boss Roscoe Conkling’s behest)         

Chester A. Arthur 468 Elihu B. Washburne 193 Marshall Jewell 44 Horace Maynard 30 Blanche Kelso Bruce 8 James L. Alcorn 4 Edmund J. Davis 2 Thomas Settle 1 Stewart L. Woodford 1

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Democratic Party nomination Presidential 2nd ballot after Shifts       

Winfield S. Hancock 171 320 705 Thomas F. Bayard 153.5 112 2 Samuel J. Randall 6 128.5 0 Henry B. Payne 81 0 0 Allen G. Thurman 68.5 50 0 Others 247.5 124.5 31 Abstaining 10.5 3 0

Vice Presidential 1st ballot 

William H. English 738

Third Party Candidates & Nominations:  

Greenback Party nomination: President, James B. Weaver; Vice President, Benjamin J. Chambers The American Party (A new nativist party) President, John W. Phelps (Former Civil War general, head of the Vermont Anti-Masonic movement); Vice President, Samuel C. Pomeroy, Former U.S. Senator (Kansas)

Party Platform/Issues: This election seemed particularly lacking in serious issue clashes. 



Republican Party: Passed by voice vote; tariff, protectionist; strong federal power, “The Constitution of the United States is a supreme law, and not a mere contract”; civil service reform. Democratic Party: “Free trade” policy to lower tariffs; revenue only tariff; decentralization of the federal government; increased local government; civil service reform; end Chinese immigration; Presidential election of 1876, “the great fraud.”

General Election Controversies/Issues: Tariff, Protectionism Campaign Innovations (General Election): James Garfield’s Front Porch Campaign Major Personalities (General Election): Congressman James Weaver of the Greenback party (mocked and dismissed for advocating an eight-hour workday and women’s suffrage). Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:

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Garfield’s campaign was well-funded and well-run. Garfield also conducted an early version of the “front-porch” campaign, greeted supporters at his home. Republicans were restrained because “Hancock the Superb” was a Civil War hero. Still, they dismissed him as a “padlocked” candidate, representing “no policy, no principle, no issue, nothing but the party which has nominated him.” Warned he would be a figurehead covering up Democratic corruption. Democratic Party: Attacked the “fraud of ‘76”, the “stolen” 1876 election, calling the President “Rutherfraud.” Opposed Republican corruption and the characters of both Garfield and Arthur. Thomas Nast’s cartoon mocking Hancock as clueless, asking “WHO IS TARIFF, AND WHY IS HE FOR REVENUE ONLY?”

Turning Points (General Election):  

 

 

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Economic rebound (End of Panic of 1873) In late October, Democrats publicized the “Morey Letter,” flooding New York City alone with half-a-million copies. The letter, allegedly written by Garfield, supported Chinese immigration. Garfield eventually denounced it as a forgery but his hesitation fed the controversy and almost lost him the election. Republicans mocked Hancock for saying “The tariff is a local question” — an answer that was economically sound, politically disastrous. Democrats reminded voters that Garfield had been suspected of receiving a $329 bribe in the Credit Mobilier scandal. They chalked the number, “329,” on buildings all over the country. A Democratic pamphlet compared the “Bright Record of the Patriot Hancock” with the “Black Record of the Politician Garfield” The big fight pitted around two states New York and Indiana, where Garfield was told confidentially that there were “30,000 merchantable votes in the state… which side will manage to buy most of them is the question.” The historian James Ford Rhodes wrote that in Indiana, “money was used to an extent hitherto unknown in American politics.”

Popular Campaign Slogans: Campaign Songs:  

Democratic Party: “Hancock And English Union March”; Republican Party: “Garfield and Arthur Quickstep.” (James A. Garfield) If the Johnnies Get Into Power Again

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Democratic: “Tariff for revenue only”; Garfield born in a log cabin “so politically perfect a mansion”

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Republicans sing sneeringly about Hancock: “In the Union War I fought so well/That my name is greeted with the ‘rebel yell.’

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Approximately $2,000,000. Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 





“The doctrines announced in the Chicago convention, are not the temporary devices of a party to attract votes and carry an election; they are deliberate convictions, resulting from a careful study of the spirit of our institutions, the events of our history and the best impulses of our people…. If elected, it will be my purpose to enforce strict obedience to the constitution and the laws, and to promote, as best I may, the interest and honor of the whole country, relying for support upon the wisdom of Congress, the intelligence and patriotism of the people and the favor of God.” James A. Garfield, Letter Accepting the Presidential Nomination, July 12, 1880 “Poverty is uncomfortable, as I can testify; but nine times out of ten the best thing that can happen to a young man is to be tossed overboard and compelled to sink or swim for himself. In all my acquaintance I never knew a man to be drowned who was worth the saving.” James A. Garfield “The office of the Vice Presidency is a greater honor than I ever dreamed. A barren nomination would be a great honor.” Chester Arthur to Roscoe Conkling, refusing to decline the candidacy

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): Campaign Quotations: 



“I present to the Convention one who on the battlefield was styled ‘the superb,’ yet whose first act when in command of Louisiana and Texas was to salute the Constitution by proclaiming that, ‘the military rule shall ever be subservient to the civil power.’ I nominate one whose name will suppress all faction and thrill the republic.” Winfield S. Hancock Nominator “All anti-machine Republicans . . . see that the only safety for the Republican party is in making some man such as yourself our candidate.” Wharton Barker, Philadelphia banker, letter to James Garfield

Election Issues: 



Georgia’s electors cast their votes the second Wednesday in December (December 8, 1880) rather than the constitutionally-prescribed first Wednesday in the month (December 1, 1880). However, Congress decided to include Georgia’s vote in the official tally. California’s electoral votes were split between Garfield (1) and Hancock (5). Since California became a state, a candidate has won the election without California only three times: Garfield in 1880, the Democrat Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and Republican George W. Bush in 2000. 152

Further Reading: 

Morgan, H W. From Hayes to McKinley; National Party Politics, 1877–1896. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 1969.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Smallest popular vote victory margin; Garfield won by only 2000 more than Hancock The first time delegates of one of the major parties cast votes for an African American candidate, Vice Presidential candidate Blanche Kelso Bruce at the Republican National Convention.

1884 Election Year: 1884 Election Day Date: November 4, 1884 Winning Ticket: 

Grover Cleveland (47, Presbyterian), Thomas Hendricks (65, ), Democratic 4,914,482 48.85% 219 54.6%

Losing Ticket(s):    

James G. Blaine (54, Congregationalist), John Logan (58, ), Republican 4,856,903 48.28% 182 45.4% John St. John (51, Congregationalist), William Daniel (62, ) Prohibition 150,890 1.50% 0 0.0% Benjamin Butler (66, ), Absolom West (66, )Greenback 134,294 1.33% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 3,576 0.04% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 77.5% Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Chester Alan Arthur, None Republican 1881–1885 Population: 1884: 55,826,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $11.8 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $229.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 5.13 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $211 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $4,114 153

Number of Daily Newspapers: 971 (1880) Average Daily Circulation: 3,556,395 (1880) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Convention Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Republicans lost 33 Congressional seats in the 1882 midterm elections, a backlash against political patronage and Republican corruption. Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:    

James G. Blaine, former U.S. senator (Maine) Chester A. Arthur, President of the United States (New York) George F. Edmunds, U.S. senator (Vermont) John A. Logan, U.S. senator (Illinois)

Democratic Party candidates:      

Grover Cleveland, governor of (New York) Thomas F. Bayard, U.S. senator from (Delaware) Thomas A. Hendricks, former governor of (Indiana) Allen G. Thurman, former U.S. senator from (Ohio) Samuel J. Randall, U.S. representative from (Pennsylvania) Joseph E. McDonald, U.S. senator (Indiana)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

 

Republicans split into three major factions: Stalwarts (regulars): Roscoe Conklin, Thomas Platt, and other bosses, Grant allies, and machine politicians, supporting the spoils system, fighting civil service reform and opposing a conciliatory policy toward the South. Half-Breeds: James G. Blaine, Henry Cabot Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt and other Republican moderates who pushed for some reforms but remained party loyalists. Reformers (soon labeled Mugwumps in this campaign): Carl Schurz, Henry Ward Beechers and other reformers seeking “good government,” appalled by what the party had become and finally willing to bolt.



Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Tammany Hall, John Kelly (Tammany boss);

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Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Bosses from New York City’s political machine Tammany Hall tried to block the front-runner Grover Cleveland, New York’s reforming governor who fought Tammany corruption. Conventions (Dates & Locations):     

Republican National Convention: June 3–6, 1884 Exposition Hall; Chicago 4 James G. Blaine (Maine), John A. Logan (Illinois) Democratic National Convention July 8–11, 1884 Exposition Building, Chicago William F. Vilas (Wisconsin) 2 Grover Cleveland (New York) Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana Prohibition Party National Convention, July 23–24, 1884, Lafayette Hall, Pittsburgh PA The National Greenback Labor Party, May 28, 29, 1884, Opera House, Indianapolis IN The Equal Rights Party: September 20, 1884, San Francisco CA

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:   



Stalwart faction challenged incumbent Chester Arthur’s nomination, because of his investigations into political corruption. Arthur won his choice of party chairman, John R. Lynch, but lost momentum at the fourth ballot, without being able to capture a majority. Arthur received a third of his votes from the North, none from Ohio, 1 of 44 from Illinois, 9 of 30 from Indiana, 11 of 60 from Pennsylvania and only 31 of 71 from his home state of New York. Blaine received 130 more than the majority needed, 67 votes from Arthur and 28 from Edmunds’

Democratic National Convention: 

North Carolina’s delegation shifted their support towards front-runner Governor Cleveland on the second ballot.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 4th ballot     

James G. Blaine 334.5 349 375 541 Chester A. Arthur 278 276 274 207 George F. Edmunds 93 85 69 41 John A. Logan 63.5 61 53 7 John Sherman 30 28 25 – 155

 

Others 21 21 24 24 (Joseph Roswell Hawley, Robert Todd Lincoln and William Tecumseh Sherman) Vice Presidential: John A. Logan

Democratic Party nomination Presidential 2nd ballot after shifts       

Grover Cleveland 392 683 Thomas F. Bayard 170 81.5 Thomas A. Hendricks 1 45.5 Allen G. Thurman 88 4 Samuel J. Randall 78 4 Joseph E. McDonald 56 2 Others 35 0

Vice presidential (First ballot)  

Thomas A. Hendricks IN 816 Not Voting 4

Third Party Candidates & Nominations:   

The Equal Rights Party: President: Belva A. Lockwood DC; Vice President: Marietta L. Stow CA Greenback Party National Convention (3rd): President first ballot B.F. Butler; VP Absalom M. West MS unanimously Prohibition Party (4th ticket) unanimously: President: John Pierce St. John; Vice President: William Daniel

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Republican: John R. Lynch MS (first keynote speaker at a national convention)

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Daniel N. Lockwood (New York) Edward S. Bragg in a rousing speech seconding Cleveland’s nomination: “They love him, gentlemen, and they respect him, not only for himself, for his character, for his integrity and judgment and iron will, but they love him most of all for the enemies he has made.” (meaning Tammany Hall — this prompted the Tammany boss to lunge at the speaker). Convention Chairman:

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Democratic: Temporary Chairman: Richard D. Hubbard TX; Permanent Chairman: William F. Vilas WI Republican: Temporary Chairman: John R. Lynch (MS) (African American); Permanent Chairman: John B. Henderson (MO) Equal Rights Party: Marietta L.B. Stowe (first woman to preside over a national nominating convention) Greenback Party: Temporary Chairman: John Tyler Jr. FL (son of the President) Permanent Chairman: James B. Weaver IA

Party Platform/Issues: 





Democratic Party: One of the Democrats longest platforms; listed Republican failures; tariff revisions; taxes based on product necessity; rights of organized labor; restrictions on Chinese immigration Republican Party: Railroad regulation; an eight-hour workday; immigration, civil service reform; bureau of labor; public lands for settlers; high tariff “not for revenue only, but…to afford security to our diversified industries and protection to the rights and wages of the laborers.” The American (Prohibition) Party: Opposed Masonry and polygamy, while advocating prohibition and direct election of the President.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Candidate Character; Catholic vote; Major Personalities (General Election): “Bourbon Democrats” Daniel Manning, William C. Whitney, Arthur P. Gorman (conservative, business-oriented Democrats behind Cleveland’s candidacy). Minor Parties; Mugwump Revolt; Democratic Campaign (Vice President’s stumping) Campaign Tactics: Mudslinging  

Democratic Party: Cleveland minimal campaigning, gave only a few speeches. Republican Party: Blaine gave over 400 speeches on a cross-country tour in the fall that lasted six weeks. He gave partisan speeches on the tariff.

Turning Points (General Election): 



On July 21, the Buffalo Evening Telegraph reported “A Terrible Tale,” that Cleveland had fathered a child out of wedlock (the child’s paternity was unclear but Cleveland had taken responsibility). Cleveland ordered his staff: “Tell the Truth.” That strategy enhanced his standing with the public, especially in contrast with Blaine’s evasiveness. September 15, the Boston Journal published a number of the “Mulligan Letters”, discovered in 1876 and released by bookkeeper James Mulligan, which cost Blaine the nomination twice beforehand. Blaine wrote those letters to Warren Fisher, a Boston railroad lawyer. One letter dated on April 16, 1876, was a self-exonerating letter Blaine 157

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wrote, asking Fisher to sign to clear him of any wrongdoings (being paid for Congressional favors for railroad companies) the cover letter was particularly damning and ended in “Burn this letter!” Mugwumps: Republican reformers — many founders of the Party — opposed Blaine because of the scandals associated with him and supported Cleveland. In a final campaign tour, on October 29 “black Wednesday,” the Reverend Samuel D. Burchard, while introducing Blaine, “We are Republicans, and don’t propose to leave our party and identify ourselves with the party whose antecedents have been Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion.” Blaine’s failure to repudiate this slur alienated Catholics and Southerners — this may have cost Blaine New York’s electoral votes and the election. John St. John, the Prohibition Party candidate, also helped sway New York’s electoral votes toward Cleveland. Usually, the Prohibitionists allied with the Republicans but the Republicans pushed too hard for St. John to withdraw and as revenge, he campaigned more vigorously in New York against the Republicans. When Blaine attends a banquet with some of the country’s wealthiest people in his honor at Delmonico’s he is pilloried for attending “Belshazzar’s Feast” or the “Boodle Banquet,” as most Americans suffered during the recession.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democrats:   

“Grover the Good.” “Victory and Reform.” “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The Continental Liar from the State of Maine. Burn this Letter!”

Republicans: 

“Ma, Ma, Where’s my Pa, [Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha.]” Democrats after the election.

Campaign Song: Democratic Party: (Grover Cleveland) Democrats, Good Democrats Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Democratic: “Burn, burn, burn this letter!” (referring the “Mulligan letters”) “Ready for Business” (Irish for Cleveland)

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Republicans and Democrats spent nearly the same amount for their campaigns, approximately $2,000,000. Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):

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“The letter is strictly true, is honorable to you and to me, and will stop the mouths of slanderers at once. Regard this letter as strictly confidential…. a favor I shall never forget…Kind regards to Mrs. Fisher. Burn this letter!” James Blaine, letter to Warren Fisher, April 16, 1876 “But for the intolerant and utterly improper remark of Dr. Burchard, which was quoted everywhere to my prejudice and in many places attributed to myself, though it was in the highest degree distasteful and offensive to me. I should have carried New York by 10,000 if the weather had been clear on election day and Dr. Burchard had been doing missionary work in Asia Minor or Cochin China.” James G. Blaine to a friend after the election “I cannot vote but I can be voted for.” Belva Lockwood, the first woman running for president and actually eligible.

Campaign Quotations:   



This is a contest over “the copulative habits of one and the prevaricative habits of the other.” Lord James Bryce “If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve.” William Tecumseh Sherman, Sherman pledge “We are told that Mr. Blaine has been delinquent in office but blameless in private life, while Mr. Cleveland has been a model of official integrity, but culpable in his personal relations. We should, therefore, elect Mr. Cleveland to the public office which he is so well qualified to fill, and remand Mr. Blaine to the private station which he is admirably fitted to adorn.” A Mugwump explaining his support for Cleveland “We are Republicans and don’t propose to leave our party and identify with the party whose antecedents have been Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion.” Reverend Samuel D. Burchard, October 29, 1884

Further Reading: 

Summers, Mark W. Rum, Romanism & Rebellion: The Making of a President, 1884. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Often considered one of the nastiest campaigns ever. The first Democrat elected President in twenty-five years and the first since the Civil War and Reconstruction.

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1888 Election Year: 1888 Election Day Date: November 6, 1888 Winning Ticket: 

Benjamin Harrison (55, Presbyterian), Levi Morton (64, Episcopalian), Republican 5,443,633 47.80% 233 58.1%

Losing Ticket(s):    

Grover Cleveland (51, Presbyterian), Allen Thurman (75, ), Democratic 5,538,163 48.63% 168 41.9% Clinton Fisk (60, ), John Brooks (unknown), Prohibition 250,017 2.20% 0 0.0% Alson Streeter (55, ), Charles Cunningham (unknown), Union Labor 149,115 1.31% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 7,918 0.07% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 79.3% Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Stephen Grover Cleveland, Thomas Hendricks Democratic 1885–1889 Population: 1888: 60,614,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $13.9 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $282.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.90 Population (in thousands): 60,614 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $229 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $4,664 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,610 (1890) Average Daily Circulation: 8,387,188 (1890) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

The Tariff Cleveland as the “veto” President blocking Congress. Democrats lost 12 seats in the House of Representatives in 1886. 160

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:      

Benjamin Harrison, Former U.S. Senator (Indiana) John Sherman, U.S. Senator (Ohio) Russell A. Alger, Former Governor of Michigan Walter Q. Gresham, Former U.S. Treasury Secretary (Indiana) William B. Allison, U.S. Senator (Iowa) Chauncey Depew, president of the New York Central Railroad (New York)

Democratic Party candidates: 

Grover Cleveland, President of the United States (New York)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

Passage of the Pendleton Act and Cleveland’s own reformist inclinations cut down on patronage opportunities — infuriating Democrats. Cleveland introduced the Mills bill to lower tariff rates to help reduce the Treasury surplus of $94 million in 1887 but the Republican Senate blocked it in the “great tariff debate.”

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Matt Quay, Thomas Platt, John Wanamaker Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 



Republican Party: James G. Blaine knew he was too controversial a figure within the party and declined to run. For party unity, he endorsed either Benjamin Harrison or John Sherman. Democratic Party: Needed a new Vice Presidential nominee. Vice President Hendricks died in office in November 1885 only eight months into the term.

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention June 5–7, 1888, Exposition Building, Saint Louis Patrick A. Collins of Massachusetts 1st ballot, Grover Cleveland (New York) Allen G. Thurman (Ohio) Republican National Convention June 19–25, 1888, Auditorium, Chicago 8 ballots Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) Levi P. Morton (New York)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 

President Cleveland was re-nominated unanimously without a formal ballot. 161



First incumbent Democratic president re-nominated since Martin Van Buren in 1840.

Republican National Convention: 

Frederick Douglass received one delegate vote for the Presidential nomination, making him the first African American to receive a ballot vote for a major party ticket at a convention.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination Presidential 8th ballot                  

Benjamin Harrison 80 91 94 217 213 231 278 544 John Sherman 229 249 244 235 224 244 231 118 Russell A. Alger 84 116 122 135 142 137 120 100 Walter Q. Gresham 111 108 123 98 87 91 91 59 William B. Allison 72 75 88 88 99 73 76 0 Chauncey Depew 99 99 91 0 0 0 0 0 James G. Blaine 35 33 35 42 48 40 15 5 John J. Ingalls 28 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jeremiah M. Rusk 25 20 16 0 0 0 0 0 William W. Phelps 25 18 5 0 0 0 0 0 Edwin H. Fitler 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 William McKinley 2 3 8 11 14 12 16 4 Robert T. Lincoln 3 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 Samuel F. Miller 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 Joseph B. Foraker 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 Frederick Douglass 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Frederick D. Grant 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Creed Haymond 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Vice Presidential Ballot 1st Ballot     

Levi P. Morton 591 William W. Phelps 119 William O. Bradley 103 Blanche K. Bruce 11 Walter F. Thomas 1

Democratic Party nomination 

Pres. Grover Cleveland 822 (100.00%)

Vice Presidential Ballot 1st ballot after shifts 162

   

Allen G. Thurman 684 822 Isaac P. Gray 101 0 John C. Black 36 0 Not voting 1 0

(Gray, an ex-Republican, lost the nomination to Thurman because rivals remembered his partisan past.) Third Party Candidates & Nominations:  

The Prohibition Party candidates: Clinton B. Fisk and John Brooks, won a quarter million popular votes, as the prohibition movement grew. The Union Labor Party candidate: Alson Streeter won 150,000 popular votes, but no significant national support)

Convention Chairman: 

Republican: Temporary Chairman: John M. Thurston (NE); Permanent Chairman: Morris M. Estee (CA)

Party Platforms/Issues: Similarities between Republican and Democratic platforms, except regarding the tariff. 



Democratic Party: “Tariff plank” defense of the Cleveland administration; tariff and taxes reduction; statehood for the western territories; sympathy for home rule in Ireland; tax reform. The tension between conservative and populists in the party; conservatives, states’ rights, the primary issue; populist, free coinage of silver, the primary issue. Republican Party: Protective tariffs; repeal tobacco taxes; bimetallism (gold and silver; veterans pensions; opposition to polygamy.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Free Traders vs. Protectionists; New York Electoral votes; Irish vote  

Democratic Party: Tariff as unnecessarily high; unnecessary taxation was unjust. Republican Party: High tariffs protect American industry from foreign competition, guaranteeing high wages, high profits, and high growth.

Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:  

Matthew Quay chairman of the party’s National Committee raised at least $3,000,000 from pro-tariff manufacturers. Local Republican clubs — with a national coordinating body — essential in organizing supporters. 163

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Young Republican Clubs mobilized youth. William McKinley and James G. Blaine campaigned and gave stump speeches around the country. Harrison conducted a “Front-Porch” campaign in Indianapolis, delivered more than 80 speeches from his house, hosted supporters and gave speeches on the issues to the public. Received wide news coverage. Caroline Harrison’s image Harrison’s wife was used for campaign posters.

Democratic Party: 



Maintaining the tradition of presidential passivity, President Cleveland did not actively campaign and banned any Cabinet members from campaigning. Only his 75-year-old vice presidential candidate Thurman stumped. “Frankie Clubs” cashed in on the popularity of Grover Cleveland’s young wife Francis Folsom Cleveland. Her image also appeared on numerous campaign memorabilia (posters, handkerchiefs, plates, napkins, ribbons, and playing cards).

Major Personalities (General Election): William Wade Dudley; Matthew Quay (Chairman, Republican Party); Thomas C. Platt Turning Points (General Election): 

“The Murchison letter”: Republicans claimed Cleveland was pro-British by publicizing a letter George Osgoodby a California Republican posing as one “Charles F. Murchison,” wrote to the British ambassador to the U. S, Sir Lionel Sackville-West. Claiming to be a former Englishman “Murchison” asked which candidate was better for England. Sackville-West foolishly answered, and said Cleveland. As a result, the Ambassador lost his job and, many argue, Cleveland lost the Irish vote, New York State and the presidency.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democrats:         

[Mocking Republican corruption]: “Blocks of Five, Dudley.” “Tariff Reform.” “Rights of Working-Men.” “A Public Office is a Public Trust.” “Low Taxes.” “The Solid South.” “Frankie-The Nation’s Favorite Belle” “Mrs. Cleveland/Queen of 60 Millions of Free People” “His Grandfather’s Hat — It’s Too big for BEN.”

Republicans:

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[Reply to Democratic slogan]: “The Same Old Hat — It Fits Ben Just Right.” (Harrison): “Rejuvenated Republicanism.” “Tippecanoe and Morton Too, 1840–1888.” “Our Champions, 1888, Protection for Home Industries.” [Harrison and Morton]: Protection/Civil Service Reform/Reduction of Surplus. “Protect Home Industry.” “Tippecanoe and Tariff Too.” “Protection to American Homes.” “No British Pauper Wages for America.” “The Stars and Stripes Will Always Wave for Protection.”

Campaign Song: 



Democrats: “The Red Bandanna”: “Yes let the Red Bandanna wave on high! They will have to wash their bloody red shirt…. The Red Bandanna will elect two honest men I know….. The Red Bandanna will elect two honest men I know… The noblest Roman of them all and the Man from Buffalo”; Republicans: “A Substitute He Found”: “For when the Strife was (3x), A Substitute He Found (3x)”; “We Are Coming, Grover Cleveland”: “Your vetoes are behind us, your insults are before, With Harrison is leading, with shout and cheer and song, We are coming, Grover Cleveland, eight hundred thousand strong.” (Benjamin Harrison) He’s All Right

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Republican Party $3,000,000 Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“We have joined now a contest of great principles, and…. the armies which are to fight out this great contest before the American people will encamp upon the high plains of principle, and not in the low swamps of personal defamation or detraction.” Benjamin Harrison “We have men who boast that they are cosmopolitans, citizens of the world. I prefer to say that I am an American citizen, and I freely confess that American interests have first place in my regard.” Benjamin Harrison

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“Our present tariff laws, the vicious inequitable, and illogical sources of unnecessary taxation.” Grover Cleveland, Annual; Message to Congress, December 1891

Campaign Quotations: 

“Divide the floaters into Blocks of Five, and put a trusted man with the necessary funds in charge of these five, and make them responsible that none get away and that all vote our ticket.” William Wade Dudley, Treasurer of the Republican National Committee

Election Issues: 165

 

“Blocks of Five” electoral fraud in Indiana committed by the Republican Party Buying Votes; “Boss” Thomas C. Platt sought to raise $150,000 for the Republican Party in New York, to buy votes and the election. In return, Platt wanted to be appointed Secretary of Treasury.

Further Reading: 

Calhoun, Charles W. Minority Victory: Gilded Age Politics and the Front Porch Campaign of 1888. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas, 2008.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 



Cleveland, along with Andrew Jackson in 1824, Samuel Tilden in 1876, and Al Gore in 2000 won the popular vote but lost the presidency. Cleveland had a thin popular vote margin, (48.6% to 47.8%), but Harrison’s 233–168 electoral margin was largely due to winning Cleveland’s home state, New York, by 1% of the vote. A nation divided net difference in total voting between 1880, 1884, and 1888 at record lows.

1892 Election Year: 1892 Election Day Date: November 8, 1892 Winning Ticket: 

Grover Cleveland (55, Presbyterian), Adlai Stevenson (57), Democratic, 5,553,898 46.02% 277 62.4%

Losing Ticket(s):    

Benjamin Harrison (59, Presbyterian), Whitelaw Reid (55), Republican, 5,190,799 43.01% 145 32.7% James Weaver (59), James Field (66,, Populist 1,026,595 8.51% 22 5.0% John Bidwell (63), James Cranfill (34), Prohibition 270,889 2.24% 0 0.0% Simon Wing (65), Charles Matchett (49), Socialist Labor 21,173 0.2% 0 0.0%

Other (+) — — 4,673 0.0% 0 0.0% Voter Turnout: 74.7%

166

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Very little campaigning; Populist Party only party to actively campaign, stumping and speaking tour. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Benjamin Harrison, Levi P Morton, Republican, 1889–1893 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,610 (1890) Average Daily Circulation: 8,387,188 (1890) Population: 1892: 65,920,000 GDP 104 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $16.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $339.3 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.82 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $248 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $5,147 Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions (State convention pledging delegates) Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

Fifty-first Congress 1889–1891 is the spendthrift “Billion Dollar Congress.” McKinley Tariff — more protectionist. Sherman Silver Purchase Act — to increase currency circulation.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:   

Benjamin Harrison, President of the United States (Indiana) James G. Blaine, Former U.S. Secretary of State (Maine) William McKinley, Governor of (Ohio)

Democratic Party candidates:     

Grover Cleveland, Former President of the United States (New York) David B. Hill, U.S. Senator (New York) Horace Boies, Governor of Iowa Arthur P. Gorman, U.S. Senator (Maryland) John M. Palmer, U.S. Senator (Illinois)

167

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Matthew Quay; Thomas Platt; Thomas Reed (former Speaker of the House, Republican); James Blaine; William McKinley Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):   



Agrarian anger in the Midwest and South at Eastern bankers fed the Populist movement. Just before the Republican Convention, Secretary of State James Blaine resigned, making one last play for the nomination, supported by enthusiastic “Blainiacs.” Democratic Party: Fearing a President Cleveland comeback, the bosses of Tammany Hall called a “snap” state convention — called to make a quick decision — and nominated antiCleveland delegates pledged to David B. Hill. The reformist backlash against Tammany’s power play mobilized pro-Cleveland delegates across the country. Iowa Democrats pushed Governor Horace Boies as the champion of the Midwestern farmers. At the convention, 10,000 people rallying for Boies faced down the “Tammany braves” supporting David Hill.

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: June 21–23, 1892 Wigwam; Chicago William L. Wilson (West Virginia) 1st ballot Grover Cleveland (New York) Adlai E. Stevenson I (Illinois) Republican National Convention: June 7–10, 1892 Industrial Exposition Building; Minneapolis 1st ballot, Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) Whitelaw Reid (New York)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:   

Cleveland won on the first ballot with a slim majority. New York delegation filled with Tammany Hall men opposed Cleveland’s nomination, instead, supported New York Governor David B. Hill. Cleveland supporters wanted Isaac P. Gray of Indiana for the Vice Presidential slot; he lost to convention and party choice Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, former representative, and assistant postmaster general.

Republican National Convention:   

Levi P. Morton, the incumbent Vice President was dropped from the ticket. Replaced Morton with Whitelaw Reid, Ambassador to France and the former editor of the New York Tribune. Reid was nominated by acclamation, the first time this method was used to vote on a nominee at a Republican convention.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination 168

Presidential 1st Ballot    

Benjamin Harrison 535.17 James G. Blaine 182.83 William McKinley 182 Others 6

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot 

Whitelaw Reid 906

Democratic Party nomination Presidential 1st Ballot            

Grover Cleveland 617.33 David B. Hill 114 Horace Boies 103 Arthur P. Gorman 36.5 Adlai E. Stevenson 16.67 John G. Carlisle 14 William R. Morrison 3 James E. Campbell 2 Robert E. Pattison 1 William E. Russell 1 William C. Whitney 1 Abstaining 0.5

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot After Shifts         

Adlai E. Stevenson 402 652 Isaac P. Gray 343 185 Allen B. Morse 86 62 John L. Mitchell 45 10 Henry Watterson 26 0 William B. Cockran 5 0 Horace Boies 1 0 Lambert Tree 1 0 Abstaining 1 1

Third Parties Candidates:   

Populist Party candidates: James B. Weaver, former U.S. representative (Iowa), James H. Kyle, U.S. senator (South Dakota) Presidential 1st Ballot: James B. Weaver 995, James H. Kyle 265, Others 3 Vice Presidential 1st Ballot: James G. Field 733, Ben Stockton Terrell 554 169

 

The Prohibition Party: Presidential, John Bidwell; Vice Presidential, James Cranfill The Socialist Labor Party: Simon Wing, Charles Matchett

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Republican: Chauncey Depew Convention Chairmen: 

Republican Party: Temporary Chairman: J. Sloat Fassett (NY); Permanent Chairman: William McKinley (OH)

Party Platform/Issues: 





Republican Party: Pro-tariff plank, canal in Nicaragua; bi-metallic currency; sympathy for home rule in Ireland; sympathy for prohibition; reaffirmed the Monroe doctrine, “achievement of the manifest destiny of the Republic in its broadest sense.” Democratic Party: Central American canal through Nicaragua; opposition to prohibition; antitrust laws; federal aid to education; Mississippi River improvements; statehood for New Mexico and Arizona; opposed Chinese immigration; unrestricted immigration from the “industrious and worthy of foreign lands”; stable money, gold and silver coinage; tariff for revenue only: “denouncing Republican protection as a fraud, a robbery of the great majority of the American people for the benefit of the few…. a fundamental principle of the Democratic party that the Federal Government has no constitutional power to impose and collect tariff duties, except for the purpose of revenue only, and we demand that the collection of such taxes shall be limited to the necessities of the Government when honestly and economically administered.” Populist Party: Restore government “to the hands of the plain people.” Omaha Platform details many reforms that would be enacted over the next half-century; direct election of Senators; income tax; antitrust legislation; railroads public ownership; currency expansion, free silver plank, unlimited coinage of silver (ratio: sixteen ounces of silver: one ounce of gold).

General Election Controversies/Issues:    

Tariff, McKinley Tariff of 1890 Economy Farmers abandoned the Republican Party for the Populist Party. Factory workers furious about the bloody “Homestead Strike” also abandoned the Republicans.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Elaborate notification ceremonies for Grover Cleveland at Madison Square Garden

Major Personalities (General Election): William McKinley; Mary Lease of Kansas (campaign for the populists); Ignatius Donnelly

170

Campaign Tactics: 

  

A quiet campaign among the major parties: very few comments from the candidates except for their formal nomination acceptance letters, very few torchlight parades, processions, and brass bands, bloody shirt played a minor role Democratic Party: Cleveland did very little campaigning to be respectful of Harrison wife’s illness. Republican Party: Harrison did not have a front-porch campaign or speeches as he did in 1888, because of his wife’s illness, did not campaign at all personally. Populist Party: Only party with active campaigning, stumping tour.

Turning Points (General Election): 





Matt Quay the architect behind Harrison’s successful campaign in 1888, quit after Harrison claimed he got to his position because of god, Quay’s response; “Let God reelect you then.” Democrats used the Republican Party’s inconsistencies on tariffs and labor against them to garner the labor vote in the election. Republicans insisted high tariffs meant high wages, however with Homestead, Carnegie’s general manager Henry Clay Frick wanted to cut wages by 22% while the company prospered from the high tariffs. On October 25, 1892: First Lady Caroline Harrison died. The candidates stopped campaigning out of respect.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democrats:   

“Baby Ruth/The Prophet/The People.” “Our choice: Cleve and Steve.” “Tariff Reform/No Force Bill.”

Republicans:  

“Harrison and Protection.” “Protection-Reciprocity-Honest Money.”

Southern Democrats: 

“No Force Bill! No Negro Domination!”

Campaign Song:  

Republicans: “Let every honest fellow, unless he’s a son-of-a-gun/Be sure and vote for Benjamin Harrison”; Democrats: “Grover, Grover, four more years of Grover. In we’ll go, out they’ll go, Then we’ll be in clover,” “Hurrah! Hurrah! For Cleve and Steve.” 171

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“The tender mercy the workingman receives from those made selfish and sordid by unjust governmental favoritism.” Grover Cleveland

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 



“For me there is no sting in it. Indeed, after the heavy blow the death of my wife dealt me, I do not think I could have stood the strain a re-election would have brought.” Benjamin Harrison “Cleveland Democracy is no better than the enemy.” North Carolina Democrat

Campaign Quotations:   





“The two candidates were singular persons, of whom it was the common saying that one of them had no friends; the other only enemies.” Henry Adams “Each side would have been glad to defeat the other if it could do so without electing its own candidate.” Robert Ingersoll “It was a religious revival, a crusade, a Pentecost of politics in which a tongue of flame sat upon every man, and each spoke as the spirit gave him utterance.” An observer of the Populist Party campaign “All hail the power of the People’s name, Let autocrats prostrate fall, Bring forth the royal diadem And crown the people sovereign, all.” Populist Party delegates at the Populist Party National Convention “Wall Street owns the country… it is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street.” Mary Lease for the Populist Party

Further Reading: 

Knoles, George H. The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1892. New York: AMS Press, 1971, 1942.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

The only time, so far, a former President returned to the Presidency, becoming the only person elected to non-consecutive presidential terms. Populist James B. Weaver became the only third-party nominee between 1860 and 1912 to carry a single state.

172

1896 Election Year: 1896 Election Day Date: November 3, 1896 Winning Ticket: William McKinley (53, Methodist), Garret Hobart (52, ), Republican 7,112,138 51.02% 271 60.6% Losing Ticket(s):     

William Jennings Bryan (36, Presbyterian), Arthur Sewall (61, Swedenborgian), Democratic 6,510,807 46.71% 176 39.4% John Palmer (79), Simon Buckner (73, Episcopalian), National Democrat 133,537 0.96% 0 0.0% Joshua Levering (51, Baptist), Hale Johnson (49), Prohibition 124,896 0.90% 0 0.0% Charles Matchett (53), Matthew Maguire (46), Socialist Labor 36,359 0.26% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 20,937 0.15% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 79.3% (eligible voters) Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Stumping, Front Porch campaign

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Stephen Grover Cleveland Adlai E Stevenson, Democratic, 1893–1897 Population: 1896: 71,188,000 GNP/GNP (% gain or loss): GDP: 100 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $15.5 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $333.6 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.64 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $218 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $4,687 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1900 2,226 Average Daily Circulation: 1900 15,102,156 Method of Choosing Electors: Popular Vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 173

    

Panic of 1893: 15,000 business bankrupted, including 493 banks Monetary policy: The Battle of the Standards: Should currency be backed by Gold or Silver too? high unemployment Social unrest: Coxey’s “Army” of Unemployed, 1894. 1894 Midterm Election: Democrats lost 125 House seats; Republicans gained 130 seats, the greatest midterm election victory in American history.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party Nomination      

William Jennings Bryan Richard P. Bland Robert E. Pattison Horace Boies Joseph C. S. Blackburn John Roll McLean

Republican Party Nomination     

William McKinley Thomas B. Reed Matthew S. Quay Levi P. Morton William B. Allison

National Democratic Party (Gold Democrats)        

John M. Palmer Edward S. Bragg William Vilas Grover Cleveland John G. Carlisle Julius Sterling Morton William Lyne Wilson Henry Watterson

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Battle of the Standards: Republicans had some silverites but mostly “Gold-Standard” Democrats: Deeply divided: Cleveland as Gold Standard Democrat but powerful populist Silverite forces are furious.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries):

174

Democrat Richard “Silver Dick” Bland, former Missouri Congressman, leading silverites. Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

 

In July 1894, Democratic President Grover Cleveland’s deployed troops to break the Pullman Strike. Unions were furious, but the press and public opinion mostly supported the President, even as Americans worried about the loss of “law and order.” Discovery that Bland’s wife was Catholic hurt Bland with conservative Democrats. William McKinley’s 12,000-mile tour to 16 states in 1894 solidified his Republican Party support.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Democratic National Convention: July 7–11, 1896, Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois Republican National Convention: June 16–18, 1896, the lawn south of City Hall, St. Louis, Missouri

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 

Senator Henry Teller of Colorado and Twenty-four Western delegates walked out of the convention when their minority plank calling for the free coinage of gold and silver was defeated by a margin of 16-to-1.

Democratic National Convention:     

Delegate William Jennings Bryan determined to have silver plank included the platform. William Jennings Bryan’s electrifying “Cross of Gold” speech helped him secure the nomination, most memorable address at a political convention. Bryan was nominated on the fifth ballot. Bryan refuses to choose a Vice Presidential running mate, let the delegates make the decision; 16 candidates vied for the position on the first ballot. Arthur Sewell of Maine won the Vice Presidential nomination the fifth ballot.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination: 

Five ballots each for President and Vice-President.

Presidential Ballot:   

William Jennings Bryan 137, 197, 219, 280, 652 Richard P. Bland 235, 281, 291, 241, 11 Robert E. Pattison 97, 100, 97, 97, 95 175

    

Joseph C. S. Blackburn 82, 41, 27, 27, 0 Horace Boies 67, 37, 36, 33, 0 John R. McLean 54, 53, 54, 46, 0 Claude Matthews 37, 34, 34, 36, 0 Other 43, 27, 10, 9, 10

Vice Presidential Ballot:        

Arthur Sewall 100, 37, 97, 261, 602 Joseph C. Sibley 163, 113, 50, 0, 0 John R. McLean 111, 158, 210, 298, 32 George F. Williams 76, 16, 15, 9, 9 Richard P. Bland 62, 294, 255, 0, 0 Walter M. Clark 50, 22, 22, 46, 22 John W. Daniel 11, 1, 6, 54, 36 Other 97, 35, 20, 12, 32

Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot    

William McKinley 661½ Thomas Brackett Reed 84½ Matthew S. Quay 61½ Levi P. Morton 58

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot          

Garret Hobart 523.5 Henry Clay Evans 287.5 Morgan Bulkeley 39 James A. Walker 24 Charles Lippitt 8 Thomas B. Reed 3 Chauncey Depew 3 John M. Thurston 2 Frederick Grant 2 Levi P. Morton 1

Third Party Candidates:  

National Democratic Party (Gold Democrats): Presidential Ballot, John M. Palmer 757.5, 769.5; Edward S. Bragg 130.5, 118.5 Populist Party: Endorsed/nominated Democrat William Jennings Bryan for President and Thomas E. Watson for Vice President (Electoral votes for Watson: Arkansas 3, Louisiana

176



4, Missouri 4, Montana 1, Nebraska 4, North Carolina 5, South Dakota 2, Utah 1, Washington 2, Wyoming 1) Nevada’s Silver Party endorsed the Democratic ticket.

Party Platform/Issues: 



Republican Party: Gold standard; “the existing gold standard must be preserved;” endorsed acquiring Hawaii, Danish West Indies (today’s Virgin Islands), favored a Central America canal, naval expansion, sympathy for Cuba and Armenia, illiterate immigrants exclusion, “equal pay for equal work,” “National Board of Arbitration”; high protective tariffs; denounced lynching. Democratic Platform: Free silver (to the dismay of Gold Standard Cleveland Democrats), tariff reduction, graduated income tax, stricter railroad and trust regulations; condemnation of court injunctions against strikers; disapproval of the bond issues.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Monetary Policy; (bimetallism, gold standard, Free Silver, tariff); Economy Campaign Innovations (General Election): Stumping (national speaking tour by train) Mark Hanna built a campaign on “business principles”:    

Organized different bureaus appealing to different constituencies Germans, blacks, wheelmen, and women. deployed hundreds of speakers across the country. distributed hundreds of millions of pamphlets in different languages. Sophisticated Fundraising — no campaign spent so much money until 1920.

Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:   

Front Porch campaign: Republican McKinley stayed home in Canton, Ohio, speaking over 300 times to an estimated 750,000 visitors from 30 states. Francis Loomis: “The desire to come to Canton has reached the point of mania.” Mark Hanna’s Republican orators denounced Bryan as a “radical.” Labeled Bryan a “socialist, anarchist, communist, revolutionary, lunatic, madman, rabble-rouser, thief, traitor, murderer.”

Democratic Party: 

Stumping: Democrat William J. Bryan traveled over 18,000 miles and gave 600 speeches to 5 million people in 27 states.

Major Personalities (General Election): Mark Hanna (Republican campaign manager); Theodore Roosevelt 177

Turning Points (General Election): 

Banks and employers threatened workers that they might lose their jobs if they voted for Bryan.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republicans:      

“Patriotism, Protection, and Prosperity.” “The Temple of Prosperity: This Door will be Opened Nov 3, 1896, Wm McKinley.” “Protection, Sound Monday, Prosperity.” “We Will Maintain Our Nation’s Honor: Sound Money, Protection, Reciprocity.” “McKinley and the Full Dinner Pail.” “Advance agent of prosperity.”

Democrats:   

“Free Coinage 1896: 16 to 1/Tariff for Revenue Only.” “No Crown of Thorns/No Cross of Gold.” “The Poor Man’s Candidates.”

Campaign Song:  



Republicans: “The women they adore it/While the men try hard to store it/There is not a better thing in life than/Gold, gold, gold.” Republicans: “Get down the empty dinner pail, Let’s polish it once more. Ah, good old friend, come off the nail, For work will reach our door/as soon as we get Grover out And Bill McKinley in.” (William McKinley) Marching with McKinley

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democrat: “NO CROWN OF THORNS! NO CROSS OF GOLD!” “16-to-1” Republican: “IN GOD WE TRUST…FOR THE OTHER 53 CENTS”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): 

Republican Party: $3.5 million; 5-to-1 more than the Democrats

Defining Quotations (Winning Candidate):   

“Good money never made times hard”; “Our currency today is good — all of it is as good as gold,” “We want good prices and good wages, and when we have them we want them to be paid in good money.” William McKinley 178



“If I took a whole train, Bryan would take a sleeper; if I took a sleeper, Bryan would take a chair car; if I took a chair car, he would ride a freight train.” William McKinley

Defining Quotations (Losing Candidate):  

“You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” William Jennings Bryan “. . . I would rather have it said that I lacked dignity than…. that I lack the backbone to meet the enemies of the Government who work against its welfare in Wall Street.” William Jennings Bryan

Campaign Quotations:     

“It was a fanaticism like the Crusades.” Kansas Republican journalist William Allen White “McKinley isn’t a silver-bug, McKinley isn’t a gold-bug, McKinley is a straddle-bug.” Republican Speaker of the House “Czar” Thomas B. Reed Hanna “advertised McKinley as if he were a patent medicine.” Theodore Roosevelt “I am a Democrat still, very still,” David B. Hill. Re: Bryan: “He is begging for the Presidency as a tramp might beg for a pie, with no idea that it is a matter of any more importance.” Lincoln’s Secretary, John Hay

Further Reading: 

Glad, Paul W. Mckinley, Bryan, and the People. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1964.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

The currency question polarized the country and helped the Republicans dominate for much of the next three decades. Bryan at 36 was the youngest man ever nominated for President by a major party.

179

1900

Election Year: 1900 Election Day Date: November 6, 1900 Winning Ticket: 

William McKinley (57, Methodist), Theodore Roosevelt (42, Dutch Reformed), Republican 7,228,864 51.64% 292 65.3%

Losing Ticket(s):      

William Bryan (40, Presbyterian), Adlai Stevenson (65, ), Democratic 6,370,932 45.52% 155 34.7% John Woolley (50, ), Henry Metcalf (unknown), Prohibition 210,867 1.51% 0 0.0% Eugene Debs (45, ), Job Harriman (39, agnostic- though an ordained priest), Socialist 87,945 0.63% 0 0.0% Wharton Barker (54, ), Ignatius Donnelly (69, ), Populist 50,989 0.36% 0 0.0% Joseph Maloney (unknown), Valentine Remmel (47,), Socialist Labor 40,943 0.29% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 6,889 0.05% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 73.2% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: A front-porch campaign, stumping, speeches, newspapers, speakers, pamphlets posters, and rallies. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: William McKinley, Garret A. Hobart, Republican 1897–1901 Population: 1900: 76,094,000 GDP: 114 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $20.6 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $422.8 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 4.86 Population (in thousands): Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $270 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $5,557 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,226 (1900) 180

Average Daily Circulation: 15,102,156 (1900) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: National party convention Central Issues: 

Anti-imperialism; Spanish-American War; Annexation of the Philippines and Puerto Rico

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidate: 

William McKinley, President of the United States from Ohio

Democratic Party candidates:  

George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy (Vermont) William Jennings Bryan, Democratic presidential nominee in 1896 (Nebraska)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):   

Spanish-American War triggers national pride but complexity as the US move into the Philippines triggers an insurgency. Anti-imperialism movement builds some momentum as the US annexes the Philippines and Puerto Rico. March 14, 1900: Gold Standard Act — the US on Gold Standard, Battle of Standard ends in Republican triumph.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Admiral George Dewey; Thomas Platt; Mathew Quay; Theodore Roosevelt; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 



Republican Party: Vice President Garret A. Hobart died. As a successor, rank, and file Republicans liked New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt, famed as a “Rough Rider” in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Mark Hanna and President McKinley disliked Roosevelt. “Boss” Thomas Platt of New York, helped break the logjam, motivated by his desire to get Roosevelt, an anti-machine reformer, out of New York. Democratic Party: Considered nominating Admiral George Dewey, a Spanish-American War hero, until he spurned any party affiliation. 181



Democrats still divided over currency issues, newly divided over imperialism and expansionism.

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: June 19–21, 1900, Convention Hall; Philadelphia, 1st ballot, William McKinley (Ohio), Theodore Roosevelt (New York) Democratic National Convention: July 4–6, 1900, Convention Hall; Kansas City James D. Richardson (Tennessee), 1st ballot, William Jennings Bryan (Nebraska) Adlai E. Stevenson I (Illinois)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:    

William McKinley was unopposed for the nomination. The convention focused on nominating a new Vice Presidential candidate. McKinley preferred Senator William B. Allison of Iowa but Allison withdrew from the balloting. As a successor, rank, and file Republicans liked New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt, famed as a “Rough Rider” in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Mark Hanna and President McKinley disliked Roosevelt. “Boss” Thomas Platt of New York, helped break the logjam, motivated by his desire to get Roosevelt, an anti-machine reformer, out of New York.

Democratic National Convention:     

William Jennings Bryan was nominated with any opposition Bryan decided to allow the party and delegates choose his running-mate as he did in 1896 Seven candidates vied for the position on the first ballot, two withdrew prior to the vote Adlai E. Stevenson was the front-runner after the first ballot. After several delegations switched the votes, he was nominated. The first appearance of royalty at a political convention, King David Kawananakoa the Hawaiian heir to the throne was a delegate.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot 

William McKinley 926

Vice Presidential Ballot 

Theodore Roosevelt 925 182



Not voting 1

Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot 

William Jennings Bryan 936

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot after shifts        

Adlai E. Stevenson 559.5 936 David B. Hill 200 0 Charles A. Towne 89.5 0 Abraham W. Patrick 46 0 Julian S. Carr 23 0 John W. Smith 16 0 Elliott M. Danforth 1 0 James S. Hogg 1 0

Third Parties Candidates:  



     

The Populist Party: “Fusion” faction (wanted to merge with the Democratic Party and did), Convention Sioux Falls, South Dakota, President, William Jennings Bryan; Vice President, Charles A. Towne for (national chairman of the Silver Republican Party, later withdrew). “Middle of the Road” Populists, (Wanted to maintain a separate identity as a party) Convention, Cincinnati, President, Wharton Barker, and Vice President Ignatius L. Donnelly. The “Middle of the Road” faction contested two more presidential elections, but the Populists died out as a serious political force after 1900. The Socialist Labor Party divided into two factions (The Social Democratic Party; Socialist Labor Party). Social Democratic Party: President, Eugene Debs; Government and ownership of business and utilities. Prohibition Party (two factions): Last campaign of the National Prohibitionists. Union Reform Party: President, Seth H. Ellis United Christian Party: President, Jonah F.R. Leonard

Convention Keynote Speaker: Convention Chairmen:  

Republican: Senator Edward Wolcott (Colorado) Democratic: James D. Richardson (Tennessee)

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): 183

Party Platform Issues: 



Republican Party: Praised President McKinley’s record: improved business conditions, won Spanish-American War; defended postwar expansionism; established department of commerce; condemned Jim Crow, southern laws that blocked African-Americans voting; raised child labor age limit; constructed a canal in Panama. Democratic Party: anti-imperialism platform; denounced colonial policies; condemned post-war expansionism; included silver plank.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Imperialism (the Philippines and Puerto Rico); Territorial Expansionism; monetary question (free silver); trusts; Philippine-American War (American troops fighting the insurgency) Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

Whistle-stop tour: Both William Jennings Bryan and Theodore Roosevelt addressed the masses from the rear platform of the train. Intensive Fundraising from businessmen and financiers

Major Personalities (General Election): “Boss” Thomas Platt, of the New York State Republican Party; Eugene Debs; Elihu Root, Secretary of War; Emilio Aguinaldo, Philippine leader; Mark Hanna Campaign tactics: Republican Party:     

Front Porch Campaign: At his Canton, Ohio home McKinley greeted sixteen delegations and 30,000 supporters during the campaign’s peak. President McKinley made a two-week, 80-speech Midwestern tour in 1899, before the campaign. Stumping: Theodore Roosevelt, McKinley’s running mate, stumped, covering 21,000 miles by train, giving 673 speeches in 24 states to an estimated three million people. Mark Hanna moved campaign headquarters to Chicago, to force Bryan to protect his home turf too. Around 2,500,000 pieces of literature flooded Indiana, 3,500,000 in Ohio.

Democratic Party: 

Stumping/Whistle-stop tour: Bryan traveled by train 18,000 miles to rallies in the Midwest and East, delivering 546 to approximately 2.5 million people.

Turning Points (General Election): 

Democrats: Bryan futilely attacks: “Money, trusts, and imperialism.” 184

  







Money/Free Silver: The economy had recovered under the gold standard, the issue seemed resolved. Trusts: With prosperity resentment against Wall Street dwindled. Anti-Imperialism: The Democrats could not get traction on the issue, partially because Bryan supported the Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898), that annexed the Philippines and Puerto Rico. Bryan oversteps in trying to woo Richard Croker of Tammany Hall, embarrassing himself by proclaiming “I am prepared to say that great is Tammany, and Croker is its prophet.” “Second Coming of Bryan” — in his second trip to New York, Bryan stumbles by trying to resurrect the silver issue but Bryan kept on trying to “stand just where I stood” on silver. Republicans: Secretary of War Elihu Root buried until after the election General Arthur MacArthur’s pessimistic report that the Philippine-American War was not subsiding.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Republican: William McKinley “Four More Years of the Full Dinner Pail” (“A Full Dinner Pail”); “Let well enough alone”; “advance agent of prosperity”; William McKinley, a Western man with Eastern ideas; and Theodore Roosevelt, an Eastern man with Western characteristics.”

Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Hanna assessed corporations, raising $2.5 million. The contest was so easy for Republicans after the campaign Hanna returned one-fifth of the $250,000 Standard Oil officials donated. Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“Four years ago the nation was uneasy because at our very doors an American island was writhing in hideous agony under a worse than medieval despotism. We had our Armenia at our threshold. The situation in Cuba had become such that we could no longer stand quiet and retain one shred of self-respect…. We drew the sword and waged the most righteous and brilliantly successful foreign war that this generation has seen.” Theodore Roosevelt “I am as strong as a bull moose and you can use me to the limit, taking heed of but one thing and that is my throat.” Theodore Roosevelt

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“I would not exchange the glory of this Republic for the glory of all the empires that have risen and fallen since time began.” William Jennings Bryan

185

Campaign Quotations: 

  



“Don’t any of you realize, that there’s only one life between that madman and the Presidency?” Mark Hanna about nominating Theodore Roosevelt as the Republican Party’s Vice Presidential candidate “Your duty to the country is to live for four years from next March.” Mark Hanna to William McKinley “Mr. Bryan had rather be wrong than be President.” Former Speaker of the House Thomas Reed “Hundreds of thousands of our prominent Democrats are convinced that Bryan’s nomination means defeat, and yet they are silent…. What a sad condition!” Grover Cleveland” I do not know on what ticket I will be nominated, I have no politics. I am the people’s candidate.” Admiral George Dewey

Significant books about the campaign:  

Coletta, Paolo E. William Jennings Bryan. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1964. Gould, Lewis L. The Presidency of William McKinley. Lawrence: Regents Press of Kansas, 1980.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

A rematch of 1896 but not as exciting — confirmation of Republican political domination. The rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Voter turnout starts to drop.

186

1904 Election Year: 1904 Election Day Date: November 8, 1904 Winning Ticket: 

Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Fairbanks, Republican 7,630,557 56.42% 336 70.6%

Losing Ticket(s):     

Alton Parker, Henry Davis, Democratic 5,083,880 37.59% 140 29.4% Eugene Debs, Benjamin Hanford, Socialist 402,810 2.98% 0 0.0% Silas Swallow, George Carroll, Prohibition 259,103 1.92% 0 0.0% Thomas Watson, Thomas Tibbles, Populist 114,062 0.84% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 34,683 0.26% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 65.2% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speaking tour; Front-Porch campaign; speeches, pamphlets, newspapers, rallies Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

Presidential primary law Florida, 1901: gave the option to hold a primary election to choose any party nominee, including delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Theodore Roosevelt, Republican 1901–1905 Population: 1904: 95,335,000 GDP: 139 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $37.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $576.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.48 Population (in thousands): 95,335 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $392 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $6,051 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,226 (1900) Average Daily Circulation: 15,102,156 (1900) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) 187

Method of Choosing Nominees: National party conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Theodore Roosevelt (“His Accidency”),”Square Deal”

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:  

Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States (New York) Mark Hanna, U.S. Senator (Ohio)

Democratic Party candidates:  

Alton B. Parker, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals (New York) William Randolph Hearst, U.S. Representative (New York)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):  

Primaries: Direct election of delegates to the national convention to minimize the power of the bosses and their political machines. Florida: the first state to hold a presidential primary to select delegates to a national convention.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): William Jennings Bryan; Grover Cleveland; William Randolph Hearst; Maryland Senator Arthur Gorman Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  



Democratic Party: William Jennings Bryan refused to run for a third straight time, but endorsed former President Grover Cleveland. William Randolph Hearst, chairman of the National Association of Democratic Clubs, tried to boost his candidacy with Hearst-for-President clubs and a “Hearst Brigade” of reformers in Congress. May 18, Ion Perdicaris, an American citizen living in Morrocco was kidnapped and held for ransom by Raisuli, a bandit. Roosevelt rushed to send warships and had Secretary of State John Hay to send the message “This Government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead” to the American consul-general in Tangier. Morroc secured his released by then, and Perdicaris, was not an American but rather a Greek citizen, still at the Republican convention the slogan “Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead!” was chanted.

188

Nominations Quotations:   

“I’d rather be elected to that office than have anything tangible of which I know. But I shall never be elected to it. They don’t want me.” Theodore Roosevelt “What an inspiration it would be to hear Democratic leadership proclaim, ‘Bryanism is not Democracy.’” Former President Grover Cleveland “They demand the leadership and say to the party, ‘Did we not hold office in thy name, and in thy name draw large salaries?’” William Jennings Bryan

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: June 21–23, 1904, Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, 1st ballot, Theodore Roosevelt (New York), Charles W. Fairbanks (Indiana) Democratic National Convention: July 6–9, 1904, St. Louis Coliseum I; Saint Louis, Champ Clark (Missouri), 1st ballot, Alton B. Parker (New York), Henry G. Davis (West Virginia)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 

Republican bosses rejected Roosevelt’s choice for a running mate, Representative Robert R. Hitt, to punish the President for imposing George Cortelyou on them as National Chairman.

Democratic National Convention: 



To thwart the newspaper publisher and Congressman William Randolph Hearst, New York’s Tammany Hall political machine and the conservative wing of the party nominated Alton B. Parker, Bourbon Democrat, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. In an unprecedented move, Alton B. Parker sent a telegram after he was nominated saying he would only accept the nomination if the party supported the gold standard.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination Presidential 1st Ballot 

Theodore Roosevelt 994

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot 

Charles W. Fairbanks 994

189

Democratic Party nomination Presidential 1st Ballot            

Alton B. Parker 679 William Randolph Hearst 181 Francis M. Cockrell 42 Richard Olney 38 Edward C. Wall 27 George Gray 12 John S. Williams 8 Robert E. Pattison 4 George B. McClellan, Jr. 3 Nelson A. Miles 3 Charles A. Towne 2 Bird Sim Coler 1

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot     

Henry G. Davis 654 James R. Williams 165 George Turner 100 William A. Harris 58 Abstaining 23

Third Party Candidates and Nominations:  

Socialist Party: Presidential, Eugene Victor Debs; Vice Presidential, Benjamin Hanford Immigrant communities (German and Finnish) and Western mining areas supported the Socialist Party of America.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Convention Chairmen: 

Democratic: Champ Clark (Missouri)

Party Platforms/Issues: Republican Party:  

Maintain protective tariff, increase foreign trade, respect gold standard, expand the merchant marine, and build a strong navy. Praised Roosevelt’s foreign and domestic policy. 190

Democratic Party:   

 

Omitted the currency issue (Alton Parker’s telegram supported the gold standard); reduce government spending; wanted a congressional investigation of the executive departments; end government contracts with companies violating antitrust laws. endorsed: independence for the Philippines; an eight-hour workday; construction of a Panama Canal; direct election of senators, western territories statehood; and extermination of polygamy, reciprocal trade agreements, army cuts; civil service laws enforcement. condemned monopolies, the protective tariff, imperialism; Condemned the Roosevelt administration as “spasmodic, erratic, sensational, spectacular, and arbitrary.”

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Much overlap between the Democrats and Republicans, the few flashpoints included: the gold standard; anti-imperialism, fair treatment for the Filipinos; the rights of labor unions. Democrats fight “Rooseveltism” more than “Republicanism” — Roosevelt’s charisma and bombast

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Campaign Tactics: Colorless campaign with neither candidate campaigning much. Republican Party:  

Roosevelt did not actively campaign, adhering to the precedent that sitting Presidents did not campaign; Roosevelt stayed at Sagamore Hill Parker on his farm in Esopus, New York.

Democratic Party: 

Parker also refrained from the stump. Attacks Roosevelt for “Cortelyouism,” for “blackmailing” corporations, for seizing too much power.

Major Personalities (General Election): 

George B. Cortelyou; Joseph Pulitzer; E. H. Harriman; Eugene Deb

Turning Points (General Election): 

On October 1, Joseph Pulitzer’s, New York World, full-page editorial accused Roosevelt of corruption in the Bureau of Corporations.

191

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   

Claimed Roosevelt made George B. Cortelyou the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Republican National Chairman to bully corporations into making large donations. In 1907, evidence emerged that insurance companies contributed generously to Roosevelt’s 1904 campaign. Roosevelt also called Railroad magnate E. H. Harriman and U. S. Steel head Henry Clay Frick requesting money to win New York State, (Harriman gave $50,000, and collected another $200,000, and Frick gave $100,000). Roosevelt denied that too. Frick later complained: “We bought the son of a bitch and he did not stay bought.” Judge Parker let loose, condemning Roosevelt’s “shameless … willingness to make compromises with decency.” Roosevelt angrily refuted the allegations in a public letter released November 4, saying he was speaking “lest the silence of self-respect be misunderstood.” Roosevelt declined a $100,000 contribution from Standard Oil to demonstrate his virtue.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democrats call Roosevelt “His Accidency” and “that damned cowboy”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: Roosevelt the Cry (Theodore Roosevelt)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Republicans as “the ‘do something’ party” Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):  

Republican Party: $2,195,000 in contributions, three-quarters from corporations Democrats barely raised half a million dollars.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):   

“The assertion that there has been any blackmail, direct or indirect, by Mr. Cortelyou or by me, is a falsehood.” Theodore Roosevelt “The criminal rich and the fool rich will do all they can to beat me.” Theodore Roosevelt “My dear, I am no longer a political accident!” Theodore Roosevelt to his wife after his landslide.

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“I regard the gold standard as firmly and irrevocably established and shall act accordingly if the action of the convention today shall be ratified by the people. As the platform is silent on the subject, my view should be made known to the convention, and if it is proved to be unsatisfactory to the majority, I request you to decline the nomination for me at once, so that another may be nominated before adjournment.” Alton B. Parker, Nomination Acceptance Letter

192

Campaign Quotations:  

“And has he no faults, this hero of mine? Yes, he has and I am glad of it, for I want a live man for a friend, not a dead saint.” TR Campaign Biography “1. How much has the beef trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 2. How much has the paper trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 3. How much has the coal trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 4. How much has the sugar trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 5. How much has the oil trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 6. How much has the tobacco trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 7. How much has the steel trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 8. How much have the national banks contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 9. How much has the insurance trust contributed to Mr. Cortelyou? 10. How much have the six great railroads contributed to Mr. Cortelyou?” Joseph Pulitzer, New York World, October 1, 1904

Significant books about the campaign:  

Donald, A da D. P. Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Basic Books, 2007. Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: Modern Library, 2002.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:    

Roosevelt won the election by a landslide — in a personal triumph, running far ahead of his party. After winning, Roosevelt promised to retire after this term, upholding Washington’s nothird-term tradition. Twelve African-American delegates and four women served as alternates to the Republican National convention. Democratic Party vice Presidential candidate Henry G. Davis (West Virginia) at 81 was the oldest major party candidate ever nominated for national office.

193

1908 Election Year: 1908 Election Day Date: November 3, 1908 Winning Ticket: William Taft (Unitarian), James Sherman, Republican: 7,678,335 51.57% 321 66.5% Losing Ticket(s):     

William Jennings Bryan, John Kern, Democratic: 6,408,979 43.04% 162 33.5% Eugene Debs, Benjamin Hanford, Socialist: 420,852 2.83% 0 0.0% Eugene Chafin, Aaron Watkins, Prohibition: 254,087 1.71% 0 0.0% Thomas Hisgen, John Graves, Independence: 82,574 0.55% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 44,412 0.30% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 65.4% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Whistle-stop tour, stumping, speeches, posters, campaign paraphernalia Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: William Jennings Bryan rejected corporate contributions and published the names of donors of $100 or more by October 15. Bryan wanted to raise money by dollar subscriptions. Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Theodore Roosevelt, Charles W. Fairbanks, Republican, 1901–1909 Population: 1908: 88,710,000 GDP: 119 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $30.1 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $492.5 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.12 Population (in thousands): 88,710 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $340 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $5,552 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,600 (1910) Average Daily Circulation: 24,211,977 (1910) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: 194

 

National Party Conventions; Presidential preference primary

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Theodore Roosevelt, lame-duck status after announcing soon after his reelection he would not run for another term

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:        

Joseph Gurney Cannon, Speaker of the House of Representatives (Illinois) Charles W. Fairbanks, Vice President (Indiana) Joseph B. Foraker, Senator (Ohio) Charles Evans Hughes, Governor of New York Philander C. Knox, Senator (Pennsylvania) Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Senator (Wisconsin) Leslie M. Shaw, Former Secretary of the Treasury (Iowa) William H. Taft, Secretary of War (Ohio)

Democratic Party candidates:   

William J. Bryan, Former U.S. Representative and 1896 and 1900 presidential nominee (Nebraska) George Gray, Former U.S. senator (Delaware) John Albert Johnson, Governor of Minnesota

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Anti-trust issue

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):  

Direct election of delegates to the national convention, to democratize process and limit the power of the bosses and their political machines. Robert M. LaFollette, Sr. and Wisconsin’s Progressive Republicans created primaries to elect delegates to the party’s national convention after the boss-controlled stalwart Republican delegation was seated at the 1904 convention rather than LaFollette’s progressive delegation.

Primaries Results:   

February 11, 1908: (Presidential Preference) Ohio, Howard Taft California, (primary w/out preference) Taft Wisconsin, (primary w/out preference) Senator Robert M. LaFollette, Sr. 195



Pennsylvania, (primary w/out preference) Senator Philander C. Knox.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

Theodore Roosevelt; William Jennings Bryan; New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes; Senator Albert B. Cummins; Robert M. La Follette, Sr.

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):     

Roosevelt regretted his declaration to retire. Roosevelt sought a successor. His first choice Secretary of State Elihu Root was “not willing to pay the price.” His second choice, William Howard Taft, was also reluctant. Roosevelt hoped the convention would draft him but feared a defeat would tarnish his legacy. Roosevelt orchestrated every aspect of the 1908 campaign, the convention, candidates, and general election strategy. William Jennings Bryan’s profile increased after his 1904 world tour, and he beat Circuit Court Judge George Gray and Minnesota Governor John Johnson easily, for the nomination.

Nominations Quotations:    



“Under no circumstances will I be a candidate or accept another nomination.” Theodore Roosevelt on election night 1904 to the White House Press Corps “The fixed principle — equal rights to all and special privileges to none.” William Jennings Bryan “I think the best man to receive it.” Theodore Roosevelt on choosing William Howard Taft as successor. “If Taft’s foolish opponents . . . are able to hold up the nomination until after the first ballot, there is a chance of a stampede for me, and if it really gets underway, nothing that I could do would stop it.” Theodore Roosevelt “He has built up a personal following unparalleled for one with a record of nothing but defeat, and with no patronage to strengthen his control.” Wall Street Journal about William Jennings Bryan

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: June 16–19, 1908 Chicago Coliseum; Chicago 1st ballot, William Howard Taft (Ohio), James S. Sherman (New York) Democratic National Convention: July 7–10, 1908, Denver Arena-Auditorium; Denver, Henry D. Clayton (Alabama) 1st ballot, William Jennings Bryan (Nebraska), (John W. Kern) (Indiana)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 196

    

Theodore Roosevelt pushed the convention to nominate his chosen successor William Howard Taft. The party was split about nominating Taft, felt he was too much like Roosevelt and too conservative. However, after Roosevelt’s endorsement of Taft, they had to nominate him. First-time women served as full-time delegates; Lucy Clark and Susa Young Gates of Utah. First-time state delegations were chosen through the primary system, some pledged to certain candidates.

Democratic National Convention:   

William Jennings Bryan was easily nominated on the first ballot. John W. Kern, a former gubernatorial candidate from Indiana, nominated by acclamation as the Vice Presidential candidate. Bryan gave up on the silver plank and focused on social progressive reforms.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination Presidential 1st ballot        

William Howard Taft 702 Philander Knox 68 Charles Evans Hughes 67 Joseph Gurney Cannon 58 Charles W. Fairbanks 40 Robert M. La Follette, Sr. 25 Theodore Roosevelt 3 Abstention 1

Vice Presidential 1st ballot     

James S. Sherman 702 Edward F. Murphy 77 Curtis Guild 75 George L. Sheldon 10 Charles W. Fairbanks 1

Democratic Party nomination Presidential 1st Ballot  

William Jennings Bryan 892.5 George Gray 50.5 197



John A. Johnson 46

Vice Presidential Ballot 

John W. Kern 1002

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 



Republican Party: Endorsed: employer liability laws; safety appliance statutes, shorter work days; workman’s compensation for injuries; public works; an eight-hour workday; equal justice, enforcement of the 13th, 14th 15th amendments of the Constitution. Democratic Party: Endorsed: Progressive reforms; social justice agenda; material prosperity; charitable programs; “necessary” taxation, nationalization of the railroads, Philippines’ independence; denounced U.S. imperialism.

Third Party Candidates & Nominations:  

Socialist Party: Presidential, Eugene Debs Debs stirred the campaign with a 350-city whistle-stop tour on the “Red Special” addressing about 800,000 people but received a smaller percentage of the vote than in 1904.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Anti-trust legislation, trust-busting; Roosevelt’s plotted Presidential succession.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Campaign Tactics: Although reluctant at first, both Taft and Bryan stumped. Republican Party:    

Taft was not very good on the stump read long boring speeches, overloaded with too many facts, and made tactless remarks that offended. Emphasized Taft’s experience as a judge, territorial governor, and Cabinet member attacked Bryan’s inexperience (only four years in Congress). Roosevelt still dominated, actively campaigned for Taft, suggest Taft attacking Bryan. Critics said TAFT stood for “Take Advice From Theodore.” Taft confessed, “A national campaign for the Presidency to me is a nightmare.”

198

Democratic Party: 

Bryan stumped, delivering up to 30 speeches each day. Advocate reforms; attacked “government by privilege.”

Major Personalities (General Election): Theodore Roosevelt Turning Points (General Election):    



Taft adopted many of Bryan’s policy proposals, making the Republicans progressive too. Business continued to support the Republican Party. Democrats and Bryan failed to secure labor support. Democratic scandal in September: William Randolph Hearst published the Archbold letters from Standard Oil Company files exposing secret deals with politicians, including, Oklahoma Governor Charles N. Haskell, Bryan’s campaign manager. Haskell resigned. Roosevelt accused Bryan of “moral obliquity” for claiming innocence until proven guilty.

Popular Campaign Slogans:    

Republican Party: “Vote for Taft now, you can vote for Bryan anytime Bryan now called the “Balding Boy Orator” Taft talks about “tariff and prosperity” Democratic Party: “Shall the People Rule?” (Populist slogan)

Campaign Song: 

Republican: Get on a Raft with Taft (William H. Taft)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Bryanite Democrats: “THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY MUST BE PROGRESSIVE”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): 

As of October 9, Bryan disclosed $248,467.25 in contributions from 50,000 donors.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“I am not a politician and I dislike politics. I do want to go on the bench and my ambition is to be Chief Justice of the United States. I would be of more service there to the United States than I could be as President.” William Howard Taft “You have always been the chief agent in working out the present status of affairs, and my selection and election are chiefly your work.” William Howard Taft in a note of gratitude to Theodore Roosevelt after winning the election

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 199



“A forced succession to the Presidency.” William Jennings Bryan

Campaign Quotations: 





“The real problem that confronts you is whether you can be a sage at fifty. If you can, your permanent reputation seems to me certain. If you cannot, then the outlook is different.” President of Columbia College, Nicholas Murray Butler to Roosevelt about a third term “No longer…. will there stand between the voter and the official a political machine with a complicated system of caucuses and conventions, by the manipulation of which it thwarts the will of the voter and rules of official conduct.” Robert M. La Follette, Sr., 1905 “It was a vote more against Bryan than for Taft,” Elihu Root.

Famous books that defined or resulted from the campaign: Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Bryan’s last Presidential campaign, he seemed more popular, and his ideas were more broadly accepted but he suffered his biggest defeat.

1912

Election Year: 1912 Election Day Date: November 5, 1912 Winning Ticket: Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Marshall, Democratic 6,296,284 41.84% 435 81.9% Losing Ticket(s):     

Theodore Roosevelt, Hiram Johnson, Progressive 4,122,721 27.40% 88 16.6% William Taft, Nicholas Butler, Republican 3,486,242 23.17% 8 1.5% Eugene Debs, Emil Seidel, Socialist 901,551 5.99% 0 0.0% Eugene Chafin, Aaron Watkins, Prohibition 208,156 1.38% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 33,880 0.23% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 58.8% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping; whistle-stop tour; speeches; rallies; pamphlets; leaflets

200

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: William Howard Taft, James S. Sherman, Republican 1909–1913 Population: 1904: 95,335,000 GDP: 139 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $37.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $576.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 6.48 Population (in thousands): 95,335 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $392 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $6,051 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,600 Average Daily Circulation: 24,211,977 Households with: Radio, Television and Computer/Internet: Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote, direct election Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries; National party conventions Central Issues:  

Increased support for progressive reforms: income tax, initiative, recall, and the direct election of senators. Strong economy

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates:     

Woodrow Wilson, Governor of New Jersey Champ Clark, Speaker of the House (Missouri) Judson Harmon, Governor of Ohio Oscar W. Underwood, House Majority Leader (Alabama) Thomas R. Marshall, Governor of Indiana

Republican Party candidates:   

William H. Taft, President of the United States (Ohio) Theodore Roosevelt, Former President (New York) Robert M. La Follette, Senator (Wisconsin)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):

201

 

Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives in the Midterm Election of 1910. Finding Taft too conservative, Theodore Roosevelt opposed him for the Republican nomination.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):    

For the first time significant numbers of delegates to the national convention were elected in presidential preference primaries (362 Republican delegates from 14 states). Presidential preference primary: The “beauty contest” allowed voters to choose one candidate for the nomination, in addition to voting for specific convention delegates. Oregon, the first state to adopt the presidential preference primary (voted on in 1910). The first time an incumbent President, Republican William Howard Taft, stumped for the nomination.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

William Jennings Bryan

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

 

Robert M. La Follette, Sr. first challenged William Howard Taft for the Republican nomination, maintained some momentum and early wins in North Dakota and his home state Wisconsin. When Theodore Roosevelt entered the race, progressives abandoned La Follette to support Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt won the most delegates and elections in the new Presidential preference primaries

Primaries/Nominations Quotations: 

 

“My position on the third term is perfectly simple. I said I would not accept a nomination for a third term under any circumstances, meaning of course a third consecutive term. . . .” Theodore Roosevelt “My hat is in the ring! The fight is on and I am stripped to the buff!” Theodore Roosevelt announcing his candidacy in February 1912 “Whether I win or lose is not the important thing. I am in this fight to perform a great public duty the duty of keeping Theodore Roosevelt out of the White House.” William Howard Taft to journalist Charles Thompson about his unprecedented decision to take to the stump to gain the Republican nomination

Primaries: Fourteen states held Republican primaries 

North Dakota: Robert M. La Follette, Sr 202

     

Wisconsin: Robert M. La Follette, Sr New York: Howard Taft Nevada: Howard Taft Illinois, April 9, 1912: Theodore Roosevelt Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Oregon, Maryland, California, Ohio, New Jersey, South Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt Massachusetts: Howard Taft

Primaries Results: Democratic Party (Jul 01, 1912)       

Woodrow Wilson 527,296, 43.18% James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark 427,938, 35.05% Judson Harmon, 128,633, 10.53% Oscar Wilder Underwood, 114,947, 9.41% John Burke, 9,357, 0.77% Unpledged, 4,275, 0.35% Others, 3,113, 0.25%

Republican Party (Jun 4, 1912)      

Theodore Roosevelt 1,183,238, 51.14% William Howard Taft(I) 800,441, 34.59% Robert M. La Follette 327,357, 14.15% Others, 2,193 0.09% Robert G. Ross 605 0.03% Charles Evans Hughes (W) 13, 0.00%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: June 25-July 2, 1912, 5th Maryland -Regiment Armory; Baltimore, Ollie M. James (Kentucky) 46th ballot, Woodrow Wilson (New Jersey), Thomas R. Marshall (Indiana) Republican National Convention: June 18–22, 1912, Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, 1st ballot, William Howard Taft (Ohio), James S. Sherman (New York)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:  

Although Theodore Roosevelt won 9 Republican Presidential primaries 278 delegates to 36 for La Follette and 48 for Taft, the pledges were not binding at the convention. With “Old Guard” support William Howard Taft gathered enough delegates to secure the nomination and shut out Roosevelt.

203



 

At the convention, Roosevelt challenged the delegates’ credentials. Southern delegates supported Taft by a margin of 5–1. Taft secured the Alabama, Arizona, and California delegates even though Roosevelt won the states by close margins. On June 22, 1912, Roosevelt asked his supporters to abstain from voting and leave the convention. Convention chairman Elihu Root, Roosevelt’s former ally, proposed the convention renominate President Taft and Vice President James S. Sherman.

Democratic National Convention:      

Crowded field of 10. House Speaker Champ Clark became the front-runner with the endorsement of New York’s Tammany Hall and Wall Street. William Jennings Bryan, still influential, blocked Clark’s nomination after hearing of the Tammy Hall endorsement. On the 14th ballot, Bryan switched to Woodrow Wilson, Governor of New Jersey. Wilson was nominated on the 46th ballot Thomas R. Marshall shifted Indiana’s votes to Wilson; later designated Wilson’s running mate.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination Presidential 1st ballot     

William Howard Taft, 556 TR delegates not voting 349 Roosevelt 107 Robert S. La Follette, Sr. 41 Others 26

Vice Presidential 1st ballot       

James S. Sherman 596 TR delegates not voting 352 Absent 72 William Borah 21 Charles Merriam 20 Herbert Hadley 14 Albert J. Beveridge 2 (others 58)

Sherman: first Vice President re-nominated since 1828 Democratic National Convention

204

President nominated 46th ballot 1st & 15th ballot       

Champ Clark 440.5 552 Woodrow Wilson 324 362.5 Judson Harmon 148 29 Oscar W. Underwood 117.5 110.5 Thomas R. Marshall 31 30 Simeon Baldwin 22 – Others 1 4

30th ballot      

Champ Clark 455 Woodrow Wilson 460 Oscar W. Underwood 121.5 Eugene Foss – Judson Harmon 19 Others 2

31st, 45th, 46th ballot      

Woodrow Wilson 475.5 633 990 Champ Clark 446.5 306 84 Oscar W. Underwood 116.5 97 – Eugene Foss 30 27 – Judson Harmon 17 25 12 Others 2.5 6 8

Vice Presidential 2nd ballot         

Thomas R. Marshall 389 644.5 John Burke 304.67 386.33 George E. Chamberlain 157 12.5 Elmore W. Hurst 78 0 James H. Preston 58 0 Martin J. Wade 26 0 William F. McCombs 18 0 John E. Osborne 8 0 William Sulzer 3 0

Third Party Candidates & Nomination: Progressive Party:

205

    

Presidential, Theodore Roosevelt; Vice Presidential, Senator Hiram Johnson of California Formed when Roosevelt and his supporters split from the Republican Party after they renominated William Howard Taft. Supporters included social workers, reformers, intellectuals, feminists, Republican insurgents, disgruntled politicians, and businessmen. “New Nationalism.” Radical progressive platform “Covenant with the People.” Popularly known as the “Bull Moose Party.”

Socialist Party:     

Presidential: Eugene Debs Factionalized local parties, elected officials in 33 states, 160 cities. The conservatives: Victor Berger, (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) progressive causes, efficiency, an end to corruption, “gas and water socialism.” Radical opponents: overthrow capitalism, infiltrate labor unions and cooperate with the Industrial Workers of the World (“the Wobblies”). The largest percentage of the popular vote.

Convention Chairmen: 

Republican Party: Temporary & Permanent Chairman: Elihu Root

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Progressive Party: Albert J. Beveridge IN (one of the most famous keynote speeches, the standard for subsequent conventions)

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Progressive Party: Warren G. Harding Convention Quotations: 



“As proof of our fidelity to the people, we hereby declare ourselves opposed to the nomination of any candidate for President who is the representative of or under any obligation to J. Pierpont Morgan, Thomas F. Ryan, August Belmont, or any other member of the privilege-hunting and favor-seeking class.” From a resolution, William Jennings Bryan introduced at the Democratic National Convention repudiating machine candidates. “The people’s Government has been usurped by the Invisible Government, and the people’s Government must be given back to the people again.” Albert J. Beveridge IN, Progressive Party National Convention, August 5–7, 1912

Party Platform/Issues: 

Democratic Party: “New Freedom” Individualism; moderate progressive measures: single six-year presidential term, direct election of Senators, national income tax, presidential primaries 206

 

Republican Party: Increase judicial power over elected officials Progressive Party: “The New Nationalism” reforms federal regulation over the economy, corporations; overruling judicial decisions that contradicted progressive reforms.

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Ideological differences: Taft, conservatism; Roosevelt, Progressivism; and Wilson, liberalism. “New day” in America, need for increased government involvement, social welfare programs.

Campaign Innovations (General Election):   

Taft was the first sitting President to stump for reelection in a primary or in the general election after being re-nominated. A powerful third-party candidate, who affected the outcome of the election. Third party as spoilers.

Campaign Tactics:     

Republican Party: Quiet campaign style: Taft, for the most part, did not stump, saying the incumbent President does not campaign. Conservative Old Guard control increased over the Republican Party Taft called Roosevelt’s supporters and Republican defectors who formed the Progressive Party “labor, socialistic, discontented, ragtag, and bobtail variety.” Democratic Party: Wilson preferred a dignified style. Bryan actively campaigned for Wilson out West. Progressive Party: Roosevelt campaigned vigorously; claimed the Republican nomination was stolen from him.

Major Personalities (General Election): Louis Brandeis; William Jennings Bryan; Turning Points (General Election): 



October 14, 1912, In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roosevelt shot by a mad saloonkeeper, John F. Schrank. The bullet went through his steel eyeglass case, and a 50-page copy of his speech in his jacket before it lodged in his chest, Roosevelt nevertheless delivered his speech. October 30th Republican vice Presidential candidate James S. Sherman died. Columbia University president Nicholas Murray Butler replaced him.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democratic Party: “Empty Market Basket”

Campaign Song: 207



Democratic: Wilson, That’s All (Woodrow Wilson)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): 

Big Business knew Taft and the Republicans did not have much a chance at victory and they did not contribute much to the Republican campaign.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“What form does the contest between tyranny and freedom take to-day? What is the special form of tyranny we now fight? How does it endanger the rights of the people, and what do we mean to do in order to make our contest against it effectual? What are to be the items of our new declaration of independence? By tyranny, as we now fight it, we mean control of the law, of legislation and adjudication, by organizations which do not represent the people, by means which are private and selfish.” Woodrow Wilson, “The New Freedom” “Ours is a programme of liberty, theirs is a programme of regulation.” Woodrow Wilson

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 







“Sometimes, I think I might as well give up so far as being a candidate is concerned. There are so many people in the country who don’t like me. Without knowing much about me, they don’t like me -apparently on the Dr. Fell principle . . . they don’t exactly know the reason, but it is on the principle: I don’t like you, Dr. Fell, The reason why I can not tell, But this I know and know full well, I don’t like you, Dr. Fell. William Howard Taft writing in July 1912 “I hope we shall win. . . . But win, or lose, we shall not falter. . . . Our cause is based on the eternal principle of righteousness; and even though we who now lead may for the time fail, in the end, the cause itself shall triumph. . . . We stand at Armageddon, and we battle for the Lord.” Theodore Roosevelt, Acceptance speech Presidential nomination Progressive Party “I will make this speech or die. It is one thing or the other…. I am going to ask you to be very quiet and please excuse me from making a long speech. I’ll do the best I can, but there is a bullet in my body… It is nothing, I am not hurt badly. I have a message to deliver and will deliver it as long as there is life in my body… I have had an A-1 time in life and I am having it now. It was a very natural thing that weak and vicious minds should be inflamed to acts of violence by the kind of artful mendacity and abuse that have been heaped upon me for the last three months.” Theodore Roosevelt after being shot, October 14, 1912 “Only a year ago workingmen were throwing decayed vegetables and rotten eggs at us but now all is changed…. Eggs are too high. There is a great giant growing up in this country that will someday take over the affairs of this nation. He is a little giant now but he is growing fast. The name of this little giant is socialism.” Emil Seidel, Socialist Party, Vice presidential candidate 208

Significant books about the campaign: 

Chace, James. 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft & Debs — The Election that Changed the Country. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

The only time in the 20th century a third party candidate received more votes, popular and electoral votes than a major party candidate Weakest Republican election results in history, with an incumbent defeated.

209

1916 Election Year: 1916 Election Day Date: November 7, 1916 Winning Ticket: 

Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Marshall, Democratic, 9,126,868, 49.24% 277, 52.2%

Losing Ticket(s):    

Charles Hughes, Charles Fairbanks, Republican 8,548,728, 46.12% 254, 47.8% Allan Benson, George Kirkpatrick, Socialist 590,524 3.19% 0 0.0% James Hanly, Ira Landrith, Prohibition 221,302 1.19% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 49,163 0.27% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 61.6% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speeches, rallies, pamphlets Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes:  

Presidential primary laws passed in 25 states. Uneventful 1916 Republican primary race halted the growth of some the Progressive electoral reforms; initiative, referendum, and recall, as did disappointment in the results of some of the reforms.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Woodrow Wilson, Thomas R Marshall, Democratic, 1913–1921 Population: 1916: 101,961,000 GDP: 145 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $49.6 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $647.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 7.66 Population (in thousands): 101,961 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $487 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $6,353 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,441 (1920) Average Daily Circulation: 33,028,630 (1920) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) 210

Method of Choosing Nominees: National Party Convention, Political machines, bosses, early period (1901–1916) of primaries Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):  

World War I; neutrality; sympathy for the allied forces (British and French) but the majority of Americans wanted to remain out of the war. Economic slump and rebound.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidate: 

Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States (New Jersey)

Republican Party candidates:       

Charles E. Hughes, U.S. Supreme Court Justice and former Governor of New York John W. Weeks, U.S. Senator (Massachusetts) Elihu Root, Former U.S. senator (New York Charles W. Fairbanks, Former Vice President of the United States (Indiana) Theodore Roosevelt, Former President (New York) William Howard Taft, Former President (Ohio) Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Senator (Wisconsin)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Republican Party’s internal division

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Theodore Roosevelt; William Howard Taft; Elihu Root Primaries:  

Democratic 20, 53.5% delegates Republican 20, 58.9% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party (July 1, 1916)  

Woodrow Wilson(I) 1,188,978, 98.78% Robert G. Ross 9,417, 0.78% 211

     

Henry Ford 3,284, 0.27% Others 896, 0.07% James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark 802, 0.07% William Jennings Bryan 282, 0.02% Judson Harmon 31, 0.00% James E. Campbell 27 0.00%

Republican Party (July 1, 1916)              

Unpledged 455,765 23.60% Martin G. Brumbaugh 233,100 12.07% Albert B. Cummins 191,951 9.94% Charles Warren Fairbanks 176,080 9.12% Lawrence Yates Sherman 155,945 8.07% Robert Marion La Follette 133,476 6.91% Henry Ford 131,965 6.83% Theodore Elijah Burton 122,1696.32% Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt 83,739 4.34% Charles Evans Hughes 82,530 4.27% William Alden Smith 77,872 4.03% Henry D. Estabrook 30,676 1.59% William Grant Webster 17,927 0.93% Others 15,064 0.78%

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Progressive Party (May 20, 1916)    

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt 5,410 72.09% Others (W) 2,075 27.65% Charles Evans Hughes (W) 10 0.13% Lawrence Yates Sherman (W) 10 0.13%

Socialist Party (May 16, 1916)    

Allan Louis Benson 5,750 80.65% Arthur LeSueur 1,156 16.21% Others (W) 191 2.68% Eugene Victor Debs (W) 33 0.46%

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): 

Still split from 1912, Republicans sought a candidate to appeal to both factions. Roosevelt tried to reunite the party and recapture the nomination.

Primaries Quotations: 212



“It seems to me very clear that, as a member of the Supreme Court, I have no right to be a candidate, either openly or passively.” Charles Evan Hughes

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: June 14–16, 1916, Convention Hall; Saint Louis Ollie M. James (Kentucky) 1st ballot, Woodrow Wilson (New Jersey) Thomas R. Marshall, (Indiana) Republican National Convention: June 7–10, 1916, Chicago Coliseum; Chicago 3rd ballot, Charles Evans Hughes (New York), Charles W. Fairbanks (Indiana)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:    

Americanism and national unity planned themes, America as a World power. Convention emphasized peace and neutrality: “He kept us out of the war.” Wilson replaced William McCombs as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee/Convention with Vance McCormick. Wilson supported a more Progressive platform.

Republican National Convention:   





Progressive Republicans supported Roosevelt for the nomination. His name was entered on the ballot, causing a demonstration and calls to “Throw him out!” Leading candidates: conservative Senator Elihu Root of New York, liberal Senator John W. Weeks of Massachusetts. Roosevelt was still strong enough to prevent Elihu Root’s nomination, because as Republican National Convention chairman in 1912, Root orchestrated Taft’s renomination. Charles Evans Hughes, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from New York, was nominated on the third ballot as the compromise candidate with William Howard Taft’s support. Charles Fairbanks, Roosevelt’s Vice President re-nominated for VP.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination 2 delegates/state/member of Congress; 1,093 delegates and alternates.  

Woodrow Wilson nominated without a roll call with only one delegate objecting. Thomas R. Marshall unanimously re-nominated for vice president.

Republican Party nomination

213

Presidential 3rd ballot                     

Charles E. Hughes 253 326 950 John W. Weeks 105 102 2 Elihu Root 103 89 9 Charles Fairbanks 89 75 7 Albert Cummins 85 77 2 Theodore Roosevelt 81 65 19 Theodore Burton 78 69 9 Lawrence Sherman 66 59 5 Philander Knox 36 30 6 Henry Ford 32 29 9 Martin Brumbaugh 29 22 2 Robert M. La Follette, Sr. 25 25 23 William Howard Taft 14 4 0 Thomas C. DuPont 7 13 6 Henry Cabot Lodge 7 2 0 John Wanamaker 5 1 1 Frank Willis 1 2 2 William Borah 2 0 2 Warren G. Harding 1 0 1 Samuel W. McCall 0 1 1 Leonard Wood 0 1 1

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Progressive Party Nomination:   

 

Met simultaneously as the Republican Convention Re-nominated former President Theodore Roosevelt, who declined the nomination and supported Republican candidate Charles Hughes. Roosevelt returned to the Republican Party. He knew he could not win as a third- party candidate and would be again dividing the Republicans and guaranteeing Wilson’s victory. Roosevelt considered Wilson too passive amid German bullying. The party fell apart without Roosevelt.

Socialist Party:  

Presidential nomination, Allan Louis Benson The first time Eugene Debs did not lead the Socialist Party in an election.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President):

214

Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: Peace and neutrality: military preparedness; progressive reforms (tariffs, banking, labor, agriculture) women’s suffrage (voted from the floor: minority plank wanted to leave the decision to individual states, defeated 888 ½ to 181 ½). Republican Party: Women’s suffrage (decision of individual states); Equal rights for women (separate plank); stronger national defense, tariff commission; natural resources conservation. Condemned the Wilson Administration’s interference in Mexico.

General Election Controversies/Issues: International affairs; Neutrality, World War I Campaign Innovations (General Election): Campaign Tactics: 

Much patriotic imagery in the campaign, reflecting the patriotic backlash against immigrants in general and Germans in particular during the war.

Democratic Party: 

Wilson campaigned little, worked on social legislation, and avoided a national railroad strike, emphasized peace and neutrality. Front Porch speeches at Shadow Lawn as Election Day neared.

Republican Party: 



Republicans, led by their Director of Publicity, Robert W. Woolley, depicted Woodrow Wilson as the great protector of the American home, using colorful posters and slogans such as “HE HAS PROTECTED ME AND MINE.” Hughes also did not actively campaign much; inept campaign manager William R. Willcox; difficulty finding an issue to attack Wilson.

Major Personalities (General Election): Republican Governor of California Hiram Johnson; William R. Willcox Turning Points (General Election): 



Hughes failed to call on California’s popular Progressive Republican governor, Hiram Johnson, when both stayed at the same hotel in Long Beach, California. Apparently, Hughes did not know Johnson was there. Despite many other tensions between the two and their warring factions, many blamed the backlash against the supposed snub when Hughes lost California — and the election —  by under 4000 votes. 215



On September 29, Wilson sent an aggressive telegram to Jeremiah O’Leary, a proGerman, anti-British Irish leader, who had demanded Wilson clarify his position on the war. “I would be deeply mortified to have you or anybody like you vote for me,” Wilson wired back. “Since you have access to many disloyal Americans and I have not, I will ask you to convey this message to them.” Wilson’s jingoism electrified Americans, fueling the growing backlash against “hyphenate Americas.”

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democratic Party: Woodrow Wilson “He kept us out of war”

Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Democratic Party: “The Lesson is Plain: If You Want WAR, vote for HUGHES! If You Want Peace With Honor, VOTE FOR WILSON!”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 





“I am not expecting this country to get into war. I know that the way in which we have preserved the peace is objected to, and that certain gentlemen say they would have taken some other way that would inevitably have resulted in war, but I am not expecting this country to get into war, partly because I am not expecting these gentlemen to have a chance to make a mess of it.” Woodrow Wilson, October 21, 1916 “We have been neutral not only because it was the fixed and traditional policy of the United States to stand aloof from the politics of Europe and because we had had no part either of action or of policy in the influences which brought on the present war, but also because it was manifestly our duty to prevent, if it were possible, the indefinite extension of the fires of hate and desolation kindled by that terrible conflict and seek to serve mankind by reserving our strength and our resources for the anxious and difficult days of restoration and healing which must follow, when peace will have to build its house anew.” Woodrow Wilson, Address at Sea Girt, New Jersey Accepting the Democratic Nomination for President, September 2, 1916 “I am inclined to follow the course suggested by a friend of mine who says…. never to murder a man who is committing suicide.” Woodrow Wilson on his reluctance to attack Charles Hughes

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“If I had known that Johnson was in the hotel, I would have seen him if I had been obliged to kick the door down.” Charles Evan Hughes after the election about his supposed snub of Hiram Johnson.

216

Campaign Quotations:  

“The people as a whole are heartily tired of me and of my views.” Theodore Roosevelt “I agree with the American people in thanking God we have a President who has kept —  who will keep — us out of war.” William Jennings Bryan

Election Issues:   

Hughes led in the Eastern and Midwestern states early on election night, newspapers were declaring Hughes the President but Wilson refused to concede. One of the closest electoral votes in history; Wilson, 30 states, 277 electoral votes; Hughes, 18 states, 254 electoral votes Legend: Hughes went to bed believing he had won the election; in the morning, a reporter called to get Hughes’ reaction to Wilson win and come back, either his son or valet responded: “the President is sleeping.” The reporter replied, “When he wakes up, tell him he isn’t the President anymore.”

Significant books about the campaign: 

Lovell, S. D. The Presidential Election of 1916. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:      

Woodrow Wilson was the only Democrat to win the Presidency in the fourth party system (1896–1932) Vice President Thomas R. Marshall first Vice President re-elected since John C. Calhoun in 1828 The first ticket to remain intact, win reelection, and serve two terms since Monroe and Tompkins. Wilson only the second candidate to win the election without winning his home state Woodrow Wilson won reelection with the smallest percentage margin, 3.1% until George W. Bush in 2004, 2.5%). Wilson was the only President re-elected with fewer electoral votes than his first election victory.

217

1920

Election Year: 1920 Election Day Date: November 2, 1920 Winning Ticket: Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Republican 16,144,093 60.32% 404 76.1% Losing Ticket(s):     

James Cox, Franklin Roosevelt, Democratic 9,139,661 34.15% 127 23.9% Eugene Debs, Seymour Stedman, Socialist 913,693 3.41% 0 0.0% Parley Christiansen, Maximilian Hayes, Farmer-Labor 265,398 0.99% 0 0.0% Aaron Watkins, David Colvin, Prohibition 188,787 0.71% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 113,548 0.42% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 49.2% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, front-porch, speeches, rallies, pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, newspapers Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes:   

Party leaders reassert power as states stop holding primaries Primary laws repealed: Iowa (1917), Minnesota (1917) The 19th Amendment to the Constitution ratified August 18, 1920: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Woodrow Wilson, Thomas R Marshall, Democratic, 1913–1921 Population: 106,461,000 GDP: 147 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $88.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $687.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 12.85 Population (in thousands): 106,461 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $830 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $6,460 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,441 (1920) Average Daily Circulation: 33,028,630 (1920)

218

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National party convention Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues:     

Return to normalcy (after World War I) Economy: the high cost of living and unemployment. League of Nations; (opposition Irish-Americans; German Americans) Ethnic issues (Irish Americans, Clan na Gael; opposition to an alliance with Britain, Irish independence). Discontent with Wilson’s “crusade to make the world safe for American democracy”

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party Candidates        

Warren G. Harding, Senator (Ohio) Leonard Wood, Major General (New Hampshire) Frank Orren Lowden, Governor of Illinois Hiram Johnson, Senator (California) William Cameron Sproul, Governor of Pennsylvania Nicholas Murray Butler, Columbia University President and 1912 V.P. nominee (New York) Calvin Coolidge, Governor of Massachusetts Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Senator (Wisconsin)

Democratic Party candidates:       

James M. Cox, Governor of Ohio William G. McAdoo, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (California) Alexander M. Palmer, U.S. Attorney General (Pennsylvania) Al Smith, Governor of New York John W. Davis, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (West Virginia) Edward I. Edwards, Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States (New Jersey)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

A referendum on the League of Nations.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):

219

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Woodrow Wilson; Theodore Roosevelt; Hiram Johnson; Primaries:  

Democratic 16, 44.6% delegates Republican 20, 57.8% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party (July 1, 1920)              

Hiram W. Johnson 965,651 30.30% Leonard Wood 710,863 22.30% Frank O. Lowden 389,127 12.21% Herbert Clark Hoover 303,815 9.53% Unpledged 298,109 9.35% Edward R. Wood 257,841 8.09% Warren G. Harding 144,762 4.54% John Joseph Pershing 45,640 1.43% Howard Sutherland 33,849 1.06% Others 27,117 0.85% William O. Simpson 3,857 0.12% Miles Poindexter 3,806 0.12% Robert G. Ross 1,698 0.05% William Hale Thompson 1,026, 0.03%

Democratic Party (July 1, 1920)              

Unpledged 165,460 29.85% A Mitchell Palmer 91,543 16.51% James Middleton Cox 86,194 15.55% William Gibbs McAdoo 74,987 13.53% Gilbert M. Hitchcock 37,452 6.76% Edward I. Edwards 28,470 5.14% Herbert Clark Hoover 28,042 5.06% William Jennings Bryan 20,893 3.77% Robert G. Ross 13,179 2.38% James Watson Gerard 4,706 0.85% James O. Monroe 1,906 0.34% Woodrow Wilson(I) 931 0.17% James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark 548 0.10% James Hamilton Lewis 40 0.01%

Socialist Party (April 13, 1920) 220

 

Eugene Victor Debs 5,412 99.93% Others (W) 4 0.07%

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party   



Some Republicans hoped to nominate Theodore Roosevelt for a third term, but he died in January 1919. General Leonard Wood sought the Republican nomination after Theodore Roosevelt’s death, his hard-line positions alienated many. Hiram Johnson’s prospects were limited because the “Old Guard” blamed him for defecting in 1912 to become Roosevelt’s Progressive Party running mate, and for undermining Charles Hughes in California, which Wilson won so narrowly in 1916. Herbert Hoover and Ohio Senator Warren Harding were Dark Horse candidates who entered the primaries.

Democratic Party: 

Woodrow Wilson’s health problems deterred him from a presumed third term run. He wanted the election to be a “solemn referendum” on the League of Nations and hoped the convention would draft him.

Primaries Quotations:   

“Kill it as you would a rattlesnake and smash those who follow it, speak for it, or support it.” General Leonard Wood’s hard-line on Communism “I have such a sure understanding of my own inefficiency that I should really be ashamed to presume myself fitted to reach out for a place of such responsibility.” Warren Harding “I don’t expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first, second, or third ballots, but I think we can afford to take chances that about 11 minutes after two, Friday morning of the convention, when 15 or 12 weary men are sitting around a table, someone will say: ‘Who will we nominate?’ At that decisive time, the friends of Harding will suggest him and we can well afford to abide by the result.” Harry M. Daugherty, Harding’s campaign manager before the Republican Convention

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: June 28-July 6, 1920 Civic Auditorium; San Francisco Joseph T. Robinson (Arkansas) 43rd ballot, James M. Cox (Ohio), Franklin D. Roosevelt (New York) Republican National Convention: June 8–12, 1920 Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, 10th ballot, Warren G. Harding (Ohio), Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts)

Convention Turning Points:

221

Republican National Convention:      



Wood, Lowden and Johnson deadlocked at the convention. Party leaders spent all night in the “smoke-filled room” seeking a compromise. Harding’s campaign manager, Harry Daugherty convinced party leaders to support Harding, who “looked like a President.” The delegates nominated Harding the next day on the 10th ballot Harding considered mediocre, a “puppet candidate”; “party hack.” Delegates rebelled against the bosses and Harding’s Vice Presidential choice Senator Irvine Lenroot of Wisconsin, instead they nominated Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge was known for ending the 1919 Boston police strike, saying: “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.”

Democratic National Convention:  

 

Twenty-four candidates for the first ballot. Four leading candidates; William Gibbs McAdoo, Wilson’s son-in-law, and former treasury secretary; Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer; Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York; and Gov. James M. Cox of Ohio. William Gibbs McAdoo was the front-runner. Wilson prevented his nomination and refused to endorse any candidate, hoping to be drafted when the convention deadlocked. Instead, the Democrats nominated Governor James M. Cox, a newspaper editor and for Vice President they nominated 38-year-old Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, a fifth cousin of the late Theodore Roosevelt.

Convention Quotations:  

“I feel like a man who goes in on a pair of eights and comes out with aces full.” Warren Harding after his nomination “There ain’t any first-raters this year…. we got a lot of second-raters and Warren Harding is the best of the second-raters.” Connecticut Senator Frank Brandegee

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 10th ballot after shifts       

Warren G. Harding 65.5 59 58.5 61.5 78 89 105 133 374.5 644.7 692.2 Leonard Wood 287.5 289.5 303 314.5 299 311.5 312 299 249 181.5 156 Frank Lowden 211.5 259.5 282.5 289 303 311.5 311.5 307 121.5 28 11 Hiram Johnson 133.5 146 148 140.5 133.5 110 99.5 87 82 80.8 80.8 William C. Sproul 84 78.5 79.5 79.5 82.5 77 76 76 78 0 0 Nicholas Murray Butler 69.5 41 25 20 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 Calvin Coolidge 34 32 27 25 29 28 28 30 28 5 5 222

     

Robert M. La Follette 24 24 24 22 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 Jeter C. Pritchard 21 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miles Poindexter 20 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 14 2 0 Howard Sutherland 17 15 9 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Herbert C. Hoover 5.5 5.5 5.5 5 6 5 4 5 6 10.5 9.5 Scattering 11 9 7 9 9 9 6 6 5 5.5 3.5

Vice Presidential 1st ballot        

Calvin Coolidge 674.5 Irvine L. Lenroot 146.5 Henry J. Allen 68.5 Henry Anderson 28 Asle J. Gronna 24 Hiram Johnson 22.5 Jeter C. Pritchard 11 Abstaining 9

Democratic Party nomination Presidential 44th ballot                

James Middleton Cox 700 (35.73%) William Gibbs McAdoo 467 (23.84%) A Mitchell Palmer 268 (13.68%) Alfred E. Smith 109 (5.56%) John W. Davis 76 (3.88%) Edward I. Edwards 42 (2.14%) Robert Latham Owen 41 (2.09%) Thomas R. Marshall 37 (1.89%) Edwin Thomas Meredith 28 (1.43%) Homer Stille Cummings 27 (1.38%) Carter Glass 27 (1.38%) Furnifold M. Simmons 25 (1.28%) James Watson Gerard 21 (1.07%) John Sharp Williams 20 (1.02%) Sen. Gilbert M. Hitchcock 18 (0.92%) Scattering: Remainder

Third Party candidates & nominations: 



Socialist Party: Eugene V. Debs (913,664, 3.4%): Largest amount of actual votes, not a percentage, due to the 19th amendment; fifth and last attempt to become president; serving prison sentence (advocating non-compliance with the draft, anti-war speeches); issued weekly statements. Farmer-Labor Party: Parley P. Christensen (265,411, 1.0%) 223



Prohibition Party: Aaron S. Watkins came in fifth with 189,339 votes (0.7%), the Prohibitionists’ poorest showing since 1884. The Eighteenth Amendment imposing Prohibition had been ratified January 16, 1919, making this single-issue party less relevant.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Convention Chairmen: 

Democratic: Joseph T. Robinson (Arkansas)

Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: Endorsed: U.S. membership in the League of Nations (“surest, if not the only, practicable means of maintaining the permanent peace of the world”); women’s suffrage; prohibition, the Volstead Act; progressive reforms, labor; government regulation of industry, transportation, conservation; natural resources and immigration. Praise for Wilson’s leadership and legislative record. Republican Party: placated pro-League Republicans “the Republican party stands for agreement among nations to preserve the peace.” End to lynching; women’s suffrage amendment ratification; foreign policy, “that after a period of unexampled sacrifice, our motives are suspected, our moral influence impaired and our Government stands discredited and friendless among the nations of the world.”

General Election Controversies/Issues:    

League of Nations Republicans’ prodigious fundraising. The Nation mocked the two major nominees saying the choice was between “Debs and dubs.” Republican Party concealed Harding’s “weakness for women.” Senator Boies Penrose, a Harding supporter, said; “No worries about that! We’ll just throw a halo around his handsome head and everything will be all right.”

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Republican Party: The use of national advertisements (extended ad campaign)

Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:

224



  

Front porch campaign in Marion, Ohio, received widespread coverage in the newspapers; otherwise, Harding did very little campaigning/stumping, gave some ghostwritten speeches. Fundraising, organized by Will Hays, the Republican National chairman. Emphasis on nostalgia, the “good old times” of the late 19th century, small towns, piety and patriotism With Republicans divided about the League of Nations, Harding, ambiguously, supported an “association of nations.”

Democratic Party: 

Both Cox and Roosevelt stumped. Cox traveled 22,000 miles, addressed two million people, emphasizing his support for Wilson’s League and disgust at Republican fundraising.

Major Personalities (General Election): Will Hayes, the Republican National chairman; Woodrow Wilson (League of Nations), Albert D. Lasker, William Wrigley Turning Points (General Election): 

 

A week before Election Day 250,000 copies of “An Open Letter to the Men and Women of America” by W. E. Chancellor spread rumors that Harding was “a West Indian Negro of French stock.” Newspapers killed the story, which spread via word of mouth. Late in the campaign, the Literary Digest magazine mailed millions of postcards to conduct the first Presidential campaign poll and predicted a Republican triumph.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  

Republican Party: “Return to normalcy”; “America First”; “Down with Wilson!” Democratic Party: “Cox and Cocktails”

Campaign Song: 

Republican Party: Harding, You’re the Man for Us (Al Jolson)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Republican Party: Collier’s Magazine, October 30, 1920 “Let’s be done with wiggle and wobble.” Nationalistic images “absolute control of the United States by the United States”; “Independence means independence, now as in 1776”; “This country will remain American. Its next President will remain in our own country”; “We decided long ago that we objected to foreign government of our people.” 225



“Uncle Tom’s Cabin?”; Sambo asks, “Did yo’ heah de big news, Ephum? Dey done nomernate Mistah Hahding at Chicago.” “Sho! Who’d de white folks nomernate?” Anonymous jokes about Harding’s possible racial background

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 





“America’s present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration…. not surgery, but serenity.” Warren Harding, original text had the word as normality, Harding pronounced it normalty, the press altered it to normalcy Cincinnati Inquirer Reporter asked Harding; “Do you have any Negro blood?” “How do I know, Jim? One of my ancestors may have jumped the fence.” Warren Harding’s response in jest “I have such a sure understanding of my own inefficiency that I should really be ashamed to presume myself fitted to reach out for a place of such responsibility.” Warren G. Harding in a letter to a friend about the Republican nomination

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“Mr. President, we are going to be a million percent with you, and your administration, and that means the League of Nations.” James Cox to Woodrow Wilson

Campaign Quotations:   

“The people, indeed, do not know what ideas Harding or Cox represents; neither do Harding or Cox. Great is democracy.” Brand Whitlock, reporter “It wasn’t a landslide, it was an earthquake.” Wilson’s adviser Joseph Tumulty “The Man With the Best Story Wins,” Independent, May 22, 1920

Significant books about the campaign: 

Bagby, Wesley M. The Road to Normalcy: The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1920. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1962.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

 

The first time election returns were broadcast live on radio. KDKA-AM, Pittsburgh read telegraph ticker results over the air. Broadcast throughout the Eastern United States but available only to a small percentage of the population with radio receivers. Landslide and a record-breaking victory for Harding and Republicans. Tennessee was the first of 11 formerly Confederate states to vote Republican since Reconstruction ended.

226



Low voter turnout, because a Harding and Republican victory was predicted; a low turnout of women voters outside the west, in the first election they were eligible to vote, striking lack of interest among Southern women.

227

1924 Election Year: 1924 Election Day Date: November 4, 1924 Winning Ticket: 

Calvin Coolidge, Charles Dawes, Republican 15,723,789 54.04% 382 71.9%

Losing Ticket(s):   

John Davis, Charles Bryan, Democratic 8,386,242 28.82% 136 25.6% Robert La Follette, Burton Wheeler, Progressive 4,831,706 16.61% 13 2.4% Other (+) — — 155,370 0.53% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 48.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes:  

Alabama presidential primary law of 1924 (empowering Senator Oscar W. Underwood, Alabama’s favorite son, to name his own delegates) Primary laws repealed Vermont (1921) Montana (1923)

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Calvin Coolidge, None, Republican 1923–1929 Population: 1924: 114,109,000 GDP: 164 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $86.9 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $827.4 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 10.51 Population (in thousands): 114,109 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $762 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $7,251 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,441 (1920) Average Daily Circulation: 33,028,630 (1920) Households with: Radio: 1,250,000 (1924) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: 228

 

National party convention Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):      

Warren Harding died of a heart attack on August 2, 1923. Teapot Dome scandals secretly leasing oil reserves for bribes. Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes President. Coolidge was honest, fired the wrongdoers, and hired special prosecutors to investigate. Conservative Administration policies. Republicans lost 78 congressional seats in the 1922 midterm election.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party Candidates   

President Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts Senator Hiram Johnson of California Senator Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin

Democratic Party candidates:    

John W. Davis, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (West Virginia) William G. McAdoo, Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from (California) Al Smith, Governor (New York) Oscar W. Underwood, U.S. Senator (Alabama)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Teapot Dome Scandal; Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): William G. McAdoo; Charles W. Bryan; Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):   

 

Coolidge took control of the Republican Party machinery. Coolidge won 15 primaries to Hiram Johnson’s one in South Dakota. Coolidge even won Johnson’s home state of California. Teapot Dome Scandal: Senate hearings revealed that William Gibbs McAdoo was put on retainer by Edward Doheny, an oilman involved in the Teapot Dome scandal. McAdoo not involved in the diversion of federal oil reserves, was nevertheless tarnished. McAdoo only major Democratic contender in the primaries; he won enough delegates to be the front-runner at the convention. Alfred Smith chose not to run in the primaries. 229



Front-runners William Gibbs McAdoo and Alfred Smith deadlock at the convention “McAdoo Oil” vs. “Smith Beer.”

Primaries Quotations: 

“Nominate a man who lives in a two-family home? Never! Massachusetts is not for him!” Senator Henry Cabot Lodge about middle-class Coolidge being elected for President in 1924

Primaries:  

Democratic 14, 35.5 delegates Republican 17, 45.3 delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: July 1, 1924      

Calvin Coolidge(I) 2,410,363, 68.38% (Won 15 primaries including California) Hiram W. Johnson 1,007,833, 28.59% (Won 1 primary South Dakota) Robert Marion La Follette, 82,492, 2.34% Others 12,903, 0.37% William O. Simpson 10,268, 0.29% Unpledged 1,326 0.04%

Democratic Party:              

William Gibbs McAdoo: 562,601, 56.05% Oscar Wilder Underwood: 77,583, 7.73% James Middleton Cox: 74,183, 7.39% Unpledged: 59,217, 5.90% Henry Ford: 49,737, 4.95% Thomas J. Walsh: 43,108, 4.29% Woodbridge Nathan Ferris: 42,028, 4.19% George Sebastian Silzer: 35,601, 3.55% Others: 29,475, 2.94% Alfred E. Smith: 16,459, 1.64% L.B. Musgrove: 12,110, 1.21% William Dever: 1,574, 0.16% James A. Reed: 84 0.01% John W. Davis: 21, 0.00%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

Republican National Convention: June 10–12, 1924, Public Auditorium; Cleveland 1 Calvin Coolidge (Massachusetts), Charles G. Dawes (Illinois) 230



Democratic National Convention: June 24-July 9, 1924, Madison Square Garden; New York Thomas J. Walsh (Montana) 103 John W. Davis (New York), Charles W. Bryan (Nebraska)

Convention Turning Points: Republican Party:  

The most boring Republican convention in history, low attendance. Charles Dawes nominated for vice-president over Herbert Hoover.

Democratic Party:  

  

Longest Presidential party convention in history, 16 days, convened on June 24 and adjourned on July 9. Rural v. urban clash: Alfred E. Smith of New York, opposed prohibition and the Ku Klux Klan; William Gibbs McAdoo of California, supported Prohibition and tolerated the Ku Klux Klan. There were 16 candidates on the ballot. William Jennings Bryan opposed John W. Davis for the nomination. Deadlocked for nine days, McAdoo and Smith withdraw after the 99th ballot; the compromise candidate John W. Davis nominated on the 103rd ballot; Charles W. Bryan, William Jennings Bryan’s brother and governor of Nebraska chosen as the vice Presidential candidate.

Convention Quotations:  

“Never wasted any time, never wasted any words, and never wasted any public money.” Republican at the convention describing Calvin Coolidge “Everything is still uncertain in this convention but one thing. John W. Davis will never be nominated…. Why that’s incredible! I’ve already sent off a story that it’s impossible. I wonder if those idiots in Baltimore will have sense enough to drop the negative.” H.L. Mencken, Baltimore Sun at the Democratic National Convention before and immediately after John Davis’ nomination

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 1st ballot   

Calvin Coolidge, President (Massachusetts) 1065 Senator Robert LaFollette 34 California Senator Hiram Johnson 10

Vice-presidential 3rd ballot 231

                       

Charles Dawes White House Budget Director Wisconsin Illinois 149 111 49 682.5 Former Illinois Governor Frank O. Lowden 222 413 766 0 Ohio Congressman Theodore E. Burton 139 288 94 0 Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover of California 0 0 0 234.5 Iowa Senator William S. Kenyon 172 95 68 75 Pennsylvania Congressman George S. Graham 81 0 0 0 Indiana Senator James E. Watson 79 55 7 45 Kansas Senator Charles Curtis 56 31 24 0 Missouri Governor Arthur M. Hyde 55 36 36 0 Nebraska Senator George W. Norris 35 0 0 0 Iowa Senator Smith W. Brookhart 0 31 0 0 Utah delegate Frank T. Hines 28 1 0 0 Charles A. March 28 0 0 0 Tennessee Congressman James W. Taylor 21 20 27 27 Former Maryland Senator William P. Jackson 23 0 0 10 Ambassador to Japan Charles B. Warren of New York 10 1 23 14 Former Delaware Senator Thomas C. DuPont 0 0 3 11 Montana Governor Joseph M. Dixon 6 0 0 2 Indiana Congressman Everett Sanders 0 0 0 4 Former U.S. Army Major General James G. Harbord of New York 1 0 0 3 Former Indiana Senator Albert J. Beveridge 0 0 0 2 John L. Coulter of North Dakota 1 0 0 1 California Businessman William Wrigley 1 0 0 1 Army Chief of Staff John J. Pershing of Missouri 0 0 0 0

Vice President 3rd ballot          

Charles G. Dawes 149 111 49 682.5 Frank O. Lowden 222 413 76 60 Theodore E. Burton1 392 88940 Herbert C. Hoover 000234.5 William S. Kenyon 172956875 George S. Graham 81000 James E. Watson 7955745 Charles Curtis 5631240 Arthur M. Hyde 5536360 Scattering 156806572

Democratic Party nomination Presidential vote 103rd ballot (9 days) 1st ballot

232

                  

William G. McAdoo 431.5 votes (39.4%) Alfred E. Smith 241 votes (22.0%) James M. Cox 59 votes (5.4%) Pat Harrison 43.5 votes (4.0%) Oscar W. Underwood 42.5 votes (3.9%) George S. Silzer 38 votes (3.5%) John W. Davis 31 votes (2.8%) Samuel M. Ralston 30 votes (2.7%) Woodbridge N. Ferris 30 votes (2.7%) Carter Glass 25 votes (2.3%) Albert C. Ritchie 22.5 votes (2.1%) Joseph T. Robinson 21 votes (1.9%) Jonathan M. Davis 20 votes (1.8%) Charles W. Bryan 18 votes (1.6%) Fred H. Brown 17 votes (1.6%) William Sweet 12 votes (1.1%) Willard Saulsbury 7 votes (0.6%) John Kendrick 6 votes (0.5%) Houston Thompson 1 vote (0.1%)

15th ballot                   

William G. McAdoo 431.5 votes (39.4%) Alfred E. Smith 241 votes (22.0%) James M. Cox 59 votes (5.4%) Pat Harrison 43.5 votes (4.0%) Oscar W. Underwood 42.5 votes (3.9%) George S. Silzer 38 votes (3.5%) John W. Davis 31 votes (2.8%) Samuel M. Ralston 30 votes (2.7%) Woodbridge N. Ferris 30 votes (2.7%) Carter Glass 25 votes (2.3%) Albert C. Ritchie 22.5 votes (2.1%) Joseph T. Robinson 21 votes (1.9%) Jonathan M. Davis 20 votes (1.8%) Charles W. Bryan 18 votes (1.6%) Fred H. Brown 17 votes (1.6%) William Sweet 12 votes (1.1%) Willard Saulsbury 7 votes (0.6%) John Kendrick 6 votes (0.5%) Houston Thompson 1 vote (0.1%)

100th ballot

233

                

Alfred E. Smith 351.5 votes (32.4%) John W. Davis 203.5 votes (18.7%) William G. McAdoo 190 votes (17.5%) Edwin T. Meredith 75.5 votes (7.0%) Thomas J. Walsh 52.5 votes (4.8%) Joseph T. Robinson 46 votes (4.2%) Oscar W. Underwood 41.5 votes (3.8%) Carter Glass 35 votes (3.2%) Josephus Daniels 24 votes (2.2%) Robert L. Owen 20 votes (1.8%) Albert C. Ritchie 17.5 votes (1.6%) James W. Gerard 10 votes (0.9%) David F. Houston 9 votes (0.8%) Willard Saulsbury 6 votes (0.6%) Charles W. Bryan 2 votes (0.2%) George L. Berry 1 vote (0.1%) Newton D. Baker 1 vote (0.1%)

103rd ballot                        

Ambassador John W. Davis 844 (26.33%) Secretary of Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo 530 (16.54%) Gov. Alfred E. Smith 368 (11.48%) Sen. Oscar Wilder Underwood 317 (9.89%) Sen. Samuel M. Ralston 197 (6.15%) Secretary of Agriculture Edwin Thomas Meredith 130 (4.06%) Sen. Thomas J. Walsh 123 (3.84%) Sen. Carter Glass 79 (2.47%) Gov. James Middleton Cox 61 (1.90%) Secretary of War Newton Diehl Baker 58 (1.81%) Minority Leader Joseph Taylor Robinson 46 (1.44%) Sen. Byron P. “Pat” Harrison 44 (1.37%) Gov. Albert C. Ritchie 43 (1.34%) Gov. George Sebastian Silzer 38 (1.19%) Gov. Jonathan M. Davis 33 (1.03%) Sen. Woodbridge Nathan Ferris 30 (0.94%) Sen. Robert Latham Owen 25 (0.78%) Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels 24 (0.75%) John Stewart Battle 20 (0.62%) Martin Behrman 20 (0.62%) Rep. Cordell Hull 20 (0.62%) Gov. Charles Wayland Bryan 19 (0.59%) Gov. Fred H. Brown 17 (0.53%) Sen. Royal S. Copeland 17 (0.53%) 234

           

Ambassador James Watson Gerard 16 (0.50%) Sen. Willard Saulsbury, Jr. 12 (0.37%) Gov. William Ellery Sweet 12 (0.37%) Chairman Homer Stille Cummings 9 (0.28%) Secretary of Treasury David Franklin Houston 9 (0.28%) Sen. John B. Kendrick 6 (0.19%) A Murphree 4 (0.13%) V.P. Thomas R. Marshall 3 (0.09%) Sen. David Ignatius Walsh 3 (0.09%) George Leonard Berry 2 (0.06%) St. Sen. Franklin Delano Roosevelt 2 (0.06%) Scattering: Remainder

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Progressive Party:   

Presidential, Wisconsin’s Progressive Republican Senator Robert M. La Follette (“Fighting Bob”); Vice Presidential, Democratic Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana. Hoping to serve as a spoiler, prevent a majority, throw the election to the House of Representatives, then win as a compromise. Convention in Cleveland, July 1925, 1200 delegates and 9000 spectators (farmers, workers, craftsmen, preachers, professors, housewives, small businessmen) attended.

Communist Party:  

Presidential William Z. Foster Called Progressive platform “the most reactionary document of the year.”

Convention Keynote Speaker: Democratic Party: Pat Harrison, U.S. Senator, MS Party Platform/Issues: 



Republican Party: Reduce taxes; participate in World Court; establish Cabinet-level departments of education and relief; aid farmers; broaden export markets; encourage commercial aviation; the need for a federal anti-lynching law. Democratic Party: Intense battle over the platform; need a national referendum to decide entry to the League of Nations; affirm the importance of religious liberties; motion to condemn the (anti-Catholic, racist) Ku Klux Klan in the platform blocked.

Convention Quotations: 

“Half a vote, half a vote onward, into the jaws of debt, into the mouth of hell, moves the convention” Democratic delegate about the extremely long nominating process 235

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Identification of Coolidge with prosperity. Progressive Party’s radical platform

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

The use of radio to address voters

Campaign Tactics:  

Neither of the two major party candidates actively campaigned, unexciting speakers. Republican Party: Coolidge utilized radio to the maximum, his style of speaking direct, with short sentences and simple language was good for the medium and he gave speeches on the radio that resonated with the electorate.

(“In the campaign that followed, the stage management of the Presidential candidate was bad. He was smocked and put to pitching hay in Vermont. He was touted as the poor man’s candidate. No more obvious, cynically conscious demagoguery ever was flaunted in the faces of the American people than the methods used in the campaign of 1924 to promote the candidacy of President Coolidge. He won, not because of this demagogy, but in spite of it. Through it and over it, he appealed to something in the American heart. He developed talent as a radio speaker. He spoke slowly, used short sentences, discarded unusual words, was direct, forthright and unsophisticated in his utterances. And so, over the radio, he went straight to the popular heart. His radio campaign helped greatly because it is one of the few campaign mediums by which the President always appears with his best foot forward. During the campaign, he had little to say and said it well. In a year of confusion and babbling his reticence was unanswerable. Also, the situation resolved itself into a contest not between Calvin Coolidge and John W. Davis, his Democratic opponent, but between Coolidge and either Bryan, the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, or possibly La Follette, who was out seeking the radical vote.”) Excerpt from: White, William A. Calvin Coolidge: The Man Who Is President. New York: Macmillan Co, 1925, 139). Turning Points (General Election): 

La Follette’s appeal in the Midwest and West attracted votes primarily from the already crippled Democratic ticket.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican Party: Calvin Coolidge “Keep cool with Coolidge” Campaign Song: 

Republican Party: Keep Cool and Keep Coolidge

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 236

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): “I believe I can swing it.” Calvin Coolidge “When he went, the power and glory of the Presidency went with him. I don’t know why such a price was exacted for occupying the White House.” Calvin Coolidge about his son’s death in 1924 Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“I’m radical, but not too darned radical. Just enough to make the farmers and the laborers high-paid people.” Robert M. La Follette, Sr.

Famous books that defined or resulted from the campaign: 

White, William Allen. Calvin Coolidge, the Man Who Is President. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1925.

Significant books about the campaign: 

Tucker, Garland S. The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge, and the 1924 Election. Austin, Texas: Emerald Book Co, 2010.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

This was the first presidential election in which all American Indians were citizens and thus allowed to vote. Coolidge’s 25.2-point victory margin in the popular vote is one of the largest ever.

237

1928

Election Year: 1928 Election Day Date: November 6, 1928 Winning Ticket: Herbert Hoover, Charles Curtis, Republican 21,427,123 58.21% 444 83.6% Losing Ticket(s): Alfred Smith, Joseph Robinson, Democratic 15,015,464 40.80% 87 16.4% Norman Thomas, James Maurer, Socialist 267,478 0.73% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 96,947 0.26% 0 0.0% Voter Turnout: 56.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping; Whistle-stop tour, public speeches; Radio addresses Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Calvin Coolidge, Charles G Dawes, Republican, 1923–1929 Population: 120,509,000 GDP: 173 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $97.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $921.3 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 10.57 Population (in thousands): 120,509 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $808 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $7,645 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,086 (1930) Average Daily Circulation: 42,947,824 (1930) Households with Radio: 12,049,000 (1930) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote

238

Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National Party Conventions; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

Economy (prosperity except among farmers); Prohibition

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party Candidates:   

Herbert Hoover, U.S. Secretary of Commerce (California) Frank Lowden, Former Governor of (Illinois) Charles Curtis, U.S. Senate Majority Leader (Kansas)

Democratic Party candidates:    

Al Smith, Governor (New York) Cordell Hull, U.S. Representative (Tennessee) James A. Reed, U.S. Senator from (Missouri) Atlee Pomerene, Former U.S. Senator (Ohio)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Popular President and Republican Calvin Coolidge refused to run for another term. Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Calvin Coolidge; William Gibbs McAdoo; Primaries: Ebb tide of presidential primaries, neither of the party’s candidates actively campaigned for any of the primaries where their name appeared on the ballot.  

Democratic 17, 42.2 delegates Republican 16, 44.9 delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party (July 1, 1928) Hoover had his name on the ballots of 8 primaries  

Herbert Clark Hoover: 2,045,928, 49.73% Frank O. Lowden: 1,317,799, 32.03% 239

           

George W. Norris: 259,548, 6.31% James E. Watson: 228,795, 5.56% Guy D. Goff: 128,429, 3.12% Frank B. Willis: 84,461, 2.05% Calvin Coolidge(I): 12,985, 0.32% Charles G. Dawes, 12,297, 0.30% Olin J. Ross, 8,280, 0.20% Unpledged: 5,426, 0.13% Others: 5,185, 0.13% Alfred E. Smith: 3,249, 0.08% Alvan Tufts Fuller: 1,686, 0.04% William E. Borah: 206, 0.01%

Democratic Party: (July 1, 1928) Smith had his name on the ballots of 7 primaries             

Alfred E. Smith: 515,389, 40.75% Unpledged: 247,124, 19.54% James A. Reed: 207,799, 16.43% Evans Woollen: 146,934, 11.62% Thomas J. Walsh: 60,243, 4.76% Gilbert M. Hitchcock: 51,019, 4.03% Atlee Pomerene: 13,957, 1.10% A. V. “Vic” Donahey: 7,935, 0.63% Alonzo F. Workman: 6,670, 0.53% William Gibbs McAdoo, 213, 0.02% Edwin Thomas Meredith, 57, 0.00% Henry Thomas Rainey, 16, 0.00% James Thomas Heflin: 6, 0.00%

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party:   



Calvin Coolidge, although still, a popular President, whose re-election was likely, announced he would not run for another term. Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover wanted to run for the Republican nomination feared that Coolidge might still run or be drafted at the convention. After assurances from Coolidge, Hoover ran in the Republican primaries, winning almost half the contests and amassing 400, 77% delegates going into the convention. Hoover was the first Quaker to be nominated for President by a major party. Democratic Party: William Gibbs McAdoo announced in 1927 he would not seek the nomination “in the interest of party unity,” to avoid a rematch of the ballot battle between McAdoo and Alfred Smith; Alfred Smith became the frontrunner.

240

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: June 12–15, 1928 Convention Hall; Kansas City 1st ballot, Herbert C. Hoover (California), Charles Curtis (Kansas) Democratic National Convention: June 26–29, 1928 Sam Houston Hall; Houston, Joseph T. Robinson (Arkansas) 1st ballot, Alfred E. Smith (New York), Joseph T. Robinson (Arkansas)

Convention Turning Points: Republican Party:   

Frank Lowden (Former Governor Illinois) withdrew from contention for the Presidential nomination just prior to the start of the convention, giving Hoover frontrunner status. Draft Charles Dawes in case of deadlock; Coolidge sent a telegram “personal affront” to nominate Charles Dawes as Vice President for a second term. Senator Charles Curtis (Kansas) was the first vice-presidential candidate with Indian blood.

Democratic Party:   

William Gibbs McAdoo withdrew in 1927 to maintain party unity. Left Al Smith the front-runner, on the first ballot he was 10 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority until Ohio switched votes First Roman Catholic nominated for President, Senate Minority Leader Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas nominated for Vice President on the first ballot.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination Presidential 1st ballot        

Herbert Hoover 837 Frank O. Lowden 74 Charles Curtis 64 George W. Norris 24 Guy D. Goff 18 Calvin Coolidge 17 Charles G. Dawes 4 Charles E. Hughes 1

Vice Presidential 1st ballot  

Charles Curtis 1,052 Herman L. Ekern 19 241

  

Charles G. Dawes 13 James E. Watson 45 Hanford MacNider 2

Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 1st ballot              

Alfred E. Smith 849.17 Cordell Hull 71.84 Walter F. George 52.5 James A. Reed 52 Atlee Pomerene 47 Jesse H. Jones 43 Evans Woollen 32 Byron P. Harrison 20 William A. Ayres 20 Richard C. Watts 18 Gilbert M. Hitchcock 16 A Victor Donahey 5 Houston Thompson 2 Theodore G. Bilbo 1

Vice Presidential 1st ballot           

Joseph T. Robinson 1,035.17 Alben W. Barkley 77 Nellie T. Ross 31 Henry T. Allen 28 George L. Berry 17.5 Dan J. Moody 9.33 Duncan U. Fletcher 7 John H. Taylor 6 Lewis G. Stevenson 4 Evans Woollen 2 Joseph P. Tumulty 1

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: 

Prohibition Party nomination: (Chicago July 10–12) William F. Varney over Hoover by a margin of 68–45 Considered endorsing pro-Prohibition Hoover.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President):

242



Democratic Party: Franklin Roosevelt nominated Smith as the “happy warrior.”

Party Platforms/Issues: 



Republican Party: lower taxes; protective tariff; Enforce 18th Amendment; “observance and vigorous enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment” Prohibition; a Federal Farm Board; campaign finance disclosure; “home rule” self-reliance, strong local government Democratic Party: agriculture, Federal Farm Board, loans to farmers, isolationism (Latin America); major public works programs to resolve unemployment, Flood control projects; “fundamental changes in the present provisions for national prohibition.”

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

 

Two different candidates representing different sides of America: Smith: city, East, Catholic, informal, “wet”; Hoover: country, West, Protestant, reserved, “dry.” Religious bigotry; Alfred Smith (Catholicism, anti-Prohibitionism, association with Tammany Hall): Despite Smith’s insistence on the separation of church and state, his Catholicism was the biggest issue in the whole campaign (Ku Klux Klan claims Pope with taker over the White House; burning crosses; anti-Catholic rallies). Smith’s Anti-Prohibitionist association with the perceived corrupt Tammany Hall made him unpopular in the mid-West among farmers. Agriculture most depressed part of the economy.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Use of radio addresses to reach mass numbers of voters became important for campaigning

Major Personalities (General Election): Theodore Bilbo; John J. Raskob; John Roach Straton Campaign Tactics: Republican:   

Hoover used radio addresses, statesman addresses to the nation. Hoover campaigned on the “American system” of free enterprise key to continued prosperity. Hoover campaigned as if he was above politics.

Democratic:  

Smith vigorous campaign, less use of radio, whistle-stop tour Smith tried to woo the business vote to the Democrats, support for protective tariffs, wealthy businessmen on his staff, picked millionaire John J. Raskob, in the councils of General Motors and du Pont as his campaign manager, however, Raskob was a wet and a Catholic. 243

Turning Points (General Election): 

  



On September 29, Smith was to give a speech on religious intolerance in Oklahoma City and was greeted with fiery KKK crosses along the route and hostility in the auditorium. Next evening popular evangelist John Roach Straton gave a speech on “Al Smith and the Forces of Hell.” Prohibition stance: Smith’s position put in the ire of the Anti-Saloon League, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and militant dry groups, called “Al-coholic.” Tammany Hall association: Tarnished Smith in the South and West, Party machines represent all that was wrong with the east, large urban centers. Smith’s Catholicism gained him votes in the Republican and Catholic Massachusetts and Rhode Island; immigrant vote; lost votes in the South to Hoover because of Catholicism, anti-Prohibition stance; association with Tammany Hall. Hoover also gained African American votes in the South (perceived support for integration). During the campaign, Mississippi Senator Theodore Bilbo recounted Hoover danced with a black member of the Republican National Committee.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Republican Party: Herbert Hoover “A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage”

Campaign Song:  

Democratic Party: Al Smith: “Sidewalks of New York” Republican Party: Herbert Hoover: If He’s Good Enough for Lindy

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

“Rum, Romanism and Ruin.” Ku Klux Klan against Smith’s Catholicism

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 





“We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us. We have not yet reached the goal, but, given a chance to go forward with the policies of the last eight years, and we shall soon, with the help of God, be in sight of the day when poverty will be banished from this nation. . . .” Herbert Hoover, Acceptance Letter, Republican Presidential Nomination, Aug 20, 1928 (published) “Our country has deliberately undertaken a great social and economic. experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose. It must be worked out constructively.” Herbert Hoover about Prohibition “Nothing could be so out of line with the spirit of America. Nothing could be so contradictory to our whole history.” Herbert Hoover

244

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“I have taken an oath of office nineteen times. Each time I swore to defend and maintain the Constitution of the United States. . . . I have never known any conflict between my official duties and my religious beliefs.” Al Smith about his Catholic religion never interfering with duties as a public official

Campaign Quotations: 



“Not that Governor Smith is a Catholic and a wet which makes him an offense to villagers and town dwellers, but because his record shows the kind of President he would make — a Tammany President. Tammany is Tammany, and Smith is its prophet. . . . The whole Puritan civilization which has built a sturdy, orderly nation is threatened by Smith.” William Allen White “I do not choose to run for President in 1928.” Calvin Coolidge, August 1927

Significant Books about the Campaign: 

Lichtman, Allan J. Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2000.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

Republican landslide. Democrat Alfred Smith was the first Catholic to run for the Presidency on a major party ticket. The first time the Republicans won the majority of the Southern vote since Ulysses S. Grant, first time Texas voted Republican.

245

1932

Election Year: 1932 Election Day Date: November 8, 1932 (Maine held state elections in September) Winning Ticket: Franklin Roosevelt, John Garner, Democratic 22,821,277 57.41% 472 88.9% Losing Ticket(s):    

Herbert Hoover, Charles Curtis, Republican 15,761,254 39.65% 59 11.1% Norman Thomas, James Maurer, Socialist 884,885 2.23% 0 0.0% William Foster, James Ford, Communist 103,307 0.26% 0 0.0% Other (+) — — 181,175 0.46% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: %VAP 56.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping; public speeches; Radio addresses Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Repealed primary laws Indiana (1929), Michigan (1931) Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Herbert Clark Hoover, Charles Curtis, Republican, 1929–1933 Population: 124,949,000 GDP: 133 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $58.7 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $725.8 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 8.09 Population (in thousands): 124,949 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $470 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $5,809 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,086 (1930) Average Daily Circulation: 42,947,824 (1930) Households with: Radio: 12,049,000 (1930) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Primaries and Conventions Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 246

1929 Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, Prohibition Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic candidates:      

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York Al Smith, Former Governor of New York John Nance Garner, U.S. Speaker of the House from Texas James A. Reed, U.S. Senator from Missouri Albert Ritchie, Governor of Maryland William H. Murray, Governor of Oklahoma

Republican candidates:     

John J. Blaine, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin Calvin Coolidge, Former President of the United States from Massachusetts Herbert Hoover, President of the United States from California Joseph Irwin France, Former U.S. Senator from Maryland James Wolcott Wadsworth, Jr., Former U.S. Senator from New York

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Hoover was mostly unopposed for the nomination, except Joseph Irwin France (Former U.S. Senator, Maryland) challenged Hoover in the primaries winning seven out of fourteen primaries as the protest candidate; Irwin wanted Coolidge to capture the Republican Presidential nomination.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

The first time a Presidential Nominee accepted the nomination with a speech at the Convention (Democratic).

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Al Smith, William Randolph Hearst Louis McHenry Howe, James Farley, Tammany Hall machine, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., Joseph Irwin France Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic:   

William Randolph Hearst supported John Nance Garner endorsements in his chain of newspapers. Alfred Smith wanted to run again, still maintained the party leader’s support. Franklin Roosevelt placed his named on the ballot in eleven primaries but did not actively campaign, he did not leave Albany or Hyde Park to campaign throughout the primaries 247

 

Al Smith (1928 Democratic nominee) defeated Franklin Roosevelt in the Massachusetts primary. By the convention, Roosevelt had more delegates than his opponents, but not the 2/3rds needed to clinch the nomination.

Republican: 

Hoover entered the Maryland primary defeating France, essentially ending France’s campaign, especially since few of the primary delegates were the delegates voting at the National Convention.

Primaries:  

Democratic 16, 40.0% delegates Republican 14, 37.7% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: July 1, 1932         

Joseph I. France: 1,137,948, 47.50% Herbert Clark Hoover(I): 861,602, 35.96% George W. Norris: 139,514, 5.82% Jacob S. Coxey: 100,844, 4.21% Hiram W. Johnson: 64,464, 2.69% Olin J. Ross: 48,867, 2.04% Others: 6,126, 0.26% Unpledged: 1,236, 0.05% Charles G. Dawes: 129, 0.01%

Democratic Party: July 1, 1932       

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: 1,464,607, 49.44% James Hamilton Lewis: 590,130, 19.92% Alfred E. Smith: 415,795, 14.03% John Nance Garner: 249,816, 8.43% William H. “Alfalfa Bill” Murray: 226,392, 7.64% Leo J. Chassee: 7,372, 0.25% Others: 1,849, 0.06%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

Democratic National Convention: June 27-July 2, 1932, Chicago Stadium; Chicago, Thomas J. Walsh (Montana) 4th ballot, Franklin D. Roosevelt (New York), John Nance Garner (Texas)

248



Republican National Convention: June 14–16, 1932, Chicago Stadium; Chicago 1st ballot, Herbert C. Hoover (California), Charles Curtis (Kansas)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:   

  

Roosevelt led in the delegate count but did not have the two-thirds majority. Tried to get the two-thirds ruled abandoned, but risked losing the South’s support, therefore dropped the issue. Roosevelt’s campaign managers (Howe, Farley) made a deal with John Nance Garner to give him the Vice-Presidential nomination in exchange for delegate support of Roosevelt on the 4th ballot Hearst agreed to the deal, especially since Roosevelt had repudiated the League of Nations the past February. Smith would have broken with Roosevelt, refused to release his delegate so Roosevelt could be nominated unanimously. Roosevelt broke with precedent and flew to Chicago to accept the nomination at the convention and give an acceptance speech. Roosevelt did it to dispel talk of his crippled condition and “show he was a man of action.”

Republican National Convention: 

 

Former U.S. Senator Joseph I. France challenged Hoover for the nomination and won nine primaries, was removed from the convention when he supported the delegates nominate Coolidge. Hoover received 98% of the delegate vote, clinching the nomination on the first ballot. The agricultural Republicans opposed Charles Curtis’ re-nomination, as did extreme hard money Republicans, who supported Coolidge, both factions voted against Curtis.

Convention Quotations: 





“California came here to nominate a President; she did not come here to deadlock this convention or to engage in another disastrous contest like that of 1924. California casts 44 votes for Franklin D. Roosevelt.” William McAdoo The New York Governor “is no crusader. He is no tribune of the people. He is no enemy of entrenched privilege. He is a pleasant man who, without any important qualifications for the office, would very much like to be President.” Walter Lippmann “I have started out on the tasks that lie ahead, by breaking the absurd tradition that the candidate should remain in professed ignorance of what has happened for weeks until he is formally notified of that event many weeks later… You have nominated me and I know it, and I am here to thank you for the honor. Let it…. be symbolic that in so doing I broke tradition. Let it be from now on the task of our Party to break foolish traditions.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt accepting the Democratic Party Nomination in person a campaign first

249

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 4th ballot           

Franklin D. Roosevelt 666.5 677 682 945 Al Smith 201 194 190 190 John Nance Garner 90.25 90.25 101.3 – George White 52 50.5 52.5 – Harry F. Byrd 25 24 25 – Melvin Alvah Traylor 42.5 40 40 – James A. Reed 24 18 27 – Albert Ritchie 21 23 23 – William H. Murray 23 — — Will Rogers — 22 — Newton D. Baker 8.5 8.5 8.5 –

Vice Presidential Ballot 

John Nance Garner 1154

Republican Party nomination Presidential 1st Ballot     

President Herbert Hoover 1126.5 U.S. Senator John J. Blaine 13 Former President Calvin Coolidge 4.5 Former U.S. Senator Joseph Irwin France 4 James W. Wadsworth 1

Vice Presidential Ballot 

Charles Curtis was re-nominated with 55% of the delegate votes.

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Convention Keynote Speaker: Party Platform/ Issues: 

Democratic: New Deal reform policy, reduce federal spending, balanced budget, federal unemployment relief; new public works projects; repeal of Prohibition (18th Amendment).

250



Republican: Hoover slowed the economic crisis; Continual anti-depression measures; wage cuts; National Credit Association, Reconstruction Finance Corporation loans to public institutions and private corporations; Federal Farm Board; national, state and local governments balance their budgets, curtail spending; international conference (monetary policies, commodity prices, trade problems); shorter work week; limit military production, disarmament; Cooperative agricultural organizations; interstate utilities and interstate commerce regulation; immigration quotas; (repeal of Prohibition and allow state control over liquor traffic).

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): General Election Controversies/Issues: 1929 Stock Market Crash, Great Depression, Prohibition, Bonus Army incident (1932) Campaign Innovations (General Election): Radio speeches/addresses Major Personalities (General Election): Robert LaFollette, Jr., (Republican, Wisconsin); George Norris (Republican, Nebraska) Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party: 

 

  

Roosevelt wanted to show he had the energy and was physically well decided to actively campaign, “Roosevelt the Robust” and to outline his plans for economic recovery to the public. Whistle-stop tour that covered 13,000 miles sixteen major addresses, devoted to a specific topic/issues, and numerous minor speeches. Roosevelt’s “brain trust” academic advisers, political scientist Raymond Moley of Columbia University helped with devising policies, speech-writing; Big Jim Farley. his campaign manager handled the practical side of the campaign. Wooed Democratic Party regulars, Smith even campaigned for Roosevelt, albeit reluctantly. Gained the support of Progressive Republicans, Robert LaFollette, Jr., of Wisconsin and George Norris of Nebraska both endorsed Roosevelt. Vice Presidential candidate Garner did not believe it was not necessary to campaign, a victory was in hand without campaigning. He gave one speech over the radio.

Republican Party:  

Hoover had not planned to campaign instead; he intended to deal with the economic crisis and working in the White House. Democrats blaming the entire economic collapse on Hoover “Hoover depression” prompted Hoover to go in October and stump in person and through radio addresses. 251

 

Hoover gave nine major addresses. Hoover was the last president to write his own speeches.

Turning Points (General Election):   

     

Unemployment reached 23.6%; Hoover goes on the stump in October 1932 and 9 speeches. Hover defended his policies, claimed, depression originated because of World War I and abroad, not from with the United States and that his policies “prevented a total collapse” belief in individual initiative and free enterprise. Hoover’s attacks the Democrats in Congress claiming they blocked his efforts, attacked the New Deal, as radical, socialistic and foreign-influenced. Insisted that there were signs of recovery, but business might fear Roosevelt’s policies, and prevent the recovery. Roosevelt wanted to respond strongly to Hoover’s charges of un-Americanism but was advised against it. A difference in approach, Roosevelt appeared optimistic, Hoover spread dread with his attacks and negatively, and appeared shriller towards the end of the campaign. Hoover’s October 31, 1932 speech at Madison Square Garden New York, argued that a Roosevelt victory would result in more unemployment. Individualism vs. regimentation.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democratic Party: NEW DEAL, “Hoover depression”; “In Hoover we trusted, now we are busted”

Campaign Song: 

Democratic Party: “Happy Days Are Here Again”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democratic Party: Roosevelt called Hoover a “fat, timid capon.” Republican Party: Hoover called Roosevelt a “chameleon in plaid” and criticized his “nonsense … tirades … glittering generalizations … ignorance” and “defamation.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people. Let us all here assembled constitute ourselves prophets of a new order of competence and of courage. This is more than a political campaign; it is a call to arms. Give me your help, not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, DNC Acceptance Speech 252

 

  

“Destruction, Delay, Despair and Doubt.” Franklin Roosevelt comparing Hoover’s policies to the four horsemen of the apocalypse “As I see it, the task of government in its relation to business is to assist the development of an economic declaration of rights, an economic constitutional order…. Every man has a right to life, and this means that he has also a right to make a comfortable living….Our government formal and informal, political and economic, owes to everyone an avenue to possess himself of a portion of that plenty sufficient for his needs, through his own work.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Commonwealth Club Address, September 23, 1932, San Francisco, CA “My policy is as radical as American liberty, as radical as the Constitution of the United States.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt “If I fail I shall be the last one.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt “Sit down — do nothing — and win the election.” John Nance Garner

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  







“Let no man say it could not have been worse.” Herbert Hoover “Grass will grow in the streets of a hundred cities; a thousand towns; the weeds will overrun the fields of millions of farms…..” Herbert Hoover, Madison Square Garden. October 31, 1932 “We are told by the opposition that we must have a change, that we must have a new deal. It is not the change that comes from normal development of national life to which I object, but the proposal to alter the whole foundations of our national life which have been builded through generations of testing and struggle, and of the principles upon which we have builded the nation.” Herbert Hoover, Madison Square Garden. October 31, 1932 “Indeed, this is the same philosophy of government which has poisoned all Europe. They have been the fumes of the witch’s cauldron which boiled in Russia and in its attenuated flavor spread over the whole of Europe, and would by many be introduced into the United States in an attempt to secure votes through protest of discontent against emergency conditions.” Herbert Hoover, November 5, 1932 “General Prosperity had been a great ally in the election of 1928. General Depression was a major enemy in 1932.” Herbert Hoover (Memoirs)

Campaign Quotations:   

“Mine is not a personal candidacy. I represent a principle. I cannot tell you who the candidate will be, but it will not be Hoover.” Joseph Irwin France, RNC 1932 “Hell, I’ll do anything to see the Democrats win one more national election.” John Nance Garner What this country needs is another Roosevelt in the White House.” Senator George Norris of Nebraska

Further Reading:

253

 

Peel, Roy V, and Thomas C. Donnelly. The 1932 Campaign: An Analysis. New York: Da Capo Press, 1973, 1935. Ritchie, Donald A. Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2007.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

Roosevelt victory was a landslide; he won 42 out of 48 states. Hoover 17.76% margin of loss was the largest defeat for an incumbent President. 1932 marked the end of the Progressive Era, Fourth Party System; Roosevelt’s New Deal Coalition would dominate the new Fifth Party System.

254

1936

Election Year: 1936 Election Day Date: November 3, 1936 Winning Ticket: 

Franklin Roosevelt, John Garner, Democratic 27,752,648 60.80% 523 98.5%

Losing Ticket(s):    

Alfred Landon, Frank Knox, Republican 16,681,862 36.54% 8 1.5% William Lemke, Thomas O'Brian, Union 892,378 1.95% 0 0.0% Norman Thomas, George Nelson, Socialist 187,910 0.41% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 132,901 0.29% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 61.0% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Repealed primary law North Dakota (1935) Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Nance Garner, Democratic 1933-1941 Population: 128,181,000 GDP: Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $83.8 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $977.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 8.57 Population (in thousands): 128,181 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $654 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $7,629 Number of Daily Newspapers: 2,086 (1940) Average Daily Circulation: 42,947,824 (1940) Households with Radio: 12,049,000 (1940) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees:

255



National party convention;



Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues:  



Great Depression (8th year) New Deal economic policy; Social Security unemployment benefits Federal Emergency Relief Administration; the Civil Works Administration (which Works Progress Administration; Public Works Administration; the National Recovery Act (NRA); The Agriculture Adjustment Act; the Resettlement Administration; Congress passed legislation regulating the stock market; end of the gold standard 1934 midterm elections; Democrats won ten more seats in the U.S. Senate and nine seats in the U.S. House

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party Candidates  

Franklin D. Roosevelt, President (New York) Henry S. Breckinridge, Former Assistant Secretary of War (New York)

Republican Party Candidates   

Alf Landon Governor of Kansas William Edgar Borah Senator (Idaho) Frank Knox Owner and publisher (Illinois)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 



Senator Huey Long (Louisiana) "Share Our Wealth" program; Long and Share Our Wealth Society organized clubs cross- country; momentum towards a third party. Fear Long was intending to run for President. Long was assassinated in September 1935; radio priest Father Charles Coughlin continued and formed the Union Party, that was more to the left than the Democrats and nominated North Dakota Congressman William Lemke for President. Roosevelt veered his policies, leftward to make Long’s program and subsequent party seem irrelevant.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): William Borah; Henry S. Breckinridge; County Attorney Earl Warren (California); Governor Warren E. Green (South Dakota); Stephen A. Day (Ohio)

256

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party:  

William Borah, Senator from Idaho, popular in polls, collected double the primary votes than any of the Republican hopefuls. Borah progressive and "insurgent," running to defend "liberal principles." Old Guard/Party machinery and big business opposed his nomination.

Democratic Party: 

 

Henry S. Breckinridge, anti-New Deal lawyer (New York) was Roosevelt’s only opponent in the primaries; ran in 4 primaries; lost by large margins, except in New Jersey. In New Jersey Roosevelt did not file for the preference vote, Roosevelt garnered 19% in write-ins, and his delegate choices won. Breckinridge’s best result was 15% in Maryland.

Primaries/Nominations Quotations: 

So, therefore, I call upon the men and women of America to immediately join in our work and movement to share our wealth. There are thousands of share-our-wealth societies organized in the United States now. We want 100,000 such societies formed for every nook and corner of this country—societies that will meet, talk, and work, all for the purpose that the great wealth and abundance of this great land that belongs to us may be shared and enjoyed by all of us. We have nothing more for which we should ask the Lord. He has allowed this land to have too much of everything that humanity needs. Senator Huey Long's ''Share Our Wealth'' Speech, 1935



"One of the DuPonts... said the other day that I am a dangerous man. He said he'd take anybody but me for President. Thank God, I haven't lived in vain!" William Borah

Primaries:  

Democratic 14 36.5% delegates Republican 12 37.5% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party (Jul 01, 1936)     

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(I): 4,830,730, 93.19% Henry Skillman Breckinridge: 136,407, 2.63% Upton Sinclair: 106,068, 2.05% John S. McGroarty: 61,391, 1.18% Joseph A. Coutremarsh: 39,730, 0.77% 257

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Others: 3,306, 0.06% Alfred E. Smith: 2,974, 0.06% Charles Coughlin: 2,854, 0.06% John Nance Garner: 108, 0.00% William E. Borah: 87, 0.00%

Republican Party: (Jul 01, 1936)                 

William E. Borah: 1,478,676, 44.45% (Wisconsin, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Oregon) quite strong in Illinois and South Dakota) Alfred M. Landon: 729,908, 21.94% (Massachusetts, New Jersey) caucuses, state party conventions Frank Knox: 527,054, 15.84% Earl Warren: 350,917, 10.55% Stephen A. Day: 155,732, 4.68% Warren E. Green: 44,518, 1.34% Leo J. Chassee: 18,986, 0.57% Herbert Clark Hoover: 7,750, 0.23% Others: 6,288, 0.19% Frederick Steiwer: 3,285, 0.10% Arthur H. Vandenberg: 2,104, 0.06% Franklin Delano Roosevelt(I): 1,159, 0.03% Francis Townsend: 116, 0.00% Lester J. Dickinson: 71, 0.00% Charles L. McNary: 50, 0.00% Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.: 0, 0.00% Ogden L. Mills: 0, 0.00%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: June 23-27, 1936, Convention Hall; Philadelphia Joseph T. Robinson (Arkansas), Acclamation, Franklin D. Roosevelt (New York), John Nance Garner (Texas) Republican National Convention: June 9-12, 1936 Public Auditorium; Cleveland 1st ballot, Alfred M. Landon (Kansas), Frank Knox (Illinois)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:   

Roosevelt controlled the convention. Repealed two-thirds rule (given the South veto power). Self-tribute with fifty-six seconding speeches, forty-nine men and eight women.

Republican National Convention:

258

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At the convention Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, (only Republican state executive reelected in 1934), gained so much delegate support, prompting Primary winner William Borah to withdraw prior to the roll call. Knox withdraw and was Landon's choice for Vice President; Day, Green, and Warren releasing their delegates. Landon did not attend the convention, instead sent a telegram with his thoughts and positions on the issues for his acceptance of the nomination.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential (Acclamation) 

Franklin D. Roosevelt 1100

Vice Presidential (Acclamation) 

John Nance Garner 1100

Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot  

Alfred Landon 984 William E. Borah 19

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Union Party (National Union for Social Justice): 



  

Senator Huey Long (Louisiana) and Share Our Wealth Society organized clubs crosscountry; momentum towards a third party. Long was assassinated in September 1935; radio priest Father Charles Coughlin continued and formed the Union Party, that was more to the left than the Democrats. Long had planned to create "Share Our Wealth" Party, He would not run in 1936, he believed the ticket in 1936 would split the Democratic vote, resulting in a Republican victory. Share Our Wealth movement slogan "Every Man a King," a song co-written by Long in 1935 to promote his proposal. This would prompt the Democrats to adopt his platform, and in 1940 Long would run as a Democrat. Senators Burton K. Wheeler (D-Montana); William E. Borah (R-Idaho); Governor Floyd B. Olson (FL-Minnesota) original candidates for the "Share Our Wealth" ticket

259

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Father Coughlin’s allies Dr. Francis Townsend, who wanted an old-age pension system, Rev. Gerald L.K. Smith white supremacist, spokesman for the Christian Right wanted Congressman William Lemke (R-North Dakota) for the nominee. Lemke was not as well known as the previous choices, only won 2% of the vote, the next year the party was dissolved. William Dudley Pelley, Chief of the Silver Shirts Legion, ran on the ballot in Washington State, received less than 2,000 votes.

Other:     

National Greenback Party: John Zahnd for President. Social Labor Party: John W. Aiken for President. Prohibition Party: David Leigh Colvin for President. Socialist Party: Norman Mattoon Thomas for President. Christian Party: William Dudley Pelley for President.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: They praised the success of expanded federal public works to end unemployment; stimulate private industry, resolve labor disputes, and oppose monopolies, anti-trust laws; Roosevelt agricultural policies doubled the net income of farmers, neutrality in foreign affairs disputes; foreign trade expansion. Republican Party: criticized the New Deal, a threat to constitutional democracy; the powers of Congress, Supreme Court, undermined state control over their own affairs; non-political local agencies unemployment relief; reduce government spending; federal public works projects on merit only; balancing the budget; solvency of the currency; neutrality.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

New Deal/Franklin Roosevelt center of political debate

Campaign Innovations (General Election):  



The Gallop Poll: George Gallup created a scientific poll to determine the outcome of the elections, his results from a sample of 50,000 people showed a Roosevelt victory. Gallop also predicted that the Literary Digest, which had correctly predicted elections since 1920, would mis-predict this election. The Literary Digest predicted a landslide victory for Landon and the Republicans. Gallop’s accurate results made his public opinion polls a staple in future campaigns, extending to regular use by politicians and journalists.

260

Major Personalities (General Election): James A. Farley Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party:   

 

Roosevelt commenced later in the general election, stumped, gave speeches; personal appearances and radio addresses. Campaign funded by labor unions. Roosevelt wanted the campaign to focus on him and his policies labeled opponents "economic royalists" and claimed Republicans think, "That government is best which is most indifferent to mankind." Successfully attracted Ethnic-Catholic and African-American to the Democrats. Huge crowds rallied when Roosevelt made an appearance or gave a speech. In Chicago, five miles of supporters lined up, and 100,000 attended in the stadium for his speech.

Republican Party:  

 

Speeches and professionally developed radio ads. Landon originally did not know how to proceed with campaigning, started off complimentary to New Deal and respectful to Roosevelt, sharing some social objectives, his attacks increased as the campaign closed charging the New Deal was unconstitutional and sounded more like Hoover had in 1932 Landon attacked the increase of government agencies and the New Deal as "unjust, unworkable, stupidly drafted, and wastefully financed." Create fear over the social security tax.

Turning Points (General Election):   

   

Economy rebounding since 1935, Democratic support from farmers, laborers, and the for the first time organized labor. Landon gained momentum in October. First candidates to meet during a campaign since Wilson and Taft in 1912, campaigning was a separate affair; They met at a conference of governors in Des Moines, Iowa: Roosevelt: "Well, Governor, however, this comes out, we'll see more of each other. Either you come to see me or I'll come to see you." Landon: "I certainly shall," Roosevelt: "And, Governor," "don't work too hard!" Afterward, "Harmony dripped so steadily from each rafter that I fully expected one of the candidates to withdraw." Republican Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas Two-thirds of the Press supported Landon’s candidacy; partisan editorials. The Hearst papers accused Roosevelt of being surrounded by a "Communist entourage." The Chicago Tribune claimed "Moscow Orders Reds in U.S. To Back Roosevelt"; charged communism would take over if Roosevelt won. The Literary Digest (leading national magazine) had predicted correctly every presidential election since 1920. Their October 31, 1936, survey claimed a Landon victory with an Electoral College vote of 37? - 161. (This mistake by the Literary Digest 261

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proved to be devastating to the magazine's credibility, and in fact, the magazine went out of existence within a few months of the election.) In the last days, the Republicans used scare tactics to deter voters from Roosevelt, about Social Security Act, that was going into effect January 1, 1937, would steal money from people’s paychecks, their message appeared in factory bulletins, slip with employees pay slips.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Republican Party: "Life, Liberty, and Landon"

Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 



Republican Party: "YOU'RE SENTENCED TO A WEEKLY PAY REDUCTION FOR ALL YOUR WORKING LIFE. YOU'LL HAVE TO SERVE THE SENTENCE UNLESS YOU HELP REVERSE IT NOVEMBER 3." "Effective January 1937, we are compelled by a Roosevelt ' New Deal' law to make a 1 per cent deduction from your wages and turn it over to the government. Finally, this may go as high as 4 per cent. You might get this money back . . . but only if Congress decides to make the appropriation for this purpose. There is NO guarantee. Decide before November 3 -- election day -- whether or not you wish to take these chances."

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



"Never before in history, have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me -- and I welcome their hatred. I should like to have it said of my first administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second administration that in it these forces met their master." Franklin Roosevelt the day before the election at Madison Square Garden “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations, much is given. Of other generations, much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny. In this world of our in other lands, there are some people, who, in times past, have lived and fought for freedom, and seem to have grown too weary to carry on the fight. They have sold their heritage of freedom for the illusion of a living. They have yielded their democracy. I believe in my heart that only our success can stir their ancient hope. They begin to know that here in America we are waging a great and successful war. It is not alone a war against want and destitution and economic demoralization. It is more than that; it is a war for the survival of democracy. We are fighting to save a great and precious form of government for ourselves and for the world.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, Speech before the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, A Rendezvous With Destiny, June 27, 1936 262

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 

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"Who is there in America, who believes that we can run the risk of turning back our Government to the old leadership which brought it to the brink of 1933?" Franklin Roosevelt “There’s one issue in this campaign. It's myself, and people must be either for me or against me.” President Franklin Roosevelt to an adviser "Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hatred." Franklin Roosevelt, Madison Square Garden Speech, October 31, 1936 "I knew I should have gone to Maine and Vermont, but Jim wouldn't let me." Franklin Roosevelt

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 



"Enlist for the duration of the war in this campaign of President Roosevelt's to get America on its feet…even the iron hand of a dictator is better than paralysis." Alf Landon, March 27, 1933 "Whether he intends to change the form of our government -- whether labor, agriculture, and business are to be directed and managed by government." Alf Landon, October 1936

Campaign Quotations: 

"As I was instrumental in removing Herbert Hoover from the White House, so help me God, I will be instrumental in taking a Communist from the chair once occupied by Washington." Father Charles Coughlin

Significant books from/about the campaign: 

Burns, James MacGregor. Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Co., 1956.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:      

The 1932 election was a vote against Hoover, but in 1936 Roosevelt’s victory was a vote of confidence in his policies Roosevelt won the greatest electoral landslide since the beginning of the current twoparty system in the 1850s. Carried all but 8 electoral votes and every state except Maine and Vermont. 523 electoral votes, 98.49% of the electoral vote, the highest percentage since 1820. The largest number of electoral votes ever recorded at that time; so far only surpassed by Ronald Reagan in the 1984 election when 7 more electoral votes were available. Roosevelt won 60.8% of the national popular vote, the second highest popular-vote percentage won by a U.S. presidential candidate since 1820.

263

1940

Election Year: 1940 Election Day Date: November 5, 1940 Winning Ticket: 

Franklin Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, Democratic 27,313,945 54.74% 449 84.6%

Losing Ticket(s):  

Wendell Willkie, Charles McNary, Republican 22,347,744 44.78% 82 15.4% Other (+) - - 240,424 0.48% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 62.5% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Stumping, whistle-stop tour, radio addresses, personal appearances, speeches, pamphlets, ads, newspaper endorsements, editorials

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Nance Garner, Democratic 1933-1945 Population: 1940:132,122,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $101.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $1,166.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 8.69 Population (in thousands): 132,122 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $767 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $8,832 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,878 (1940) Average Daily Circulation: 41,132,000 (1940) Households with: Radio: 28,048,000 (1940) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: 264

 

National party convention; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):  





World War II; The Nazis ended their "phony war" in April; blitzkrieg against Scandinavia; Belgium and the Netherlands fell (May 1940), France fell (June 1940) After World War II commenced in September 1939, Americans debated as to what position or level of involvement the United States should have in the war, Americans were divided between the doves (anti-interventionists), hawks (interventionists), and hawkish doves (aid to Britain but not sending troops). Should the United States remain aloof from the conflict overseas? Should she give all aid short of war to the British who were now fighting alone? Or should she enter the war at once to help her beleaguered British friends? Ever since September 1939, when World War II commenced, a great debate had been raging -- in newspapers, magazines, over the radio, in Congress, and in the lecture hall -- over America's foreign policy; and Americans were divided into both camps. According to Public-opinion polls, Americans wanted an experienced leader.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party Candidates:   

Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States (New York) James A. Farley, Former U.S. Postmaster General (New York) John Nance Garner, Vice President of the United States (Texas)

Republican Party Candidates    

Wendell Willkie, Businessman (New York) Thomas Dewey, Manhattan District Attorney (New York) Robert Taft, Senator (Ohio) Arthur H. Vandenberg, Senator (Michigan)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  



American involvement in the World War Both the Republican and Democratic compromised, stay out of the war but aid to the allies (threatened by aggression). Democratic Party: Franklin Roosevelt’s evasiveness as to whether he would run for an unprecedented third term; ignored reporters’ questions; political endorsements. His name was placed on several ballots and beat his leading opponent, Garner in the primaries. Republican Party: Division between the party's isolationists and the party's interventionists

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):

265

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Thomas Dewey Manhattan District Attorney (38), the "Gangbuster", prosecution of organized crime figures; Ohio Senator Robert Taft, (son of William Howard Taft) spokesman for isolationism. Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:  





Roosevelt remained evasive on his decision to run for an unprecedented third term Vice President John Nance Garner announced his candidacy in late 1939; Democratic National Committee Chairman James Farley announced his candidacy in early 1940. Both believed Roosevelt was not seeking a third term and received Roosevelt’s permission to run. The outbreak of World War II changed Roosevelt’s plans to retire, he then considered the possibility of a third term, and he remained undecided until May 1940, when the Nazi overran the Low Countries. He would not, however, openly seek the nomination; it would have to appear as a draft Roosevelt movement. The Roosevelt "draft" was carefully planned and organized.

Republican Party: 



The movement supporting Wendell Willkie, Indiana native and a former Democrat (until 1939) criticized the New Deal, and was considered a dark horse since 1937, he was young charismatic, homespun air, wide appeal; Willkie "boom", Willkie Clubs, Willkie petitions, Willkie appearances bombarded delegates with Willkie letters and telegrams. The escalation of the war in Europe ruined Dewey’s chances because of his inexperience and Taft’s because Isolationism was becoming less popular and practical.

Primaries:  

Democratic 13 35.8% delegates Republican 13 38.8% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: (July 1, 1940)        

Thomas Edmund Dewey: 1,605,754, 49.76% Dewey won six of the thirteen primaries; lead other Republicans in the polls Jerrold L. Seawell: 538,112, 16.68% Robert A. Taft: 516,428, 16.00% Unpledged: 186,157, 5.77% Charles L. McNary: 133,488, 4.14% R. N. Davis: 106,123, 3.29% Arthur H. Vandenberg: 100,651, 3.12% Wendell Lewis Willkie: 21,140, 0.66% 266

           

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(I): 9,496, 0.29% Arthur H. James: 8,172, 0.25% Herbert Clark Hoover: 1,082, 0.03% John W. Bricker: 188, 0.01% Charles Montgomery: 5, 0.00% Joseph William Martin, Jr.: 1, 0.00% Charles Augustus Lindbergh: 0, 0.00% Bruce Barton: 0, 0.00% William E. Borah: 0, 0.00% Fiorello LaGuardia: 0, 0.00% Alfred M. Landon: 0, 0.00% Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.: 0, 0.00%

Democratic Party: (July 1, 1940)                

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(I): 3,250,555, 72.16% John Nance Garner: 426,641, 9.47% Charles Sawyer: 283,952, 6.30% William Brockman Bankhead: 196,508, 4.36% H. C. Allen: 102,729, 2.28% Willis Allen: 90,718, 2.01% James A. "Jim" Farley: 76,919, 1.71% Ellis E. Patterson: 48,337, 1.07% Unpledged: 27,636, 0.61% Others: 636, 0.01% Cordell Hull: 0, 0.00% Fiorello LaGuardia: 0, 0.00% Paul V. McNutt: 0, 0.00% Burton Kendall Wheeler: 0, 0.00% Robert Houghwout Jackson: 0, 0.00% Frank Murphy: 0, 0.00%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: July 15-18, 1940, Chicago Stadium; Chicago, Alben W. Barkley (Kentucky), 1st ballot, Franklin D. Roosevelt (New York), Henry A. Wallace (Iowa) Republican National Convention: June 24-28, 1940, Convention Hall; Philadelphia, 6th ballot, Wendell L. Willkie (New York), Charles L. McNary, (Oregon)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:

267

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 

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



 



 

Despite Roosevelt’s pre-convention statement that he had "no desire or purpose to continue in the office”, orchestrated support capitulated Roosevelt to the nomination for an unprecedented 3rd time. Harry Hopkins was in charge of the Roosevelt “draft” at the convention, he maintained direct contact with the President at the White House. Thomas F. Garry, the city's Superintendent of Sewers was placed in front of a microphone in a room under the auditorium and ready to be queued, to scream pro Roosevelt chants to drum up support for the draft movement. Kentucky Senator Alben Barkley permanent chairman’s gave his speech on the second day when he mentioned Roosevelt, Chicago Mayor Ed Kelly gave the sign to Garry to commence. He yelled, "We want Roosevelt! The world wants Roosevelt!" and other proRoosevelt slogans over the speech’s remaining 22 minutes. After his speech, Barkley announced the President's decision on the nomination: "The President has never had and has not today any desire or purpose to continue in the office of the President, to be a candidate for that office, or to be nominated by the convention for that office. He wishes in all earnestness and sincerity to make it clear that all delegates to this convention are free to vote for any candidate. This is the message I bear to you from the President of the United States." Prompting Garry, the "voice from the sewers" to commence yet again "The party wants Roosevelt. . . . Illinois wants Roosevelt. . . . The world needs Roosevelt. . . . Everybody wants Roosevelt!" The majority of delegates then nominated Roosevelt for a third term, however, not by acclamation, which was Roosevelt desire Party and Delegate opposition to Roosevelt choice of a new running mate, Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace, although he advocated the New Deal, aid to Britain and would get the farm belt, vote, Wallace had been a Republican, and was considered a "mystic." Roosevelt threatened to refuse the nomination if Wallace would not be his running mate and commenced his refusal speech. Eleanor Roosevelt flew to Chicago to give a speech favoring Wallace to the convention, hoping to placate the delegates, while Roosevelt’s campaign managers negotiated with the delegates. Delegated complied and Wallace was nominated on the first ballot. Roosevelt did not accept the nomination in person this time; instead, he gave a radio address. He stated he did not want to run again, but the world crisis/war called for personal sacrifice.

Republican National Convention:    

Dewey and Taft led on the first ballot, but they were deadlocked unable to receive a majority of delegate votes. The alternative was Wendell Willkie, an internationalist. Dewey lost delegate support after the third ballot, the Willkie movement swept over the delegates on the fourth ballot, where it became a contest between Taft and Willkie. Gained momentum and delegate lead, on the sixth ballot Michigan gave Willkie delegate support, which prompted a shift of other state delegate support and resulted in Willkie’s nomination. 268

 

Willkie had powerful businessmen and several leading Republicans endorsing and backing his candidacy. Minority Leader in the Senate from Oregon Charles L. McNary was chosen as Willkie’s running mate; McNary supported public power, but essentially was conservative.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination Presidential 1st ballot     

Franklin D. Roosevelt 946 James A. Farley 72 John Nance Garner 61 Millard E. Tydings 9 Cordell Hull 5

Vice Presidential Ballot             

Henry A. Wallace 626 William B. Bankhead 329 Paul V. McNutt 68 Alva B. Adams 11 James A. Farley 7 Jesse H. Jones 5 Joseph C. O'Mahoney 3 Alben W. Barkley 2 Prentiss M. Brown 1 Louis A. Johnson 1 Scott W. Lucas 1 Bascomb Timmons 1 David I. Walsh 0.5

Republican Party Nomination Presidential 6th ballot after shifts         

Wendell L. Willkie 105 171 259 306 429 655 998 Robert A. Taft 189 203 212 254 377 318 – Thomas E. Dewey 360 338 315 250 57 11 – Arthur Vandenberg 76 73 72 61 42 -- -Arthur H. James 74 66 59 56 59 -- -Joseph W. Martin 44 26 -- -- -- -- -Hanford MacNider 34 34 28 26 4 -- -Frank E. Gannett 33 30 11 4 1 1 – Herbert Hoover 17 21 32 31 20 10 – 269

 

Styles Bridges 28 9 1 1 -- -- -Scattering / Blank 40 29 11 11 11 5 2

Vice Presidential 1st ballot   

Charles L. McNary 848 Dewey Short 108 Styles Bridges 2

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Republican National Convention: "up and comer" Harold Stassen, he helped secure the Republican Party (GOP) nomination for Wendell Willkie.

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform and Issues: 



Democratic Party: Three sections; U.S. military preparedness and foreign policy; New Deal benefits for economic sectors, agricultural, labor, and business; New Deal welfare measures; adopted without a roll call. Republican Party: Criticized extension of federal power taking away from the free enterprise; approval of unemployment relief and social security programs, but under state control; opposition to the United States involving the war ravaging Europe, far east; Constitution amendments to limit the president to two terms in office; equal rights for men and women.

Convention Quotations:  



"All the headquarters I have are under my hat." Wendell Willkie "Nothing exactly like it ever happened before in American politics. Willkie had never held public office or even sought it. Virtually a neophyte in politics, he had entered no primaries, made no deals, organized no campaign. . . . His backers were uninitiated volunteers, as strange to the ways of the ward bosses and state chairmen as their hero." Newsweek Well, damn it to hell, they will go for Wallace or I won't run, and you can jolly well tell them so." Franklin Roosevelt to Harry Hopkins

Polls: 

Gallup: Willkie: 29%, Dewey: 47%, -5 and Taft, Vandenberg and former President Herbert Hoover trailed at 8%, 8%, and 6% respectively.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Lend-Lease program with Britain. 270

  

Third term candidate issue. First peacetime draft (September 1940). War or peace issue.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Henry Wallace, Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:   



Stumping, active campaigning. Whistle-stop, speech-making tour, 34,000 miles by train, thirty-four states, and over five hundred speeches. Campaign errors, in the organization, amateur managers, staff, attempted to write all his own speeches, even with speechwriter came to many impromptu speeches, his voice could not keep up the speaking schedule. Campaigned against "the third term candidate," perpetuate "one-man rule"; New Deal had not caused an economic recovery stressed distribution rather than the production of goods, both became none issues, especially with the war spending economic upturn "What has happened to Willkie?"

Democratic Party: 

Stumping, speeches: Roosevelt started to actively campaign in October, gave his first of 5 campaign speeches on October 12, 1940, in Philadelphia, the speeches discussed the various campaign issues; New Deal reforms, strengthen America's defenses, commitment to aid Britain as an American defense, his emphasis was on the message of keeping America out of the war.

Turning Points (General Election):  

 

Wartime economic boom, increased defense spending, employment and production On September 3, Roosevelt announced the Lend-Lease program with Britain, an executive issued lending fifty or sixty World War I destroyers to Britain in exchange long-term leases on British air and sea bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. Willkie and the general American public approved the deal but disapproved in the way the President passed the deal, without Congress or a public discussion. Willkie’s disagreement with the methods of the deal did not help his campaign especially after he attacked that the administration had neglected the nation's defenses, and the Democrats responded the Republican Congress in the 1930s blocked all attempts at defense bills, defense spending and increases.

271

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Roosevelt blamed isolationist Republicans for slowing American preparedness. Willkie countered that Roosevelt was going beyond defense planning to all-out scheming for American intervention. War or peace for America became the biggest issue of the campaign, whether the peacetime draft was edging America towards war. Willkie made his comeback as the anti-war peace candidate and gained steam in the public opinion polls. Roosevelt commenced campaigning on October 12, 1940, in Philadelphia, the first of five speeches. October 30, 1940, Roosevelt gave a speech in Boston where he gave his strongest message about keeping the country out of the war.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Republican: "Bring on the Champ!"

Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

 

So long as I am President, I will do all I can to ensure that that foreign policy remains our foreign policy. All that I have done to maintain the peace of this country and to prepare it morally, as well as physically, for whatever contingencies may be in store, I submit to the judgment of my countrymen. We face one of the great choices of history. It is not alone a choice of Government by the people versus dictatorship. It is not alone a choice of freedom versus slavery. It is not alone a choice between moving forward or falling back. It is all of these rolled into one. It is the continuance of civilization as we know it versus the ultimate destruction of all that we have held dear—religion against godlessness; the ideal of justice against the practice of force; moral decency versus the firing squad; courage to speak out, and to act, versus the false lullaby of appeasement. But it has been well said that a selfish and greedy people cannot be free. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Radio Address to the Democratic National Convention Accepting the Nomination July 19, 1940 "I am an old campaigner, and I love a good fight." Franklin Roosevelt, October 12, 1940, Philadelphia "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 1940

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"Who really thinks that the President is sincerely trying to keep us out of war?" "We are being edged toward war by an administration that is alike careless in speech and

272

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action."… "If you elect me President . . . , no American boys will be sent to the shambles of the European trenches." Wendell Willkie "If his promise to keep our boys out of foreign wars is not better than his promise to balance the budget, they're almost on the transports!" Wendell Willkie about the peacetime draft, October 1940 "There comes a time when it is very wise to get off that horse in midstream because if we don't, both you and the horse will sink." Wendell Willkie about the Lend-Lease program "The President did not deem it necessary in connection with this proposal to secure the approval of Congress or permit public discussion prior to adoption."…. "the most arbitrary and dictatorial action ever taken by any President in the history of the United States." Wendell Willkie about the Lend-Lease program "If one man is indispensable, then none of us is free." Wendell Willkie

Campaign Quotations:  

"Thrown his diaper into the ring" Interior Secretary Harold Ickes about Dewey’s age and inexperience "The effects of this were felt powerfully in the White House during the last week in October. I had to read the letters and telegrams and reports that flooded in and…. I was amazed and horrified at the evidence of hysteria…. Newspapermen… reported mounting waves of fear throughout the country, which might easily merge into tidal proportions by Election Day and sweep Willkie into office." Robert E. Sherwood, one of FDR's speechwriters on Willkie creating an anti-war hysteria

Elections Issues/Results: Support from labor unions, big-city political machines, ethnic voters, and the traditionally Democratic Solid South Significant books about the campaign: 

Parmet, Herbert S, and Marie B. Hecht. Never Again; a President Runs for a Third Term. New York: Macmillan, 1968.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Roosevelt became the first and only President to win a third and consecutive term of office.

273

1944

Election Year: 1944 Election Day Date: November 7, 1944 Winning Ticket: Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Democratic 25,612,916 53.39% 432 81.4% Losing Ticket(s):   

Thomas Dewey, John Bricker, Republican 22,017,929 45.89% 99 18.6% No Candidate-Texas Regulars 135,439 0.28% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 210,779 0.44% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 55.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Stumping, whistle-stop tour, radio addresses, personal appearances, speeches, pamphlets, ads, newspaper endorsements, editorials

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Henry A. Wallace, Democratic, 1933-1945 Population: 1944: 138,397,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $219.8 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $2,035.2 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 10.80 Population (in thousands): 138,397 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $1,588 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $14,706 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,878 (1940) Average Daily Circulation: 41,132,000 (1940) Households with: Radio: 28,048,000 (1940) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees:

274

 

National party convention; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues:  

Possible suspension of elections; first wartime presidential campaign since 1864; Americans wondered if there should even be a campaign with the ongoing war Rumors Roosevelt would suspend elections "for the duration" of the war

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates: 

Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States from New York

Republican Party candidates:        

Riley A. Bender, Businessman (Illinois) Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York John W. Bricker, Governor of Ohio Everett Dirksen, U.S. Representative of Illinois General Douglas MacArthur, (Wisconsin) Harold Stassen, Former Governor of Minnesota Robert Taft, U.S. Senator (Ohio) Wendell Willkie, Businessman and 1940 nominee (New York)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Democratic Party’s economic and social policies, Communists and being allies with Russia

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Henry Wallace; Nicholas Roerich; Douglas MacArthur Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party: 

Roosevelt was renominated easily despite growing concern/opposition to his economic and social policies among conservatives in the party and especially in the South.

Republican Party:

275

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Supporters wanted General Douglas MacArthur to run for the nomination, however, he was leading the Allied forces in the Pacific and could not actively campaign. Thomas Dewey wanted the nomination, however, when was elected Governor of New York in 1942, he promised to serve his entire four-year term. He could not actively campaign, or announce his intentions for the Republican nomination; However, his name was on write-ins in state primaries contests, and, Republican state conventions pledged delegates to vote for him at the convention. Wisconsin primary: Thomas Dewey: 14 delegates; Harold Stassen: 4 delegates; General Douglas MacArthur: 3 delegates. Dewey emerged as the frontrunner. Wendall Willkie did not win a single delegate in the Wisconsin primary and subsequently withdrew from the race.

Primaries Quotations: 



"Well, you see, you have come to the wrong place, because -- gosh, all these people haven't read the Constitution. Unfortunately, I have." Franklin Roosevelt answering a reporter that there will be elections in 1944 despite the war "I don't know whether you are going to support me or not, and I don't give a damn. You're a bunch of political liabilities, anyway." Wendell Willkie

Primaries:  

Democratic 14 36.7% delegates Republican 13 38.7% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1944     

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(I): 1,566,218, 79.24% Joseph T. Ferguson: 164,915, 8.34% Harry Flood Byrd, Sr.: 109,000, 5.51% Claude R. Linger: 59,282, 3.00% Unpledged: 57,299, 2.90%

Republican Party: Jul 01, 1944        

Douglas MacArthur: 662,127, 28.94% Earl Warren: 594,439, 25.99% John W. Bricker: 366,444, 16.02% Thomas Edmund Dewey: 278,727, 12.18% W. Chapman Revercomb: 91,602, 4.00% Unpledged: 87,834, 3.84% Harold Edward Stassen: 67,508, 2.95% Riley A. Bender: 37,575, 1.64% 276

 

Charles A. Christopherson: 33,497, 1.46% Wendell Lewis Willkie: 27,097, 1.18%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: July 19-21, 1944, Chicago Stadium; Chicago, Samuel D. Jackson (Indiana), 1st ballot, Franklin D. Roosevelt, (New York), Harry S. Truman (Missouri) Republican National Convention: June 26-28, 1944, Chicago Stadium; Chicago, 1st ballot, Thomas E. Dewey (New York), John W. Bricker (Ohio)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 

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

  

Roosevelt’s declining health and suspicions of concealed health problems prompted the party’s conservatives to oppose the renomination of Roosevelt’s second Vice-President Henry Wallace. Wallace left wing position and New Age spiritual beliefs concerned conservatives considering might have to assume the Presidency. (Wallace had written coded letters discussing Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to his controversial Russian spiritual guru, Nicholas Roerich.) Party leaders told Roosevelt about their opposition and suggested Missouri Senator Harry Truman, a moderate and chairman of a Senate wartime investigating committee. Roosevelt refused to publicly support any of the Vice Presidential choices Roosevelt’s second choice was James F. Byrnes of South Carolina, however, he was conservative on race and labor issues, and Sidney Hillman, chairman of the CIO's Political Action Committee and Roosevelt campaign contributor opposed his nomination. Roosevelt accepted Truman as his running mate for party unity, Truman himself was reluctant to accept the nomination, called "the new Missouri Compromise." Liberal delegates still supported Henry Wallace and he was in the lead in the first ballot. The Northern, Midwestern, and Southern state delegates supported Truman, and he was able to clinch the nomination on the second ballot after shifts.

Republican Party:  

Dewey as the frontrunner captured the nomination with near unanimous delegate support, one Wisconsin delegate voted for MacArthur. Dewey accepted the nomination and gave a speech at the convention in Chicago.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination   

Vice Presidential 2nd ballot After Shifts Harry S. Truman 319.5 477.5 1,031 Henry A. Wallace 429.5 473 105 277

      

John H. Bankhead Scott W. Lucas 61 Alben W. Barkley J. Melville Broughton 43 Paul V. McNutt 31 Prentice Cooper 26 Scattering 118.5

98 58 49.5 30 28 26 20

23.5 0 40 0 1 26 7

0 6

Republican Party Nomination Presidential 1st Ballot  

Thomas Dewey 1,056 Douglas MacArthur 1

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot 

John W. Bricker 1,057

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platforms and Issues: 



Democratic Party: Unconditional surrender in the war in Europe, Pacific; end tyranny in the world; United Nations organization; acknowledged American military might as the best in the world; assistance for the transition to civilian life for ex-servicemen and women, disabled; unrestricted Jewish immigration to Palestine; establishment of a free and democratic Jewish state; self government in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico; extend suffrage to the people of the District of Columbia. Republican Party: Denounced the Democratic rule and centralization of power, increasing deficit spending, failing private enterprise promotion; military strength and expansion until both Germany and Japan were defeated; postwar United Nations organization; Fair Employment Practice Commission; set agricultural products prices.

Convention Quotations: 

"I like him and I respect him and he is my personal friend. For these reasons I personally would vote for his renomination if I were a delegate to the convention." Franklin Roosevelt about Henry Wallace

General Election Controversies/Issues:

278



Lack of different positions on the issues: Republican platform agreed with the Democrats on too many of the social and foreign policy issues, except for endorsing free enterprise and state control over social problems

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Sidney Hillman; Robert Hannegan; Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party:   

Would not campaign/stump, to begin with, continue responsibilities as Commander-inChief Tired of the attacks Roosevelt commenced in mid-September stumping, planned to give five speeches, to answer his criticism sho he was physically up to the challenge. To quiet rumors of his poor health, Roosevelt insisted on making a vigorous campaign swing in October and rode in an open car through city streets.

Republican Party:    

Dewey only candidate on the stump first few weeks of the general campaign. Dignified stance: Efficiency; finely honed (unexciting) speeches, impeccable dress, cool demeanor, perfect timing for speeches and press conferences. Did not attack Roosevelt’s foreign policy, endorsed much of the New Deal, emphasis on change in leadership. To capture the public’s attention, the Republican campaign turned to visceral attacks on Roosevelt and the administration.

Turning Points (General Election): 







After the convention, Arthur Krock of the New York Times reported that FDR had told Hannegan: "Go down and nominate Truman before there's any more trouble. And clear everything with Sidney." Became a controversy, that Sidney Hillman had too much decision making power within the Roosevelt administration, Democratic Party. Linked the Democrats to Communism: Linked Sidney Hillman, who praised Russia's resistance to the Nazi invasion with Earl Browder (urged the Communist Party to support FDR). During the early campaign, only Dewey on the stump dignified position; did not attack Roosevelt’s foreign policy, endorsed much of the New Deal, emphasized on a change in leadership, a change did not appeal to the public. Roosevelt’s failing health issue; rumors that Roosevelt could not live out the term.

279

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Communism issue: Republican newspapers, orators and Dewey linked the American alliance in the war with Russia and Communist Party support for Roosevelt to communism influence within the Roosevelt administration. Roosevelt took to the stump September 23, 1944, his first of speeches answering his critics, was to the Teamsters Union in Washington, considered the best campaign speech of his career; Fala Speech: Speech carried on national radio in which he ridiculed Republican claims that his administration was corrupt and wasteful with tax money. He particularly ridiculed a GOP claim that he had sent a US Navy warship to pick up his Scottish terrier Fala in Alaska, noting that "Fala was furious" at such rumors. In response, Dewey gave a blistering partisan speech in Oklahoma City a few days later on national radio, in which he accused Roosevelt of being "indispensable" to corrupt bigcity Democratic organizations and American Communists; he also referred to members of FDR's cabinet as a "motley crew". Accused the President of incompetence, arrogance, inefficiency, fatigue, and senility. American battlefield successes in Europe and the Pacific; the liberation of Paris (August 1944); Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines (October 1944).

Popular Campaign Slogans: Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democratic Party: Republican Party: "CLEAR EVERYTHING WITH SIDNEY"; "It's your country and why let Sidney Hillman run it?"; "Everything in your government will be cleared with the radical Sidney Hillman and his Communist friend Earl Browder." "Sidney Hillman and Earl Browder's Communists have registered. Have you?" “Clear it with Sidney, you Yanks Then offer Joe Stalin your thanks, You'll bow to Sid's rule No matter how cruel, For that's a directive of Frank's.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Well, of course, I don't resent attacks, and my family doesn't resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I had left him behind on the Aleutian Islands and had sent a destroyer back to find him - at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars- his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself such as that old, worm-eaten chestnut that I have represented myself as indispensable. But I think I have a right to resent, to object to libelous statements about my dog." Franklin Roosevelt, Campaign Dinner Address, September 23, 1944, Washington, DC, 280

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

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America "Well, here we are -- here we are again -- after four years -- and what years they have been!" he began with a smile. "You know, I am actually four years older, which is a fact that seems to annoy some people. In fact. . . . there are millions of Americans who are more than eleven years older than when we started to clear up the mess that was dumped into our laps in 1933." Franklin Roosevelt, Campaign Dinner Address, September 23, 1944, Washington, DC, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America “They will decide on the record—the record written on the seas, on the land, and in the skies. They will decide on the record of our domestic accomplishments in recovery and reform since March 4, 1933. And they will decide on the record of our war production and food production- unparalleled in all history, in spite of the doubts and sneers of those in high places who said it cannot be done. They will decide on the record of the International Food Conference, of U.N.R.R.A., of the International Labor Conference, of the International Education Conference, of the International Monetary Conference. And they will decide on the record written in the Atlantic Charter, at Casablanca, at Cairo, at Moscow, and at Teheran. We have made mistakes. Who has not? Things will not always be perfect. Are they ever perfect, in human affairs?” Franklin Roosevelt, Address to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, July 20, 1944

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 



"Now, Mr. Roosevelt in his recent speech from the White House very softly disavowed communism. But the very next day, at a meeting right here in Boston, Earl Browder made a speech for Mr. Roosevelt and a collection was taken up for the fourth term. And not a voice in the New Deal was raised in protest."…"now, by the self-same tried and familiar tactics and with the aid of Sidney Hillman, the Communists are seizing control of the New Deal, through which they aim to control the Government of the United States." Thomas Dewey, Nov. 1, 1940, Boston, Boston Garden “Does anyone suggest that the present national administration is giving either efficient or competent government? We have not heard that claim made, even by its most fanatical supporters. No, all they tell us is that in its young days it did some good things. That we freely grant. But now it has grown old in office. It has become tired and quarrelsome. It seems that the great men who founded this nation really did know what they were talking about when they said that three terms were too many.” Thomas Dewey, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Chicago, June 28, 1944

Campaign Quotations: 

"Nothing wrong organically with him at all. . . . He's perfectly O.K. . . . The stories that he is in bad health are understandable enough around election time, but they are not true." Admiral Ross McIntire, the President's personal physician, statement on Roosevelt’s health

281

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"He was like a veteran virtuoso playing a piece he has loved for years, who fingers his way through it with a delicate fire, a perfection of tuning and tone, and an assurance that no young player, no matter how gifted, can equal. The President was playing what he loves to play -- politics." Time magazine "Roosevelt's dog and Dewey's goat." one wag

Further Reading: 

Evans, Hugh E. The Hidden Campaign: FDR's Health and the 1944 Election. Armonk: N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2002.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 



  

First and only time a President was elected to a fourth term; The passing of the 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution in 1947 limited the number of Presidential to two, three, if a Vice President succeeded as President had less than two years of the term left A historic fight over the Democratic Vice Presidential nomination resulted in the next President. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1944, less than 4 months after taking the oath of office for the fourth time, and Truman became the nation's 33rd President instead of Wallace. Last election in which a Democratic presidential candidate carried every state in the South. The first election since Grover Cleveland's re-election in 1892 in which Ohio went to the losing candidate Last election in which any candidate received over 90% of the vote in any state.

282

1948 Election Year: 1948 Election Day Date: November 2, 1948 Winning Ticket: 

Harry Truman, Alben Barkley, Democratic 24,179,347 49.55% 303 57.1%

Losing Ticket(s):     

Thomas Dewey, Earl Warren, Republican 21,991,292 45.07% 189 35.6% J. Strom Thurmond, Fielding Wright, State's Rights 1,175,930 2.41% 39 7.3% Henry Wallace, Glen Taylor, Progressive 1,157,328 2.37% 0 0.0% Norman Thomas, Tucker Smith, Socialist 139,569 0.29% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 150,069 0.31% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 53.0% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Stumping, whistle-stop tours, speeches, radio, ads, newspapers, editorials, television

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution (1947) limits the number of terms a President can run to two four-year terms,

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Harry S. Truman, Democratic, 1945-1953 Population: 1948: 146,631,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $269.1 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $1,854.2 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 14.51 Population (in thousands): 146,631 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $1,835 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $12,645 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,426 (1950) Average Daily Circulation: 53,829,000 (1950) Households with: 283

 

Radio: 40,700,000 (1950) Television: 975,000 (1948)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National party convention; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 



    

President Franklin Roosevelt’s death on April 12, 1945, at the verge of the end of World War II, left Vice President Harry Truman as President "'Good God, Truman will be President!'" Cabell Phillips New York Times, White House press corps Republican Party in the 1946 midterm elections won control of both houses of the United States Congress and a majority of state governorships. (Senate 51–45; House 246–188). Republican campaign slogan “Had Enough?” and removing the four C’s: controls, confusion, corruption, and Communism. Economy, domestic issues: high taxes, the rising cost of living, labor strife, corruption in Washington. Foreign affairs: Cold War, "capitalism" vs "communism"; Marshall Plan ( European economic recovery) Truman Doctrine of Containment, Expansion of Communism, Stalin: Eastern Europe and Mao Zedong: China. May 1948 Harry Truman had a 36 percent approval rating according to Gallup, soft on Communism Public opinion polls showed Republicans prime for recapturing the White House in 1948.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates:    

Harry S. Truman, President (Missouri) Richard Russell, Jr., Senator (Georgia) Harley M. Kilgore, Senator (West Virginia) Alben W. Barkley, Senator (Kentucky)

Republican Party nomination      

Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York Robert Taft, Senator (Ohio) Harold E. Stassen, Former Governor of Minnesota Arthur H. Vandenberg, President pro tempore of the Senate (Michigan) Earl Warren, Governor of California Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army, (Arkansas) 284

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):    

In the public-opinion polls, Truman trailed Republican nominee Dewey by double digits "Dump" Truman movement, to drop Truman from the nomination. Civil-rights package (February 1948) threatened Democratic disunity from the South led by South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond. Loss of liberals and Southern conservatives from the Democratic New Deal coalition.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Republican and Democratic national conventions first ever televised Presidential nominating conventions.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

Strom Thurmond; Henry Wallace; Dwight Eisenhower; Jacob Arvey (boss of the Chicago Democratic organization); Frank Hague, (boss of New Jersey); James Roosevelt (eldest son of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Senator Claude Pepper (Florida).

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):  

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 

  

Draft General Dwight Eisenhower by the Democrats and Republicans (party affiliation unknown still), Eisenhower declined both parties. June 1948, Truman took a "non-political" tour across the country; instead of using prepared texts, he spoke off the cuff appearing more friendlier and attract cheering crowds of supporters. Adopted what would the theme of his campaign, Truman attacked the Republican Congress calling them "the worst in my memory" whose interest lied in "the welfare of the better classes" than the ordinary people. Truman completed the tour confident he could win the election. The Democrats split into three factions; two formed or supported third parties and their candidates. Old New Deal policies advocates, new Progressive Party, Presidential nominee, Henry Wallace. Southerners who disagreed with Truman’s civil rights policies; States Rights Party, Presidential nominee, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Regular Democrats supported President Truman, Southern delegates opposition to his nomination.

Primary Quotations: 

"The serenity of this position is copper-riveted by the fact that in selecting nominees for President, my party has an unbroken tradition of never having made the same mistake twice in a row." Thomas Dewey, 1945 285

   

"If the Democratic party departs from the ideals of Franklin Roosevelt, I shall desert altogether from that party." Former Vice President Henry Wallace "life-long professional soldiers [should] abstain from seeking high political office." Dwight Eisenhower "To err is Truman, I wonder what Truman would do if he were alive." Truman’s critics "I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm pouring it on and I'm gonna keep pouring it on." Harry Truman on his June 1948 tour about his attacks on the Republican Congress

Primaries:  

Democratic 14 36.3% delegates Republican 12 36.0% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1948       

Harry S Truman(I): 1,419,875, 64.65% William Alexander "W. A." Julian, 271,146, 12.35% Unpledged: 161,629, 7.36% Harley M. Kilgore: 157,102, 7.15% W. B. Bixler: 136,401, 6.21% Others: 17,160, 0.78% Lynn Fellows: 11,193, 0.51%

Republican Party: Jul 01, 1948             

Earl Warren: 771,295, 26.99% Harold Edward Stassen: 627,321, 21.96% Robert A. Taft: 464,741, 16.27% Thomas Edmund Dewey: 330,799, 11.58% Riley A. Bender: 324,029, 11.34% Douglas MacArthur: 87,839, 3.07% Leverett Saltonstall: 72,191, 2.53% Herbert E. Hitchcock: 45,463, 1.59% Edward Martin: 45,072, 1.58% Unpledged: 28,854, 1.01% Arthur H. Vandenberg: 18,924, 0.66% Others: 5,939, 0.21% Dwight David Eisenhower: 5,014, 0.18%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 

Democratic National Convention: July 12-14, 1948, Convention Hall; Philadelphia, Sam Rayburn (Texas), 1st ballot, Harry S. Truman (Missouri), Alben W. Barkley (Kentucky)

286

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Republican National Convention: June 21-25, 1948, Convention Hall; Philadelphia, 3rd ballot, Thomas E. Dewey (New York) Earl Warren (California)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:  

    

Civil Rights became the main source of contention and debate at the convention. The South supported Georgia Senator Richard Russell in protest of Truman’s Civil Rights policies; others left the convention to form the States Rights Party and nominate Strum Thurmond as their Presidential candidate. Rise to national prominence young mayor of Minneapolis, Hubert Humphrey pushed through strong civil rights plank. Thirteen Alabama delegates and the entire Mississippi delegation withdrew from the convention in opposition to the civil rights plank. Truman was renominated on the first ballot. Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell received more than 90 percent of the votes from remaining Southern delegates. Nominated by acclamation Alben W. Barkley, Senate Majority Leader, Kentucky, who gave a “rip-roaring keynote address” as Truman’s running-mate.

Republican Party:   

Republicans believed that victory over Truman was assured. Nominated California Governor Earl Warren for Vice President. Dewey gave an acceptance speech that was dignified, attempting to stand above politics.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot     

Harry S. Truman Richard B. Russell James A. Roe 15 Paul V. McNutt Alben W. Barkley

947.5 266 2 1

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot 

Alben W. Barkley

1,234

Republican Party Nomination 3rd ballot 

Thomas E. Dewey

434

515

1094 287

           

Robert Taft 224 Harold Stassen 157 Arthur Vandenberg 62 Earl Warren 59 Dwight Green Alfred Driscoll 35 Raymond Baldwin 19 Joseph Martin 18 Carroll Reece 15 Douglas MacArthur 11 Everett Dirksen 1 Abstaining 1

274 149 62 57 56 0 19 10 0 8 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Progressive Party nomination:    

 

Presidential: Henry Wallace Party convention, July 1948, in Philadelphia Vice Presidential, Democratic Senator Glen Taylor (Idaho) ("Singing Cowboy") Henry A. Wallace formed the Progressive Citizens of America in 1947 and the Progressive party in 1948; promote world peace, blamed the Truman administration for the Cold War. Delegates include pacifists, reformers, disaffected New Dealers, some American Stalinists, communists). Progressive platform: Rejected the Marshall Plan; Truman Doctrine; end the Cold War; negotiations with Russia.

States' Rights Democratic Party: (formed prior to the Democratic convention)      

Presidential: Governor J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina Vice Presidential: Governor Fielding Wright of Mississippi Convention three days after walking out of the Democratic Convention, Montgomery, Alabama "Dixiecrats" states-rights segregationists. Delegates from thirteen states. Hoped to be a spoiler and have the election thrown into the House of Representatives, where the Southern states could choose an opponent of civil-rights legislation to win the election.

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Democratic National Convention: Alben W. Barkley, Senate Majority Leader

Nominating Speech Speakers (President):

288

Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: Party leaders wanted a mild civil-rights platform plank in order not to completely alienate the Southern delegates and gain their support for Truman’s renomination. However, the Liberals led by Hubert Humphrey won a stronger Civil Rights plank: “racial and religious minorities must have the right to live, the right to work, the right to vote, the full and equal protection of the laws on a basis of equality with all citizens as guaranteed by the Constitution.” Republican Party: bipartisan foreign policy platform: strengthening of the United Nations, the unity of Western Europe; recognition of Israel, pledged friendship with China; domestic plank: public debt reduction; opposed racial segregation (armed services); legislation to end lynching; abolition of the poll tax; pledged “vigorous enforcement of existing laws against Communists,” equal rights for women constitutional amendment; “eventual statehood for Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, and selfgovernment for the District of Columbia.”

Convention Quotations: 

"The time has arrived for the Democratic party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights." Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey

General Election Controversies/Issues:  

Civil Rights 80th Republican Congress

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Use of television, televised national party conventions

Major Personalities (General Election): 

Strom Thurmond, Henry Wallace;

Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party: 



An active campaign, mudslinging; extensive nationwide whistle-stop tour 21,928 miles by rail; and 275 speeches beginning on Labor Day and ending Election Day; Speeches to large crowds as "whistlestops" and big cities. Rear platform campaign: appearances on train platforms; and introduced his family after short speeches: "Howja like to meet my family?" his wife Bess as "the boss" and daughter Margaret as "the boss's boss."

289

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Populist theme: Truman made the theme of his campaign running against the 80th Congress rather than his opponent Dewey “Do-Nothing Republican Congress.”

Republican Party: 

 

Dewey promised a safe dignified campaign for a President-to-be; ignored Truman and avoided specifics in his speeches; wanted the public to view him as a “high-minded, public-spirited, conscientious, and efficient administrator,” who could unify the country and create an effective foreign policy. Although it backfired, the public and press found him stuffy. By October, Dewey wanted to engage in a more active campaign, mudslinging and was advised against it. Accused Truman of mudslinging, of there being Communists in the government, and under Truman’s watch, millions of people around the world “had been delivered into Soviet slavery after World War II.” Dewey usually refrained from foreign policy attacks, which was mutually agreed upon "bi-partisanship."

Turning Points (General Election):   



 





Dewey led Truman by the double-digit in the polls at Labor Day. Predictions of a Dewey victory; Pollsters George Gallup and Archibald Crossley and fifty political writers predicted a Dewey victory by a large margin. Elmo Roper poll, September 1948: Thomas E. Dewey leading Harry Truman, 41 to 31 percent "no amount of electioneering" would change the result by the election; St. Louis betting commissioner named Dewy the fifteen-to-one favorite. Special session Congress met on July 25; Truman called a special session of Congress as a dare to the Republican Party to enact or pass any legislation from their party platform; Truman want eight social-welfare legislations passed; (Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft called an "omnibus left-wing program") for two weeks the Congress argued and debate, but then adjourned without passing/accomplishing anything, as Truman expected. Dewey wanted Senator Taft to pass any legislation to prove Truman wrong, but Taft thought Truman was bluffing "cheap politico," and refused. Truman used to the Republican lack of initiative as his main campaign slogan named the 80th Congress "the do-nothing Congress." Commenced his extensive whistle-stop tour. Progressive candidate Wallace refused to repudiate the Communist party's endorsement; he faced hostile rallies and crowds that threw eggs and rotten vegetables. Thurmond campaigning was confined to the South but found it difficult to gain support, the majority still supported the Democratic Party they had for decades and controlled patronage Dewey made foreign policy his main issue; charged that under Truman "our allies in war" were being treated "as enemies in peace."; charges were irrelevant base on foreign policy realities. Soviet aggression: Czechoslovakia coup February1948; West Berlin blockade, July 1948. Truman sent an airlift to Berlin, which supplied 2,400,000 West Berliners with food and provisions, Americans approved of Truman’s decisiveness and actions.

290

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Final polls: November 1, 1948: Gallup poll Dewey 49.5 percent, Truman 44.5 percent; Crossley poll: 49.9 percent for Dewey and 44.8 percent for Truman. Elmo Roper: (Dewey, 52.2 percent, and Truman, 37.1 percent): "I stand by my prediction. Dewey is in."

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:   

“All 48 in 48’ Dewey Warren” “Dewey Gets Things Done” Truman for Ex-President”

Democrat:   

“With Truman for Civil Rights” “Beat High Prices” “Phooey on Dewey”

Campaign Song: 

Democratic Party: "I'm Just Wild About Harry"; "Give 'em hell, Harry!"

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Democratic Party:       

the 80th Congress "the worst in history," "gluttons of privilege" "a bunch of old mossbacks" "bloodsuckers with offices in Wall Street," "the party of . . . Hoover boom and Hoover depression," "the notorious 'do-nothing' Republican Eightieth Congress"… "stuck a pitchfork in the farmer's back." "soothing-syrup campaign"

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"The smart boys say we can't win. They tried to bluff us with a propaganda blitz, but we called their bluff, we told the people the truth. And the people are with us. The tide is rolling. All over the country. I have seen it in the people's faces. The people are going to win this election." Harry Truman final speech campaign in St. Louis

291

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"Is the government of the United States going to run in the interest of the people as a whole, or in the interest of a small group of privileged big businessmen?" Harry S. Truman "Senator Barkley and I will win this election, and make these Republicans like it, don't you forget that. We'll do that because they're wrong and we're right. The reason is that the people know the Democratic party is the people's party, and the Republican party is the party of special interests and it always has been and always will be." Harry S. Truman Address in Philadelphia Upon Accepting the Nomination of the Democratic National Convention, July 15, 1948 "On the twenty-sixth day of July, which out in Missouri they call Turnip Day, I'm going to call that Congress back and I'm going to ask them to pass laws halting rising prices and to meet the housing crisis which they say they're for in their platform. At the same time I shall ask them to act on other vitally needed measures such as aid to education, which they say they're for; a national health program, civil rights legislation, which they say they're for; [and] funds for projects needed . . . to provide public power and cheap electricity. . . . What that worst Eightieth Congress does in its special session will be the test. The American people will decide on the record." Harry S. Truman Address in Philadelphia Upon Accepting the Nomination of the Democratic National Convention, July 15, 1948

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

"I will not get down into the gutter with that fellow." Thomas Dewey referring to Truman "Ours is a magnificent land, Don't let anybody frighten you or try to stampede you into believing that America is finished. America's future . . . is still ahead of us." Thomas Dewey

Campaign Quotations:      

"Thomas E. Dewey's election as President is a foregone conclusion," Leo Egan in the New York Times "Dewey will be in for eight years -- until '57." Kiplinger News Letter The next President of the United States," Life caption of Dewey on the Cover "WHAT DEWEY WILL DO." Changing Times "The Communists are the closest things to the early Christian martyrs" Henry Wallace about the Communist endorsement of his party "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" Chicago Tribune early election-night returns headline

Further Reading: 

Karabell, Zachary. The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman won the 1948 Election. New York: Random House, 2000.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:

292

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 

The presidential election of 1948 is considered the greatest election upset in American history. Virtually every prediction (with or without public opinion polls) indicated that incumbent President Harry S. Truman would be defeated by Republican Thomas E. Dewey. Truman won, overcoming a three-way split in his own party. Truman's surprise victory was the fifth consecutive win for the Democratic Party in a presidential election. Truman's election confirmed the Democratic Party's status as the nation's majority party, a status they would retain until 1968.

293

1952 Election Year: 1952 Election Day Date: November 4, 1952 Winning Ticket: 

Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Republican 34,075,529 55.18% 442 83.2%

Losing Ticket(s):  

Adlai Stevenson, John Sparkman, Democratic 27,375,090 44.33% 89 16.8% Other (+) - - 301,323 0.49% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 63.3% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Whistle-stop tour, speeches, radio; the introduction of television (ads, speeches) Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Harry S. Truman, Alben W. Barkley, Democratic 1945-1953 Population: 156,954,000 GDP: 133 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $358.3 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $2,243.9GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 15.97 Population (in thousands): 156,954 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $2,283 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $14,297 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,426 (1950) Average Daily Circulation: 53,829,000 (1950) Households with:  

Radio 40,700,000 (1950) Television 3,875 ,000 (1950)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: 294

 

National party convention Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):  

Growth of Communism; Europe; Communists infiltrating the State Department American "Winter of Discontent" (1951 to 1952); stalemated Korean War; unpopular President Harry S. Truman would not commit to seeking another term

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party Candidates:      

Adlai Stevenson, governor of Illinois Estes Kefauver, U.S. senator from Tennessee Richard Russell, Jr., U.S. senator from Georgia W. Averell Harriman, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce from New York Alben W. Barkley, U.S. Vice President from Kentucky Robert S. Kerr, U.S. senator from Oklahoma

Republican Party Candidates    

Dwight D. Eisenhower, General of the Army from New York[4] Robert Taft, U.S. senator from Ohio Harold Stassen, former governor of Minnesota Earl Warren, governor of California

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):    

The Draft Eisenhower movement. Republicans wanted to run a campaign against Truman aides’ corruption and opposition to anti-Communist Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Republican formula for victory, K1C3: Korea, crime, Communism, and corruption, the main issues of the campaign. Korean War; Truman announced all troops would be withdrawn from the unpopular war in March 1952 claimed decision was made in 1951.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Robert Taft; Dwight Eisenhower, Joseph McCarthy; Peter G. Peterson (Market Facts, later Secretary of Commerce for Nixon); Republican New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. of Massachusetts; "National Citizens for Eisenhower." Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):

295

Republican Party: 

   

Republicans remained split between Thomas Dewey's Eastern moderates and Robert Taft's Midwestern conservative wings of the party. Dewey refused to run for the president a third time and was part of the Draft Eisenhower movement. Taft chose to run again to preserve conservative interests. Dwight Eisenhower, moderate Republican: critical of the welfare state, could New Deal reforms; world leadership for the United States. Staff campaigners campaigned in New Hampshire for Eisenhower while, he was on duty in Europe, he returned to the United States after he won. March 11, 1952, Eisenhower won the New Hampshire primary by 50% to 38% and won all of the Republican delegates. The next day he officially announced his candidacy. Taft won six primaries and Ike won five, Taft had a lead in the number of delegates entering the convention.

Democratic Party:    

On March 2, 1952, Truman withdrew from the race after he lost the New Hampshire primary to Estes Kefauver. Truman supported as a successor Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson (declined to run) or Vice President Alben Barkley. Kefauver won twelve of sixteen primaries but was not a favorite of the bosses. The South supported Georgia Senator Richard Russell.

Primaries Quotations:     

 

"I wish you would let me know what you intend to do." Truman wrote to Eisenhower in December 1951 "I do not feel that I have any duty to seek a political nomination."Eisenhower’s response "A man who really understands the problems of the world." Thomas Dewy referring to Dwight Eisenhower "International bankers, the Dewey organization allied with them, Republican New Dealers." Robert A. Taft about the draft Eisenhower movement, supporters "Any American who would have that many other Americans pay him that compliment would be proud or he would not be an American." Dwight Eisenhower’s reaction to winning the New Hampshire primary "The boys in the smoke-filled rooms have never taken very well to me." Estes Kefauver "I just don't want to be nominated for the Presidency. I have no ambition to be President. I have no desire for the office, mentally, temperamentally, or physically.""Well, what'll you do if we nominate you anyway?" "Guess I'll have to shoot myself." An exchange between Adlai Stevenson and a Democrat about the nomination

Primaries:  

Democratic 15, 38.7% delegates Republican 13, 39.0% delegates 296

Primaries Results: Republican Jul 01, 1952       

Robert A. Taft: 2,794,736, 35.84% Dwight David Eisenhower: 2,050,708, 26.30% Earl Warren: 1,349,036, 17.30% Harold Edward Stassen: 881,702, 11.31% Thomas H. Werdel: 521,110, 6.68% George T. Mickelson: 63,879, 0.82% Douglas MacArthur: 44,209, 0.57%

Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1952          

C. Estes Kefauver: 3,169,448, 64.55% Edmund G. "Pat" Brown: 485,578, 9.89% Richard B. Russell, Jr.: 371,179, 7.56% Matthew Mansfield Neely: 191,471, 3.90% Robert J. Bulkley: 184,880, 3.77% Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.: 102,527, 2.09% Adlai Ewing Stevenson II: 81,096, 1.65% Dwight David Eisenhower: 64,911, 1.32% Harry S Truman(I): 62,345, 1.27% Unpledged: 46,361, 0.94%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: July 7-11, 1952, International Amphitheatre; Chicago, 1st ballot, Dwight D. Eisenhower (New York), Richard M. Nixon of (California) Democratic National Convention: July 21-26, 1952, International Amphitheatre; Chicago, Sam Rayburn (Texas) 3rd ballot, Adlai E. Stevenson (Illinois), John J. Sparkman (Alabama)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:    

Robert Taft led Dwight Eisenhower in the delegate count at the convention’s commencement. Eisenhower won the first ballot by a 595–500 margin. After shifts from several states, Eisenhower won the nomination with 845 votes. Eisenhower chose as his running mate Sen. Richard M. Nixon of California to placate western conservatives.

Democratic National Convention:

297

    

Kefauver led in delegates at the commencement of the convention. Truman refused to endorse any candidate, 11 candidates at the convention vying for the nomination. After Adlai Stevenson’s rousing speech welcoming the delegates to the convention prompting the delegates to chose Steven as the compromise candidate. Party nominated Adlai E. Stevenson on the third ballot despite his reluctance. First candidate legitimately drafted to the nomination since Garfield in 1880.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot After Shifts      

Dwight D. Eisenhower 595 845 Robert A. Taft 500 280 Earl Warren 81 77 Harold Stassen 20 0 Douglas MacArthur 10 4 Thomas E. Dewey 1 0

Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 3rd Ballot          

Adlai Stevenson Estes Kefauver Richard B. Russell W. Averell Harriman Alben W. Barkley Robert S. Kerr Paul A. Dever Hubert Humphrey J. William Fulbright Scattering

273 340 268 123.5 48.5 65 26 22 26.5

324.5 362.5 294 121 78.5 5.5 37.5 0 0 13.5

617.5 275.5 261 0 67.5 0 30.5 0.5 0 0 8

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues:

298

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

Republican Party: Condemned the Roosevelt and Truman administrations; end the war in Korea, end “communist subversion”; support for the Taft-Hartley Act, restricted activities of labor unions Democratic Party: Continuing agricultural price supports; repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act; eradication of discrimination; Convention speeches vigorously defended the Korean War.

General Election Controversies/Issues:   

Accusations that Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Nixon had secret slush fund; Eisenhower considered dropping Nixon from the ticket. Eisenhower’s support for McCarthyism. K1C3; "the mess in Washington."

Campaign Innovations (General Election):   

Use of television to speak with the voters; Richard Nixon’s Checker’s Speech Eisenhower: sound bites/ads "Ike for President" "You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike." Stevenson bought 30-minute blocks on TV for long speeches, but no one watched, too long.

Major Personalities (General Election): Senator William Jenner, Indiana; Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, Wisconsin; General George C. Marshall Campaign Tactics: Stumping Republican Party: 



Republican strategy "Attack! Attack! Attack!"; focus on stay-at-homes, rather than independent voters; advertising: "packaging" Eisenhower as a product; "merchandising Eisenhower's frankness, honesty, and integrity"; equally television and personal appearances. Eisenhower commercials major feature especially towards the end of the campaign; Stumping, 33,000 miles, by plane, and gave two hundred speeches, forty were televised. Eisenhower never took the low road in attacks against the Democrats and Stevenson, Senators Jenner and McCarthy, and running mate, Richard Nixon. Nixon were in charge of the attacks.

Democratic Party: 

Stevenson stumped was a witty campaigner but also serious about the issues.

Turning Points (General Election): 

Eisenhower’s early moderation on the issues did not drum up support and the campaign was lackluster. 299













In September, Eisenhower had a two-hour conference with Senator Taft in New York appeasing party right-wingers. Issued a statement, and the main campaign would be "liberty against creeping socialism," K 1 C 2 formula. October 3, 1952, Milwaukee, Eisenhower intended to defend his friend General George C. Marshall, who William Jenner called a "front man for traitors", and Joseph McCarthy who called Marshall a "traitor", the passage was in the press release, but pressure from Republican party leaders forced Eisenhower to omit it from the speech. September 18, the New York Post headlined "SECRET NIXON FUND" "Secret Rich Men's TrustFund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary" “Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary." Accused Sixty-six Californians of setting up a "slush fund" with over $18,000 for Nixon, while he was a Senator. Became front page news over the country. Taft defended Nixon, party leaders and Eisenhower considered dropping Nixon from the ticket, how could Eisenhower run against corruption, if there was corruption within the ticket September 23, Richard Nixon gave his "Checkers" speech on television defended his fund as legitimate, accounted for his personal finances, recounted his humble upbringing, and the simple style his family lives. Attracted the largest television audience to date; the Republican national headquarters received thousands of letters, cards, and telegrams in support of Nixon. Dwight D. Eisenhower ''I Shall Go to Korea'' Speech, 1952, October 25, 1952: Eisenhower announced he would end the Korean War and travel to Korea if elected; became the front page story; Democrats called it a "grandstand gesture," but the American public approved and, although the polls had Eisenhower in a slight lead, now showed he was certain to win. Stevenson claimed later that he had considered announcing to go to Korea, but decided against it. "For all practical purposes, the contest ended that night." An Associated Press Reporter

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:  

"I Like Ike” “Ike: For Prosperity Without War”

Democrat:  

“All the Way With Adlai” “Go Forward with Stevenson-Sparkman”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: “I Like Ike”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:

300

  

Republican: Dwight D. Eisenhower "I like Ike" "time for a change" “Ike for President”; “The Man from Abilene”; “High Prices”; “Sturdy Lifeboat”; “Bus Driver”; “Nixon on Corruption”; “Never Had It So Good” Democratic: "Ike is running like a dry creek"

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 





"The biggest fact about the Korean war is this -- it was never inevitable, it was never inescapable….It will begin with its President taking a simple, firm resolution. The resolution will be: To forego the diversions of politics and to concentrate on the job of ending the Korean war-until that job is honorably done. That job requires a personal trip to Korea. I shall make that trip. Only in that way could I learn how best to serve the American people in the cause of peace. I shall go to Korea. That is my second pledge to the American people.” Dwight D. Eisenhower's ''I Shall Go to Korea'' Speech, 1952, October 25, 1952 One other thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they'll probably be saying this about me too, we did get something-a gift-after the election. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog. And, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was. It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl-Trisha, the 6-year-oldnamed it, Checkers. And you know the kids love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it. Richard Nixon's ''Checkers'' Speech, 1952 September 23, 1952 "I know that charges of disloyalty have . . . been leveled against . . . Marshall. I have been privileged for thirty-five years to know General Marshall personally. I know him, as a man and as a soldier, to be dedicated with singular selflessness and the profoundest patriotism to the service of America. And this episode is a sobering lesson in the way freedom must not defend itself." Dwight Eisenhower, October 3, 1952,

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“The ordeal of the twentieth century, the bloodiest, most turbulent era of the whole Christian age, is far from over. Sacrifice, patience, understanding, and implacable purpose may be our lot of years to come. Let's face it. Let's talk sense to the American people. Let's tell them the truth, that there are no gains without pains, that there -- that we are now on the eve of great decisions, not easy decisions, like resistance when you're attacked, but a long, patient, costly struggle which alone can assure triumph over the great enemies of man -- war, poverty, and tyranny -- and the assaults upon human dignity which are the most grievous consequences of each.” Adlai Stevenson, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, July 26, 1952

301

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

"They tell me I laugh too much, I don't see how in hell you could do this job without laughing about it occasionally."….."I'm glad the General wasn't hurt. But I wasn't surprised that it happened -- I've been telling him for two months that nobody could stand on that platform." GOP: "Grouchy Old Pessimists."… "My opponent has been worrying about my funnybone; I'm worrying about his backbone." Adlai Stevenson various examples of his campaign wit "Because we believe in a free mind, we are also fighting those who, in the name of anticommunism, would assail the community of freedom itself. . . . The pillorying of the innocent has caused the wise to summer and the timid to retreat. I should shudder for this country, if I thought that we, too, must surrender to the sinister figure of the Inquisitor, of the great accuser. . . ." Adlai Steven on the McCarthyites assaults on America's Bill of Rights "And, in any case, come back in 1956. If you do, I hope to have the privilege of welcoming you again -- as Governor of Illinois." Adlai Stevenson

Further Reading: Significant books from the campaign: 

Johnson, Walter. How We Drafted Adlai Stevenson. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1955.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

Farmers returned to support the Republican Party The South continued to move towards supporting the Republicans Consensus a military man was the best candidate to end the war in Korea and deal with the Cold War and Communist subversion, landslide victory

302

1956 Election Year: 1956 Election Day Date: November 6, 1956 Winning Ticket: 

Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Republican 35,579,180, 57.37%, 457, 86.1%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Adlai Stevenson, Estes Kefauver, Democratic 26,028,028, 41.97%, 73, 13.7% Unpledged Elector-Independent 196,145 0.32% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 217,975 0.35% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: 60.6% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Whistle-stop tour, speeches, radio; television (ads) Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Dwight David Eisenhower, Richard Milhous Nixon, Republican, 1953-1961 Population: 168,221,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $437.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $2,549.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 17.16 Population (in thousands): 168,221 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $2,600 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $15,157 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,763 (1960) Average Daily Circulation: 58,882,000 (1960) Households with:  

Radio 48,504,000 (1960) Television 46,312,000 (1960)

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 303

   

Republicans lost control of Congress in the 1954 mid-term elections. Korean War ended. "McCarthyism" declined Joseph McCarthy Senate censure in 1954. Eisenhower remained popular among the public.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidate: Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States from New York Democratic Party candidates Presidential candidates:    

Adlai E. Stevenson, former governor of Illinois Estes Kefauver, U.S. senator from Tennessee W. Averell Harriman, governor of New York Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. Senate Majority Leader from Texas

Vice Presidential candidates:     

Estes Kefauver, U.S. senator from Tennessee John F. Kennedy, U.S. senator from Massachusetts Albert Gore, Sr., U.S. senator from Tennesee Robert F. Wagner, Jr., Mayor of New York Hubert Humphrey, U.S. senator from Minnesota

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

President Dwight Eisenhower’s health (suffered a heart attack in September 1955)

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Increased reliance of television ads Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Averell Harriman; Harry Truman; Estes Kefauver Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party: 

After a would tour, Adlai Stevenson announced in November 1955, his intention to run again for the Democratic nomination, was not drafted, he had competition for the nomination.

304



 

Main candidates in the primaries former Illinois Governor and 1952 candidate Adlai Stevenson; and Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver; Stevenson led in the polls; loss Minnesota primary; won California by a 2-1 margin. Kefauver won two more primaries than Stevenson but withdrew from the race New York Governor Averell Harriman had former President Harry Truman’s endorsement and continued his campaign through the convention.

Republican Party: 

March 1956, after doctors cleared his health, Eisenhower announced his candidacy for reelection, in June Eisenhower returned to the hospital for the removal for ileitis, an intestinal obstruction, but returned to work quickly, afterward again announced his intention to run again.

Primaries Quotations:  

"One of the great dangers of the present campaign is that the Old Guard politicians are using the campaign of Mr. Stevenson to climb back into power." Estes Kefauver "You can't teach an underdog new tricks." Adlai Stevenson

Primaries:  

Democratic 19, 42.7% delegates Republican 19, 44.8% delegates

Primaries Republican Party: Jul 01, 1956 Dwight David Eisenhower(I): 5,008,132, 85.93% John W. Bricker: 478,453, 8.21% Unpledged: 115,014, 1.97% William Fife Knowland: 84,446, 1.45% Joseph Jacob "Joe" Foss: 59,374, 1.02% S. C. Arnold: 32,732, 0.56% Lawrence "Lar" Daly: 27,131, 0.47% John Bowman Chapple: 18,743, 0.32% Others: 1,963, 0.03% 305

Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1956 Adlai Ewing Stevenson II: 3,069,504, 50.70% C. Estes Kefauver: 2,283,172, 37.71% Unpledged: 380,300, 6.28% Frank J. Lausche: 278,074, 4.59% John W. McCormack: 26,128, 0.43% Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 20-23, 1956, Cow Palace; San Francisco, 1st ballot, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Pennsylvania), Richard M. Nixon, (California) Democratic National Convention: August 13-17, 1956, International Amphitheatre; Chicago, Sam Rayburn (Texas) 1st ballot, Adlai E. Stevenson (Illinois), Estes Kefauver (Tennessee)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention     

Harold E. Stassen, President Eisenhower’s special cabinet assistant on disarmament suggested Eisenhower choose a stronger running-mate than Nixon. Suggested Christian A. Herter, Governor of Massachusetts. Stassen campaigned for four-weeks prior to the convention for Herter in an attempted to persuade convention delegates to support Herter California Governor Goodwin J. Knight also in the running for Vice-President. On August 22, Herter declined to run, and Nixon had a majority of delegate support. Told Eisenhower, he was abandoning his plan, and wanted to give the seconding speech for Nixon’s nomination.

Democratic National Convention:   

 

Stevenson nominated on the first ballot. Rather than choose his running mate, Stevenson allowed the convention delegates to make the decision. Vice Presidential candidates Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, Tennessee Senator Albert A. Gore, New York City Mayor John F. Wagner, and Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. Estes Kefauver took the lead in delegate votes on the first ballot, Kennedy won the second ballot, but neither reached the majority needed. After the second ballot Gore withdrew, gave his delegate support to Kefauver, causing a bandwagon movement for Kefauver. 306



Kefauver won the Vice Presidential nomination on the third ballot.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot After Shifts      

Dwight D. Eisenhower 595 845 Robert A. Taft 500 280 Earl Warren 81 77 Harold Stassen 20 0 Douglas MacArthur 10 4 Thomas E. Dewey 1 0

Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot         

Adlai Stevenson 905.5 Averell Harriman 210 Lyndon B. Johnson 80 Stuart Symington 45.5 Albert Chandler 36.5 James C. Davis 33 John S. Battle 32.5 George B. Timmerman 23.5 Frank J. Lausche 5.5

Vice Presidential 2nd Ballot after shifts             

Estes Kefauver 466.5 551.5 John F. Kennedy 294.5 618 Albert Gore, Sr. 178 110.5 Robert F. Wagner, Jr. 162.5 9.5 Hubert Humphrey 134 74.5 Luther Hodges 40 0.5 P.T. Maner 33 0 LeRoy Collins 29 0 Clinton Anderson 16 Frank G. Clement 14 Pat Brown 1 0 Lyndon Johnson 1 0 Stuart Symington 1 0

755.5 589 13.5 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Convention Keynote Speaker: 307

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): 

Republican: Representative Charles A Hallack of Indiana

Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: Criticized reduction of the U.S. armed forces; end the peace time draft stronger leadership; defense relationships with U.S. allies; hydrogen bombs test ban treaty/agreement with the Soviet Union (H-bombs spread contamination over thousands of miles); Cyprus, French forces in North Africa, Israeli-Palestinian relations, antiAmericanism in Asia; economic growth rate less than previous Democratic administrations. Republican Party: declarations of faith; economy, both urban and rural, human welfare, federal government integrity, civil rights, immigration, human freedom and peace, national defense, veterans aid, national defense, conservation of natural resources, atomic energy; opposed Stevenson proposals on the draft and H-bombs, as a general Eisenhower was considered the expert of military issues.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Foreign affairs; military issues Campaign Innovations (General Election): The television five-minute spot (four minutes and twenty seconds). These series of commercials were more convenient for networks, cheaper for the candidates and since they position in between programming reached more viewers. Major Personalities (General Election): John F. Kennedy; Campaign Tactics: Television appearances rather than barnstorming/stumping. 



 

Republican Party: Eisenhower wanted a more dignified befitting the sitting President campaign "on a higher level than in the past."; restrained Nixon’s red-baiting "new Nixon"; Nixon actively campaigned, 42,000 miles in his speaking tour; Eisenhower campaigned less than in 1952, because of his health, gave speeches identifying the domestic and foreign policy record and successes of the administration. Democratic Party: energetic campaign, show vigor as opposed to Eisenhower; series of speeches "New America" five policy papers (senior citizens, health, education, natural resources, economic policy); Criticized Eisenhower’s decisions with the Suez Canal crisis and Hungarian Revolution; "the total bankruptcy of the administration's foreign policy." End the draft; developing trained professional volunteer defense corps; nuclear bomb test ban treaty. 308

Turning Points (General Election): 



 

Suez Canal crisis, (Israel, Britain, and France attacked Egypt, prevent nationalization of the Suez Canal) Eisenhower put pressure for a cease-fire in the Sinai peninsula (Eisenhower joined with the United Nations and Russia in condemning the AngloFrench-Israeli action and pressured them to withdraw their troops. Eisenhower backed up his words by imposing economic sanctions on the three countries; soon after they withdrew their troops.) Betrayal by American allies. Soviet troops suppressing the Hungarian Revolution in Budapest: The Soviet Union brutally invaded Hungary, in an attempt to suppress the Hungarian government's threat to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. But Eisenhower chose not to come to the assistance of the Hungarian government, fearful that doing so might touch off a war with the Soviets. Instead, Eisenhower chose to condemn the invasion and to assist the Hungarian refugees. The international crises gave Eisenhower the advantage and enlarged his predicted landslide victory. The American people were not willing to change their president at a time of international uncertainty, and Eisenhower's military record and leadership experience were assets in this climate.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:   

“Draft Ike in 1956” “Peace and Prosperity” “I still like Ike” “Don’t Change the Team in the Middle of the Stream”

Democrat: 

“Adlai and Estes – The Bestest, The Winning Team”

Campaign Song: Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Republican Party: Dwight Eisenhower: "Taxi Driver and Dog" "Women Voters" Democratic Party: titled "The Man From Libertyville" Series, to debunk attacks that Stevenson was an aloof egghead, and convince viewers/voters the Democratic Party was “true voice of the American people”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“And finally: they tell us that peace can be guarded-and our nation secured-by a strange new formula. It is this: simultaneously to stop our military draft and to abandon testing of 309

our most advanced military weapons. Here perhaps, I may be permitted to speak in the first person singular. I do not believe that any political campaign justifies the declaration of a moratorium on ordinary common sense. I, both as your President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, cannot and will not tell you that our quest of peace will be cheap and easy. It may be costly-in time, in effort, in expense, and in sacrifice. And any nation unwilling to meet such demands cannot-and will not-lead the free world down the path of peace.” Dwight Eisenhower, Address at the Hollywood Bowl, Beverly Hills, California, October 19, 1956 Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

 





"I shall be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President next year, which, I suspect, is hardly a surprise." Adlai Stevenson, announcing his candidacy in November 1955 "The choice will be yours. The profit will be the nation's." Adlai Stevenson handing over the Vice Presidential choice to the convention delegates As President it would be my purpose to press on in accordance with our platform toward the fuller freedom for all our citizens which is at once our party's pledge and the American promise. Adlai E. Stevenson, 1956 Democratic Acceptance Speech, Chicago, Illinois, August 17, 1956 "The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process." Adlai Stevenson, Democratic candidate, 1956 "And distasteful as this matter is, I must say bluntly that every piece of scientific evidence we have, every lesson of history and experience, indicates that a Republican victory tomorrow would mean that Richard Nixon would probably be President of this country within the next four years." Adlai Stevenson implying Eisenhower would not live through the term

Elections Issues: 

One Stevenson elector defected to an Alabama judge, Walter Jones, as a protest against federal-court-ordered desegregation.

Significant books about the campaign: Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Last campaign with a candidate born in the 19th century. Last campaign prior to Alaska and Hawaii gaining statehood.

310

1960

Election Year: 1960 Election Day Date: November 8, 1960 Winning Ticket: 

John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Democratic 34,220,984 49.72% 303 56.4%

Losing Ticket(s):    

Richard Nixon, Henry Lodge, Republican 34,108,157 49.55% 219 40.8% Unpledged Electors-Democratic 286,359 0.42% 15 2.8% Other (+) - - 216,982 0.32% 0 0.0% Voter Turnout: 109,159,000 68,838,204 63.06%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speaking tour; radio; television; televised Presidential debates; Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Dwight David Eisenhower Richard Milhous Nixon Republican 1953-1961 Population: 1960: 180,760,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $526.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $2,830.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 18.60 Population (in thousands): 180,760 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $2,912 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $15,661 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,763 (1960) Average Daily Circulation: 58,882,000 (1960) Households with:  

Radio 48,504,000 (1960) Television 46,312,000 (1960)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) 311

Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National party convention; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

22nd amendment prevented popular President Dwight Eisenhower from seeking a third term

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates     

John F. Kennedy, U.S. senator (Massachusetts) Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. Senate Majority Leader (Texas) Stuart Symington, U.S. senator (Missouri) Adlai E. Stevenson, former governor (Illinois) Hubert H. Humphrey, U.S. senator (Minnesota)

Republican Party   

Richard Nixon, U.S. vice president (California) Nelson Rockefeller, governor of New York Barry Goldwater, U.S. senator (Arizona)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Democratic contender John F. Kennedy perceived as too youthful and inexperienced, his Roman Catholic religion; anti-Catholic prejudice; appeal among non-Catholic voters;

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Televised Primary debate(Johnson and Kennedy)

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): John F. Kennedy; Lyndon Johnson; Hubert Humphrey Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party: 

Three serious contenders; Senators John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, and Lyndon Johnson of Texas.

312

 





  



Kennedy and Humphrey lacked connections with the party's power brokers; instead, went through the primaries to gain delegate support. Kennedy participated in 9 primaries; won Wisconsin with heavy Catholic vote; run against Humphrey in West Virginia, heavily Protestant population won with over 60% of the vote, proved appeal beyond Catholic electorate. Kennedy traveled the country persuading various state delegates to support him. When the convention opened, Kennedy was still missing a few dozen votes to garner the nomination. Party “Favorite sons” Lyndon B. Johnson, Stuart Symington, Adlai E. Stevenson did not campaign in the primaries; they hoped to garner the nomination by becoming the "compromise" candidates after the primary contenders do not gain enough delegates to capture the nomination. Stevenson hoped for the nomination but after two failed campaigns, the party was looking for a “fresh face”. Lyndon B. Johnson, and Adlai Stevenson II, officially announced their candidacies (working privately previously) the week before the convention. Johnson challenged Kennedy a televised debate before a joint meeting of the Texas and Massachusetts delegations, which Kennedy won, demonstrating Johnson was not viable beyond the South. Liberals who would have supported Stevenson already were pledged to Kennedy by the time Stevenson announced his candidacy.

Republican Party:   

The two most serious contenders for the nomination were Vice President Richard Nixon and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Nixon considered a good campaigner, campaigned for the party for years. Rockefeller had an exploratory tour in 1959 but did not continue pursuing the nomination.

Primaries Quotations: 

"I’m not running for vice president, I’m running for president."John F. Kennedy



"Do not reject this man. Do not leave this prophet without honor in his own party." Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy

Primaries:  

Democratic 16, 38.3 % delegates Republican 15, 38.6 % delegates

Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1960  

John Fitzgerald Kennedy: 1,847,259, 31.43% Edmund G. "Pat" Brown: 1,354,031, 23.04% 313

    

George H. McLain: 646,387, 11.00% Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.: 590,410, 10.05% George A. Smathers: 322,235, 5.48% Michael V. DiSalle: 315,312, 5.36% Unpledged: 241,958, 4.12%

Republican Party: Jul 01, 1960       

Richard Milhous Nixon: 4,975,938, 86.63% Unpledged: 314,234, 5.47% George H. Bender: 211,090, 3.68% Cecil Underwood: 123,756, 2.15% James M. Lloyd: 48,461, 0.84% Nelson A. Rockefeller: 30,639, 0.53% Frank R. Beckwith: 19,677, 0.34%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: July 11-15, 1960, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena; Los Angeles, Leroy Collins (Florida), 1st ballot, John F. Kennedy (Massachusetts), Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas) Republican National Convention: July 25-28, 1960, International Amphitheater; Chicago, 1st ballot, Richard M. Nixon (California), Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (Massachusetts)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 

  

   

Johnson was unable to collect enough delegate support with his negotiations; as a Southerner during the civil rights movement, Johnson’s sectionalism hindered a possible candidacy. Kennedy had more delegate support going into the convention, but not enough to garner the nomination. Stop-Kennedy drive; delegates considered Adlai Stevenson as a compromise candidate. Kennedy asked Johnson who had run against him to be his running mates, liberals believed Kennedy had betrayed his liberal principles by choosing Johnson "This is the kind of political expedient Franklin Roosevelt would never have used -- except in the case of John Nance Garner," Kennedy adviser John Kenneth Galbraith. Kennedy chose Johnson to improve the Southern, vote, and he wanted Johnson out of the Senate to make it easier to pass his liberal legislation. Robert Kennedy, John Kennedy’s brothers tried to dissuade Johnson from accepting the nomination, which remained an issue of contention between the two. Johnson accepted and was nominated unanimously as the vice presidential nominee. Controversy with the civil rights plank Senator Sam J. Ervin Jr. of North Carolina wanted to delete several portions; initiation of school desegregation 1963 deadline; Civil Rights Commission, permanent agency, attorney general’s power to file civil injunctions. Future 314



member of Congress Patsy Mink of Hawaii gave a televised speech before the delegates. Senator Ervin’s motions were defeated. Norman Mailer attended the convention and wrote his famous profile of Kennedy, "Superman Comes to the Supermart," published in Esquire.

Republican National Convention:   

Nixon and Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York secretly met Rockefeller’s Manhattan apartment to devise the Republican platform “compact of Fifth Avenue.” Nixon won all but ten votes on the first ballot. Nixon chose Henry Cabot Lodge as his running-mate.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination            

John F. Kennedy 806 Lyndon Johnson 409 Stuart Symington 86 Adlai Stevenson 79.5 Robert B. Meyner Hubert Humphrey George A. Smathers Ross Barnett 23 Herschel Loveless Pat Brown 1 Orval Faubus 1 Albert Rosellini 1

43 41 30 2

Vice-Presidential nomination (unanimously) 

Johnson 1,521 votes

Convention Keynote Speaker: Convention Quotes: 

"Do not reject this man. Do not leave this prophet without honor in his own party." Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform and Issues: 

Democratic Party: the Longest platform is ever written; national defense, disarmament, civil rights, immigration, foreign aid, the economy, labor, and tax reform. 315



Republican Party: Strong national defense; enforcement of civil rights laws, right to vote, nuclear test ban agreement.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Youth vs. Experience; religion/Catholicism issue

Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

Presidential debates; four televised debates on the issues between Kennedy and Nixon. Creation of ad-hoc groups to manage advertisement, but give the candidate full control of the ads.

Major Personalities (General Election): Martin Luther King, Jr.; Martin Luther King, Sr.; Carroll Newton; Ted Rogers; Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party:  

The main theme of the campaign was America's "decline" under the Republican administration; attempted to undercut Nixon’s accusations that he was inexperienced. Stumping, over 200 television commercials.

Republican Party: 

 

Nixon pledged to campaign in all 50 states, in order to attract independents, Democrats; most grueling campaign schedule in history, however, he in August he had a knee infection, which kept him hospitalized for two weeks, and although his advisers wanted him to abandon his pledge, he insisted in continuing. Nixon campaigned as a more experienced and known candidate, minimized party labels in speeches, and emphasized voters should pick the better man. Formed ad-hoc groups to manage advertisement, named it Campaign Associates.

Debates:     

September 26, 1960, Presidential Debate in Chicago. October 7, 1960, Presidential Debate in Washington, DC. October 13, 1960, Presidential Debate Broadcast from New York and Los Angeles. October 21, 1960, Presidential Debate in New York. The four televised Presidential debates, Nixon campaigned up to a few hours prior to the telecast of the first debate, and still had not fully recovered, looked pale, emaciated and with his stumble showing because he refused makeup. Kennedy, in contrast, rested prior to the debate appeared more rested. Kennedy spoke to the audience while Nixon addressed his opponent. 316



 

The difference in appearances in the candidates affected the public’s perception. Those who watched the debate, named Kennedy the winner, the radio audience albeit smaller named Nixon the winner; Nixon abided by the rules of television for the next debates (gained weight, rested, wore make-up), however, only a fraction of the number of viewers watched the remaining debates. 70,000,000 viewed the first debate, but a combined total of approximately 50,000,000 watched the remaining three debates. Kennedy won the first debate; Nixon won the second and third debates; in the fourth, both candidates performed their strongest and it was considered a tie. More important were the four televised debates between the two contenders, the first such confrontations in history. Kennedy appeared just as confident, and the experienced equally to Vice President Nixon.

Turning Points (General Election): 



 





 





Nixon would campaign as the more experienced candidate in domestic and foreign policies in comparison to Kennedy's “youth and immaturity”; "After each of my foreign trips, I have made recommendations which were adopted. . . " President Eisenhower undercut Nixon’s experience claim when reporter Charles Mohr of Time asked the President during a press conference which major decision Nixon had been involved in, and Eisenhower responded, "If you give me a week, I might think of one." Eisenhower supposedly made the comment as a joke but was so damaging the Democrats used in a campaign commercial. Religion/Catholicism issue circulation of anti-Catholic tracts September 12, 1960, John F. Kennedy’s speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association attempted to diffuse the religion issue, The televised address assured many Protestant voters but did not completely extinguish the issue. On October 19, two days before the final debate between Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican candidate Vice President Richard Nixon, civil-rights leader Martin Luther King was arrested. King was jailed along with 52 other blacks who were trying to desegregate a Georgia restaurant. He was sentenced to four months of hard labor based on breaking probation. King's wife, Coretta, was frantic and called Harris Wofford, a Kennedy campaign aide, claiming that "they are going to kill him [King]." Wofford contacted Sargent Shriver, who was married to Kennedy's sister Eunice. Shriver convinced Kennedy that he should telephone King's wife, which he did, expressing his concern. Robert Kennedy, the candidate’s brother negotiated with the judge and secured a promise that King would be released on bail. In contrast, Nixon consulted with Eisenhower's attorney general, who advised him not to intervene in the matter. The Kennedys' intervention gained JFK support from blacks, including King's father, an influential minister who had previously supported Nixon. Middle of October George Gallup predicted a close election, refused to forecast results. Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report thought Kennedy would have won by a good margin. President Eisenhower, who had largely sat out the campaign, made a vigorous campaign tour for Nixon over the last 10 days before the election. (Eisenhower's support gave Nixon a badly needed boost, and by election day the polls indicated a virtual tie). 317

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democrat:    

"Kennedy: Leadership for the ’60s" “For America’s Greatness” “A Time for Greatness” campaign theme "We Can Do Better"

Republican:    

"Nixon-Lodge: They Understand What Peace Demands" “Peace, Experience, Prosperity” “American Needs Nixon-Lodge: Side by Side Our Strongest Team” "Experience counts"

Campaign Song: 

Democratic: John F. Kennedy: "High Hopes" “Marching Down to Washington”

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

Democratic Party: 200 commercials varied; Mrs. JFK, where Jackie Kennedy spoke in Spanish to the voters; Harry Belafonte, trying to drum up the African-American vote. Republican Party: Ad series where Nixon seated in an office who be asked a question on policy and Nixon answered showing his superior policy and leadership experience.

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 







"I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me." John F. Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association on September 12, 1960 "The problems are not all solved and the battles are not all won. We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier, the frontier of the 1960s, a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats." John F. Kennedy Democratic Presidential nomination acceptance speech, July 15, 1960 "The Vice-President and I came to Congress in 1946, I've been there for fourteen years, the same period of time that he has so that our experience in government is comparable."… "Mr. Nixon is experienced, experienced in policies of retreat, defeat, and weakness" John F. Kennedy in response to Nixon’s charges that he was inexperienced "a race between the comfortable and the concerned, a race between those who want to be at anchor and those who want to go forward." John F. Kennedy

318





"To all Americans, I say that the next four years are going to be difficult and challenging years for us all that a supreme national effort will be needed to move this country safely through the 1960s. I ask your help and I can assure you that every degree of my spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interest of the United States and to the cause of freedom around the world." John F. Kennedy "I think it well, that we recall what happened to a great governor when he became a Presidential nominee. Despite his successful record as governor, despite his plain-spoken voice, the campaign was a debacle. His views were distorted. He carried fewer states than any candidate in his party's history. To top it off, he lost his own state that he had served so well as a governor. You all know his name and his religion -- Alfred M. Landon, Protestant." John F. Kennedy, Alfred E. Smith memorial dinner in New York, 1959

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"I'm getting sick and tired of hearing this constant whimpering and yammering and wringing of the towel with regard to the poor United States." Richard Nixon in response to Kennedy’s "get this country moving again" slogan

Campaign Quotations: 

"I've got a suitcase of votes, and I'm going to take them to Mr. Kennedy and dump them in his lap." Martin Luther King Sr. referring to Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy

Elections Issues:  









A debate as to whether there was voter theft in certain states. Just before midnight on election night, The New York Times headline their morning edition "Kennedy Elected President" The Times managing editor Turner Catledge wrote in his memoirs that he hoped "a certain Midwestern mayor would steal enough votes to pull Kennedy through." The Times wanted to avoid the embarrassment the Chicago Tribune endured in 1948 when they announced Dewy won over Truman. Nixon made a speech at 3 AM, but did not entirely concede, was not a formal concession speech. Only on Wednesday, November 9 in the afternoon did Nixon give a formal concession speech, and Kennedy claimed victory. Republicans, Nixon, and Eisenhower thought voter fraud was involved in the slim margin of victory, especially in Texas, Lyndon Johnson’s home state, and Illinois, Mayor Richard Daley's powerful Chicago political machine. The electoral votes from those two states determined the outcome of the election. Nixon's campaign staff wanted him to contest the election, especially in Illinois, Missouri and New Jersey contests. Three days later, Nixon gave a speech that he would not contest the election. Republican National Chairman, Senator Thruston Morton of Kentucky challenged the results in 11 states, which remained in the courts until summer of 1961, and resulted in a recount giving Hawaii over to Kennedy from Nixon's column.

Further Reading: 319



Donaldson, Gary. The First Modern Campaign: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.

Significant books from the campaign: White, Theodore H. (1961). The Making of the President, 1960. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:    

John F. Kennedy first Roman Catholic elected President and remains only one voted to the Presidency. Closest electoral vote margin, closest ever-popular vote, the debate remains as for whether there was vote theft in certain states aided assuring Kennedy's victory. The first presidential election which Alaska and Hawaii participated, granted statehood on January 3 and August 21, 1959. First election where both candidates for president were born in the 20th century, Nixon in 1911, Kennedy in 1917.

320

1964 Election Year: 1964 Election Day Date: November 3, 1964 Winning Ticket: 

Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Democratic 43,127,041 61.05% 486 90.3%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Barry Goldwater, William Miller, Republican 27,175,754 38.47% 52 9.7% Unpledged Elector-- 210,732 0.30% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 125,757 0.18% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 114,090,000 Total REG 73,750,717 Total Vote 70,639,284 %VAP 61.9% %REG 95.8%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Whistle-stop tour, speaking tour, radio, television, ads. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: John Fitzgerald Kennedy Lyndon Baines Johnson, Democratic, 1961-1963 Lyndon Baines Johnson, Democratic 1963-1969 Population: 1964: 191,927,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $663.6 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $3,392.3 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 19.56 Population (in thousands): 191,927 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $3,458 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $17,675 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,763 (1960) 321

Average Daily Circulation: 58,882,000 (1960) Households with:  

Radio 48,504,000 (1960) Television 46,312,000 (1960)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National party convention; Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues: Civil rights; racial justice; Civil Rights Act (June 1964); war on poverty; Great Society. Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic candidates  

Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. President from Texas George Wallace, governor of Alabama

"Favorite-son" candidates:       

Daniel B. Brewster, U.S. senator from Maryland Pat Brown, governor of California Albert S. Porter of Ohio Jennings Randolph, U.S. senator from West Virginia John W. Reynolds, governor of Wisconsin Matthew E. Welsh, governor of Indiana Sam Yorty, mayor of Los Angeles, California

Republican candidates         

John W. Byrnes, U.S. representative from Wisconsin Hiram Fong, U.S. senator from Hawaii Barry M. Goldwater, U.S. senator from Arizona Walter H. Judd, former U.S. representative from Minnesota Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., former U.S. senator and 1960 vice-presidential nominee from Massachusetts James A. Rhodes, Governor of Ohio Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor, and candidate for the 1960 nomination from New York William W. Scranton, Governor of Pennsylvania Margaret Chase Smith, U.S. senator from Maine 322

 

John W. Steffey, State Senator from Maryland Harold E. Stassen, former Governor and candidate for the 1944, 1948 and 1952 nominations from Pennsylvania

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party: 





Although Lyndon Johnson was practically a lock-in for the Presidential nomination, he wanted control over the convention and civil rights; the issue was causing dissension within the party. Segregationist Governor of Alabama, George Wallace ran against Johnson in the primaries, faired well did well in Maryland, Indiana, Wisconsin against favorite son candidates. Favorite-sons won their states' primaries. Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles was the exception he lost the California primary to Brown.

Republican Party: 

First time in twelve years the field was open; New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller now represented the party’s Eastern moderates and Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater the conservative wing of the party; Rockefeller led all Republicans by 17 percentage points in an April 1963 Gallup Poll.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries):  

Democratic: Robert Kennedy; Hubert Humphrey; Walter Reuther; Roy Wilkins; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Bayard Rustin. Republican: F. Clifton White; Nelson Rockefeller; Margarita "Happy" Murphy; Prescott Bush (Senator of Connecticut); Henry Cabot Lodge; William Scranton.

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party: 



John F. Kennedy still popular was assassinated in November 1963, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson accented to the presidency and now the favorite candidate for the Democratic nomination. Alabama Governor George Wallace gave the first demonstration of white backlash with a surprisingly strong showing against three favorite sons in the North.

Republican Party:

323

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   

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    

1961, Conservatives no longer wanted a Republican Presidential candidate that supported the New Deal a group led by F. Clifton White, former national chairman of the Young Republicans, met in Chicago set on nominating a conservative in 1964, their candidate of choice was Barry Goldwater. 1963, Texas state party chairman Peter O'Donnell formation of the National Draft Goldwater Committee. In May 1963, Rockefeller remarried to a divorcee which upset public support for him as a candidate, in the next gallop poll Goldwater assumed the lead by 5 points. Goldwater considered dropping out of the race for a while but finally gave his supporters the go-ahead; a moratorium on Republican campaigning after the Kennedy assassination. Henry Cabot Lodge won the New Hampshire primary over Rockefeller and Goldwater as a write-in, but he lost Oregan to Rockefeller, and then withdrew from the campaign, supporting Rockefeller for the nomination prior to the California primary. Goldwater won the California primary by 51% to 49%, three days after Rockefeller’s wife gave birth, reminding the electorate of the adultery issues that plagued the Rockefeller campaign in 1963. Moderates tried to nominate William Scranton instead of the Conservative Goldwater. Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey primaries. Barry Goldwater: Illinois, Texas, Indiana; Nebraska (draft-Nixon movement). Nelson Rockefeller: West Virginia, Oregon, several Northeastern state caucuses. William Scranton: several Northeastern state caucuses, Pennsylvania.

Primaries Quotations: 

"Have we come to the point in our life as a nation where the governor of a great stateone who perhaps aspires to the nomination for president of the United States- can desert a good wife, mother of his grown children, divorce her, then persuade a young mother of four youngsters to abandon her husband and their four children and marry the governor?" Senator Prescott Bush of Connecticut

Primaries:  

Democratic 17, 45.7 % delegates Republican 17, 45.6% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1964       

Edmund G. "Pat" Brown: 1,693,813, 27.26% Lyndon Baines Johnson(I): 1,106,999, 17.81% Samuel W. Yorty: 798,431, 12.85% George Corley Wallace: 672,984, 10.83% John W. Reynolds: 522,405, 8.41% Albert S. Porter: 493,619, 7.94% Matthew Empson Welsh: 376,023, 6.05% 324

   

Daniel B. Brewster: 267,106, 4.30% Jennings Randolph: 131,432, 2.12% Unpledged: 81,614, 1.31% Robert Francis Kennedy: 36,258, 0.58%

Republican Party: Jul 01, 1964          

Barry Morris Goldwater: 2,267,079, 38.33% Nelson A. Rockefeller: 1,304,204, 22.05% James A. Rhodes: 615,754, 10.41% Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.: 386,661, 6.54% John W. Byrnes: 299,612, 5.07% William W. Scranton: 245,401, 4.15% Margaret Chase Smith: 227,007, 3.84% Richard Milhous Nixon: 197,212, 3.33% Unpledged: 173,652, 2.94% Harold Edward Stassen: 114,083, 1.93%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: August 24-27, 1964, Convention Center; Atlantic City, John William McCormack (Massachusetts), Acclamation, Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas), Hubert Humphrey (Minnesota) Republican National Convention: July 13-16, 1964, Cow Palace; San Francisco, 1st ballot, Barry M. Goldwater (Arizona) William E. Miller, (New York)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 







The integrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) claimed the delegate seats for Mississippi in protest, because of the election of delegates by Jim Crow primary. Although the Liberals in the party wanted to equally divide the delegate seats, Johnson was concerned about losing the Southern vote entirely. A compromise with civil rights leaders; the MFDP would have two seats and the Mississippi delegate was required to support the party’s ticket, and no further convention would accept delegates where there was a Jim Crow primary. White delegates from Mississippi and Alabama refused the compromise and left the convention. (Johnson carried the South as a whole in the election, but lost Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina.) Robert Kennedy tried to force Johnson to accept him as his running mate, which prompted Johnson to announce he would not choose any of his cabinet members as running mates; prompting Kennedy to resign from his post as Attorney General and for the Senate from New York; Johnson remained concerned Kennedy would use his speaking slot at the convention to gain support from the delegates to nominate him for

325

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Vice-President, to resolve the issue Johnson scheduled Kennedy on the last night after the Vice-President nomination was decided. The only suspense at the convention centered on his choice of a running-mate Johnson chose liberal and civil rights supporter Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey.

Republican Convention:     

Bitter, animosity between the moderate and conservative factions. Goldwater conservatives dominated the convention; attacked the moderates including Nelson Rockefeller during his speech; Goldwater chose William Miller, New York Congressman, with a similar view as his running-mate "One reason I chose Miller is that he drives Johnson nuts." Miller was the first Catholic nominated on the Republican ticket. Moderate faction defected to the Democrats for the fall election.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot        

Barry Goldwater 883 William Scranton 214 Nelson Rockefeller 114 George Romney 41 Margaret Chase Smith 27 Walter Judd 22 Hiram Fong 5 Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. 2

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platforms:  

Democratic Party: moderate tone, condemned right and left extremism; praised KennedyJohnson administration accomplishments. Republican Party: strong stance against Communist regimes; smaller federal government role; individual rights.

Convention Quotations: 

"This is still a free country, ladies, and gentlemen. These things have no place in America. But I can personally testify to their existence. And so can countless others who have also experienced anonymous midnight and early morning telephone calls, unsigned 326

threatening letters, smear, and hate literature, strong-arm and goon tactics, bomb threats and bombings, infiltration and take-over of established political organizations by Communist and Nazi methods. Some of you don't like to hear it, ladies and gentlemen, but it's the truth." Nelson Rockefeller about the attacks he was receiving from conservative during his speech at the 1964 Republican National convention General Election Controversies/Issues:    

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution; bombing North Vietnam. Goldwater charges of extremism. South’s opposition to Johnson’s civil rights position. "quotemanship"

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

The first time the wife of a candidate or First Lady went on a stumping tour for her husband’s Presidential campaign

Major Personalities (General Election): Walter Jenkins; Lady Bird Johnson; Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:  



Emphasis on conservative principles "Southern strategy": carry the Southern states, because of his position on states' rights, and refusal to endorse civil-rights legislation, as well as Northern "white backlash" vote, those tired of the riots in black neighborhoods in the large Eastern cities. Goldwater spoke too much off-the-cuff, never altered his speech to match the constituency he was speaking to, ended up with contradictions.

Democratic Party:     

Johnson focused on being Chief Magistrate, getting his accomplishments in the newspaper headlines. Emphasis on "consensus" continuing John F. Kennedy’s programs, policies. Whistle-stop tour by the First Lady of the South States to gain support for Civil Rights; maintain the Democratic South. Put Goldwater on the defensive End of September Johnson embarked on a forty-two-day stumping tour; 60,000 miles, two hundred speeches, motorcade, impromptu speeches through a handheld bullhorn, shake hands.

Turning Points (General Election):

327

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

 

 







Goldwater started off the campaign sounding too extreme. Later in the campaign, Goldwater tried to moderate his messages, and reassure voters supported the U. N., Eisenhower’s foreign policy; did not want a war Russia, extending Social Security, conscientiously administer civil rights, too late, an impression had already been on voters. Goldwater focuses on corruption in Washington, and "socialism." He accused on Johnson of amassing a fortune through devious means, questioned his association with Robert G. ("Bobby") Baker, Billie Sol Estes, and Matt McCloskey all accused (illegal?) business dealings. Johnson disclosed an audit of his financial holdings. "You're another" contest, "a kook and a crook." End of September Johnson embarked on a forty-two-day stumping tour; 60,000 miles, two hundred speeches, motorcade, impromptu speeches through a handheld bullhorn, shake hands. Johnson perceived as the "Great Wheeler Dealer." On October 14, LBJ aide Walter Jenkins was arrested for disorderly conduct in a Washington YMCA under compromising circumstances. Jenkins, who held the position of special assistant to the president, was not only a close and loyal staffer but a family friend. Johnson campaign advisors believed that the incident would cause problems for Johnson's campaign and that Johnson should distance himself from Jenkins, and campaign with his wife and daughters during the last two weeks of the campaign. Johnson immediately released a statement that Jenkins had resigned from his position, but did not clarify what the position was. However, Johnson did not personally distance himself from Jenkins, offering Jenkins a position as the manager of the Johnson ranch, while the First Lady issued a statement. Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate believed that the arrest gave him the ammunition he needed to make the case of moral decline. Although no medical excuse could be found to cover the Jenkins story, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover decided to intervene, claiming that Barry Goldwater and his campaign had actually set-up Jenkins as part of a "Republican plot" to bring down Johnson. Hoover made this connection because Jenkins had served in the same Air Force unit which was commanded by Goldwater. In order to legitimize his claims, Hoover conducted an elaborate investigation. The Jenkins issue, however, disappeared from the newspapers within days and was eclipsed by foreign policy issues. Communist China successfully tested its first nuclear device and the Moscow politburo overthrew Nikita Khrushchev. The Jenkins issue became irrelevant in the campaign. October 27, 1964, Ronald Reagan’s "A Time For Choosing", Televised Campaign Address for Goldwater Presidential Campaign.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Democratic Party:   

"Vote for President Johnson on November 3. The Stakes Are Too High for You to Stay at Home" “Goldwater in 64, Hot-Water in 65” “LBJ for the USA” 328

  

“Vote LBJ the Liberal Way” "Yes -- Extreme Right." "In Your Heart You Know He Might," "In Your Head You Know He’s Wrong," and "In Your Guts You Know He’s Nuts."

Republican Party:    

"In Your Heart You Know He’s Right" “We Need a Space Age Candidate – Go Goldwater in ’64!” "a choice, not an echo"; "yearn for a return to Conservative principles"

Campaign Song:  

Democratic Party: Lyndon B. Johnson: "Hello Lyndon" (Jerry Herman) Republican Party: Barry Goldwater: "Go with Goldwater" (Tom McDonnell and Otis Clements)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Democratic Party: 





"Peace Little Girl (Daisy)" aired once, during the NBC Movie of the Week on September 7, 1964. A young girl is seen picking daisies when the narrating voices count down to zero the images of the girl dissolves into an image of a nuclear mushroom. Demonstrated the danger of putting Goldwater in charge of the nuclear button; Republican Party objected the ad never aired again. Withdrawn commercial a little girl with an ice cream cone poisoned with strontium-90, because "there's a man who wants to be President of the United States" voted in 1962 against the nuclear test-ban treaty with Russia. "Goldwater for Halloween" "Vote for Goldwater and Go to War."

Republican Party:  

Defensive ads; harking back to Eisenhower’s answers America; talking head commercials. Use of half-hour broadcasts speeches for fundraising appeals, most notably Ronald Reagan’s “the Speech.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

"We don't want our American boys to do the fighting for Asian boys. We don't want to... get tied down in a land war in Asia." Lyndon B. Johnson about Goldwater in the Fall

329

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 





"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Barry Goldwater Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco, July 16, 1964 "I wanted to educate the American people to lose some of their fear of the word 'nuclear.' When you say 'nuclear,' all the American people see is a mushroom cloud. But for military purposes, it's just enough firepower to get the job done." Barry Goldwater "We have gotten where we are not because of government, but in spite of government." Barry Goldwater

Campaign Quotations: 

“This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well, I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down—[up] man's old—old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.” Ronald Reagan, "A Time For Choosing", Televised Campaign Address for Goldwater Presidential Campaign, October 27, 1964



"My heart is aching today for someone who has reached the point of exhaustion in dedicated service to his country. Walter Jenkins has been carrying incredible hours and burdens since President Kennedy's assassination. He is now receiving the medical attention that he needs." Lady Bird Johnson statement about Walter Jenkins

Significant books:  

Donaldson, Gary. Liberalism's Last Hurrah: The Presidential Campaign of 1964. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, 2003. Perlstein, Rick. Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus. New York: Hill and Wang, 2001.

Significant Books from the Campaign:   

Arthur Frommer Goldwater from A to Z, 113 pages of Goldwater pronouncements above more than a hundred public issues, confused, contradictory, disturbing about nuclear war. Goldwater, Barry Morris. The Conscience of a Conservative. MacFadden Capitol Hill Book. Victor Pub. Co., 1960. White, Theodore H. The Making of the President, 1964. New York: Atheneum Pub, 1969.

330

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:    

Johnson achieved the fifth-largest margin of victory with 22.6 percentage point (after the margins of 1920, 1924, 1936, and 1972 elections). Johnson won 61.1% of the popular vote, highest popular-vote percentage since 1820. No post-1964 Democratic candidate has managed to better LBJ's 1964 electoral result. Goldwater as a pioneer in the modern conservative movement.

331

1968 Election Year: 1968 Election Day Date: November 5, 1968 Winning Ticket: 

Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Republican 31,783,783 43.42% 301 55.9%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Hubert Humphrey, Edmund Muskie, Democratic 31,271,839 42.72% 191 35.5% George Wallace, Curtis LeMay American Ind. 9,901,118 13.53% 46 8.6% Other (+) - - 243,258 0.33% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 120,328,186 Total REG 81,660,786 Total Vote 73,199,998 %VAP 60.8% % REG 89.6%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speaking tours, rallies, radio, print television ads, heavy reliance on television. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Democratic, 1963-1969 Population: 1968: 200,745,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $909.8 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $4,133.4 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 22.01 Population (in thousands): 200,745 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $4,532 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $20,590 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,748 (1970) Average Daily Circulation: 62,108,000 (1970) 332

Households with:  

Radio 46,108,000 (1970) Television 60,594,000 (1970)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees:  

National party convention Presidential preference primaries

Central Issues: 

Vietnam War; Assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy; "runaway inflation," urban riots; college demonstrations/protests; political polarization.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates: Presidential:     

Richard M. Nixon, former Vice President and 1960 presidential nominee (California) Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York and candidate for the 1960 and 1964 nominations Ronald W. Reagan, Governor of California George W. Romney, Governor of Michigan and candidate 1964 nomination Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota and candidate for the 1948, 1952 and 1964 nominations

Vice-Presidential :             

Spiro T. Agnew, Governor of Maryland Edward W. Brooke, U.S. senator from Massachusetts George H.W. Bush, U.S. representative from Texas David F. Cargo, Governor of New Mexico John Chafee, Governor of Rhode Island Daniel J. Evans, Governor of Washington Robert H. Finch, Lieutenant Governor of California Mark O. Hatfield, U.S. senator from Oregon Jacob K. Javits, U.S. senator from New York Warren P. Knowles, Governor of Wisconsin John V. Lindsay, Mayor of New York City, New York John A. Love, Governor of Colorado Rogers C.B. Morton, U.S. representative from Maryland 333

      

Charles H. Percy, U.S. senator from Illinois Ronald W. Reagan, Governor of California James A. Rhodes, Governor of Ohio Nelson A. Rockefeller, Governor of New York George W. Romney, Governor of Michigan John G. Tower, U.S. senator from Texas John A. Volpe, Governor of Massachusetts

Democratic Party candidates     

Hubert H. Humphrey, U.S. Vice President (Minnesota) Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. senator from New York and former Attorney General (assassinated) Eugene J. McCarthy, U.S. senator from Minnesota George S. McGovern, U.S. senator from South Dakota Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the United States (Texas)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Vietnam War; Lyndon’s Johnson’s unpopular presidency, Johnson’s surprise withdrawal from the campaign

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Ronald Reagan; George Romney; Nelson Rockefeller; Lyndon Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party: 



  

George Romney: Early front-runner, Mormonism, and support for the Vietnam War, claimed “originally supported Johnson's Vietnam policy because he had been "brainwashed" by government briefing officers.” Withdrew in February 1968 because of public ridicule, and public fear of his religion. Richard Nixon since his 1962 defeat for the California governorship, gained support and friendships with Republican party leaders, campaigned in the 1966 mid-term elections for Republican candidates, became the front-runner, winning all the early primaries. Nelson Rockefeller announced in a March 1968 press conference he would not run and after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination announced his candidacy. Ronald Reagan, the conservative candidate did not commit to running beyond a favorite son campaign until April 1968. Rockefeller and Reagan entered the race too late, Nixon accumulated enough delegate support to clinch the nomination on the first ballot. 334

Democratic Party: 



 

 

Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy entered the race to challenge President Johnson for the nomination; critic of the Vietnam War, with youth support and volunteers; "Children's Crusade". Almost won the New Hampshire against Johnson in an upset. New York Senator Robert Kennedy entered the Presidential race four days after the New Hampshire primary in opposition to Vietnam and Johnson, but in “in harmony with McCarthy” On March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson announcement at the end of a televised address that he was not seeking renomination. Hubert Humphrey decided to enter the race for the nomination "the politics of joy", he was too late to enter the primary and gathered delegate support from “behind the scenes”; Johnson helped Humphrey garner the delegates for the nomination. Eugene McCarthy won the crucial Oregon primary. Robert Kennedy won the Indiana, Nebraska and decisive California primary before he was assassinated after the primary results were announced.

Primaries Quotations: 

 

"The new circumstances that confront the nation. I frankly find that to comment from the sidelines is not an effective way to present the alternatives." Nelson Rockefeller announcing his candidacy to run for the Republican nomination after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., April 1968 "My candidacy would not be in opposition to his, but in harmony." Robert F. Kennedy announcing his candidacy to run for the Democratic nomination "I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term." President Lyndon Johnson

Primaries:  

Democratic 15 40.2% delegates Republican 15 38% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: Jun 11, 1968     

Ronald Wilson Reagan: 1,696,632, 37.93% Richard Milhous Nixon: 1,679,443, 37.54% James A. Rhodes: 614,492, 13.74% Nelson A. Rockefeller: 164,340, 3.67% Unpledged: 140,639, 3.14%

Democratic Party: Jun 11, 1968 

Eugene J. McCarthy: 2,914,933, 38.73% 335

       

Robert Francis Kennedy: 2,305,148, 30.63% Stephen M. Young: 549,140, 7.30% Lyndon Baines Johnson(I): 383,590, 5.10% Thomas C. Lynch: 380,286, 5.05% Roger D. Branigin: 238,700, 3.17% George A. Smathers: 236,242, 3.14% Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.: 166,463, 2.21% Unpledged: 161,143, 2.14%

Delegate Count (prior to Robert Kennedy’s assassination)   

Hubert Humphrey 561 Robert F. Kennedy 393 Eugene McCarthy 258

Total popular vote:                

Eugene McCarthy: 2,914,933 (38.73%) Robert F. Kennedy: 2,305,148 (30.63%) Stephen M. Young: 549,140 (7.30%) Lyndon B. Johnson: 383,590 (5.10%) Thomas C. Lynch: 380,286 (5.05%) Roger D. Branigin: 238,700 (3.17%) George Smathers: 236,242 (3.14%) Hubert Humphrey: 166,463 (2.21%) Unpledged: 161,143 (2.14%) Scott Kelly: 128,899 (1.71%) George Wallace: 34,489 (0.46%) Richard Nixon (write-in): 13,610 (0.18%) Ronald Reagan (write-in): 5,309 (0.07%) Ted Kennedy: 4,052 (0.05%) Paul C. Fisher: 506 (0.01%) John G. Crommelin: 186 (0.00%)

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 5-8, 1968, Convention Center; Miami Beach, 1st ballot, Richard M. Nixon (California), Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland) Democratic National Convention: August 26-29, 1968, International Amphitheatre; Chicago, Carl Albert (Oklahoma), 1st ballot, Hubert Humphrey (Minnesota), Edmund S. Muskie (Maine)

Convention Turning Points: Republican Party:

336

   

Nixon won the nomination on the first ballot against Nelson Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan. Nixon chose Governor Spiro T. Agnew of Maryland, unknown ("Spiro Who?") as his running mate, appeal to the border states and Deep South. Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, the first African-American Senator elected as convention temporary chairman. Reverend Ralph D. Abernathy’s (president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference) the Poor People’s Campaign demonstrated outside the convention hall.

Democratic Party:     

 

 

Party leaders supported Hubert Humphrey’s nomination. McCarthy lost interest in the nomination after Kennedy’s assassination McCarthy supporters backed South Dakota Senator George McGovern. Kennedy supporters wanted to draft his brother, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, who did not want to be drafted so soon after his brother’s death. National Mobilization Committee To End the War in Viet Nam, Antiwar protesters at the Chicago conventions; Bloody Wednesday, protests outside the convention hall developed in a confrontation with police, violence erupted. Divisions between hawks and doves in the party; fights over delegate credentials; fights close to anarchy over procedure and platform votes; walk-outs. The debate over the platform and the nomination process, especially the “unit rule” where the majority of the delegates determined the entire vote of a delegation; McCarthy supporters wanted this century-old rule abolished, denies minorities a voice; Humphrey had supported the concept, motion approved to abolish it. Allowed a few Southern delegations whose credentials were questioned to be seated including voting rights activist and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer Mississippi Democratic loyalist group. Connecticut Senator Abraham Ribicoff was heckled throughout his speech after condemning the Chicago police’s actions against the protesters. Thursday night, after a Robert Kennedy memorial film was shown, Daley supporters chanted, "We love Mayor Daley!" delegates on the convention floor sang the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Convention Quotations:   

"Like my three brothers before me, I pick up a fallen standard." Edward Kennedy "Gestapo tactics on the streets of Chicago." Connecticut Senator Abraham Ribicoff condemned "Thousands of young people are being beaten on the streets of Chicago! I move this convention be adjourned for two weeks and moved to another city." Wisconsin Democratic delegate

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party Nomination:

337

Presidential 1st Ballot (after switches)           

Richard M. Nixon 692 1238 Nelson Rockefeller 277 93 Ronald Reagan 182 2 Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes 55 Michigan Governor George Romney 50 New Jersey Senator Clifford Case 22 Kansas Senator Frank Carlson 20 Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller Hawaii Senator Hiram Fong 14 — Harold Stassen 2 — New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay

— — — — 18 — 1

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot      

Spiro T. Agnew 1119 George Romney 186 John V. Lindsay 10 Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke James A. Rhodes 1 Not Voting 16

1

Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 1st Ballot         

Hubert Humphrey 1759.25 Eugene McCarthy 601 George S. McGovern Channing Phillips 67.5 Daniel K. Moore 17.5 Edward M. Kennedy 12.75 Paul W. "Bear" Bryant 1.5 James H. Gray 0.5 George Wallace 0.5

Vice Presidential 1st Ballot       

Edmund S. Muskie 1942.5 Not Voting 604.25 146.5 Julian Bond 48.5 David Hoeh 4 Edward M. Kennedy 3.5 Eugene McCarthy 3.0 Others 16.25 338

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Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 

Republican Party: End “crisis in the cities” "law and order", honorable negotiated peace. "a fair and equitable settlement" of the war in Vietnam; "progressive deAmericanization" Vietnamization of the Vietnam War opposition to busing a means to desegregation; Supreme Court justices who take an less active role in policy creation (reference to civil rights/liberties); slow Democratic/Great Society social programs; reduced taxes; end the draft (would end anti-war movement youth protests if they would not have to be forced to be drafted).

Democratic Party: 





Great Society continuation, expansion social welfare programs; crime, gun control, housing, welfare reform "War on Poverty"; civil rights and civil liberties; foreign policy, constrained opposition to the Vietnam War. The doves, McCarthy and his supporters wanted an unconditional halt to the bombings; McCarthy and McGovern drafted a minority plank on the issue. The debate lasted two days. Final roll call vote defeated the plank (1, 567 ¾ to 1,041 ¼.) Humphrey and party leaders followed Johnson’s wishes and included rejected unilateral withdrawal, the bombings would cease only with two conditions, "when this action would not endanger the lives of our troops in the field," take into account the response from Hanoi." Doves responded by putting on black armbands and singing the civil-rights song, "We Shall Overcome."

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: American Independent party:    

Presidential; Former Alabama Governor George Wallace Wallace known for defying federal college desegregation orders in Alabama; formed the party and appealed to Middle America. His supporters/organizers worked to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. He wanted to prevent an electoral majority; Accused of promoting racism segregation in his campaign

General Election Controversies/Issues: Vietnam War; law and order; desegregation. Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

Heavy reliance on television; Nixon aired question and answer sessions on television. Pat Nixon campaigned for her husband at Press Conferences and TV interviews.

339

Major Personalities (General Election): Lyndon Johnson; Silent majority; "forgotten Americans" Campaign Tactics: 

 

Republican Party: (united party, efficient campaign staff, scheduling, money, newspaper support) Campaigned only in crucial states, major addresses, made use of television to address voters; question-and-answer sessions appeared statesmanlike and calm, refused to debate Humphrey. Spoke in general terms about the issues and Vietnam (not to jeopardize Paris negotiations), linked Humphrey to the national unrest/violence/protests. Democratic Party: No money, no organization, until Lawrence O'Brien appointed chairman of the Democratic national committee, no campaign schedule. Humphrey at first was eight to ten percentage points behind Nixon in the polls, and heckled everywhere he went to speak.

Turning Points (General Election): 



 

   

Spiro Agnew was a sharp contrast to Nixon, verbal slips, misinformation and constantly had to issues apologies, retractions, and explanations for his gaffes "APOLOGIZE NOW, SPIRO, IT WILL SAVE TIME LATER." George Wallace, Nixon’s greatest competition for Southern votes, running also on integration and law and order, Competition as for Humphrey and midwestern blue-collar workers. Wallace’s running mate, Air Force General Curtis LeMay ("Old Ironpants") outlandish comments, ramblings. Humphrey trailed in the polls until September 25 when he broke with Johnson on Vietnam, announcing he support of Vietnam bombing halt; increased anti-war Democrat/liberal support for Humphrey after the announcement; "If you mean it, we're with you!" signs of support; McCarthy, Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, National board of the Americans for Democratic Action, organized labor endorsed him, and fundraising increased; Humphrey closed in on Nixon at the polls. Humphrey became the peace candidate. October 25, Nixon accused Johnson of planning a bombing halt to salvage Humphrey’s candidacy. October surprise, Johnson announced he was halting bombing in Vietnam a move that tied Humphrey and Nixon at the polls a week before the election. In October, President Lyndon Johnson was attempting to reach an agreement with the North Vietnamese in the Paris peace talks. This would allow him to halt the bombing which would salvage Vice President and Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey's campaign. The Republican candidate Richard Nixon realized that Johnson was attempting to use the power of the presidency to help Humphrey, and accused him of doing so. Johnson denounced such claims as "ugly and unfair." However, five days before the election on October 31, President Johnson announced a halt in the bombing of North Vietnam.

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The bombing halt allowed many people to conclude that the end of the war might be approaching, putting Humphrey in a favorable position. Humphrey went up in the polls, but when the South Vietnamese government indicated it would not negotiate, Humphrey's ratings again slid.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:   

"Vote Like Your Whole World Depended on It" “Nixon’s the One” “He’s Good Enough For me in ‘68”

Democrat:   

"Humphrey-Muskie, Two You Can Trust" “Unite with Humphrey” “Two Hearts Beat as One: Elect This Team!”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: Richard Nixon: "Nixon's the One" (Moose Charlap and Alvin Cooperman)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Republican Party: 

"Hubert Humphrey defends the policies under which we have seen crime rising ten times as fast as the population. If you want your President to continue with the do-nothing policy toward crime, vote for Humphrey. If you want to fight crime, vote for Nixon."

Democratic Party:    

Wallace and LeMay: "bombsy twins"; Nixon "Richard the Silent" and "Richard the Chickenhearted" George Wallace: Anti Democrat: 'Stop the war! Stop the war!'; 'Dump the Hump, dump the Hump!'" Pro-Democrat: "HECKLERS FOR Humphrey -- WE CAME BACK."

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):

341

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 





"I saw many signs in this campaign, Some of them were not friendly and some were very friendly. But the one that touched me the most was one that I saw in Deshler, Ohio, at the end of a long day of whistle-stopping -- a little town, I suppose five times the population was there in the dusk -- but a teenager held up a sign, 'Bring Us Together.' And that will be the great objective of this administration at the outset, to bring the American people together. This will be an open administration, open to new ideas, open to men and women of both parties, open to the critics as well as those who support us. We want to bridge the generation gap. We want to bridge the gap between races. We want to bring America together. . . ." Richard Nixon, Victory Speech "In the last thirty-six hours, I have been advised of a flurry of meetings in the White House and elsewhere on Vietnam. I am told that top officials in the Administration have been driving very hard for an agreement on a bombing halt, accompanied possibly by a cease-fire in the immediate future. I since learned that these reports are true. I am also told that this spurt of activity is a cynical, last-minute attempt by President Johnson to salvage the candidacy of Mr. Humphrey. This I do not believe. " Richard Nixon, October 25, 1968 "There's not a dime's worth of difference, between the policies Hubert Humphrey offers America and the policies America has had for the last four years." Richard Nixon "Hubert Humphrey defends the policies under which we have seen crime rising ten times as fast as the population. If you want your President to continue with the do-nothing policy toward crime, vote for Humphrey. If you want to fight crime, vote for Nixon." Richard Nixon It is another voice, it is a quiet voice in the tumult of the shouting. It is the voice of the great majority of Americans, the forgotten Americans, the non-shouters, the nondemonstrators.... They're good people. They're decent people; they work and they save and they pay their taxes and they care…. And this I say, this I say to you tonight, is the real voice of America. In this year 1968, this is the message it will broadcast to America and to the world. Richard Nixon Acceptance of the Republican Party Nomination for President, August 8, 1968 "The most articulate and the most uncompromising defender of the Johnson Administration." Richard M. Nixon

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

"I have been hoping for months that it would happen, for months." Hubert Humphrey on Johnson announcement that he was halting bombing in Vietnam "As President, I would stop the bombing of the North as an acceptable risk for peace because I believe it could lead to success in the negotiations and thereby shorten the war." Hubert Humphrey September 30, Salt Lake City nationwide telecast

Campaign Quotations: 

"I have reached this decision on the basis of developments in the Paris talks, and I have reached the belief that this action will lead to progress for a peaceful settlement of the 342





Vietnam War." President Lyndon Johnson announcing the cessation of bombing on Vietnam, October 31, 1968 "The old Democratic coalition was disintegrating, with untold numbers of blue-collar workers responding to Wallace's blandishments, Negroes threatening to sit out the election, liberals disaffected over the Vietnam War, the South lost. The war chest was almost empty, and the party's machinery, neglected by Lyndon Johnson, creaked in disrepair." Time, November 15, 1968 "Television is no gimmick, and nobody will ever be elected to major office again without presenting themselves well on it." Television producer and Nixon campaign consultant Roger Ailes, 1968

Significant Books about the Campaign: White, Theodore H. The Making of the President, 1968. New York: Pocket Books, 1970. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Realigning election; the rise of conservatism; end of the Roosevelt/New Deal alignment that commenced in the 1932 election. Effective third-party candidate; no other third party since George Wallace has won the electoral votes of a state.

343

1972 Election Year: 1972 Election Day Date: November 7, 1972 Winning Ticket: 

Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Republican 47,168,710 60.67% 520 96.7%

Losing Ticket(s):    

George McGovern, R. Sargent Shriver, Democratic 29,173,222 37.52% 17 3.2% John Hospers, Theodora Nathan, Libertarian 3,674 0.00% 1 0.2% John Schmitz Thomas Anderson, American 1,100,868 1.42% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 297,553 0.38% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: Total VAP 140,776,000 Total REG 97,338,541 Total Vote 77,744,027 %VAP 55.2% %REG 79.9% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speaking tours, rallies, television, print ads. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 



McGovern-Fraser Commission: Wider democratization of the primary system; delegate selection rules changes allowed for women, youth, and blacks to be elected delegates to the national party conventions; less influence of party bosses, union leaders, and professional politicians on the nomination process; increase in the number of states holding primaries. Under terms of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, individuals are limited to making contributions of $1,000 per candidate per election, $5,000 a year to a political action committee (PAC) and $20,000 a year to a political party. In total, an individual cannot donate more than $25,000 to an election campaign. In addition, the act provides for public funding of the presidential campaigns of the major parties.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Richard Milhous Nixon, Spiro T. Agnew, Republican, 1969-1974 Population: 1972: 209,924,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1,237.9 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $4,647.7 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 26.63 Population (in thousands): 209,924 344

Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $5,897 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $22,140 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,748 (1970) Average Daily Circulation: 62,108,000 (1970) Households with:  

Radio 46,108,000 (1970) Television 60,594,000 (1970)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

Vietnam War; anti-war demonstrations; Inflation; public frustration/discontent. Republicans lost seats in the 1970 mid-term elections. Nixon’s poll numbers slipping.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:    

Richard Nixon, President of the United States Pete McCloskey, Representative from California John M. Ashbrook, Representative from Ohio Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota

Democratic Party candidates:             

George McGovern, Senator from South Dakota Hubert Humphrey, former Vice President from Minnesota George Wallace, Governor of Alabama Edmund Muskie, Senator from Maine Eugene J. McCarthy, former Senator from Minnesota Henry Jackson, Senator from Washington Shirley Chisholm, Representative from New York Terry Sanford, former Governor of North Carolina John Lindsay, Mayor of New York City, New York Wilbur Mills, Representative from Arkansas Vance Hartke, Senator from Indiana Fred Harris, Senator from Oklahoma Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles, California 345

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):   

Ending the Vietnam War; Protest vote. New rules democratizing the primary system; increase in the number of primaries. Weakened influence of party bosses in the nomination process.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): More emphasis on primaries to nominate a candidate, party conventions becoming more ceremonial Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Edward M. ("Ted") Kennedy, Edmund G. Muskie, Hubert Humphrey, Gary Hart Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party:   

Pete McCloskey of California: liberal, anti-war, anti-Nixon. John Ashbrook of Ohio: conservative, opposed détente with China and the Soviet Union. New Hampshire primary: Nixon 83%; McCloskey 11%; Ashbrook 6%

Democratic Party: 

 



  

Edward Kennedy, possible front-runner Presidential for the Democratic nomination withdrew early from consideration, after the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident. (He accidentally drove his car off a bridge in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts, into the water and his passenger Mary Jo Kopechne and his car were found in the tidal channel after Kennedy abandoned the scene, he received a suspended sentence) Announced he would not run in January 1971. Early front runners were the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees from 1968, Senators, Edmund Muskie of Maine and Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota. "Canuck Letter" published in the Manchester Union-Leader. Claimed Muskie had insulting comments about French-Canadians. The paper attack Muskie's wife Jane claimed she drank and swore. Muskie, who seemed calm and even-tempered throughout the 1968 campaign, unleashed his temper to the publisher who attacked his wife in front of their offices in New Hampshire during a snowstorm; Muskie claimed what appeared as tears were actually snowflakes; turned him off to voters; demonstrated instability. Humphrey won four primaries but lost decisive Wisconsin and California primaries. George Wallace "Send Them a Message" populist campaign, won five primaries, May 15, 1972, assassination attempt, was paralyzed from the waist down. George McGovern, the dark horse, entered the race in January 1971, became the frontrunner; "Come Home, America" anti-war primary campaign; support of the protests, minority groups who saw him as a leader of their causes.

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McGovern intended to benefit from new primary system rules he helped shape, support in the primaries from the anti-war constituency, gain the nomination, then the party leaders would support his candidacy in the general election, however, they did not.

Primaries Quotations:  



"I was just goddamned mad and choked up over my anger." Edmund Muskie "They say that George McGovern is for the legalization of marijuana, but I say -- I tell you that George McGovern does not advocate the legalization of marijuana. They say George McGovern is for abortion on demand, but I tell you -- But I say to you that George McGovern is against tampering with our state laws on abortion. George, maybe I'm too old to understand this new generation. I'll get the oldsters for you, and you take care of the young ones as you think best." Governor Frank Morrison introducing McGovern at a meeting in a large Catholic high school, Omaha, Nebraska “The first guideline ordered state parties to “adopt explicit written Party rules governing delegate selection. It was followed by eight “procedural rules and safeguards” which the commission demanded the applied in the delegate selection process. Specifically, the states were henceforth to forbid proxy voting; forbid the use of the unit rule* and related practices such as instructing delegations; require a quorum of not less than 40 percent at all-party committee meetings; remove all mandatory assessments of delegates and limit mandatory participation fees to no more than $10; ensure that party meetings in non rural areas were held on uniform dates, at uniform times and in places of easy access; ensure adequate public notice of all party meetings concerned with delegate selection.” McGovern-Fraser Commission

Primaries:  

Democratic 21 65.3 % delegates Republican 21 56.8 % delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: Jun 6, 1972       

Richard Milhous Nixon(I): 5,378,704, 86.79% Unpledged: 317,048, 5.12% John M. Ashbrook: 311,543, 5.03% Paul N. "Pete" McCloskey, Jr.: 132,731, 2.14% George Corley Wallace: 20,907, 0.34% Others: 8,916, 0.14% None Of The Names Shown: 5,350, 0.09%

Democratic Party: Jun 6, 1972  

Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr.: 4,121,372, 25.77% George S. McGovern: 4,053,451, 25.34% 347

               

George Corley Wallace: 3,755,424, 23.48% Edmund Sixtus Muskie: 1,840,217, 11.51% Eugene J. McCarthy: 553,990, 3.46% Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson: 505,198, 3.16% Shirley A. Chisholm: 430,703, 2.69% J. Terry Sanford: 331,415, 2.07% John V. Lindsay: 196,406, 1.23% Samuel W. Yorty: 79,446, 0.50% Wilbur D. Mills: 37,401, 0.23% Walter E. Fauntroy: 21,217, 0.13% Unpledged: 19,533, 0.12% Edward "Ted" Kennedy: 16,693, 0.10% Vance Hartke: 11,798, 0.07% Patsy Takemoto Mink: 8,286, 0.05% None Of The Names Shown: 6,269, 0.04% Others: 3,007, 0.02%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 21-23, 1972, Convention Center; Miami Beach, 1st ballot, Richard M. Nixon (California), Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland) Democratic National Convention: July 10-13, 1972, Convention Center; Miami Beach, Lawrence F. O'Brien (Massachusetts), 1st ballot, George S. McGovern (South Dakota), Thomas F. Eagleton (Missouri)

Conventions Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:    





Democrat’s thirty hours convention televised to the nation; McGovern ensured female and minority participation opened the nominating process. Hostile delegates and debates over seating the California delegation; regular party leaders felt marginalized, many ended up supporting Nixon, a backlash against McGovern. Appeared too liberal to televised audiences, very liberal platform; although McGovern was more moderate than the convention appeared although his acceptance speech was telecast too much after primetime, at 3 AM. Vice Presidential vote chaotic, there were three front running candidates, however, the votes scattered over 70 candidates. The vote lasted until 3AM local time; although McGovern’s choice Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri won the Vice Presidential nomination on the first ballot Later discovered Eagleton had mental health issues and he had suffered mental exhaustion which required electric-shock treatment, and he had voluntarily hospitalized himself three times from 1960 to 1966 but concealed his health issues from McGovern.

Republican National Convention:

348

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Staged managed convention to benefit from television coverage. Five sessions took place over seventeen hours. Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew renominated on the first ballot 1976 apportionment of delegates debate; Texas Senator John G. Tower and New York Representative Jack F. Kemp proposed awarding bonus delegates (based on a state’s presidential vote); Wisconsin Representative William A. Steiger tied the delegates award to congressional and gubernatorial elections; Tower and Kemp plan approved, 910 to 434 roll call vote. Seven members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War conspired to disrupt the Republican convention.

Conventions Quotations:  

"The McGovern 'Hara-Fraser commissions reformed us out of the Presidency, and now they're trying to reform us out of a party." Ohio Congressman Wayne Hays "I think we lost the election at Miami. . . . The American people made an association between McGovern and gay liberation, and welfare rights and pot-smoking and black militants, and women's lib, and wise college kids." Congressman James O'Hara after the Democratic National Convention

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination:                    

George McGovern: 1864.95 Henry M. Jackson: 525 George Wallace: 381.7 Shirley Chisholm: 151.95 Terry Sanford: 77.5 Hubert Humphrey: 66.7 Wilbur Mills: 33.8 Edmund Muskie: 24.3 Ted Kennedy: 12.7 Sam Yorty: 10 Wayne Hays: 5 John Lindsay: 5 Fred Harris: 2 Eugene McCarthy: 2 Walter Mondale: 2 Ramsey Clark: 1 Walter Fauntroy: 1 Vance Hartke: 1 Harold Hughes: 1 Patsy Mink: 1

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: 349

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

 

American Party ticket: Presidential, John G. Schmitz (Republican Representative), conservative candidate, on the ballot in 32 states 1,099,482 votes, no state, majority, no electoral votes Libertarian Party: (newly formed) on the ballot in Colorado only, received 3,573, no states, received a vote from defected Republican elector in Virginia. o Presidential John Hospers o Vice Presidential Theodora Nathalia Nathan (the first woman to receive an electoral vote) Socialist Workers Party: Presidential, Linda Jenness; Vice Presidential, Andrew Pulley People's Party: Presidential, Benjamin Spock; Vice Presidential, Julius Hobson

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: Peace Platform; ending the Vietnam War; unconditional withdrawal of U.S. forces; welfare system overhaul with guaranteed incomes for the poor; handgun legislation; ban Saturday night specials; Equal Rights Amendment; elimination of the Electoral College. Republican Party: ending Vietnam War; democratic government in the south; opposed granting amnesty draft dodgers; accused Democrats of wanted to raise taxes of the rich, lead to middle-class taxes; health care reform.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Thomas Eagleton; Vietnam War, desegregation (busing)

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Gary Hart (McGovern campaign manager); Thomas Eagleton; Robert Novak; Sargent Shriver; Henry Kissinger; Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:  

"The most restrained campaign of his career." Run as a bold world leader, staffers, Congressmen, cabinet members were "presidential surrogates" on the campaign trail; campaign organized, CRP most money from fundraising for a campaign

350

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   

Foreign policy, peace candidate; Continual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, Vietnamization of the war; Presidential trips were a first to Communist China in February and Moscow in May; strategic arms-limitations talks (SALT) Southern strategy winning Southern states through opposition to desegregation (busing) and Civil Rights, and New Left, Vietnam protests, counterculture. Painted McGovern as a radical; Committee to Re-Elect the President (CRP, or, CREEP), independent organization to garner funds and votes, and discredit McGovern. Nixon did not necessarily need to campaign. Campaigned actively towards the end; attacked busing and permissiveness criticized McGovern's foreign policy proposals as a danger to the country.

Democratic Party:  

Improvised campaign organization Eagleton and early primary policies alienated many Democrats, voters and influential party leaders who would campaign on his behalf;

Turning Points (General Election):  



 

 

June 17, 1972: Break-in at the Watergate Complex, McGovern/Democratic campaign headquarters, largely ignored through the campaign Discovery Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Eagleton underwent electric shock therapy; McGovern claimed to back Eagleton “1000 percent”; however, senior staff, party leaders, and editorial writers pressured McGovern to drop Eagleton from the ticket and he requested withdrawal three days later; McGovern appeared indecisive, criticized for dropping Eagleton after his original support, either way, McGovern’s decision would have been criticized. Search for a new Vice Presidential candidate, six Democrats refused the nomination until Sargent Shriver, former Ambassador to France and former Director of the Peace Corps accepted. Shriver received the official nomination at a special session of the Democratic National Committee. McGovern's poll ratings plunged 41% to 24%; Nixon led in the polls throughout the campaign among all demographics. AFL-CIO would not support McGovern and the Democrats, although some unions endorsed McGovern; AFL-CIO head George Meany "McGovern was not 'good material' and charged that a "small elite of suburban types and students took over the apparatus of the Democratic party.'" In the weeks, leading up to the end of the campaign Nixon suspended bombing in Vietnam and engaged in secret negotiations with the National Liberation Front. Just before the election at an October 26 press conference, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger announced Peace with honor with regard to a cease-fire with Vietnam, Kissinger's announcement convinced many voters that the Vietnam War would soon be over.

Popular Campaign Slogans:

351

Republican:  

“Now More than Ever” “Re-Elect The President”

Democrat:  

“Make America Happen Again” “Come Home America”

 

anti-Democratic Party: “Acid, Amnesty, and Abortion” Democratic Party: Don't Switch Dicks in the Middle of a Screw, Vote Nixon in '72."

Campaign Song: 

Democratic Party: George McGovern: "Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



"Probably the clearest choice between the candidates for President ever presented to the American people in the twentieth century…. To some extent, the marring effects of Watergate may have played a part to some extent our failure to win Congress, and to a greater extent the fact that we had not yet been able to end the war in Vietnam." Richard M. Nixon “And I ask you, my fellow Americans, tonight to join us not in a coalition held together only by a desire to gain power. I ask you to join us as members of a new American majority bound together by our common ideals. I ask everyone listening to me tonightDemocrats, Republicans, independents, to join our new majority--not on the basis of the party label you wear in your lapel, but on the basis of what you believe in your hearts.” Richard Nixon, Remarks on Accepting the Presidential Nomination of the Republican National Convention, August 23, 1972

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  



"I am 1,000 percent for Tom Eagleton and I have no intention of dropping him from the ticket." George McGovern "Ladies and gentlemen, I will not divide the Democratic Party. Therefore, tomorrow morning I will write to the chairman of the Democratic Party withdrawing my candidacy." Thomas Eagleton, July 31, 1972 “And within 90 days of my inauguration, every American soldier and every American prisoner will be out of the jungle and out of their cells and then home in America where they belong. And then let us resolve that never again will we send the precious young 352

blood of this country to die trying to prop up a corrupt military dictatorship abroad. This is also the time to turn away from excessive preoccupation overseas to the rebuilding of our own nation. America must be restored to a proper role in the world. But we can do that only through the recovery of confidence in ourselves.” George McGovern, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida, July 14, 1972 Campaign Quotations: 





"The people don’t know McGovern is for amnesty, abortion, and legalization of pot. Once middle America — Catholic middle America, in particular — finds this out, he’s dead." Undisclosed Senator according to Robert Novak" "We did agree that we would make a major effort to conclude the negotiations by October 31. As far as Saigon is concerned, it is of course entitled to participate in the settlement of a war fought on its territory. Its people have suffered much and they will remain there after we leave. We believe that peace is at hand. We believe that an agreement is within sight, It is inevitable that in a war of such complexity that there should be occasional difficulties in reaching a final solution." Henry Kissinger "I am not embarrassed to be George McGovern's seventh choice for Vice President. We Democrats may be short of money but we're not short of talent. Pity Mr. Nixon -- his first and only choice was Spiro Agnew." Sargent Shriver after receiving the Vice Presidential nomination

Significant books about the campaign:  

Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72. New York: Warner Books, 2006, 1972. White, Theodore Harold. The Making of the President, 1972. New York: Atheneum Publishers, 1973.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Nixon’s landslide victory resulted in the fourth largest margin of victory at 23.2% for the percentage of the popular vote. Nixon received the largest margin of victory by winning 18 million more popular votes than his opponent.

353

1976

Election Year: 1976 Election Day Date: November 2, 1976 Winning Ticket: James Carter (Southern Baptist), Walter Mondale, Democratic 40,831,881 50.08% 297 55.2% Losing Ticket(s):   

Gerald Ford (Episcopalian), Robert Dole, Republican 39,148,634 48.02% 240 44.6% Eugene McCarthy-Independent 740,460 0.91% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 810,609 0.99% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 152,309,190 Total REG 105,134,692 Total Vote 81,531,584 %VAP 53.5% %REG 77.5%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speaking tours; rallies; speeches; print and television ads; interviews; television, resumption of televised Presidential debates. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 



Buckley v. Valeo (1976), the Court held that individuals could not be made to accept campaign limits. Spending money on a campaign was the equivalent to free speech. Candidates can only have their spending limited if they enter into agreements to limit spending by taking federal campaign funds. O'Hara Commission: Commission on Rules of the Democratic National Committee.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Gerald Rudolph Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Republican, 1974-1977 Population: 1976: 218,086,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $1,824.6 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $5,141.3 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 35.49 Population (in thousands): 218,086 354

Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $8,366 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $23,575 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,745 (1980) Average Daily Circulation: 62,201,840 (1980) Households with:  

Radio 79,968,240 (1980) Television 76,300,000 (1980)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Watergate Scandal (Pardoning former President Richard Nixon); forced desegregation (busing). Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates:             

Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia Jerry Brown, governor of California George Wallace, governor of Alabama Morris Udall, U.S. representative (Arizona) Henry M. Jackson, U.S. senator (Washington) Frank Church, U.S. senator (Idaho) Robert Byrd, U.S. senator (West Virginia) Sargent Shriver, former U.S. ambassador to France (Maryland) Fred R. Harris, former U.S. senator (Oklahoma) Birch Bayh, U.S. senator (Indiana) Lloyd Bentsen, U.S. senator (Texas) Terry Sanford, former Governor of North Carolina Milton Shapp, governor of Pennsylvania

Republican Party candidates:   

Gerald Ford, President of the United States (Michigan) Ronald Reagan, former governor of California Harold E. Stassen, former Governor of Minnesota and candidate for the 1948, 1952, 1964, 1968 and 1972 nominations

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 355

America’s Bicentennial, Year of the Evangelical, Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Increase in the number of states participating in the primaries.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Ronald Reagan; Jimmy Carter; George Wallace; Senator Frank Church of Idaho; Governor Jerry Brown of California; Senator Henry ("Scoop") Jackson of Washington; Birch Bayh of Indiana, Fred Harris of Oklahoma, and Morris Udall of Arizona. Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:  

   

Jimmy Carter went from unknown to the front runner, won: Iowa caucus; New Hampshire primary over Washington “insiders”; Florida, North Carolina, Carter had spent two years traveling the country “meeting people, shaking hands, delivering speeches, appearing on local television, and getting to know reporters and editors.” Carter won North Carolina primary over Alabama Governor George Wallace. Carter won Pennsylvania primary over Washington Senator Henry Jackson. Arizona Congressman Morris Udall close in primaries after Carter’s lead. Late entry candidates: California Governor Jerry Brown and Idaho Senator Frank Church.

Republican Party:    

Ronald Reagan entered the presidential campaign challenging President Ford for the nomination. Ford won sixteen primaries, early primaries; collected wavering delegates; painted Reagan as an extremist, who should not be trusted with nuclear power. Reagan won ten primaries, Southern and Western states, lead in delegate count entering the convention; accused Ford of negotiating the transfer of the Panama Canal. July 26, 1976: Reagan lost momentum trying to amass support in the East, announced, he was choosing Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania, a liberal Republican, as his running mate; it failed to garner him liberal delegates, only alienated conservatives, especially in Mississippi.

Primaries Quotations:  

"Evil incarnate in the buddy system in Washington." California Governor Ronald Reagan Ford has "neither the vision nor the leadership necessary to halt and reverse the diplomatic and military decline of the United States." California Governor Ronald Reagan 356



"When you vote Tuesday, remember: Governor Ronald Reagan couldn't start a war. President Ronald Reagan could." Gerald Ford

Primaries:  

Democratic 27 76.0% delegates Republican 30 71.0% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: July 1, 1976           

Jimmy Carter: 6,235,609, 39.19% Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.: 2,449,374, 15.39% George Corley Wallace: 1,955,388, 12.29% Morris King "Mo" Udall: 1,611,754, 10.13% Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson: 1,134,375, 7.13% Frank Church: 830,818, 5.22% Robert C. Byrd: 340,309, 2.14% R. Sargent Shriver, Jr.: 304,399, 1.91% Unpledged: 283,437, 1.78% Ellen McCormack: 238,027, 1.50% Fred R. Harris: 234,568, 1.47%

Republican Party: July 1, 1976     

Gerald Ford (I): 5,529,899, 53.29% Ronald Wilson Reagan: 4,760,222, 45.88% Others: 37,044, 0.36% Unpledged: 34,717, 0.33% Lawrence "Lar" Daly: 7,582, 0.07%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: July 12-15, 1976, Madison Square Garden; New York, Lindy Boggs, (Louisiana) 1st ballot, Jimmy Carter (Georgia), Walter Mondale, (Minnesota) Republican National Convention: August 16-19, 1976, Kemper Arena; Kansas City, 1st ballot, Gerald R. Ford (Michigan), Robert J. Dole (Kansas)

Conventions Turning Points: Democratic National Convention: 

Jimmy Carter, the dark horse candidate prior to the convention amassed more than the majority 1,054 votes needed for the nomination. 357



 

Carter wanted to be perceived as a unity candidate; George Wallace, Coretta Scott King, and other prominent African-Americans joined Carter on the victory platform before a televised broadcast. Carter chose Senator Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota an “insider” as his running mate Mondale won on the first ballot, House Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma and Representative Barbara C. Jordan of Texas also received votes.

Republican National Convention:  

Gerald Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the nomination on the first ballot. Chose conservative Senator Robert Dole of Kansas as his running mate.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot       

Gov. Jimmy Carter 2,239 (74.48%) Rep. Morris King "Mo" Udall 330 (10.98%) Gov. Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. 301 (10.01%) Gov. George Corley Wallace 57 (1.90%) Ellen McCormack 22 (0.73%) Sen. Frank Church 19 (0.63%) Sen. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. 10 (0.33%)

Republican Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot   

Pres. Gerald Ford 1,187 (52.57%) Gov. Ronald Wilson Reagan 1,070 (47.39%) Secretary of Commerce Elliot L. Richardson 1 (0.04%)

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: 

Eugene McCarthy ran as an Independent

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Democratic National Convention: Representative Barbara C. Jordan of Texas

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform and Issues:

358





Democratic Party: Noncontroversial platform; wide-ranging Democratic goals; comprehensive national health insurance system with universal and mandatory coverage, welfare reform, the environment, energy conservation, new energy sources; ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Republican Party: Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; foreign policy, secret agreements banned; federalizing the welfare system opposition.

Convention Quotations: 



"When Jimmy Carter says he'll beat you, he'll beat you, and he beat us fair and square. As I leave the convention hall tonight, I'm going to have one of those green buttons that dogged me all over America." Arizona Congressman Morris Udall "I'm ready to lay down the burden of race, and Jimmy Carter comes from a part of the country that, whether you know it or not, has done just that." Andrew Young, black Congressman from Georgia seconded Carter's nomination

General Election Controversies/Issues: "outsider" and an "insider"; character issue; Campaign Innovations (General Election):  

Reintroduction of the Presidential debate (last and first series of debates in 1960) Vice Presidential debate

Major Personalities (General Election): Eugene McCarthy; Robert Dole; Joe Garagiola, Sr.; Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party:  

Carter ran as an "untainted" Washington outsider; honest reformer; "born again" Christian. An active campaign, nasty attacks against Ford; "an appointed President"; "Can you think of a single program that he's put forth that's been accepted?"

Republican Party:   

"Rose Garden" strategy, through ceremonial, patriotic, and high profile presidential events; tested, national leader; held occasional press conferences. Actively campaigned only in October. Television commercials sponsored by the President Ford Committee showed Ford as a family man.

359

Debates:      

 

September 23, 1976, Presidential Campaign Debate in Philadelphia October 6, 1976, Presidential Campaign Debate in San Francisco October 15, 1976, Vice-Presidential Debate in Houston October 22, 1976, Presidential Campaign Debate in Williamsburg, Virginia. The League of Women Voters sponsored the series of debates between Ford and Carter. Ford challenged Carter to debates, Ford accused Cater of inexperience; Carter was vague on many of the issues but promised to end desegregation busing; Ford won the first debate, narrowed Carter’s lead by half. Ford heavily faltered in the second debate with his comments about Communism and the Soviet Union. Vice Presidential debate Walter Mondale and Robert Dole, Dole blamed the Democratic Presidents of military unpreparedness and they were responsible for every war the U.S. had fought in the twentieth century, noting that a Democrat President presided over every war the US was involved in. Voters found Dole harsh and cold in his blame, despite the fact he was a World War II veteran himself (U.S. casualties in "Democrat wars" was roughly equal to the population of Detroit).

Turning Points (General Election):  





 



In the first polls of the general election, Ford trailed Carter by 33 percentage points Carter tarnished his "born again" image with an interview with Playboy, claiming "I've committed adultery in my heart many times"; blunder the press emphasized; "SEX, SIN, TEMPTATION -- CARTER'S CANDID VIEW," Chicago SunTimes. The Washington Star: "CARTER ON SIN AND LUST; 'I'M HUMAN . . . I'M TEMPTED'" Another controversy erupted from the interview when lumped Lyndon Johnson with Richard Nixon, as "lying, cheating and distorting the truth"; Carter quickly backed, claims his comments were distorted, but Lady Bird Johnson would not see him when he campaigned in Texas, and Johnson’s daughter Luci, who did make an appearance was icy. Ford participated in a series of television appearances with Joe Garagiola, Sr., retired baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals and announcer for NBC Sports. The two appeared in several different cities together, they were informal interview shows, Garagiola asked Ford questions about his life and beliefs; television critics called the "Joe and Jerry Show." The shows helped Ford and narrowed the polling margin between the two candidates General George S. Brown, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman made anti-Israel comments; Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz’s racist joke on a plane trip was leaked to the press, he resigned A black minister from Americus, Georgia, applied for a job a Carter's segregated Baptist church in Plains, he was refused, and the pressure was put on Carter to withdraw his membership, Carter refused but promised decreased discrimination. The President Ford Committee sent telegrams to 407 black ministers for comments, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and Martin Luther King, Sr. defended Carter and the issue was resolved. 360

Campaign Slogans: Republican: Gerald Ford   

“He’s making us proud again” “Let’s Make America Great Again” “The Time is Now”

Democrat: Jimmy Carter  

“Carter-Mondale: Keep them Working For You” “Not Just Peanuts,” “A Leader, For a Change”

Campaign Song: 

Democratic: Jimmy Carter: "Ode to The Georgia Farmer" (K.E. and Julia Marsh), Republican: Gerald Ford: "I'm Feeling Good about America" (Robert K. Gardner)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):  



 

"I'll never tell a lie, I'll never knowingly make a misstatement of fact. I'll never betray your trust. If I do any of these things, I don't want you to support me." Jimmy Carter “My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for President.… As I've said many times before, we can have an American President who does not govern with negativism and fear of the future, but with vigor and vision and aggressive leadership—a President who's not isolated from the people, but who feels your pain and shares your dreams and takes his strength and his wisdom and his courage from you.” Jimmy Carter, "Our Nation's Past and Future": Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in New York City, July 15, 1976 "I can't quit my lifetime of worship. . . . I'll do all I can to eliminate the last vestige of discrimination . . . but I'm not going to resign from the human race because it discriminates. My best opportunity is to stay in the church and try to change its attitude." Jimmy Carter in response to segregation at his church "Can you think of a single program that he's put forth that's been accepted?"… "It's really come down to the character of the two men." Jimmy Carter "I've looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do -- and I have done it -- and God forgives me for it. But that doesn't mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. Christ says, Don't consider yourself better than someone else because one guy screws a whole bunch of women while the other guy is loyal to his wife. The guy who's loyal to

361



his wife ought not to be condescending or proud because of the relative degree of sinfulness." Jimmy Carter, Playboy magazine interview "If I should ever decide in the future to discuss my deep Christian beliefs . . . I'll use another forum besides Playboy." Jimmy Carter, October 22, 1976, Third Presidential Debate

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

 

"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration." Gerald Ford I don't believe, - Mr. Frankel that - the Yugoslavians consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. I don't believe that the Rumanians consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union. Each of those countries is independent, autonomous: it has its own territorial integrity and the United States does not concede that those countries are under the domination of the Soviet Union. Gerald Ford "We're in the last quarter and the ninth inning. That's when you win." Gerald Ford “Tonight I can tell you straight away this Nation is sound, this Nation is secure, this Nation is on the march to full economic recovery and a better quality of life for all Americans. And I will tell you one more thing: This year the issues are on our side. I am ready, I am eager to go before the American people and debate the real issues face to face with Jimmy Carter. The American people have a right to know firsthand exactly where both of us stand.” Gerald Ford, Remarks in Kansas City Upon Accepting the 1976 Republican Presidential Nomination, August 19, 1976

Campaign Quotations:  

"There's no really big issue moving people to vote one way or another. It's which man the voters feel more comfortable with." Ron Nessen Ford's press secretary "The inability of President Ford and Jimmy Carter to excite, arouse, and mobilize the country, can be ascribed to many reasons. The principal one is that vast numbers of voters have looked at the two men and see no practical differences. . . ." Jerald ter Horst, one of Ford's staffers

Significant books about the campaign: 

Witcover, Jules. Marathon: The Pursuit of the Presidency, 1972-1976. New York: Viking Press, 1977.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

Jimmy Carter was the first President elected from the deep south after the Civil War; Zachary Taylor was the last in 1848. First Democrat to carry the deep south’s electoral votes since Kennedy in 1960; first since Johnson in 1964 to win a majority of the south. 50.1% of the vote second time since 1964 a Democrat received a majority popular vote. 362



Carter one of five Democrats to receive popular vote majority since the Civil War, (Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Samuel Tilden, and Barack Obama).

363

1980 Election Year: 1980 Election Day Date: November 4, 1980 Winning Ticket: Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Republican 43,903,230 50.75% 489 90.9% Losing Ticket(s):     

James Carter, Walter Mondale, Democratic 35,480,115 41.01% 49 9.1% John Anderson, Patrick Lucey, Independent 5,719,850 6.61% 0 0.0% Edward Clark, David Koch, Libertarian 921,128 1.06% 0 0.0% Barry Commoner LaDonna Harris, Citizens 233,052 0.27% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 252,303 0.29% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 164,597,000 Total REG 113,068,956 Total Vote 86,509,678 %VAP 52.6% %REG 76.5%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speeches, rallies, television and print ads, debates. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: James Earl Carter, Jr., Walter Mondale, Democratic, 1977-1981 Population: 1980: 227,726,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $2,788.1 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $5,839.0 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 47.75 Population (in thousands): 227,726 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $12,243 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $25,640 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,745 (1980) Average Daily Circulation: 62,201,840 (1980) 364

Households with:  

Radio 79,968,240 (1980) Television 76,300,000 (1980)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues:     

Iran hostage crisis (1979). Energy crisis (rise in oil prices) economy (double-digit inflation, increased interest rates; productivity down; unemployment). Carter’s “Malaise” speech (national malaise); "crisis of confidence" Carter’s leadership in foreign and domestic affairs; lack of control over events. American’s wanted less government involvement; Californians voted for Proposition 13 in 1978, which decreased property taxes.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:          

Ronald Reagan, Former Governor of California George H. W. Bush, Former CIA director (Texas) John B. Anderson, Representative of Illinois Howard Baker, Senate Minority Leader of Tennessee Phil Crane, Representative of Illinois John Connally, Former Governor of Texas Bob Dole, Senator (Kansas) Ben Fernandez, Former Special Ambassador to Paraguay (California) Governor Harold Stassen, Former of Minnesota Lowell Weicker, Senator of Connecticut

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):   

Democrats blamed Carter for the country’s foreign and domestic problems, Iran hostage crisis; Carter's approval ratings, 28% (Gallup). Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy challenged Carter for the Democratic Presidential nomination. No apparent Republican frontrunner candidate, however, Former California governor Ronald Reagan (conservative wing) had been unofficially campaigning for the nomination since he lost the 1976 nomination to Ford by only 117 votes.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries):

365

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Edward “Ted” Kennedy; George H. W. Bush; Illinois Congressman John Anderson; former Secretary of the Treasury John B. Connally; Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee; Senator Robert Dole of Kansas. Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party: 



   

Reagan had been working earnestly since 1977 to capture the nomination in 1980; toured the country, meeting and speaking to the public garnering support; fundraising; organizing a staff. His message "get the government off our backs." Reagan faced competition to the nomination primarily by Former United Nations Ambassador George Herbert Walker Bush (Texas), other candidates included John Connally, Howard Baker, John Anderson, Reagan represented the conservative wing; Bush, the moderates; Anderson, the liberal wing (least successful in the primaries as a result). John Connally and Howard Baker withdrew early from the campaign. Anderson withdrew in April 1980. Bush won the Iowa Caucus announced "big mo" (momentum); won a total of 6 primaries. Reagan won the New Hampshire primary and won a total of 29 primaries.

Democratic Party:   

  





Summer 1979, prior to Kennedy’s official candidacy announcement he led President Carter by a 2-1 margin. On Labor Day, 1979, Kennedy announced his candidacy, draft Kennedy movement On November 4, 1979, Iranians student revolutionaries in the stormed the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and took Americans hostage. They protested the United States for permitting the deposed Shah of Iran, Mohammed Riza Pahlevi to enter the country for medical treatments; The revolutionaries threatened to either murder or put the hostages on trial unless the US returned the Shah. Instead, Carter, allowed the Shah to complete his treatment, froze Iranian assets and requested assistance from the United Nations. After the Iranian hostage crisis began, Kennedy lost traction; increased support for the President in time of national crisis, Kennedy’s lead vanished by December 1979. Kennedy’s own actions contributed to his drop in support; in a CBS interview on November with Roger Mudd for in November, was awkward and incoherent in responses about the Chappaquiddick incident, and especially in response to the question "Why do you want to be President?" In a later interview, Kennedy called the Shah’s "one of the most violent regimes in the history of mankind"; afterward the New York Post ran the headline "Teddy Is the Toast of Teheran." Kennedy lost: Iowa caucus, and New Hampshire won 10 primaries,

366





Carter won 24 primaries and led in the delegation count prior to commencement of the convention, the hostage crisis helped Carter recapture the nomination, but stalled negotiations hurt his chances for reelection. Carter refused to debate Kennedy in Spring 1980.

Primaries Quotations:   





"voodoo economics" George H. W. Bush "I'll whip his ass." President Jimmy Carter after Edward Kennedy announced his intention to run against him for the Democratic nomination "The 1980 election should not be a plebiscite on Ayatollah [Ruhollah Khomeini] or Afghanistan. The real question is whether America can risk four more years of uncertain policy and certain crisis -- of an administration that tells us to rally around their failures -of an inconsistent non-policy that may confront us with a stark choice between retreat and war. These issues must be debated in this campaign." Edward Kennedy, 'Sometimes a Party Must Sail Against the Wind', Georgetown University, January 28, 1980 "At the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said, 'I have but one task and that is to save the Union.' Now I must devote my considered efforts to resolving the Iranian crisis." Jimmy Carter “If I should do anything to lessen the importance paid by us to the hostages’ lives and safety and freedom, it would obviously be a reflection on our own Nation’s principles.” Jimmy Carter

Primaries:  

Democratic 34* 71.8% delegates (no Vermont, non-binding primary) Republican 35* 76.0% delegates (no Vermont, non-binding primary)

Primaries Results: Republican Party: June 3, 1980        

Ronald Wilson Reagan: 7,709,793, 59.79% George Herbert Walker Bush: 3,070,033, 23.81% John B. Anderson: 1,572,174, 12.19% Howard Baker: 181,153, 1.40% Philip M. Crane: 97,793, 0.76% John B. Connally: 82,625, 0.64% Unpledged: 68,155, 0.53% Others: 33,217, 0.26%

Democratic Party: June 3, 1980   

Jimmy Carter(I): 10,043,016, 51.11% Edward "Ted" Kennedy: 7,381,693, 37.57% Unpledged: 1,288,423, 6.56% 367

  

Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.: 575,296, 2.93% Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 177,784, 0.90% Others: 79,352, 0.40%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: July 14-17, 1980, Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, 1st ballot, Ronald W. Reagan (California), George H. W. Bush (Texas) Democratic National Convention: August 11-14, 1980, Madison Square Garden; New York, Tip O'Neill (Massachusetts), 1st ballot, Jimmy Carter (Georgia), Walter Mondale (Minnesota)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention: 



Reagan engaged in negotiations to offer Gerald Ford the Vice Presidential nomination, Republicans considered it a “dream ticket”; part of the negotiations included increased responsibilities for Ford. Although, when CBS Walter Cronkite interviewed Ford and called it a co-presidency; negotiations ceased. Reagan broke precedent and announced himself at the convention his choice for his running mate was former opponent George H.W. Bush.

Democratic National Convention:  

    

The conflict between the Carter and Kennedy camps Kennedy refused to cede the nomination, wanted a rule passed in 1978 overruled, the delegates would not oblige, also Kennedy wanted an "open" convention adopted which would release delegates from voting for the candidates they were pledged to in the primaries on the first ballot. The rule was defeated, prompting Kennedy to withdraw his name from the nomination The battle over the party platform; 17 hours of debate and roll call votes. Senator Kennedy devised the compromise platform, reflected his liberal ideology especially concerning economic policy. Kennedy’s speech on the economic minority plank prompted a “40-minute emotional demonstration on the convention floor.” Carter’s speech disappointed in contrast. After Carter’s acceptance speech, Kennedy made the candidates and convention wait until he joined the party on the podium, and although he shook Carter’s hand, he did not raise his hands, the traditional salute of unity; showing party disunity on television to the voters.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination:

368

Presidential 1st ballot    

Gov. Ronald Wilson Reagan 1,939 (97.44%) Rep. John B. Anderson 37 (1.86%) C.I.A. Director George Herbert Walker Bush 13 (0.65%) Ambassador Anne L. Armstrong1 (0.05%)

Democratic Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot       

Pres. Jimmy Carter (I) 2,123 (64.04%) Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy 1,151 (34.72%) Sen. William Proxmire 10 (0.30%) Koryne Kaneski Horbal 5 (0.15%) Gov. Scott M. Matheson, Sr. 5 (0.15%) Rep. Ronald V. "Ron" Dellums 3 (0.09%) Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd 2 (0.06%)

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Independent, National Unity: 

     

John Bayard Anderson, congressman from Illinois, Patrick Lucey, a Democratic former Governor of Wisconsin and then Ambassador to Mexico, appointed by President Carter; moderate Republican alternative to Reagan's conservatism; Support of the Liberal Party in New York State; on the ballot in all 50 states. Supported gun control, strategic arms limitation agreement with Russia, Equal Rights Amendment, fifty cents tax on a gallon on oil; revitalize mass transportation systems. Libertarian Party Nomination: President Edward Clark; Vice President David H. Koch for (one million votes and were on the ballot in all 50 states). Socialist Party USA: David McReynolds for President; Vice President Sister Diane Drufenbrock (first openly gay man to run for President). Citizens Party: Barry Commoner; La Donna Harris Communist Party USA: President Gus Hall; Vice President Angela Davis Rock star Joe Walsh ran a mock campaign as a write-in candidate, promising to make his song "Life's Been Good" the new national anthem if he won, and running on a platform of "Free Gas For Everyone."

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues:

369



Republican Party: “make American great again.” Restoration of the nation's military strength; national security; defense spending increase; supply-side economic policy; balanced budget within three years ("the beginning of the end of inflation"); 30% reduction; lower taxes; repeal the "Windfall Profit Tax"; welfare rolls; the Republican Party dropped their endorsement of ERA Equal Rights Amendment after 40 years of support; dedication to women's rights, appoint a women to cabinet, first female justice to the Supreme Court.



Democratic Party: No "grand plan"; Inclusion of Kennedy proposals on wage and price controls; Supported the Equal Rights Amendment; Criticized Reagan’s economic plan, but did not present an alternative.

General Election Controversies/Issues:   

Negative campaign; "Both Carter and Reagan were perceived negatively by a majority of the electorate." "Meanness issue"; war-or-peace issue; age issue. Billygate: Revelation that Carter’s brother had accepted $220,000 for lobbying from the Libyan government.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): October Surprise theory Major Personalities (General Election): Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority); Leon Jaworski (former Watergate scandal prosecutor) Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:  

The masterful use of the media; radio, television; skillfully avoided difficult questions, "the Great Deflector"; "the greatest television candidate in history." Plagued by some verbal gaffes that both Carter and the media used against him.

Democratic Party: 

Rather than defend his own record, Carter attacked Reagan; portrayed him as an extremist; a racist and warmonger appeared mean-spirited according to the public.

Debates:   

September 21, 1980, Presidential Debate in Baltimore (Reagan-Anderson) October 28, 1980, Presidential Debate in Cleveland. The League of Women Voters sponsored the debates for 1980; three presidential, one vice presidential. 370





  

   



Anderson invited to debate with the major party candidates because of his poll standing, Carter was not interested in participating in the debates this time, but especially refused to debate with Anderson, Reagan refused to debate without Anderson’s participation. The first debate, September 21, moderated by Bill Moyers, Baltimore, Maryland with Reagan and Anderson; candidates spent most of the debate criticizing Carter for not participating. Anderson inclusion of exclusion in the remaining debates remained a point of contention, second Presidential debate, Vice Presidential debate canceled as a result. Nearing the end, Reagan agreed to Carter’s demands for the debate. The second debate, October 28, 1980, Cleveland, Ohio, Moderated by Howard K. Smith, the turning point of the campaign; 100,000,000 viewers; No other Presidential debates in subsequent elections have changed the course of a campaign as in 1980. Topics included: Iranian hostage crisis, and nuclear arms treaties and proliferation. Carter attempted to portray Reagan as a "hawk" and too conservative, votes against Medicare and Social Security benefits as governor. Reagan demeanor, sunny, tolerant, calm, reasonable and responsible. Carter’s claim that he consulted with his 12-year-old daughter Amy about nuclear weapons policy (post-debate analysis and late-night television jokes), "the control of nuclear arms." Reagan’s masterful debate conclusion swayed independent and undecided voters "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Turning Points (General Election):   



Anderson had been as high as 20% prior to the Presidential debate, right after the debate dropped to over 10%, dropped to about 5% afterward. Second Presidential debate turned the campaign in Reagan’s favor. October Surprise: Republican candidate Ronald Reagan's campaign strategists, fearful of a late-breaking deal ending the Iranian hostage crisis, warned the public about the possibility Jimmy Carter could use the presidency to manipulate events and win the election. To neutralize the effect on the country of an "October Surprise," Reagan and his strategists continually mentioned the possibility of something happening at the last minute. They believed that by bringing up the issue in advance the voters would see it as a cynical bid for votes rather than as the product of careful statesmanship. As Reagan said on a Tampa Bay television station in early October: “Presidents can make things happen you know.” With the one year anniversary of the hostage-taking approaching on Election Day, Reagan’s comments were intended to cause public cynicism. The hostages were released within an hour of Reagan's inauguration.

Popular Campaign Slogans: Republican:  

“Let’s Make America Great Again” “The Time is Now” 371

Democrat:  

“Carter-Mondale: Keep them Working For You” “Re-Elect Carter Mondale: A Tested and Trust Worthy Team”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: Ronald Reagan "California Here We Come"

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

Political cartoon, published the day after the election, showed Amy Carter sitting in Jimmy's lap with her shoulders shrugged asking "the economy?, the hostage crisis?"

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):      

Carter and Reagan received $29.4 million each Anderson limit of $18.5 million allowed private fund-raising Carter and Reagan each about $15 million on television ads, Anderson under $2 million Reagan spent $29.2 million in total Carter $29.4 million Anderson $17.6 million (Federal Election Commission funds after election)

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



 



"I'm told I can't use the word depression. Well, I'll tell you the definition. A recession is when your neighbor loses his job and a depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his!"Ronald Reagan "Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less employment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is safe, that we're as strong as we were four years ago? If you answer all of these questions yes, why then I think your choice is very obvious as to who you'll vote for. If you don't agree, if you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have." Ronald Reagan conclusion second Presidential debate, 1980 "There you go again" Ronald Reagan about Jimmy Carter during their 1980 presidential debate "I used to fantasize, what it would be like if everyone in government would quietly slip away and close the doors and disappear. See how long it would take the people of this country to miss them. I think that life would go on, and the people would keep right on doing the things they are doing, and we would get along a lot better than we think." Ronald Reagan about big government “We must have the clarity of vision to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable, and then the courage to bring our government back under 372

control and make it acceptable to the people.” Ronald Reagan, First Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech July 17, 1980 Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 







"I had a discussion with my daughter Amy the other day, before I came here, to ask her what the most important issue was. She said she thought nuclear weapons and the control of nuclear arms." Jimmy Carter second Presidential debate "Americans might be separated, black from white, Jew from Christian, North from South, rural from urban."….."will help to decide what kind of world we live in. It will help to decide whether we have war or peace. It's an awesome choice." Jimmy Carter attacks on Reagan as an extremist “I've learned that for a President, experience is the best guide to the right decisions. I'm wiser tonight than I was 4 years ago.” Jimmy Carter, Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the 1980 Democratic National Convention in New York, Remarks August 14, 1980 "What's to spoil? Spoil the chances of two men at least half the country doesn't want?" John Anderson on charges he was a spoiler in the campaign

Campaign Quotations: 





"I would rather have a competent extremist than an incompetent moderate." Former Watergate scandal prosecutor Leon Jaworski after accepting the honorary Democrats for Reagan chairmanship, in September 1980 "We're talking big and not doing anything abroad. We're losing credibility around the world. We're becoming a joke. And that just typifies Carter's ineffectiveness. . . . I think I'll vote for Reagan. . . . I think he'll act with more strength. I worry though, that he engages his mouth before his brain is in gear. I worry about that in a delicate foreign situation. What I'd really like is to have, along with the lines for the candidates, a 'no preference' line on the ballot." Young Pennsylvania industrial safety worker about the candidates, mid-October 1980 The hostage crisis had come to symbolize the collective frustration of the American people. And in that sense, the President's chances for re-election probably died on the desert of Iran with eight brave soldiers who gave their lives trying to free the American hostages." Hamilton Jordan, Carter's chief strategist

Further Reading: 

Busch, Andrew E. Reagan's Victory: The Presidential Election of 1980 and the Rise of the Right. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2005.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Anti-Carter vote, the public was not attached to either candidate, though they preferred to vote out ineffective Jimmy Carter Start of the Reagan Revolution. 373

1984 Election Year: 1984 Election Day Date: November 6, 1984 Winning Ticket: 

Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Republican 54,455,472 58.77% 525 97.6%

Losing Ticket(s):  

Walter Mondale, Geraldine Ferraro, Democratic 37,577,352 40.56% 13 2.4% Other (+) - - 620,409 0.67% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 174,468,000 Total REG 124,176,015 Total Vote 92,653,233 %VAP 53.1% %REG 74.6%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Speeches, rallies, television/print ads, debates Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Ronald Wilson Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, Republican 1981-1989 Population: 1984: 236,394,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $3,930.9 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $6,577.1 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 59.77 Population (in thousands): 236,394 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $16,629 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $27,823 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,745 (1980) Average Daily Circulation: 62,201,840 (1980) Households with: 374

 

Radio: 79,968,240 (1980) Television: 76,300,000 (1980)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):    

Economic recovery from a recession Mid-term Elections: Republicans lost 27 seats in the House Reduction of domestic government spending, tax cuts; increase in defense spending A Majority of Americans were satisfied and believed the country was moving in the right direction

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:   

Ronald Reagan, President of the United States (California) Harold Stassen, former governor of Minnesota Ben Fernandez, Republican National Hispanic Assembly Chairman (California)

Democratic Party candidates:        

Walter Mondale, former U.S. vice president and former U.S. senator (Minnesota) Gary Hart, U.S. Senator (Colorado) Jesse Jackson, reverend, and civil rights activist (Illinois) John Glenn, U.S. Senator (Ohio) George McGovern, former U.S. Senator (South Dakota) Reubin Askew, former Governor of Florida Alan Cranston, U.S. Senator (California) Ernest Hollings, U.S. Senator (South Carolina)

Primaries:  

Democratic 30 62.1% delegates Republican 30 71.0% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party (July 1, 1984)   

Ronald Wilson Reagan(I): 6,484,987, 98.78% Unpledged: 55,458, 0.84% Harold Edward Stassen: 12,749, 0.19% 375

Democratic Party (July 1, 1984)      

Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale: 6,952,912, 38.32% Gary Warren Hart: 6,504,842, 35.85% Jesse L. Jackson: 3,282,431, 18.09% John H. Glenn Jr.: 617,909, 3.41% George S. McGovern: 334,801, 1.84% Unpledged: 146,212, 0.81%

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 



In 1982, Reagan’s popularity declined, after the enactment of conservative economic program, economic recovery uneven, no foreign policy achievements; advocated stronger military power; time seemed ripe for Democrats, eight candidates entered the race By 1984, economic recovery; October 1983 Grenada invasion to rout the Marxist government; decisive leadership; Reagan’s popularity rose, creating a different landscape for Democratic candidates.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Gary Hart; "Yuppies," (young upwardly mobile professionals); Jesse Jackson Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party:   

No serious opposition to the popular incumbent, Reagan; Perennial Harold Stassen only candidate to file in more than one state Reagan did not campaign throughout the primaries, a campaign appearance in Iowa on the day of the caucus Reagan opposition to Reagan, uncommitted slates in Tennessee and Rhode Island, Reagan received only 9% of the vote

Democratic Party:     

Walter Mondale the front runner with the support of labor organizations (the National Education Association, AFL-CIO); not enough party leaders support. Edward Kennedy chose not to run because of family responsibilities. Colorado Senator Gary Hart, new generation; "new ideas", moderate and contemporary Democratic candidate, won 16 primaries including New Hampshire. Mondale charged that Hart’s "New Ideas" were shallow, no specifics “Where’s the Beef” commercial. Hart criticized Mondale "old-fashioned" New Deal Democrat, "failed policies" of the past. 376







Hart insulted New Jersey losing the primary in June although he had lead in the polls by 15% points, could not sweep Super Tuesday in June, could gain super delegate support to win the nomination. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, the first black man under serious contention for the serious for the Presidential candidacy on a major party ticket; strong religious overtones; Rainbow Coalition. Jackson lost momentum by referring in a comment to Jews as "Hymies" and New York as "Hymietown" later apologized; association with controversial Rev. Louis Farrakhan.

Primary Debates:  

Roundtable debate moderated by Phil Donahue, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart; Jesse Jackson participated. Mondale and Hart argument over U.S. policy in Central America; Jackson tapped his water glass on the table to prompt them to calm down.

Primaries Quotations:  

 

"I know myself, I am ready. I am ready to be President of the United States." Former Vice President Walter Mondale, 1982 "Where's the beef?" Presidential hopeful and former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale, when attacking Colorado Senator Gary Hart in a 1984 Democratic primary debate. Mondale meant that Hart was only doing lip service "It is time for the old order to pass, for the old establishment politicians to give way. It is time for our voices to be heard at last." Gary Hart "It's time for a change. Our time has come!" Jesse Jackson

Primaries:  

Democratic 30, 62.1% delegates Republican 30, 71.0% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: July 1, 1984   

Ronald Wilson Reagan(I): 6,484,987, 98.78% Unpledged: 55,458, 0.84% Harold Edward Stassen: 12,749, 0.19%

Democratic Party: July 1, 1984    

Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale: 6,952,912, 38.32% Gary Warren Hart: 6,504,842, 35.85% Jesse L. Jackson: 3,282,431, 18.09% John H. Glenn Jr.: 617,909, 3.41% 377

  

George S. McGovern: 334,801, 1.84% Unpledged: 146,212, 0.81% Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 123,649, 0.68%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 20-23, 1984, Reunion Arena; Dallas, 1st ballot, Ronald W. Reagan (California), George H. W. Bush (Texas) Democratic National Convention: July 16-19, 1984, Moscone Center; San Francisco, Martha Layne Collins (Kentucky), 1st ballot, Walter Mondale (Minnesota), Geraldine A. Ferraro (New York)

Convention Turning Points: 



Republican National Convention: Only time the presidential and vice presidential roll call was taken concurrently. Last time the Vice Presidential candidate of either major party was nominated by roll call vote. Democratic National Convention: Mondale clinched the nomination on the first ballot and chose New York congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, Ferraro was the first woman nominated to a major party ticket.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Republican Party nomination: Presidential Ballot 1st ballot 

Ronald Reagan

Abstaining

2,233

2

Vice Presidential Ballot    

George H. W. Bush Abstaining 2 Jack Kemp 1 Jeane Kirkpatrick

2,231

1

Democratic Party nomination: The Balloting Presidential Ballot    

Walter F. Mondale 2,191 Gary W. Hart 1,200.5 Jesse L. Jackson 465.5 Thomas F. Eagleton 18 378

   

George S. McGovern 4 John H. Glenn 2 Joe Biden 1 Lane Kirkland 1

Vice Presidential Ballot Geraldine A. Ferraro 3,920 Shirley Chisholm

3

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Democratic National Convention: New York Governor, Mario Cuomo

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): General Election Controversies/Issues: War-peace issue; Growing deficit; Age issue (Reagan’s age) Campaign Innovations (General Election): Reliance on themes rather than issues in the 1984 campaign. Major Personalities (General Election): Hal Riney (ad man) Campaign Tactics: Republican Party: 

 

The masterful use of media, television, radio, courageous leadership; patriotism; nationalism; started the campaign with a televised commemoration of the landing of the troops on the beaches at Normandy. Energetic and busy campaign schedule and schedule of Presidential duties at home and abroad; foreign trips to London, and "so-called Communist China." Emphasis on the improved economy as opposed to Carter-Mondale Administration’s economy; ignored deficit, deflected claims of being a hawk by calling for arms controls negotiations with the Soviet Union; Candidate of peace, prosperity, and piety.

Democratic Party: 

Came off looking pessimistic; tried characterizing Ronald Reagan as a bigoted Scrooge and an ignorant Mr. Magoo but confused elusive “swing” voters. Bigotry was a crime of commission; ignorance, one of omission. Besides, Reagan was too nice to seem so mean and appeared too successful to seem so irresponsible 379



Sharp critical rhetoric of Reagan and his policies; Reagan’s hawkishness, economy, growing deficit, division of Church and state; even calls for a tax increase did not capture voters attention, backfired; only questioning Reagan’s age became an issue.

Debates:   

October 21, 1984, Presidential Debate in Kansas City, Missouri October 7, 1984, Presidential Debate in Louisville, Kentucky October 11, 1984, Vice-Presidential Debate in Philadelphia

 

Two televised Presidential debates Reagan faltered; not as sharp on the first debate, hesitated and rambled during his concluding remarks prompting the Wall Street Journal to run the headline "IS OLDEST U.S. PRESIDENT NOW SHOWING HIS AGE? Reagan DEBATE PERFORMANCE INVITES OPEN SPECULATION ON HIS ABILITY TO SERVE." Reagan rebounded on second debate, and dismissed the age issue; "I will not make age an issue of this campaign, I'm not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."



Turning Points (General Election): 







Religion issue; abortion, prayer in public schools, school tax credits, Mondale tried to make of an issue of Reagan’s support of prayer in public schools, and the separation of church and state but it did not hold. Economy/deficit issue; Mondale made an issue of the growing deficit and proposed tax increases, a position that backfired and proved unpopular with voters; Contrasted with Reagan’s solution of cutting spending across the board except for defense. Age issues; revelations Reagan used to fall asleep during cabinet meetings; In August he appeared bewildered when asked about control by a reporter, First Lady Nancy Reagan, whispered a response that Reagan used "Doing everything we can." Hesitation during his summation at the first Presidential debate. Second Presidential debate, strong performance dismissed age issue.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 



Republican Party: “It’s Morning Again In America”; “Bringing America Back: Prouder, Stronger, Better”; “America is Too Great For Small Dreams”; "Leadership That's Working" Democratic Party: “America Needs New Leadership”; “Mondale/Ferraro: For the Family of America”; “America Needs a Change”

Campaign Song: 

Democratic: Walter Mondale "Gonna Fly Now"

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 380

Republican Party: 

 

“It's morning again in America. Today more men and women will go to work than ever before in our country's history. With interest rates at about half the record highs of 1980, nearly 2,000 families today will buy new homes, more than at any time in the past four years. This afternoon 6,500 young men and women will be married, and with inflation at less than half of what it was just four years ago, they can look forward with confidence to the future. It's morning again in America, and under the leadership of President Reagan, our country is prouder and stronger and better. Why would we ever want to return to where we were less than four short years ago?” "Ronald Reagan — Leadership That's Working" "Bear in the woods" ad (titled "Bear"); "America's Back" ad

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):  









 

"America's best days lie ahead," he exclaimed in the last days of the campaign "and -you ain't seen nothin' yet!" Ronald Reagan “We can all be proud that pessimism is ended. America is coming back and is more confident than ever about the future. Tonight, we thank the citizens of the United States whose faith and unwillingness to give up on themselves or this country saved us all.” Ronald Reagan Second Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech August 23, 1984 "Some of you here were up all night, I have found out, and working. I know the long hours that many of you have put in. And I can only tell you that, if I could manage it, I would schedule a Cabinet meeting so that we could all go over and take a nap together." Ronald Reagan deflecting the Age Issue "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." Ronald Reagan adlibbing during a radio test, August 1984 "Our goal is an opportunity society, giving everyone not only an equal chance but a greater chance to pursue that American dream. And we can build that future together if you elect people to Congress who will not vote for tax increases but vote for growth and economic progress." Ronald Reagan "I was about to say to him very sternly, 'Mr. Mondale, you are taxing my patience.' And then I caught myself. Why should I give him another idea? That's the only tax he hasn't thought about." Ronald Reagan in Ohio about Mondale’s proposed tax increase "We could say they spend like drunken sailors, but that would be unfair to drunken sailors." Ronald Reagan referring to the deficit and Democratic Congress’ spending "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." Ronald Reagan in the second debate with Walter Mondale, defusing the age issue

381



"It's morning again in America" Ronald Reagan, in reference to the recovering economy and the dominating performance by the U.S. athletes at the Los Angeles Olympics that summer

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):  

"Let's tell the truth. Mr. Reagan will raise taxes, and so will I. He won't tell you. I just did." Walter Mondale "Government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich." Walter Mondale

Campaign Quotations:  

"I have heard a lot about Christianity and prayer in the schools, but these guys aren't running for Pope." Lee A. Iacocca, chairman of the Chrysler "Reagan is the most popular figure in the history of the United States. No candidate we put up would have been able to beat Reagan this year." Speaker "Tip" O'Neill after the election

Further Reading:  

Cannon, Lou. President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. New York: Public Affairs, 2000. Barker, Lucius J, and Ronald W. Walters. Jesse Jackson's 1984 Presidential Campaign: Challenge and Change in American Politics. Urbana, Ill: University of Illinois, 1989.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Geraldine A. Ferraro when she was nominated as the Democratic Vice President candidate became the first women nominated by a major party.

382

1988

Election Year: 1988 Election Day Date: November 8, 1988 Winning Ticket: 

George Bush, J. Danforth Quayle, Republican 48,886,597 53.37% 426 79.2%

Losing Ticket(s):   

Michael Dukakis, Lloyd Bentsen, Democratic 41,809,476 45.65% 111 20.6% Ron Paul, Andre Marrou, Libertarian 431,750 0.47% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 466,863 0.51% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 182,630,000 Total REG 126,325,257 Total Vote 91,594,686 %VAP 50.2% %REG 72.5%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speeches, rallies; Television, print and television ads; primary, Presidential, Vice Presidential debates. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

Introduction of regional primaries; Super Tuesday, March 8, 1988, nine primaries the Southern states.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: Ronald Wilson Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, Republican 1981-1989 Population: 245,061,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $5,100.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $7,613.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 66.99 Population (in thousands): 245,061 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $20,813 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $31,069 383

Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,655 (1990) Average Daily Circulation: 62,649,218 (1990) Households with:  

Radio: 91,100,000 (1990) Television: 92,100,000 (1990)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): Iran-Contra scandal tarnished President Ronald Reagan and Republicans. Democrats gained control in the Senate in the 1988 mid-term/congressional elections. Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates        

Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts Jesse Jackson, reverend and civil rights leader (Illinois) Al Gore, U.S. Senator (Tennessee) Dick Gephardt, U.S. Representative (Missouri) Paul Simon, U.S. Senator (Illinois) Gary Hart, former U.S. senator (Colorado) Bruce Babbitt, former Governor of Arizona Joe Biden, U.S. Senator (Delaware)

Republican candidates          

George H. W. Bush, Vice President of the United States (Texas) Bob Dole, U.S. Senator (Kansas) Pat Robertson, televangelist (Virginia) Jack Kemp, U.S. Representative (New York) Pierre S. du Pont, Governor of Delaware Alexander Haig, former U.S. Secretary of State from Pennsylvania Ben Fernandez, RNHA chairman of California Paul Laxalt, Former Senator of Nevada Donald Rumsfeld, Former Secretary of Defense (Illinois) Harold E. Stassen, Former Governor of Minnesota

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 384



Democrats looking for a candidate that would create a new image for the party.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries):  

Republican: Pat Robertson, Robert Dole; Democratic: Mario Cuomo; Gary Hart; Bill Clinton; Joe Biden; Dale Bumpers, (Senator, Arkansas)

Primaries: 

Democratic 37 66.6% delegates



Republican 37 76.9% delegates

Primaries Results: Republican Party: Jul 01, 1988     

George Herbert Walker Bush: 8,258,512, 67.91% Robert J. "Bob" Dole: 2,333,375, 19.19% Marion G. "Pat" Robertson: 1,097,446, 9.02% Jack Kemp: 331,333, 2.72% Unpledged: 56,990, 0.47%

Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1988       

Michael S. Dukakis: 9,898,750, 42.46% Jesse L. Jackson: 6,788,991, 29.12% Al Gore: 3,185,806, 13.67% Richard "Dick" Gephardt: 1,399,041, 6.00% Paul M. Simon: 1,082,960, 4.65% Gary Warren Hart: 415,716, 1.78% Unpledged: 250,307, 1.07%

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party: 

Front-runner Vice President George H. W. Bush, endorsed by President Reagan, pledged to continue his policies but Bush also appealed to moderates.

 

Televangelist Pat Robertson, the religious right Iowa Caucus upset, Robert Dole won it, Pat Robertson, second and Bush, third.

385



 

Dole lead in the polls in New Hampshire, Bush released a campaign ad portraying Dole as a tax raiser, Governor John H. Sununu campaigned for Bush, Bush won by a small margin, "Big Mo" momentum. Dole went on TV after his defeat in New Hampshire to denounce Bush. After Super Tuesday, Bush as much as clinched the nomination (organizational strength, fundraising lead)/

Democratic Party: 

 

  

   



Democratic 1984 hopeful Colorado Senator Gary Hart was the front runner; moderate centrist; Rumors of an extramarital affair dogged Hart in 1987; challenged The New York Times magazine to 'put a tail' on him, but they would "be bored"; Miami Herald received an anonymous tip from a friend that Donna Rice was the one involved in the rumored affair with Hart; On May 8, 1987, Hart withdrew from the race, resumed his campaign in December 1987; the adultery allegations haunted him in the primaries, before he finally withdrew from the race. Edward Kennedy announced in 1985 he would not run for the Presidency. Joseph Biden, Delaware Senator, accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, leader British Labour Party; although he cited all his other sources, the Dukakis campaign used this one time, as a political hit piece; Dukakis campaign admitted later to have released the tape. Biden withdrew from the race as a result. Richard Gephart, (populist campaign) won the Iowa caucus; Illinois Senator Paul M. Simon second, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis third. Dukakis won New Hampshire; Gephardt, second; Simon, third Dukakis and Tennessee Senator Al Gore released negative television ads against Gephardt. United Auto Workers, withdraw their endorsement for Gephardt, his campaign relied on labor union support. Super Tuesday: Dukakis, six primaries; Gore, five, Jesse Jackson five; Gephardt one; Gore and Jackson split the Southern states. Simon won Illinois, Jackson, second. The most candidates won primaries in 1988. After Jackson won the Michigan Democratic caucus with 55%, he was considered the front runner briefly led in delegate count (6.9 million votes, won 11 contests; seven primaries (Alabama, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and Virginia); four caucuses (Delaware, Michigan, South Carolina and Vermont, Alaska) and Texas's local conventions; However, he lost the Wisconsin primary to Dukakis. Dukakis became the front-runner after winning New York, Pennsylvania.

Primaries Quotations: 

"Stop lying about my record."Robert Dole in response to George H.W. Bush’s ad that accused Dole of raising taxes

Primaries Results:

386

Democratic Party: Jul 01, 1988       

Michael S. Dukakis: 9,898,750, 42.46% Jesse L. Jackson: 6,788,991, 29.12% Al Gore: 3,185,806, 13.67% Richard "Dick" Gephardt: 1,399,041, 6.00% Paul M. Simon: 1,082,960, 4.65% Gary Warren Hart: 415,716, 1.78% Unpledged: 250,307, 1.07%

Republican Party: Jul 01, 1988     

George Herbert Walker Bush: 8,258,512, 67.91% Robert J. "Bob" Dole: 2,333,375, 19.19% Marion G. "Pat" Robertson: 1,097,446, 9.02% Jack Kemp: 331,333, 2.72% Unpledged: 56,990, 0.47%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 15-18, 1988, Louisiana Superdome; New Orleans, 1st ballot, George H. W. Bush (Texas), Dan Quayle (Indiana) Democratic National Convention: July 18-21, 1988, The Omni; Atlanta, James C. Wright (Texas), 1st ballot, Michael S. Dukakis (Massachusetts) Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. (Texas)

Convention Turning Points: Republican National Convention:  

Bush chose as his running mate Dan Quayle, the junior senator from Indiana. Bush’s "No new taxes" pledge.

Democratic National Convention: 

 

Jackson remains an active candidate at the convention; his supporters claimed by finishing second with a substantial amount of delegate support, Jackson was entitled to Vice-Presidential spot on the ticket. Dukakis chose instead experienced Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. Media called the ticket the "Boston-Austin" axis; comparison to John F. Kennedy, Massachusetts and Lyndon Johnson, Texas in 1960.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: The Balloting Presidential Ballot

387

      

Michael S. Dukakis 2,876.25 Jesse L. Jackson 1,218.5 Richard H. Stallings 3 Joe Biden 2 Richard A. Gephardt 2 Gary W. Hart 1 Lloyd M. Bentsen 1

Vice Presidential Ballot 

Lloyd M. Bentsen

4,162

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Democratic National Convention: Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards "Poor George [H.W. Bush], he can't help it, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth."

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): 

Democratic National Convention: Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, speech lasted too long; delegates booed.

General Election Controversies/Issues:    

Social and cultural issues Personal and character attacks Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen appeared more "presidential" than did Presidential Dukakis, both a help and hindrance. Position on crime/death penalty (Dukakis as soft on crime).

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Attack ads Major Personalities (General Election): James Baker, Lee Atwater, Roger Ailes; Idaho Republican Senator Steve Symms Campaign Tactics: 



Republican Party: negative campaign; Painted Dukakis as a "Massachusetts liberal" unreasonably left-wing; attacked for opposing mandatory recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools; "card-carrying member of the ACLU." Democratic Party: Attack and tie Bush to Iran Contra scandal, Republican hawk on foreign policy; Dukakis wanted not to be defined as a liberal but as a competent manager; attacked Quayle as too inexperienced.

Debates:

388

  

October 13, 1988, Presidential Debate in Los Angeles September 25, 1988, Presidential Debate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina October 5, 1988, Vice-Presidential Debate in Omaha, Nebraska



Vice Presidential: Due to Bentsen’s elder statesman status, Republican nominee Dan Quayle avoided direct confrontation and criticism, focused instead on criticizing Dukakis as a liberal; Quayle tried to compared his experience to that of John Kennedy to show he was experienced for the position; an exchange between Quayle and Bentsen, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Presidential second debate: Dukakis showed no emotion, bland response when Bernard Shaw asked if he continues to oppose the death penalty if his wife Kitty was raped and murdered; criticized for an emotionless response, Dukakis had the flu, and his mannerisms played to his reputation as being emotionally cold.



Turning Points (General Election):  

 

 

Willie Horton Ad, (Dukakis as soft on crime, vetoed in 1976 allowing first-degree offenders from the program) defined the campaign; Dukakis did not respond effectively. Presidential second debate: Dukakis showed no emotion, bland response when asked if he continues to oppose the death penalty if his wife Kitty was raped and murdered; criticized for an emotionless response. Bush won the debate, post-debate Gallup Poll 4943 Bush lead. Misstatements by Dan Quayle (attacked for inexperience, lack of credentials). "Dukakis in the tank", "Snoopy Incident": criticized Dukakis on his knowledge on military issues; set up a photo op to squash the criticism rode an M1 Abrams tank at the General Dynamics plant grounds, Sterling Heights, Michigan, stuck his out and waved to the crowd; Footage used by Bush to further criticize Dukakis’ Presidential potential. Staff member Donna Brazile resigned after she claimed Bush was involved in an extramarital affair with Jennifer Fitzgerald (his secretary, 1970s). President Ronald Reagan actively stumped for Bush, helped push Bush in the lead towards the end of the campaign.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  

Republican Party: George Bush “Kinder, Gentler Nation”; “Building on America’s Strength”; “For a Strong America” Democratic Party: “It’s Time to Say YES”

Campaign Song:  

Republican: George H. W. Bush: "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie) Michael Dukakis: "America" (Neil Diamond)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:

389



 

Republican: Willie Horton Ad (black prisoner Horton released on Massachusetts prisoners’ weekend furlough program for a weekend, raped and terrorized a woman in Maryland; "Revolving Door"; "Boston Harbor" (environmental pollution in Boston harbor). Democratic: "Quayle: just a heartbeat away." (Vice Presidential debate footage, Kennedy comparison, attacked Quayle). Counter to Willie Horton ad: "In 1968, George Bush helped an ex-convict fund a halfway house for early released felons in Houston, Texas. In 1982, one of those prisoners raped and murdered a minister's wife."

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

 

“And I'm the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he'll raise them as a last resort, or a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that's one resort he'll be checking into. My opponent, my opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I'll say no. And they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again, and I'll say, to them, ‘Read my lips: no new taxes.’” George H.W. Bush "So diffuse, there isn't a symbol, I don't think, in the Yale situation, any symbolism in it... Harvard boutique to me has the connotation of liberalism and elitism" George H.W. Bush The Republicans "don't let murderers out on vacation to terrorize innocent people. . . . Dukakis owes the people an explanation of why he supported this outrageous program." George H. W. Bush about the Willie Horton Issue

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

"This election is not about ideology, it is about competence." Michael Dukakis



“In the Dukakis White House, as in the Dukakis State House; if you accept the privilege of public service, you had better understand the responsibilities of public service. If you violate that trust, you'll be fired; if you violate the law, you'll be prosecuted; and if you sell arms to the Ayatollah, don't expect a pardon from the President of the United States.” Michael Dukakis "A New Era of Greatness for America": Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, July 21, 1988 Quayle, "I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency." Bentsen, "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Quayle, "That was really uncalled for, Senator,"; Bentsen, "You are the one that was making the comparison, Senator, and I'm one who knew him well. And frankly, I think you are so far apart in the objectives you choose for your country that I did not think the comparison was well-taken."



390



“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.” Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Republican vicepresidential candidate Senator Dan Quayle

Campaign Quotations: 





"Voters inclined to loathe and fear elite Ivy League schools rarely make fine distinctions between Yale and Harvard. All they know is that both are full of rich, fancy, stuck-up and possibly dangerous intellectuals who never sit down to supper in their undershirt no matter how hot the weather gets." Columnist Russell Bake "The consensus tonight is that Vice President George Bush won last night's debate and made it all the harder for Governor Michael Dukakis to catch and pass him in the 25 days remaining. In all of the Friday morning quarterbacking, there was common agreement that Dukakis failed to seize the debate and make it his night." Tom Brokaw, NBC News, October 14, 1988 "In 1988, fighting Dukakis, I said that 'I would strip the bark off the little bastard' and 'make Willie Horton his running mate.' I am sorry for both statements: the first for its naked cruelty, the second because it makes me sound racist, which I am not." Lee Atwater, Bush’s campaign manager, before his death in 1991

Further Reading: 

Pomper, Gerald M. The Election of 1988: Reports and Interpretations. Chatham: Chatham House Publishers, 1988.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

Trivialization of presidential politics; campaign did not focus on the major issues; but rather character attacks; mean-spirited, negative campaign.

391

1992 Election Year: 1992 Election Day Date: November 3, 1992 Winning Ticket: 

William Clinton, Albert Gore Jr., Democratic 44,909,806 43.01% 370 68.8%

Losing Ticket(s):    

George Bush, J. Danforth Quayle, Republican 39,104,550 37.45% 168 31.2% H. Ross Perot, James Stockdale, Independent 19,743,821 18.91% 0 0.0% Andre Marrou, Nancy Lord, Libertarian 290,087 0.28% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 375,659 0.36% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 189,044,500 Total REG 133,648,039 Total Vote 104,423,923 %VAP 55.2% %REG 78.1%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speeches, rallies; television, interviews, talk show appearances; print and television ads; primary, Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: George Herbert Walker Bush, J. Danforth Quayle, Republican, 1989-1993 Population: 1992: 256,922,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $6,342.3 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $8,287.1 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 76.53 Population (in thousands): 256,922 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $24,686 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $32,255 Number of Daily Newspapers: 1,655 (1990) 392

Average Daily Circulation: 62,649,218 (1990) Households with:  

Radio: 91,100,000 (1990) Television: 92,100,000 (1990)

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

   

Economy, 1991 recession, U.S. Gross Domestic Product dropped, unemployment rate at over 6%; Bush’s budget deal Democratic Congress raised taxes; spending cuts; Bush broke his 1988 campaign pledge of "Read my Lips, No New Taxes." Foreign policy success, end of Cold War; Berlin Wall fell; united East and West Germany; Military success in the Gulf War over Iraq. March 1991 polls, President Bush had an 88% approval rating; Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein remained still in power after the Gulf War and defying US and United Nations orders. Revealed that the Bush administration placated Hussein up until the invasion, undercut into the Gulf’s War success, Bush’s competency as a leader and in foreign policy.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates:   

George H. W. Bush, President of the United States from Texas Pat Buchanan, Conservative columnist from Virginia Harold E. Stassen, Former Governor of Minnesota

Democratic Party candidates       

Larry Agran, former Mayor of Irvine, California Bill Clinton, Governor of Arkansas Jerry Brown, former Governor of California Paul Tsongas, former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts Bob Kerrey, U.S. Senator from Nebraska Tom Harkin, U.S. Senator from Iowa Douglas Wilder, Governor of Virginia

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries):  

In 1991, Bush’s popularity deterred Democrats from pursuing the nomination Economic recession, Bush’s laissez-faire policy; economy worsened for the middle class. 393

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

The use of Talk Shows to reach potential voters

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, Governor William Clinton of Arkansas, Governor Douglas Wilder of Virginia, and former governor Jerry Brown of California

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:          



Bill Clinton best organization among potential nominees. Clinton took a leading role in the Democratic Leadership Council used it to build party support for a candidacy, leader within the party. In early 1992 a tabloid accused Clinton of infidelity; Clinton and his wife Hillary appeared on 60 Minutes to debunk the story. Paul Tsongas (Massachusetts) won New Hampshire primary, Clinton placed second. Accusations about Clinton dodging the draft, not serving in the Vietnam War. Clinton proclaimed the "Comeback Kid" with runner-up finishing in New Hampshire after the scandal broke. On Super Tuesday, Clinton won all the primaries in the South. Mid-March won Illinois and Michigan, demonstrated wider voter appeal. In March, Paul Tsongas suspended his campaign, campaign faltered, out of money. Jerry Brown remained in the campaign and won Connecticut, lead in the polls in New York and Wisconsin by made the mistake of announcing he would take Jesse Jackson as his running mate, although Jackson was widely disliked by New York’s Jewish community for his anti-Semitic remarks in the 1984 Presidential primaries race. Brown would lose the two races as a result. Clinton won the remaining primaries and the nomination.

Republican Party: 



 

At first Bush took more interest in foreign affairs and his successes in foreign policy than the economy, his extremely high approval rating after the gulf war in 1991, where U.S. forces and United Nations pushed Iraq out of Kuwait after their invasion in 1990. Took his reelection for granted, delayed announcing his reelection bid until early 1992, when discontent was rising over the economy, continuous problems with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. After approval rating plummeted; Bush’s advisers pushed him to commence re-election immediately to catch up with Democrats already campaigning. State of the Union ("Message: I care"), and launched his campaign determined to be "the Comeback Kid."

394



   

Compared his campaign to Harry Truman’s in 1948, an embarrassment when he claimed Truman would vote Republican now if still alive, prompting Truman’s daughter, Margaret to “reject Bush's suggestion with indignation and remind him that he was indeed no Harry Truman.” Patrick Buchanan, the conservative columnist, challenged Bush in the primaries. Bush campaign nearly lost New Hampshire to Buchanan. Buchanan unable to garner more than 30% support in any primary he entered. Buchanan's candidacy revealed Bush's vulnerability on the economic issues, Bush had to move to the right to satisfy the disgruntled conservatives within the party.

Primaries Quotations: 



"Because we Republicans, can no longer say it is all the liberals' fault. It was not some liberal Democrat who said 'Read my lips: no new taxes,' then broke his word to cut a seedy backroom budget deal with the big spenders on Capitol Hill." Pat Buchanan "I think the American people, at least people that have been married for a long time, know what it means and know the whole range of things that it can mean. . . . I have acknowledged wrongdoing, I have acknowledged causing pain in my marriage. I have said things to you tonight and to the American people from the beginning that no American politician ever has. I think most Americans who are watching this tonight, they'll know what we're saying. They'll get it…. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. You're looking at two people who love each other. This is not an arrangement or understanding; this is a marriage." Mrs. Clinton: "You know, I'm not sitting here as some little woman standing by my man, like Tammy Wynette. I'm sitting here because I love him and I respect him and I honor what he's been through and what we've been through together. And, you know, if that's not enough for people, then, heck, don't vote for him." Bill and Hillary Clinton on 60 Minutes

Primaries:  

Democratic 40 77.1% delegates Republican 39 67.8% delegates

Primaries Results Democratic Party: July 1, 1992         

Bill Clinton: 10,482,411, 51.99% Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.: 4,071,232, 20.19% Paul Efthemios Tsongas: 3,656,010, 18.13% Unpledged: 750,873, 3.72% J. Robert "Bob" Kerrey: 318,457, 1.58% Tom Harkin: 280,304, 1.39% Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 154,599, 0.77% Eugene J. McCarthy: 108,678, 0.54% Charles Woods: 88,948, 0.44% 395



Larry Agran: 58,611, 0.29%

Republican Party: July 1, 1992    

George Herbert Walker Bush(I): 9,199,463, 72.84% Patrick J. "Pat" Buchanan: 2,899,488, 22.96% Unpledged: 287,383, 2.28% David Duke: 119,115, 0.94%

Conventions (Dates & Locations): 



Democratic National Convention: July 13-16, 1992, Madison Square Garden; New York, Ann Richards (Texas), 1st ballot, William J. Clinton (Arkansas), Albert A. Gore, Jr. (Tennessee) Republican National Convention: August 17-20, 1992, Astrodome; Houston, 1st ballot, George H. W. Bush (Texas), Dan Quayle (Indiana)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:     

Clinton leader in the delegate count, former California Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. and former Massachusetts Senator Paul E. Tsongas also appeared on the ballot. Clinton won on the first ballot with 3,372 votes, and the nomination was approved by acclamation. Clinton chose another young Southerner, Tennessee Senator Albert Gore Jr. for his running mate. Clinton-Gore ticket was the youngest in the 20th century, Clinton, age 45, and Gore, age 44. Clinton received a significant bounce in the polls after the convention.

Republican National Convention:      

Convention themes; inclusion, moderation, and diversity, however, a conservative platform. Incumbent George H.W. Bush was renominated as was his running mate and Dan Quayle. President Bush apologized and “admitted he had made a mistake in failing to keep his famous 1988 “no new taxes” pledge.” Former President Reagan delivered his last Republican convention address. Patrick Buchanan and televangelist Pat Robertson gave prime time addresses. Buchanan called for a "culture war"; Republicans, as a result, appeared dogmatic and meanspirited.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees:

396

Republican Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot   

George H. W. Bush 2166 Pat Buchanan 18 former ambassador Alan Keyes 1

Vice Presidential 

Dan Quayle: renominated by voice vote

Democratic Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot         

Gov. Bill Clinton 3,372 (80.27%) Gov. Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr. 596 (14.19%) Sen. Paul Efthemios Tsongas 209 (4.98%) Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. 10 (0.24%) Rep. Patricia Schroeder 8 (0.19%) Larry Agran 3 (0.07%) Ron Daniels 1 (0.02%) Sen. Al Gore 1 (0.02%) Joe Simonetta 1 (0.02%)

Third Party Candidates and Nominations: Ross Perot candidacy: 

 





A concern of the federal budget deficit; professional politicians; against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); internal and external national debt; volunteers collected enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. On June 4, 1992, Perot led the national public opinion polls with support from 39% of the voters (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Perot damaged his credibility when he withdrew from the race in July, only to re-enter it in October. Compounded the issue, when he claimed the reason he withdrew was that Republican operatives were trying to ruin his daughter's wedding. Ralph Nader: New Hampshire primaries, urging members of both parties to write-in his name; several thousand Democrats and Republicans wrote-in Nader's name; more votes from Republicans than Democrats. Libertarian Party: Andre Marrou, former Alaska representative and the Party's 1988 vicepresidential candidate, for President. Nancy Lord; Marrou/Lord ticket made the ballot in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and received 291,627 votes (0.28% of the popular vote).

397

 

 

 

Populist Party: Bo Gritz, former United States Army Special Forces officer and Vietnam veteran; 106,152 votes nationwide (0.10% of the popular vote). New Alliance Party: Lenora Fulani Psychotherapist and political activist and 1988 presidential nominee; Maria Elizabeth Munoz received 73,622 votes (0.07% of the popular vote). U.S. Taxpayers Party: Howard Phillips, conservative political activist; Albion Knight, Jr. 43,369 votes (0.04% of the popular vote). Natural Law Party: President: John Hagelin, Scientist, and researcher; Vice President: Mike Tompkins first presidential ticket, on the ballot in 32 states and drew 39,000 votes (0.04% of the popular vote). Independent: Drew Bradford, New Jersey: 4,749 votes, 12th overall (.14% of the popular vote in NJ, .01% nationwide). Delbert L. Ehlers, Iowa, 6th (home state), received more votes than Libertarian Andre Marrou in Iowa, finishing 18th nationwide (1,149 votes, .09% of the popular vote in Iowa.

Convention Keynote Speaker: Democratic National Convention: Three keynote addresses: Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Governor Zell Miller of Georgia and former Texas representative Barbara Jordan bipartisan keynote address. Nominating Speech Speakers (President): 

Democratic: New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo, saluted Clinton as the “comeback kid”

Party Platform and Issues: 



The Democratic Party: New centrist philosophy, economic growth, military force overseas when necessary, two years limit in welfare benefits, states right to enact death penalty statutes. Republican Party: Opposed increasing taxes, strengthening families, parental choice in school choice.

General Election Controversies/Issues: Character issue; "battle of the negatives" Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

"The Larry King era" TV talk shows and call-in talk shows hosted by Larry King, Phil Donahue, Arsenio Hall, Oprah Winfrey: Informal setting; candidates could speak freely and conformably with friendly hosts, potential voters in the audience or on the telephone could speak/question the candidates.

398

Major Personalities (General Election): James Carville; Larry King, Phil Donahue, Arsenio Hall, Oprah Winfrey Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:   



Same negative tactics used in 1988. Negative advertising; character issue; Bush’s tendency to "go ballistic" close to calling Clinton a “subversive.” Accused Clinton of being a tax and spend liberal; lacked patriotism because of involvement in Vietnam War demonstrations activities; the issue of Clinton’s 1969 trip to Moscow; called Clinton and Gore "bozos." President Bush although reluctant at first, joined the talk-show circuit to campaign for reelection.

Democratic Party:   

 



Young, moderate "New Democrats" Speeches, interviews, and talk show appearances. Main theme and issue of the Clinton campaign was the economy "THE ECONOMY, STUPID!" disciplined; a message of change, "We've got to change this country," There must be "courage to change." Immediately responded to every Bush allegation; President "deceptive" and "untrustworthy." Rejected Reagan-Bush years "trickledown" economy policy (benefits coming from government aid to business would eventually trickle down to the general populace); Government action to help the economy, reform policies: national health care system; rebuild infrastructure; tuition loans to college students. Reducing unemployment by public works?; campaign finance reform; replacing welfare "workfare." Clinton, New Democrat, centrist position, a reinvigoration of the American economy helps everyone ("forgotten middle class"), blacks and Latinos; lower the deficit. Bill Clinton appeared on Arsenio Hall and played the saxophone.

Independent:      

Ross Perot, a Texas billionaire announced his candidacy on Larry King Live. Perot announced he would run for the presidency if volunteers got his name on the ballot in all 50 states, they did. Campaign theme focus, the expanding federal deficit national debt $1 trillion to $4 trillion during the Reagan-Bush years. "Infomercials," paid TV advertisements, half hour or more, discussed the issues "I'm just going to sit down and talk to the American people." His United We Stand, America ran his campaign, Perot only started to appear personally at rallies for him nine days before the end of the campaign Great Simplifier; forthright. 399



"Perotxysms" homonymics: "The Yellow Ross of Texas."; "Perotnoia"; "he would offer economists . . . a new Perotdigm. Even if his Latin American policy made him sound like a Perotnista, his concern for global nuclear safety would remain Perotmount. In terms of domestic policy, he would surely be attentive to Perotchial schools. His concern for the handicapped would extend to Perotplegics and his health care reform would have to cover Perotinitis and Perotdontia. But his opponents can be depended on, before long, to ridicule any claim he's a Perotgon of virtue who could lead America to political Perotdise. They are more likely to prefer a sentence of life without Perotle, while the rest of us wish for, at least, no more name puns. While there's life there's hope, Caesar might have said. Dum spiro sperot." New York Times, Editorial, June 9, 1992

Debates:    

 

Perot and his running mate included in the debates. All Presidential candidates performed well. October 11, 1992, Presidential Debate in St. Louis: Perot star of debate, simple solutions to difficult problems the country was facing. October 15, 1992, Presidential Debate, Virginia University of Richmond, Virginia moderated by Carole Simpson of ABC News, town hall debate, the moderator relayed questions about the issues directly from the audience of undecided voters; Clinton adeptness with electronic media. October 19, 1992, Presidential Debate in East Lansing, Michigan October 13, 1992, Vice-Presidential Debate in Atlanta: Vice-President Dan Quayle taunted Albert Gore annoyed and turned off the viewers and voters.

Turning Points (General Election): 





Perot campaign damaged by both Perot’s indecisiveness, exiting and re-entering the campaign and vice-presidential candidate James Stockdale poor performance at the Vice Presidential Debate Going into the election, the Republican candidate and incumbent president, George H. W. Bush, hoped the GATT talks would result in a free trade deal. This would have given Bush an advantage over Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. The Friday before the 1992 election, former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who served in the Reagan administration, was indicted by independent counsel Lawrence Walsh in connection with the Iran-contra affair. The indictment distracted Bush's campaign and suggested to some that Bush, who had claimed he was "out of the loop," had possibly not been honest about his own role in the scandal. Bush actually attended a meeting he originally claimed he had not attended.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

Democratic: Bill Clinton “It’s the Economy, Stupid”; “A New Covenant To Make America Work Again!”; “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” “It's Time to Change America”; “Putting People First”; “Change vs. more of the same;” “Don't forget health care”; Putting People First… For a Change.” 400

 

Republican Party: ‘Stand by the President 1992”; “Let’s Re-Elect our Desert Storm Commander in Chief in ‘92” Independent: Ross Perot “Ross for Boss”

Campaign Song:  

Democratic: Bill Clinton: Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac) Independent: Ross Perot: Crazy (Patsy Cline)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: 

"pot-smoking, philandering draft-dodger"

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



“That’s why we need a new approach to government, a government that offers more empowerment and less entitlement... A government that is leaner, not meaner; a government that expands opportunity, not bureaucracy; a government that understands that jobs must come from growth in a vibrant and vital system of free enterprise. I call this approach a New Covenant, a solemn agreement between the people and their government based not simply on what each of us can take but what all of us must give to our Nation. Bill Clinton 1992 Acceptance Speech to 1992 Democratic National Convention ("A Place Called Hope") “We offer our people a new choice based on old values. We offer opportunity. We demand responsibility. We will build an American community again. The choice we offer is not conservative or liberal. In many ways, it is not even Republican or Democratic. It is different. It is new. And it will work. It will work because it is rooted in the vision and the values of the American people.” Bill Clinton 1992 Acceptance Speech to 1992 Democratic National Convention ("A Place Called Hope")

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

“Now let me say this: When it comes to taxes, I've learned the hard way. There's an old saying, "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment." Two years ago, I made a bad call on the Democrats tax increase. I underestimated Congress' addiction to taxes. With my back against the wall, I agreed to a hard bargain: One tax increase one time in return for the toughest spending limits ever. Well, it was a mistake to go along with the Democratic tax increase, and I admit it. But here's the question for the American people. Who do you trust in this election? The candidate who's raised taxes one time and regrets it, or the other candidate who raised taxes and fees 128 times and enjoyed it every time?” George H. W. Bush, Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Houston, August 20, 1992

401





"Well, they've got a point, I don't have any experience in gridlock government, where nobody takes any responsibility for anything and everybody blames everybody else. I don't have any experience in creating the worst public school system in the industrialized world, the most violent, crime-ridden society in the industrialized world. But I do have a lot of experience in getting things done. . . . I've got a lot of experience in not taking ten years to solve a ten-minute problem." Ross Perot, First Presidential Debate, St. Louis, Missouri "I can solve the problem of the national debt without working up a sweat. It's just that simple." Ross Perot to TV Audiences

Campaign Quotations: 

"Campaigns are never fun, It's like war. It's miserable. Running for office isn't fun. Winning is fun…. The only time the presidency is fun is the day you get inaugurated and the day you dedicate your library. If you're going to do what you're setting out to do, it isn't going to be fun." Republican Political Consultant in response to Ross Perot’s questions on the campaigning and the Presidency as fun

Further Reading:  

Ceaser, James W, and Andrew Busch. Upside Down and Inside Out: The 1992 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 1993. Goldman, Peter L. Quest for the Presidency, 1992. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1994.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

All three major candidates were from the South, and two were from Texas (Bush and Perot). The Democratic Party’s ticket were both from Southern states, whereas usually the ticket would be balanced, one candidate from the north, one from the South. Independent candidate, H. Ross Perot made all the decisions for his campaign (selfnominated, self-organized, self-promoted, self-scheduled, self-advertised, and selffinanced) (Perot's own timing entered in February, dropped out in July, offended by media attacks, and then continued in October).

402

1996 Election Year: 1996 Election Day Date: November 5, 1996 Winning Ticket: 

William Clinton, Albert Gore Jr., Democratic 47,400,125 49.23% 379 70.4%

Losing Ticket(s):     

Robert Dole, Jack Kemp, Republican 39,198,755 40.72% 159 29.6% H. Ross Perot, Pat Choate, Reform 8,085,402 8.40% 0 0.0% Ralph Nader, Winona LaDuke, Green 685,297 0.71% 0 0.0% Harry Browne, Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian 485,798 0.50% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 420,024 0.44% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 196,501,001 Total REG 145,085,478 Total Vote 96,275,401 %VAP 49.0% %REG 66.4%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speeches, rallies; television, interviews, talk show appearances; print and television ads; primary, Presidential, Vice Presidential debates; press, newspapers and magazines. Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

In Colorado Republican Federal Campaigning Committee v. Federal Election Commission, the Court held that state and local parties cannot be limited in the amount of money spent on behalf of the candidate, as long as that spending is not coordinated with the candidate. This extends to PACs and other equivalent groups.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: William Jefferson Clinton, Albert Gore, Jr., Democratic, 1993-2001 Population: 1996: 269,714,000

403

Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $7,838.5 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $9,433.9 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%) 83.09 Population (in thousands): 269,714 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $29,062 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $34,977 Number of Daily Newspapers: Average Daily Circulation: Households with:  

Radio Television

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):   

 

Clinton big government Democrat; liberal agenda in first two years of the term; failure of health care reform under Hillary Clinton. Republicans gained control of both houses of Congress in the 1994 mid-term election; Newt Gingrich leader and Speaker of the House. Republican Congress overreached their mandate, confrontation about the budget in late 1995 and 1996 led to a shutdown of the federal government, the public blamed the Republicans. Clinton presidential image and response to the Oklahoma City federal building bombing. Leadership, sending troops to war-torn Bosnia.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic candidates: 

Bill Clinton, President of the United States (Arkansas)

Republican Candidates:        

Bob Dole, U.S. Senator from Kansas Pat Buchanan, Conservative Columnist from Virginia Steve Forbes, Newspaper and magazine publisher from New York Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee Phil Gramm, U.S. Senator from Texas Alan Keyes, Former U.S. ECOSOC Ambassador from Maryland Richard Lugar, U.S. Senator from Indiana Bob Dornan, U.S. Representative from California 404

   

Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Pete Wilson, Governor of California Morry Taylor, a businessman from Ohio Harold E. Stassen, Former Governor of Minnesota

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Clinton’s Centrist position, a thriving economy, few foreign policies issues, a formidable candidate.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): California changed the date of their primary from June to March Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Patrick Buchanan; Steve Forbes Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:  

President Clinton deterred any opposition to his candidacy in the primaries. First time since 1964, Democrats had no contest in primaries.

Republican Party:   

    

Robert Dole, the Senate majority leader, Kansas, was the front runner in the polls and fund-raising. Possible candidates who did not run included former vice-president Dan Quayle and Jack Kemp. Texas senator Phil Gramm, columnist Patrick Buchanan, Lamar Alexander, Alan Keyes, Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, California governor Pete Wilson (withdrew early), Congressman Robert Dornan, moderate Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, Steve Forbes challenged Dole for the nomination. Steve Forbes, well-financed vanity candidacy; did not accept matching federal funds for his candidacy; consequently, and his spending was not limited by the caps imposed. Forbes's spent excessive amounts on negative attacks against Bob Dole. Pat Buchanan was able to benefit and won the New Hampshire primary. Forbes candidacy deterred other more serious candidates from running, which also benefited Buchanan but mostly Dole. On March 2, Dole won in South Carolina, superior organization, large campaign account, Dole won the remaining critical primaries, including winner-take-all primaries, and by the end of March Dole had amassed the necessary amount delegates needed.

405





Dole’s weaknesses, age clear campaign theme, and purpose; overspending reached pending limit under the federal campaign law in May, had no money to respond to Clinton’s negative advertising. Dole resigned from the Senate on May 15, 1996.

Primaries:  

Democratic 37, 81.4% delegates Republican 40, 78.8% delegates

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: July 1, 1996   

Bill Clinton(I): 9,706,802, 88.94% Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 596,422, 5.46% Unpledged: 411,270, 3.77%

Republican Party: July 7, 1996           

Robert J. "Bob" Dole: 9,024,742, 58.82% Patrick J. "Pat" Buchanan: 3,184,943, 20.76% M.S. "Steve" Forbes: 1,751,187, 11.41% Lamar Alexander: 495,590, 3.23% Alan L. Keyes: 471,716, 3.07% Richard "Dick" Lugar: 127,111, 0.83% Unpledged: 123,278, 0.80% W. Philip "Phil" Gramm: 71,456, 0.47% Robert "B-1 Bob" Dornan: 42,140, 0.27% Maurice "Morry" Taylor: 21,1800.14% Others: 18,261, 0.12%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Democratic National Convention: August 26-29, 1996, United Center; Chicago, Acclamation, William J. Clinton (Arkansas), Albert A. Gore, Jr.(Tennessee) Republican National Convention: August 12-15, 1996, San Diego Convention Center; San Diego, 1st ballot, Robert J. Dole, (Kansas), Jack Kemp (Maryland)

Convention Turning Points: Democratic National Convention:  

Bill Clinton was renominated unanimously and his running mate Al Gore was also renominated. Former Reagan press secretary James Brady Clinton’s gun control legislation. 406

   

Christopher Reeve spoke on the first night calling for expanded research into diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, and AIDS. The second night theme, families First Lady Hillary Clinton spoke on family values. The third night, Vice President Al Gore spoke about the Democratic Party leading the nation into the 21st Century. The fourth night President Clinton accepted the nomination and spoke of his first administration’s achievements.

Republican National Convention:    

Republican nominee Dole was the oldest man in United States history at seventy-three to run for president. Nominate on the first ballot 1,928 of the 1,990 votes. Convention theme: “compassion and conservatism.” Chose for his running-mate former Representative Jack Kemp, conservative from New York, former NFL quarterback for the Buffalo Bills football team.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot  

Pres. Bill Clinton (I) 4,277 (99.72%) Abstaining 12 (0.28%)

Republican Party nomination: Presidential 1st ballot     

Majority Leader Robert J. "Bob" Dole 1,928 (97.62%) Patrick J. "Pat" Buchanan 43 (2.18%) Sen. W. Philip "Phil" Gramm 2 (0.10%) Circuit Judge Robert H. Bork 1 (0.05%) Alan L. Keyes 1 (0.05%)

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Reform Party:    

Presidential: Ross Perot; Vice Presidential: Pat Choate Ross Perot created a new party, the Reform Party Perot did not want to name/nominate himself and therefore initiated a challenge with former Colorado governor Richard Lamm for the nomination A two-weekend convention, had mail and electronic voting to determine the nomination.

407





  

Based on his 1992 vote results, Perot was eligible for a federal subsidy of $30 million and could spend unlimited amounts of money as he did in 1992, not could pay for a nationally known running-mate. United States Green Party: Ralph Nader (Connecticut) was drafted and not formally by the Green Party USA, but by states Green parties, who would put his name on the ballot as an independent. Socialist Party USA: Presidential, Mary Cal Hollis (Colorado); Vice Presidential, Eric Chester (Massachusetts) Libertarian Party: Presidential, Harry Browne (Tennessee); Vice Presidential, Jo Jorgensen (South Carolina) Constitution Party (formerly U.S. Taxpayers Party): Presidential, Howard Phillips, Chairman of the American Conservative Union

Convention Keynote Speaker: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 



Democratic Party: ending deficit spending; balancing the federal budget; maintain Social Security and Medicare. national standards for primary and secondary schools; welfare; reduce those in need of public funds; protection of the National Parks; offshore drilling opposition Republican Party: strictly conservative; abortion plank (part of the debate the week prior to the convention) the rights of the unborn prevailed; “tax relief, balancing the budget, improving education, affordable health care, regulatory reform, rejecting statehood for the District of Columbia,” English as the nation’s language.

General Election Controversies/Issues: 

Age issue; future vs. past; 21st century

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Al Gore; John Huang; Maria Hsia; Newt Gingrich Campaign Tactics: Democratic Party:  



Negative advertising, continuous media spending. Clinton raised the maximum allowed for primary, but was unopposed and could save it to attack the presumptive Republican candidate prior to the real commencement of the general election. Democratic National Committee soft money used for "issue advocacy" ads in battleground states. 408

 

Retain Presidential image, “New Democrat”; no real direct attacks on his opponent. Labeled Dole the "Dole-Gingrich", for planning to cut social programs.

Republican Party:   

Did not directly attack Clinton, to alienate female voters, where Dole had been polling poorly. Labeled Clinton the "Me Too" President because of his adoption of Republican positions. Late in campaign determined that Clinton's lack of character would be a good theme, although the public agreed, Clinton’s performance as president outweighed the character issue in importance.

Debates:   

October 6, 1996, Presidential Debate in Hartford October 9, 1996, Vice-Presidential Debate in St. Petersburg October 16, 1996, Presidential Debate in San Diego

Turning Points (General Election): 

 







In the Summer, Clinton used ads to depict Dole as “an aged conservative far from the mainstream,” link Dole to Newt Gingrich, cuts in Medicare, education, environment; Clinton maintained an advantage, because Dole had reached the spending limit and could not respond or attack back. Tabloid revealed Dick Morris, Clinton campaign advisor was having an affair with a Washington prostitute; forced to resign from the campaign. Perot could not affect the campaign as he did in 1992, was not even allowed to be included in the debates, because the Commission on Presidential Debates concluded Perot did not have a "realistic chance of election." Age Issue: At 72 years old, Bob Dole was the oldest candidate running for the first term as President. He appeared old and frail and although he tried to dress down, he could not connect with the younger voters. His age became more of an issue when he fell off a stage at a rally on September 19, in Chico, California; a railing he was leaning over gave way. And on September 18, he mistakenly referenced the “Brooklyn Dodgers”, the team had left Brooklyn four decades prior, to make light of the gaffe, a few days later Dole joked "And I'd like to congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals on winning the N.L. Central. Notice I said the St. Louis Cardinals, not the St. Louis Browns." (the Browns left in 1954, becoming the Baltimore Orioles). Doles also referenced the Soviet Union as though, it still existed, showing Dole was out of place with the times. President Bill Clinton, the incumbent Democratic candidate looked to create his own October Surprise in his re-election bid against Republican candidate Bob Dole. In June, Clinton met with top FBI and CIA aides in hope of organizing a successful sting against the Russian Mafia, which had been rumored to be interested in selling a nuclear missile. The operation failed to become a real October Surprise. Clinton also hoped he might be able to broker a last-minute deal between the Palestinians and Israelis. The two sides however only agreed to more talks. 409







Dole gained momentum when in late September 1995, the press uncovered the National Democrats might be engaging in questionable fund-raising practices, and accepting donations from foreign countries, tax-exempt religious institutions which was strictly prohibited. February 1996: The Washington Post published a story that a U.S. Department of Justice investigation uncovered that Chinese agents were donating money to the Democratic National Committee through the Chinese Embassy in Washington. It is illegal for nonAmerican citizens from donating to U.S. politicians and parties. Seventeen were convicted in connection. Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California had a fundraising event for the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign, in which Al Gore was involved. DNC fund-raisers John Huang and Maria Hsia organized the event although it is illegal for religious institutions as non-profit organizations to contribute to political campaigns, candidates or parties. Hsia was convicted in March 2000, and the funds were returned to the Temple's monks and nuns.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  

Democratic: Bill Clinton “Building a bridge to the 21st century” Republican: Bob Dole “The Better Man for a Better America”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: Bob Dole: "Dole Man" (Sam and Dave)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall): 

Green Party USA: Ralph Nader promised to spend only $5,000. He did not want to be obligated to file an FEC financial statement.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

“Tonight, my fellow Americans, I ask all of our fellow citizens to join me and to join you in building that bridge to the 21st century. Four years from now, just 4 years from now think of it - we begin a new century, full of enormous possibilities. We have to give the American people the tools they need to make the most of their God-given potential. We must make the basic bargain of opportunity and responsibility available to all Americans, not just a few. That is the promise of the Democratic Party. That is the promise of America.” Bill Clinton, Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 29, 1996

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate):

410





"I will seek the presidency with nothing to fall back on but the judgment of the people and nowhere to go but the White House or home…and I will then stand before you without office or authority, a private citizen, a Kansan, an American, just a man. For little has come to me except in the hard way, which is good because we have a hard task ahead of us." Robert Dole, Announcing his Senate Resignation to Jump Start Flagging Bid for White House as of June 11, 1996 Why? Because some genius in the Clinton administration took the money to fund yet another theory, yet another program and yet another bureaucracy. Are they taking care of you, or are they taking care of themselves? I have asked myself that question. And I say, let the people be free. Free to keep. Let the people be free to keep as much of what they earn as the government can strain with all its might not to take, not the other way around…. And it must be said because of misguided priorities there have been massive cuts in funding for our national security. I believe President Clinton has failed to adequately provide for our defense. And for whatever reason the neglect, it is irresponsible. Robert Dole Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in San Diego, August 15, 1996

Campaign Quotations: 

“On the most obvious level, the placid waters of the 1996 Presidential campaign suggest a nation at peace with its politics. Many voters may simply choose to stay home. The economy is good, the country is not at war and President Clinton has rebounded from the depths of his unpopularity just two years before.” Adam Nagourney, New York Times, November 3, 1996



''When you're an incumbent, and the economy is doing well boring is good.'' George Stephanopoulos, Clinton senior aide and strategist, November 3, 1996

Significant books about the campaign:  

Ceaser, James W. Losing to Win: The 1996 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publ, 1997. Pomper, Gerald M. The Election of 1996 Reports and Interpretations. Chatham: Chatham House Publishers, 1996.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:  

Lowest voter turnout since 1924. One of the dullest campaigns in recent history.

411

2000 Election Year: 2000 Election Day Date: November 7, 2000 Winning Ticket: 

George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Republican 50,460,110 47.87% 271 50.4%

Losing Ticket(s):     

Albert Gore Jr., Joseph Lieberman, Democratic 51,003,926 48.38% 266 49.4% Ralph Nader, Winona LaDuke, Green 2,883,105 2.73% 0 0.0% Patrick Buchanan, Ezola Foster, Reform 449,225 0.43% 0 0.0% Harry Browne, Art Olivier, Libertarian 384,516 0.36% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 236,593 0.22% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:       

Total VAP 209,278,949 Total VAC 193,376,828 REG 157,045,557 Total Vote 105,417,475 %VAP 50.4% %VAC 54.5% %REG 67.1%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: Stumping, speeches, rallies; television, interviews, talk show appearances; print and television ads; primary, Presidential, Vice Presidential debates; press newspapers and magazines Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: William Jefferson Clinton, Albert Gore, Jr., Democratic, 1993-2001 Population: 2000: 282,413,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $9,951.5 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $11,226.0 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 88.65 Population (in thousands): 282,413 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $35,237 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $39,750 412

Number of Daily Newspapers: Average Daily Circulation: Households with:   

Radio: Television: Computer/Internet:

Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Had the ballot recount continued, the Florida legislature was prepared to appoint the Republican slate of electors to avoid missing the federal deadline for choosing electors. Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues: Domestic issues; Clinton Presidency and morality; usage of budget surplus Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates  

Al Gore, Vice President of the United States (Tennessee) Bill Bradley, former U.S. senator (New Jersey)

Republican Party Candidates      

George W. Bush, Governor of Texas John McCain, Senator (Arizona) Alan Keyes, Former U.S. ECOSOC Ambassador (Mayland) Steve Forbes, Businessman (New York) Gary Bauer Orrin Hatch, Senator (Utah)

Reform Party candidates     

John B. Anderson, former U.S. Representative for the 16th Congressional District of Illinois, former Independent Presidential candidate (Florida) David L. Boren, former U.S. Senator (Oklahoma) Pat Buchanan, former speechwriter and Senior Advisor to President Richard Nixon (Virginia) Charles E. Collins, former school board chairman from a rural Florida county (Georgia) John Hagelin, Ph.D., past and then-current Natural Law Party candidate (Iowa) 413

 

Ross Perot, 1996 presidential nominee (Texas) Donald Trump, Billionaire real estate developer (New York)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Insurgent candidates (McCain, Bradley) vs. Party/establishment support (mainstream) candidates (Bush, Gore) Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries ): John McCain; Jerry Falwell; Pat Robertson; Gary Bauer, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan, Alan Keyes; Elizabeth Dole; Bob Dole; Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey; Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt; Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone (exploratory committee); Warren Beatty (declined to run) Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party:   

    

  



George Bush’s theme was “Compassionate Conservatism”; raised $36 million in the first half of 1999, prompting moderate many Republicans hopefuls to withdraw. John McCain was running as crusading insurgent; campaign finance reform and honesty. In Summer 1999 Pat Buchanan published a book where he agreed with some of Hitler’s policies, prompting McCain to attack his position and suggest that Buchanan leave the Republican party; he did and pursed instead the Reform Party Presidential nomination; Newsweek poll Summer 1999; Bush 46%, Gore 38%, and Buchanan 8%. George Bush, John McCain, Alan Keyes, Steve Forbes, Gary Bauer, Orrin Hatch only Republicans remaining at the commencement of the primaries. Bush won the Iowa caucus with 41%; afterwards, Orrin Hatch withdrew. February 1, McCain won the New Hampshire primary, 49%–30% over Bush. The South Carolina Primary benefited Bush since it was the first major closed primary in 2000 and McCain was popular among independents. Accusation of mudslinging and dirty tricks (push polling) that implied that McCain's adopted Bangladeshi-born daughter was an African-American child he fathered out of wedlock. February 24, McCain criticized Bush for accepting the endorsement of Bob Jones University despite its policy banning interracial dating. February 28, McCain also referred to Rev. Jerry Falwell and televangelist Pat Robertson as "agents of intolerance" McCain won Michigan, Arizona on February 22; Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts on Super Tuesday, March 7, but withdrew from the campaign afterward. March 10, Alan Keyes received 21% in Utah 414



Bush won the rest of the primaries and clinched the nomination on March 14

Democratic Party: 





Vice President Al Gore was the front runner, former Senator Bill Bradley (New Jersey) founding member of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council was Gore main challenger. Bradley ran an insurgency campaign; a positive campaign of "big ideas" planned to budget surplus for social reforms, welfare programs, campaign finance reform, and gun control. Bradley did not do well in the Iowa Caucus and did not have the support of the party establishment.

Primary Debates: Primary Election Republican Party   

October 22, 1999, Republican Candidates Forum in Durham, New Hampshire December 6, 1999, Republican Candidates Debate in Phoenix, Arizona December 13, 1999, Republican Candidates Debate in Des Monies, Iowa

Primaries/Caucus Results: Republican Party Iowa (caucus) (January 24, 2000):      

Bush 41% Forbes 30% Keyes 14% Bauer 9% McCain 5% Hatch 1%

New Hampshire primary: McCain 49%; Bush 30% (Gary Bauer dropped out) South Carolina primary February 19, 2000   

George W. Bush 53% John McCain 42% Alan Keyes 5%

Super Tuesday, March 7, 2000:  

Bush won New York, Ohio, Georgia, Missouri, California, Maryland, and Maine. McCain won Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts (dropped out). 415

Democratic Party Iowa Caucus, January 24, 2000  

Al Gore 63% Bill Bradley 35%

New Hampshire Primary February 1  

Al Gore 50% Bill Bradley 46%

Primary/Caucus popular vote results: Democratic Party    

Al Gore: 10,626,568 (75.80%) Bill Bradley: 2,798,281 (19.96%) Lyndon LaRouche: 323,014 (2.30%) Unpledged delegates: 238,870 (1.70%)

Republican Party       

George W. Bush: 12,034,676 (62.00%) 1526 John McCain: 6,061,332 (31.23%) 275 Alan Keyes: 985,819 (5.08%) 23 Steve Forbes: 171,860 (0.89%) 10 Unpledged delegates: 61,246 (0.32%) None of the Names Shown 2 Uncommitted 1 Gary Bauer: 60,709 (0.31%) 2 Orrin Hatch: 15,958 (0.08%) 0

Primaries Results: (Delegate Totals) Democratic Party July 1, 2000 Vice President Albert Gore Jr. 4328 Abstentions 9     

Al Gore: 10,626,568, 75.80%, 3432 Bill Bradley: 2,798,281, 19.96%, 414 Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 323,014, 2.30% Unpledged: 238,870, 1.70% Uncommitted CNN Delegates Count 3 Angus Wheeler McDonald: 19,374, 0.14%

Republican Party July 1, 2000 416

       

George W. Bush: 12,034,676, 62.00%, 1526 John McCain: 6,061,332, 31.23%, 275 Alan L. Keyes: 985,819, 5.08%, 23 M.S. "Steve" Forbes: 171,860, 0.89%, 10 Unpledged: 61,246, 0.32%, 2 Gary L. Bauer: 60,709, 0.31%, Others: 16,103, 0.08%, 1 Orrin G. Hatch: 15,958, 0.08%, 0

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

 

Republican National Convention: July 31-August 3, 2000, First Union Center; Philadelphia 1st ballot, George W. Bush (Texas) Richard B. Cheney (Wyoming) Democratic National Convention: August 14-17, 2000, Staples Center; Los Angeles Terry McAuliffe (New York); Acclamation Albert A. Gore, Jr. (Tennessee) Joseph I. Lieberman (Connecticut) Green Party's National Nominating Convention, Denver, Colorado The Natural Law Party, Arlington, Virginia, August 31-September 2, 2000

Convention Turning Points: Republican Nation Convention:  





George W. Bush chose former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (Wyoming) as his running mate, although Cheney was heading his Vice Presidential search committee. Cheney who also was residing in Texas for ten years had to change back his voter registration to his home state of Wyoming because electors could not cast votes for two candidates from their home state, the election would have resulted in a split party President and Vice President. The nominees were critical of the Clinton-Gore Administration, and their handling of the budget surplus, the convention made it clear that the election would be a referendum on the Clinton administration Broke the tradition of “roll call” in one night, instead it was divided, over several nights to give momentum and support for Bush, Cheney’s state of Wyoming was the last state on the roll call.

Democratic National Convention:     

Gore was the only candidate placed on the ballot. Gore chose as his running mate Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, a centrist. Lieberman was nominated unanimously. Lieberman was the first Jewish American nominated on a major party ticket. Throughout the convention pro-life supporters, homeless, anti-globalization, and anarchist protesters demonstrated outside the hall.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: 417

Republican National Convention: Presidential 1st ballot   

Gov. George W. Bush 2,058 (99.66%) Alan L. Keyes 6 (0.29%) Sen. John McCain 1 (0.05%)

Democratic Party Nomination: Presidential 1st ballot  

Al Gore: 4,328 (99.79%) Abstaining: 9 (0.21%)

Vice Presidential 

Joseph Lieberman, unanimously

Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Green Party Nomination President     

Ralph Nader (District of Columbia) 295 Jello Biafra (California) 10 Stephen Gaskin (Tennessee) 10 Joel Kovel (New York) 3 Abstain 1

The Green Party appeared on 44 of the 51 ballots nationally (43 states and DC) Libertarian Party Nomination President       

Harry Browne (Tennessee) 493 Don Gorman (New Hampshire) 166 Jacob Hornberger, (Virginia) 120 Barry Hess (Arizona) 53 Others 23 write-ins 15 David Hollist (California) 8

418

The Libertarian Party's National Nominating Convention: Presidential, Harry Browne of Tennessee; Vice Presidential, Art Olivier of California Browne was nominated on the first ballot and Olivier received the Vice Presidential nomination on the second ballot. The Libertarian Party appeared on 50 of 51 ballots. Constitution Party nomination   

Howard Phillips (3rd nomination) Herb Titus Mathew Zupan

Vice President 

Curtis Frazier (Missouri)

The Constitution Party was on the ballot in 41 states. Natural Law Party nomination  

John Hagelin (Iowa) Nat Goldhaber (California)

Unanimous decision without a roll-call vote; the party was on 38 of the 51 ballots nationally. Convention Keynote Speaker: Republican National Convention: African American General Colin L. Powell, other speakers; Laura Bush, Jim Kolbe, gay House member. Democratic National Convention: Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Democratic National Convention: Nomination: Tommy Lee Jones, Tipper Gore introduction Party Platform Issues:  

Republican Party: “Compassionate conservatism”; use of budget surplus through tax cuts; benefit all taxpayers; opposition to gays in the military. Democratic Party: “Fiscal discipline, education, health care, campaign finance reform, woman's right to choose abortion; strengthening Medicare, fighting crime, transforming the military, and valuing families.

419

General Election Controversies/Issues:   

A referendum on the Clinton Presidency. Personality and character. Domestic issues (projected budget surplus; reforms Social Security, Medicare, health care; tax relief; the tax code, education, foreign policy (Somalia).

Campaign Innovations (General Election): Major Personalities (General Election): Bill Clinton; Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:    

Bush promised to restore "honor and dignity" to the Presidency and White House. Promote bipartisanship. Republican Leadership Council ran pro-Nader ads to split the "liberal" vote. Vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney campaigned in a nationwide tour.

Democratic Party: 

   

Gore intended distanced himself from Bill Clinton because of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and subsequent impeachment but Gore still wanted to benefit from Clinton’s campaigning and fundraising skills. Clinton was more than willing to stump for Gore, but Gore did not want the campaign and press to focus on Clinton, which may have cost him votes in the long run. Focused on Bush’s gaffes and inexperience. Publicity pitch in final weeks to gain and convince Nader supporters that Gore supported many of the same issues and had a higher likelihood of winning the election. Vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman campaigned in a nationwide tour.

Green Party 

"Super-rallies" (large rallies in sports arenas with a celebrity master of ceremonies).

Debates: General Election    

October 17, 2000, Presidential Debate in St. Louis October 11, 2000, Presidential Debate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina October 3, 2000, Presidential Debate in Boston October 5, 2000, Vice-Presidential Debate in Danville, Kentucky

Turning Points (General Election): 420











Bush led in the polls at the start of the general election and had more money for the campaign than Gore, after the Democratic convention Gore held the lead until October and the Presidential debates; Bush regained the lead but it narrowed towards the last week of the campaign where it was dead heat between the two candidates. At the start of the campaign and during the Republican Nation Convention, Bill Clinton’s behavior as President was a main issue of the campaign, both prompting talking point for Republican nominee George W. Bush. However, in August, Democratic nominee Al Gore to distance himself from Clinton, and a major Bush stated in an interview that Gore would not be like Clinton, and Clinton was a non-issue in the campaign. Differences in personality; Bush’s gaffes, regular-guy behavior on the campaign in interactions with press allowed his managers to sell Bush as down-to-earth, which worked well with voters in person and on TV. In contrast, Gore always seemed stiff and strained when interacting. The differences between the personality of the two candidates were even sharper during the presidential debates, Gore’s answers on policy were sharp and knowledgeable, however, he appeared as a “smarty pants”; Bush though less precise, he appeared laidback and more relaxed, which resonated with the viewers. In early November, just days before the election, police documents were leaked revealing that George W. Bush had been arrested for drunk driving in Kennebunkport, Maine in the mid-1970s. These revelations hurt Bush at the polls and may have cost him a popular majority. Karl Rove, his chief political advisor, believes the news disillusioned millions of evangelical voters on whom Bush was counting.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  



Democratic Party: Al Gore “Prosperity and progress.” “Prosperity for America's families” Republican Party: George W. Bush “Compassionate conservatism”; “Prosperity with a Purpose”; Reasonable Change”; Renewing America’s Purpose Together”; Prosperity and Progress”; New Kind of Republican”; “Leave no child behind”; “Real plans for real people”; “Reformer with results” Green Party: Ralph Nader “Government of, by, and for the people...not the monied interests”

Campaign Song: 



Republican: George W. Bush: "I Won't Back Down" (Tom Petty) (Threatened to sue Bush if he did not stop using the song. Petty then performed the song at Al Gore's home minutes after he conceded the election.), "We the People" (Billy Ray Cyrus), "Right Now" (Van Halen) Democratic: Al Gore: "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" (Bachman-Turner Overdrive), "Let the Day Begin" (The Call)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:

421



Republican Party: At the close of the campaign, the Republican Leadership Council ran pro-Nader ads to split the "liberal" vote in a few battleground states

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 



 

"Our current president embodied the potential of a generation -- so many talents, so much charm, such great skill. But in the end, to what end? So much promise to no great purpose." George W. Bush, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia August 3, 2000 "If Al Gore has differences with the president, he ought to say loud and clear what they are. I don't think President Clinton is an issue as we go forward. There's no question the president embarrassed the nation. Everybody knows that...Americans want to be assured that the next administration will bring honor and dignity to the White House. Are they going to hold Al Gore responsible for missed opportunities? I mean, either you're part of an administration or you're not part of an administration is how I view it. I think he needs to stand up and say if he thought the president were wrong on policy and issues, he ought to say where." George W. Bush, Associated Press Interview, August 11, 2000 "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building" George W. Bush, Second Presidential Debate "The President of the United States is the President of every single American, of every race, and every background." George W. Bush, December 13, 2000

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

Not so long ago, a balanced budget seemed impossible. Now our budget surpluses make it possible to give a full range of targeted tax cuts to working families…. But let me say it plainly: I will not go along with a huge tax cut for the wealthy at the expense of everyone else and wreck our good economy in the process. Al Gore, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, August 17, 2000

Further Reading: 

 

Bugliosi, Vincent. The Betrayal of America: How the Supreme Court Undermined the Constitution and Chose Our President. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, 2001. Posner, Richard A. Breaking the Deadlock: The 2000 Election, the Constitution, and the Courts. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2001. Toobin, Jeffrey. Too Close To Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election. New York: Random House, 2001.

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Elections Issues: Florida Electoral Vote Controversy:   

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Election relatively boring until Election day “Gush and Bore.” The dispute over Florida’s electoral votes lasted 36 days. On election night Gore was leading in the popular vote by a half a million, however, the electoral votes were even closer, with neither candidate receiving a majority of 270 in the Electoral College. The election depended on Florida’s 25 electoral votes which would have taken either candidate beyond the 270 Electoral College vote threshold. The numbers fluctuated all evening and into the early night. Voter exit polls indicated a lead for Gore, and many TV news sources called the election for Gore based on early returns, however, the count shifted in Bush’s favor, prompting Gore to concede by phone to Bush, but when Bush’s lead narrowed, Gore withdrew his concession. The Florida vote was close enough to trigger the law for an automatic statewide recount, which gave Bush the state by less than 300 votes. “butterfly ballots”: The Gore campaign discovered that there had been balloting errors in the three critical counties in the state and demanded a hand recount. Bush campaign opposed the recount. The Battle of the Ballots: A month ensued of disagreements about recounting the votes; filled with press conferences, lawsuits, court hearings, and demonstrations. Gore argued that in four counties, Broward, Miami Dade, Palm Beach, and Volusia there were errors in the punch ballots caused by faulty voting machines, and that there thousands of legitimate votes that were discarded as a result of the machine’s error and if those votes were counted it would alter the election’s outcome. The controversial votes were in counties where Gore had been leading; Katherine Harris, a Bush supporter, campaign worker and Florida Secretary of State refused to authorize the recount or extend the deadline to report the vote count beyond November 14; Gore appealed to the Florida Supreme Court. The Florida Supreme Court unanimously sided with Gore; requiring the recount to continue and extending the deadline to November 26 Two of the counties commenced their recounts, but in Miami-Dade halted the recounts after pressure from “militant Republican demonstrators” just resubmitted their originals count claiming otherwise they would miss the deadline, and Palm Beach County missed the recount deadline. On November 26, Katherine Harris and state canvassing board certified Bush the winner of the states electoral votes, by 537 votes over Gore Gore and the Democrats contested the results in Florida’s Supreme Court who voted in four to three in Gore’s favor and ordered that the over 70,000 uncounted ballots in the 67 counties be reviewed in a hand count. Republicans immediately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court claiming the recount violated Bush the 14th amendment’s equal protection of the laws. December 7, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to halt the recount, held a hearing and heard arguments from both sides counsel. On December 12 the Supreme Court issued their final decision in Bush vs. Gore, in a 5-4 ruling they halted the recount, on grounds that the there was no uniform standard to 423

determine what was the intention of the voters in question and the recount was unconstitutional. Additionally, recounts could not be completed by the December 12 "safe harbor" deadline and prior to the December 18 Electoral College vote, and therefore the certified vote would be upheld. Lasting Legacy of Campaign:   

The first time an election was decided by the Supreme Court Closest election since 1876 The second election after 1888, where the electoral vote allowed a candidate to win the election, despite the losing candidate has won the popular vote.

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2004

Election Year: 2004 Election Day Date: November 2, 2004 Winning Ticket: 

George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Republican 62,040,610 50.73% 286 53.2%

Losing Ticket(s):    

John Kerry, John Edwards, Democratic 59,028,439 48.27% 251 46.7% Ralph Nader, Peter Camejo, Independent 463,655 0.38% 0 0.0% Michael Badnarik, Richard Campagna, Libertarian 397,265 0.32% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 363,579 0.30% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout:     

Total VAP 217,767,000 Total REG 167,802,660 Total Vote 122,293,548 % VAP 56.2% % REG 72.9%

Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters: 

Speeches, rallies, television ads, debates, web sites, email, blogs, XML/RSS feeds.

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

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The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (The McCain-Feingold Bill) prohibited unregulated contributions ("soft money") to national political parties when the candidates accepted public financing and spending limits. McCain-Feingold Bill helped 527s proliferate. Named after Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, these groups could raise almost unlimited funds as long as they did not coordinate their plans directly with a candidate’s campaign. Colorado Amendment 36

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: George Walker Bush, Richard Cheney, Republican, 2001-2009 Population: 2004: 293,348,000 425

Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $11,867.8 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $12,263.8 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 96.77 Population (in thousands): 293,348 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $40,456 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $41,806 Number of Daily Newspapers: Average Daily Circulation: Households with: Radio, Television and Computer/Internet: 70% of total households online (this is equal to traditional newspapers) (July 2005) Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries):     

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“Bushophobia” irrational liberal hatred of Bush; charged that Bush stole the 2000 election and lied his way into the Iraq war. War on Terror, (9/11, September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania); the subsequent ground war in Afghanistan; “Homeland Security.” Polarized nation: Red and Blue states; liberals vs. conservatives; “an axis of evil,” Iraq, Iran, North Korea “and their terrorist allies …. arming to threaten the peace of the world.” George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, 2002 The war in Iraq; divisive issue, Bush administration suggested possible Weapons of Mass Destruction or Al Qaeda ties as clear proof that Saddam had nuclear capabilities and was conspiring with Bin Laden. On October 10, 2002, the House of Representatives voted 296 to 133, with three no votes authorizing the use of military force in Iraq. On October 11, 2002, the Senate passed the resolution 77 to 23; Subsequent instability and continual terrorism in Iraq A Republican victory in the 2002 mid-term elections; maintained control of House of Representatives, gained four seats and recaptured the Senate by winning two additional seats. Economy and Jobs. Health Care and Medicine. Education: No Child Left Behind Act (2001).

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Republican Party candidates: 

George W. Bush, President of the United States (Texas)

Democratic Party candidates:

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John Kerry, U.S. Senator (Massachusetts) John Edwards, U.S. Senator (North Carolina) Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont Wesley Clark, retired U.S. General (Arkansas) Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative (Ohio) Al Sharpton, reverend and civil rights activist (New York) Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator (Connecticut) Dick Gephardt, U.S. Representative (Missouri) Carol Moseley Braun, Former U.S. Senator (Illinois) Bob Graham, U.S. Senator (Florida)

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): 

Democratic Party candidates initial support for the invasion and war in Iraq, then fierce opposition.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Internet as an organizing tool; the first generation of social networking tools like “Meetup”; Fundraising over the internet (small contributions).

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): Howard Dean; Deaniacs; Wesley Clark; Al Gore; Lincoln Chafee; 2004 Racism Watch; Joe Trippi. Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries):     

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 

Invisible primary, Democrats suspected that Al Gore might run again, a rematch of the 2000 campaign and election Former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry each announced their intent to run in 2002. December 2002, Gore announced he would not run. Joseph Lieberman launched his campaign in January 2003; Supported Bush’s War on Terror and he was increasingly to most Democrats’ right. Howard Dean: big winner of the early rounds of televised Democratic Presidential primary debates; Dean insisted he represented the “Democratic wing of the Democratic party.” Dean the frontrunner throughout 2003; On December 9, 2003, Al Gore endorsed Dean, crushing Joe Lieberman’s presidential prospects while confirming Dean’s frontrunner status. “bust the caps” Exceeding campaign finance limits and public financing September 2003, Clark became the last Democratic candidate to enter the race. Campaigned in opposition to the Iraq war, he stumbled by admitting he might have supported the resolution even while questioning the war. His biggest error was foregoing the Iowa caucuses. 427

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January 19, 2004, Martin Luther King Day, Iowa caucus: John Kerry, won with nearly 38 percent of the vote; Senator John Edwards, second with 32 percent of the vote; Dean came in third, winning 18.6 percent of votes; Dick Gephardt, 10.6 percent of the vote. “Dean Scream” “I Have A Scream” Speech (Concession Speech Iowa Caucus, prompting Dean to quit); Dean’s Iowa concession speech made him a laughingstock. Trying to pump up 3500 disappointed supporters, Dean played to the crowd rather than to the unforgiving television cameras. The louder Dean shouted, the more angrily he barked, the less ready-for-prime-time he seemed. His climactic “Yeah” was a long, guttural growl. Pundits winced, mocking Dean’s “primal scream.” Dean’s scream went viral on the Internet. Americans mocked Dean’s “I have a scream speech” on King’s birthday. The news channels replayed the scream in four days 663 times. Kerry surged in the polls prior to the Iowa caucus (Vietnam wartime heroics, governmental experience, disdain for George W. Bush) An anti-war candidate who voted for the war in Iraq but against the latest reconstruction appropriation; glorifying military exploits in a war he abhorred and later famously opposed. John Edwards, South Carolina first term freshman senator, voted for the Iraq war but was an economic populist. New Hampshire primary January 27, 2004: Kerry won 39 percent of the vote, Howard Dean came in second with 26 percent. Wesley Clark and John Edwards, both received 12 percent of the vote. Joe Lieberman came in fifth with 9 percent. Campaign Endorsements (Giving Kerry the edge going into Super Tuesday). February 3, “Mini-Tuesday” or Super Tuesday I, (seven primaries) Kerry won Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, and North Dakota. Clark won Oklahoma; Edwards carried South Carolina. Lieberman lost Delaware and dropped out. February 17, Wisconsin: Dean only received 18 percent of the vote. February 19, Dean suspended his campaign, eventually endorsing Kerry. John Edwards finished a strong second in Wisconsin. March 2, Super Tuesday, or Super Tuesday II (nine states holding primaries and Minnesota caucusing) Kerry won California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island. March 3, Edwards withdraws has gracious words for Kerry. Kerry called Edwards a “valiant champion of the values for which our party stands.” The exchange fueled speculation that Kerry would choose Edwards as his running mate. On March 11, 2004, Kerry accumulated the 2,162 delegates required to clinch the nomination. On March 10, 2004, Bush clinched the number of delegates required for the nomination, 1608 Delegates 168 Super delegates. Saddam Hussein’s capture: Mid-December, 2003, American soldiers in Iraq captured a bearded, wild-looking Saddam Hussein hiding in what soldiers called a “spider hole,” a cramped, one-person foxhole. The Iraqi strongman’s humiliating end boosted Bush’s standing. Kerry as a flip-flopper. On April 28, 2004, CBS reported acts of torture and sexual humiliation at Iraq’s massive Abu Ghraib prison. Moveon.org’s Internet ad contest “Bush in Thirty Seconds” resulting in two ads comparing the President to Adolf Hitler. One pronounced: “A nation warped by lies. Lies 428

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fuel fear. Fear fuels aggression. Invasion. Occupation. What were war crimes in 1945 is foreign policy in 2003.” When Republicans objected, Moveon.org quickly pulled the ads. In late June, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 portrayed the President as clueless and corrupt. It earned $23.9 million its first weekend, unprecedented for a documentary and quickly broke the $100 million mark. June 2004, Bush had received a surprising boost in early June when Ronald Reagan died. While the Reagan funeral made Bush look presidential, Kerry was consistently cast as the challenger.

Primaries Debates/Forums: Sixteen Democratic Primary Debates commencing on Apr 9, 2003, last one on Feb 29, 2004. The organizers usually were interest groups, representing, among others, the pro-choice community, the elderly, labor unions, African-Americans, Hispanics, and women. Notable debates: 

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May 3, 2003, University of South Carolina campus in Columbia during South Carolina’s Democratic Weekend, George Stephanopoulos ABC news moderated; (Braun, Dean, Edwards, Gephardt, Graham, Kerry, Kucinich, Lieberman, and Sharpton). January 22nd, 2004, Democratic Candidates Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire. January 29th, 2004, Democratic Candidates Debate in Greenville, South Carolina.

Primaries Quotations: 

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“The Internet community is wondering what its place in the world of politics is. Along comes this campaign to take back the country for ordinary human beings, and the best way you can do that is through the Net. We listen. We pay attention. If I give a speech and the blog people don't like it, next time I change the speech.” Howard Dean “What I want to know is what in the world so many Democrats are doing supporting the President's unilateral intervention in Iraq?” Howard Dean “Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin, we're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we're going to California and Texas and New York.... And we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Yeah!!!” Howard Dean Iowa Caucus concession speech “An amazing thing happened in the presidential contest of 2004. For the first time in my life, maybe the first time in history, a candidate lost but his campaign won…. Nothing less than the first shot in America’s second revolution, nothing less than the people taking the first step to reclaiming a system that had long ago forgotten they existed. This was democracy bubbling to the surface.” Joe Trippi architect of Dean’s net-roots campaigning techniques “In the wake of Sept. 11, who among us can say with any certainty to anybody that the weapons might not be used against our troops or against allies in the region?” Senator John Kerry, 2003 "I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it." John Kerry 429

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“I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it. I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer but it hadn't yet.” George W. Bush, April 13, 2004, prime-time press conference, response to a reporter’s asked questions about what mistakes he had made since 9/11

Primaries/Caucuses Results: Republican Party: June 8, 2004  o o o o

George W. Bush: 7,853,893, 98.06% Uncommitted: 91,926, 1.15% Unidentified Scattering (W): 37,104, 0.46% William J. "Bill" Wyatt: 10,937, 0.14%

Democratic Party: June 9, 2004                 

John Kerry 46 / 9,930,497 / 60.98% John Edwards 2 / 3,162,337 / 19.42% Howard Dean 1 + D.C / 903,460 / 5.55% Dennis J. Kucinich: 620,242, 3.81% Wesley Clark: 547,369, 3.36% Al Sharpton: 380,865, 2.34% Joe Lieberman: 280,940, 1.73% Uncommitted: 157,953, 0.97% Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr.: 103,731, 0.64% Carol Moseley Braun: 98,469, 0.60% Richard "Dick" Gephardt: 63,902, 0.39% Unidentified Scattering (W): 12,525, 0.08% Randy Crow: 6,398, 0.04% Mildred Glover: 4,050, 0.02% Others (W): 3,527, 0.02% William H. T. "Bill" McGaughey, Jr.: 3,161, 0.02% George Ballard: 2,826, 0.02%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):  

Republican National Convention: August 30-September 2, 2004 Madison Square Garden; New York, 1st ballot, George W. Bush (Texas) Richard B. Cheney (Wyoming) Democratic National Convention: July 26-29, 2004, FleetCenter; Boston, Bill Richardson (New Mexico), 1st ballot, John F. Kerry (Massachusetts), John R. Edwards (North Carolina)

Convention Turning Points:

430

Republican National Convention:     

President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard “Dick” Cheney were renominated Convention theme: “Fulfilling America’s Promise by Building a Safer World and a More Hopeful America.” Notably missing was Nancy Reagan, former President Ronald Reagan’s widow 800 anti-Bush groups protested outside the convention. Sunday, August 29, United for Peace and Justice organized a huge march past the convention site with 250,000 to 800,000 attending, largest protest group at a party convention. Protestors chanted “No More Bush,” denouncing the Iraq War, environmental degradation, AIDS, and the spread of poverty. 1800 protestors were arrested – another convention record. Most charges were dropped, prompting charges of police overreaction.

Democratic National Convention:   

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

To prevent protester disturbances of the 2000 convention there was a designated for protesters surrounded by a fence topped with razor wire. Monday night July 26, featured the Democrats’ headliners: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Tuesday, Kerry’s wife Teresa spoke along with the young politician Kerry chose to deliver the keynote, Illinois state senator Barack Obama. Major networks chose not to broadcast his speech. Obama’s speech electrified the convention – and the country -thanks to formal news reports and the informal networks that shared video clips via the web. “We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.” Speakers included President Jimmy Carter, Senator Hilary Clinton of New York former Vice President Al Gore, Reverend Al Sharpton, and retired General John Shalikashvili. Topics included terrorism and the war in Iraq, health care, taxes, and economic revival. Ron Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan also spoke of his father’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and the need to support increased funding for stem cell research.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: Democratic Party    

John Kerry 4,253 98.40% Dennis Kucinich 43 0.99% Abstentions 26 0.60% Total 4,322 100.00%

Vice President 

John Edwards was chosen by acclamation.

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Third Party Candidates & Nominations: Convention Keynote Speaker:  

Democratic: Barack Obama Republican: Zell Miller

Nominating Speech Speakers (President):  

Democratic: Max Cleland Republican: George Pataki

Party Platform/Issues: 



Republican Party: Ideological conservatism; war on terrorism; national security, ownership society; constitutional amendments that guarantee that an “unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life,” and define marriage as between a man and a woman. Democratic Party: Energy independence; environmental protection; military strengthening; homeland security.

General Election Controversies/Issues:    

Questioning the reliability of President George W. Bush’s information about Iraq and Bush’s brainpower. John F. Kerry as a flip-flopper. Google Search mid-campaign for “Bush and Stupid” yielded 1,760,000 hits; by contrast, “Kerry and Flip Flop” yielded 163,000. Wedge in culture wars.

Campaign Innovations (General Election): 

Web sites; e-mail; blogs; e-advertising; online organization; XML/RSS feeds; (Electronic Voting Systems).

Major Personalities (General Election): Karl Rove (Senior Advisor to the President); Karen Hughes (Advisor Bush Campaign); Ted Sampley; John O'Neill; George Soros. Campaign Tactics: Republican Party:  

Republicans claimed that Kerry was no hero to the charge that he flip-flopped. Republicans mobilized their core supporters, seeking the three to five million conservatives and evangelicals. The campaign focused on “wedge issues” to motivate the Christian evangelicals constituting approximately forty percent of the Republican Party. 432

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Bush shifted from big tent, compassionate conservatism in 2000 to red meat, red stateoriented approach.

Democratic Party:   

Kerry honorably refused to renounce his initial support for the war. Instead, Kerry attacked Bush’s execution of the war. The stupidity slur undercut Democrats’ simultaneous indictment of Bush as a callous ideologue. Americans doubted someone was both clueless and malevolent. The Democrats mocked Bush’s campaign promise to be an “uniter, not a divider,” listing it as the first of "Bush's Broken Promises."

Other: 

Moveon.org and other blogs bashed the President.

Debates:     

Presidential September 30, University of Miami, moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. Kerry won, Bush was criticized for his scowling demeanor. October 8, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, moderated by Charles Gibson of ABC. Bush performed better but still appeared angry and flustered, unlike the cool Kerry. October 13, Arizona State University, moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. Bush did not win the third debate, which emphasized the economy. The debates boosted Kerry’s poll numbers because he appeared more presidential. Vice Presidential Debate, October 5, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS.

Turning Points (General Election):    

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“Anybody but Bush.” Anthrax scare John Kerry’s Headquarter (July 2004). Military Service Controversies (Bush, National Guard service; John Kerry, Vietnam War medals, discharge). The Swift Vets and POWs for Truth; Swift Boat Veterans for Truth launched one of the most effective advertising attacks in campaigning history, widely-publicized commercials, a best-selling book, and numerous other media initiatives. Approximately 250 of the 3500 veterans who served on Swift Boats during Vietnam attacked Kerry’s character and defining political narrative as a war hero. Killian documents: CBS’s veteran news anchor Dan Rather broadcasted a report on “60 Minutes II” claiming Bush shirked his duty while serving in the Air National Guard from 1972 to 1973. Memoranda supposedly are written by Bush’s commander, the late Lieutenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian, corroborated the rumors, which had dogged Bush for years. Bloggers quickly proved the documents to be forgeries, noting that the centering of the type on the page was standard in the computer era yet rare in the early 1970s. The segment’s producer and Dan Rather later resigned. 433

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Threatening Osama Bin Laden tape released a week prior to the election.

Popular Campaign Slogans: 

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Republican Party: George W. Bush “Yes, America Can!”; “Heart and Soul “Moving America Forward” Republican National Convention: “A Safer World and More Hopeful America”; “Steady leadership in times of change” Democratic Party: John Kerry Primaries: “Comeback Kerry”; General Election: “Let America be America Again”; "A stronger America begins at home."; "A safer, stronger, more secure America."; "The real deal"; "The courage to do what's right for America"; "Together, we can build a stronger America"; "A lifetime of service and strength"; "A new team, for a new America"; "Stronger at home, respected in the world"; "America deserves better"; "Let us make one America" (Edwards' former presidential campaign) "Hope is on the way!" (Edwards and his supporters, 2004 Democratic National Convention); "Help is on the way!" (Kerry and his supporters, 2004 Democratic National Convention) “Don’t change horsemen in mid-apocalypse.”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: George W. Bush: "Only in America" (Brooks & Dunn), "Wave on Wave" by Pat Green Democratic: John Kerry: "No Surrender" (Bruce Springsteen), "Fortunate Son" by John Fogerty

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads:  

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Bush Primaries "Safer, Stronger"; Ad ridiculing Kerry’s “Fog” about supporting the troops (March 2004). Image of Kerry windsurfing in Nantucket target of a new Bush advertisement: “In which direction would John Kerry lead? Kerry voted for the Iraq war, opposed it, supported it, and now opposes it again. 'He bragged about voting for the $87 billion to support our troops before he voted against it. John Kerry. Whichever way the wind blows.” Democratic Party: “Juvenile”: “One thousand US casualties. Two Americans beheaded just this week. The Pentagon admits terrorists are pouring into Iraq.” Yet, “in the face of the Iraq quagmire, George Bush's answer is to run a juvenile and tasteless attack ad.”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):       

George W. Bush (R) $367,227,801 / 62,040,610 = $5.92 per vote John Kerry (D) $326,236,288 / 59,028,111 = $5.52 Ralph Nader (i) $4,566,037 / 463,653 = $9.85 Michael Badnarik (L) $1,093,013 / 397,265 = $2.75 Michael Peroutka (C) $729,087 / 144,498 = $5.05 David Cobb (G) $493,723 / 119,859 = $4.12 Walt Brown (SPUSA) $2,060 / 10,837 = $0.19

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Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate): 

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“Again, my opponent and I have different approaches. I proposed and the Congress overwhelmingly passed $87 billion in funding needed by our troops doing battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. My opponent and his running mate voted against this money for bullets and fuel and vehicles and body armor…. This moment in the life of our country will be remembered. Generations will know if we kept our faith and kept our word. Generations will know if we seized this moment, and used it to build a future of safety and peace. The freedom of many, and the future security of our Nation, now depend on us. And tonight, my fellow Americans, I ask you to stand with me.” George W. Bush, Remarks Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in New York City, September 2, 2004 “You may have noticed I have a few flaws, too. People sometimes have to correct my English. I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it.” George W. Bush joked at the Republican National Convention “The president’s job is not to take an international poll. Our national security decisions will be made in the Oval Office, not in foreign capitals.” George W. Bush “Nobody wants to be the war president. I want to be the peace president.” George W. Bush “The advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world.” George W. Bush

Defining Quotations (Losing Candidate): 

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“I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty…. this is the most important election of our lifetime.” My first pledge to you tonight: As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House…. Now, I know there that are those who criticize me for seeing complexities -- and I do -- because some issues just aren't all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so. And proclaiming ‘Mission accomplished’ certainly doesn't make it so. The future doesn't belong to fear; it belongs to freedom.” John F. Kerry, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, July 29, 2004 “I would not have done just one thing differently than the president on Iraq, I would have done everything differently than the president on Iraq…. You've about 500 troops here, 500 troops there and it's American troops that are 90 percent of the combat casualties and it's American taxpayers that are paying 90 percent of the cost of the war. It's the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time.” John Kerry

Campaign Quotations:  

“When you act like Senator Kerry does, he appears to be more like George Bush than he does like a Democrat.” Howard Dean “For more than thirty years, most Vietnam veterans kept silent as we were maligned as misfits, drug addicts, and baby killers. Now that a key creator of that poisonous image is seeking the Presidency we have resolved to end our silence. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth 435

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“Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations. Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending. I want Bush to decide…. John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security…. This politician wants to be the leader of the free world. Free for how long?” Senator Zell Miller, Georgia Democrat, Republican National Convention Keynote address “There's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits, the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.” Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention Keynote address “You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of check and balances [at '60 Minutes'] and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing.” Jonathan Klein

Significant Books:  

O'Neill, John E, and Jerome R. Corsi. Unfit for Command. Washington: Regnery Publishing, Incorporated, An Eagle Publishing Company, 2004. Hersh, Seymour M. Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib. New York: Harper, 2005.

Election Issues:   



Moss v. Bush: Challenging Bush’s electoral votes in Ohio. One Minnesota elector voted for John Edwards for both President and Vice President. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) and Sen. Barabara Boxer (D-Calif.) raised objections to the Ohio Certificate of Vote. Both houses voted to override the objection, 74 to 1 in the Senate and 267 to 31 in the House of Representatives. Ohio electoral votes contested for data irregularities. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "the widespread irregularities make it impossible to know for certain that the [Ohio] outcome reflected the will of the voters."

Lasting Legacy of Campaign: 

2004 was America’s first billion-dollar election campaign.

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2008 Election Year: 2008 Election Day Date: November 4, 2008 Winning Ticket: Barack H. Obama, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 69,499,303 52.87% 365 67.8% Losing Ticket(s): John S. McCain, III, Sarah H. Palin Republican 59,950,037 45.60% 173 32.2% Other:   

Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez, Independent 739,057 0.56% 0 0.0% Bob Barr, Wayne Allyn Root, Libertarian 523,720 0.40% 0 0.0% Other (+) - - 746,688 0.57% 0 0.0%

Voter Turnout: Total VAP Total REG Total Vote %VAP %REG Total REG 162,895,630 Total Vote 131,458,805 %REG 80.7% Central Forums/Campaign Methods for Addressing Voters:  

Speeches, rallies, internet, websites, blogs, and social media. The campaign took place on television and on the stump, in sweaty, overcrowded auditoriums rocking with the cheers of thousands and in quiet, lonely workstations, as millions experienced the campaign through the Internet.

Election Law/Campaign Finance Changes: 

Late 2007 both parties prevented any state from changing their primary to an earlier date. Republicans who failed to comply would lose half their delegate vote, while Democrats would exclude the entire delegation. Democratic Party also ruled that only 4 states could hold primaries prior to February 5.

Incumbent President and Vice President on Election Day: George Walker Bush, Richard Cheney, Republican 2001-2009 Population: 2008: 304,530,000 Nominal GDP (billions of dollars): $14,441.4 Real GDP (billions of 2005 dollars): $13,312.2 GDP Deflator (index 2005=100%): 108.48 Population (in thousands): 304,530 Nominal GDP per capita (current dollars): $47,422 Real GDP per capita (year 2005 dollars): $43,714

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Number of Daily Newspapers: Average Daily Circulation: March 31, 2007: USA Today, 2,524,965; The Wall Street Journal, 2,068,439 and The New York Times, 1,627,062. Newspapers on the Web: 80 of the nation's top 100 newspapers offered reporter blogs. On 63 of these blogs, readers could comment on posts written by reporters. 76 of the nation's top 100 newspapers offer RSS feeds on their websites. All of these feeds are partial feeds, and none included ads. Households with: Radio, Television and Computer/Internet: “46% of Americans used the internet to get political news and share their thoughts about the campaign on video and social networking sites.” Method of Choosing Electors: Popular vote (mostly General Ticket/Winner Take All) Method of Choosing Nominees: Presidential preference primaries and caucuses Central Issues (Nomination/Primaries): 

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Bush's unpopularity: Most unpopular President since political polling began. May 2008, 71 percent disapproved of Bush’s performance, the first time more than 70 percent of Americans polled disliked their President. After Katrina in August 2005, “everything changed”; the public disapproved of the federal response and handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana. The unpopular war in Iraq: CNN’s May 2008 poll, 68 percent of respondents disapproved of the Iraq war, for the more unpopular the war became, the less popular Bush was. (Unprepared for the scale of resistance there, destructively loyal to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, numb to soldiers’ suffering, resistant to the bad news, and too rigid in responding to the crisis. Bush failed to convince Americans why to bother remaining in Iraq. The never-found WMDs – weapons of mass destruction -- undermined his credibility, while his assertion that a free Iraq would democratize the Middle East seemed far-fetched.) The Democrats gained majorities in both Houses of Congress in the 2006 mid-term elections. Many interpreted the election as a referendum on Bush. The new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Congress’s first female Speaker, was a San Francisco liberal who epitomized the ascendant, assertive, angry, Bushophobic Democratic Party. Economy: Oil prices skyrocketed. Divided country.

Leading Candidates (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party candidates  

Barack Obama, U.S. Senator (Illinois) Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator (New York) 438

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John Edwards, former U.S. Senator (North Carolina) Bill Richardson, Governor of (New Mexico) Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative (Ohio) Joe Biden, U.S. Senator from (Delaware) Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator (Alaska) Christopher Dodd, U.S. Senator from (Connecticut) Tom Vilsack, former Governor of (Iowa) Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator from (Indiana)

Republican Party candidates            

John McCain, U.S. Senator (Arizona) Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts Ron Paul, U.S. Representative (Texas) Fred Thompson, Former U.S. Senator (Tennessee) Duncan Hunter, U.S. Representative (California) Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of (New York City) Alan Keyes, Former U.S. Ambassador (Maryland) Sam Brownback, U.S. Senator (Kansas) Jim Gilmore, Former Governor of Virginia Tom Tancredo, Former U.S. Representative (Colorado) Tommy Thompson, Former Governor of Wisconsin

Main Controversies (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:      

Democrats’ worried about an early front runner, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, her ability to attract voters and independents. Positions on Iraq war. Targeting Hillary Clinton without mentioning her, Obama rejected “Triangulating and poll-driven positions.” Experience vs. Inexperience Racial issues Democratic commitment to identity politics also kept race and gender in play.

Republican Party:  

Distance from the administration: None of the Republican candidates had worked for Bush and were associated with his administration Religion; Huckabee contrasted himself as a true Christian, and thus a true American as opposed to Mitt Romney, a Mormon, whose candidacy stirred some bigoted antiMormonism

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Huckabee represented the evangelicals and conservatives. McCain represented the national security types and the neoconservatives. Romney represented the corporate and technocratic elites.

Campaign Innovations (Nomination/Primaries): 

Courting and mobilizing activists, donations, and voters through the Internet, campaign web sites, and social media sites.

Major Personalities (Nomination/Primaries): 

Bill Clinton; Edward M. Kennedy; Caroline Kennedy; Jesse Jackson; Tony Rezko; Joseph Lieberman; Jeremiah Wright

Primary Debates: Democratic Party:                   

April 16th, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania February 26th, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Cleveland, Ohio February 21st, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Austin, Texas January 31st, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Los Angeles, California January 21st, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina January 15th, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5th, 2008 Democratic Candidates Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire December 13th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Johnston, Iowa December 4th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Radio Debate in Des Monies, Iowa November 15th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada October 30th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania September 26th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Hanover, New Hampshire September 9th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Miami, Florida August 19th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Des Monies, Iowa August 7th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Forum in Chicago, Illinois July 23rd, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Charleston, South Carolina June 28th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Forum in Washington, DC June 3rd, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire April 26th, 2007 Democratic Candidates Debate in Orangeburg, South Carolina

Republican Party      

January 30th, 2008 January 24th, 2008 January 10th, 2008 January 6th, 2008 January 5th, 2008 December 12th, 2007

Republican Candidates Debate in Simi Valley, California Republican Candidates Debate in Boca Raton, Florida Republican Candidates Debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Republican Candidates Forum in Milford, New Hampshire Republican Candidates Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire Republican Candidates Debate in Johnston, Iowa 440

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December 9th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Miami, Florida November 28th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in St. Petersburg, Florida October 21st, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Orlando, Florida October 9th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Dearborn, Michigan September 27th, 2007 Republican Candidates Forum in Baltimore, Maryland September 5th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Durham, New Hampshire August 5th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Des Monies, Iowa June 5th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire May 15th, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Columbia, South Carolina May 3rd, 2007 Republican Candidates Debate in Simi Valley, California

Turning Points (Nomination/Primaries): Democratic Party:  

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Invisible Primary: 2006 early polls: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama most popular potential Democratic candidates. Speculated: Former VP Al Gore; Senator John Kerry; Former VP nominee John Edwards; Delaware Senator Joseph Biden; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack; and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh. Throughout 2006 potential nominees express the interest to run, December 28, 2006: John Edwards formally announces and launches his campaign in New Orleans, Louisiana; chipper personality and boyish good looks and a formidable anti-war and pro-little guy populism. January 20, 2007: Hillary Clinton announces she will set up an exploratory committee and run in the 2008 primaries; Hillary Clinton built her campaign assuming her nomination was inevitable. Clinton dominated the “Invisible Primary” of 2006-2007, the build-up to the caucuses and primaries. Clinton’s 2002 vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq haunted her campaign, as did her campaign’s indecision as to emphasize her experience or her personality. February 10, 2007: Barack Obama formally announces and launches his campaign on the steps of the old capitol building, Springfield, Illinois; Obama perceived a national yearning for healing, appealing as a constructive centrist promising to end the ClintonBush baby-boom generational squabbling. The Washington Post and other leading media outlets proclaim Clinton, Obama and Edwards the front-runners for the nomination, "leading in polls and fundraising and well ahead of the other major candidates" while Clinton led in the polls until early 2008. By the end of 2007, Clinton had amassed the most superdelegates and led nationally with 42 percent of likely voters. Obama enjoyed the support of 23 percent of likely voters, Edwards had 16 percent. Obama rose in the polls, winning the Iowa caucus, Edwards in second and Clinton in third. Obama’s win in Iowa was the turning point that put him as the frontrunner, with higher polls numbers and candidate to beat for the nomination.

441

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Senator Joe Biden called Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Biden’s gaffe – for which he immediately apologized -- was a rare early stumble into the race issues. Joe Biden and Christopher Dodd withdrew after Iowa Clinton campaign floundered after Iowa, The Vancouver Sun, "Campaign strategists had mapped a victory scenario that envisioned the former first lady wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination by Super Tuesday on Feb. 5." January 5: Four-person debate between Richardson, Edwards, Clinton and Obama on, Obama overstepped when Clinton was asked why some voters did not consider her likable. Obama interjected: “You’re likable enough, Hillary.” He claimed he wanted to be reassuring. Instead, he sounded condescending. As Obama and Edwards attacked Clinton the status quo candidate, Clinton dismissed Obama as a showboat: “Making change is not about what you believe,” she said. “It’s not about a speech you make. It is about working hard.” The Real Hillary: Televised event in a Portsmouth coffee shop with 16 undecided voters covered by about 100 journalists prior to the New Hampshire primary, Clinton's voice wavered with emotion, she won 39 percent of the vote, to Obama’s 36 percent. John Edwards, third with just 17 percent. January 26: The turning point in Obama’s relationship with the African-American community came in South Carolina, when Bill Clinton overplayed his hand, alienating black voters by playing crass racial politics. After Obama won the hard-fought contest Clinton ever-so-innocently said: “Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in ‘84 and ‘88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here.” Clinton’s remarks dismissed Obama, like Jackson, as a racial fringe candidate, even though Obama more than doubled Hillary Clinton’s votes, 55 percent to 27 percent, with John Edwards third at 18 percent. January 27: Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward Kennedy endorsed Barack Obama On January 27, Caroline Kennedy published an op-ed in The New York Times entitled “A President Like My Father.” January 30: Edwards placed third in both New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries and announced he was suspending his campaign, but he did not endorse either of the candidates Florida and Michigan did not comply with the Democratic Party’s new primary rules and were stripped of their delegates for moving up the date of their primaries into January. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee punished Michigan Democrats for holding their primary on January 29 by stripping Michigan of all its 128 delegates and 28 superdelegates. Both parties also penalized Florida for a January 14 primary. The major nominees agreed not to campaign in those states as a penalty, additionally, Edwards and Obama removed their names from the ballots. Hilary Clinton won both primaries, although 40% voted uncommitted in Michigan. She fought for the delegations to be seated. February 3: Rally supporting Obama led by Michelle Obama at the UCLA campus (Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy, and Stevie Wonder) Maria Shriver endorsed Obama. Michelle Obama misspoke and said: “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”

442

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February 5, 2008, Super Tuesday (largest-ever number of simultaneous state primary elections held) after 23 primaries, Hillary Clinton won 834 delegates and 10 states to Obama’s 847 delegates and 13 states. Cumulatively, Clinton garnered 8,081,748 votes, 46 percent of that cast that day, while Obama’s 7,987,274 votes represented 45 percent cast. Clinton won the crucial big states of California, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, while Obama picked up Illinois, Georgia, Connecticut, Colorado, and Missouri, among others. Obama lost the California primary by 8.3%. Obama had ten consecutive primary victories in February (Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska, Hawaii, Wisconsin, U.S. Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia). Obama’s victories on February 19 in Hawaii and Wisconsin gave him a narrow lead in delegates over Clinton. The Clinton campaign’s most memorable commercial. Clinton broadcast a 30-second spot in Texas that began with the phone ringing as children slept peacefully. “It’s 3 A.M. and your children are safely asleep,” the narrator asked in a too-calm voice, with patriotic music purring in the background. “Who do you want answering the phone?” Six rings later, Hillary Clinton, the supposedly experienced leader, answered. Color streamed into the picture, as America slept safely and soundly, with the right person in charge. It preyed on concerns that Obama was too inexperienced – in an age of terrorism. March 4, Hillary Clinton won Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas primary, Obama won the Texas caucuses winning more delegates from Texas Obama’s friendship with a shady Chicago operator, Tony Rezko; NAFTA two-step, wherein one Obama adviser assured the Canadian embassy not to worry about his attacks on Free Trade March 13, ABC’s Brian Ross uncovered incendiary videotapes of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s preacher and spiritual mentor, denouncing America. “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York, and we never batted an eye,” Wright said in a sermon after September 11, suggesting “America’s chickens” came “home to roost” that day. In a 2003 sermon, Wright mocked the phrase “God Bless America,” proclaiming: “No, no, no, God damn America….” The Wright controversy undermined Obama’s message of patriotic centrism, fed fears that Obama was a radical masquerading as a moderate. Tuesday, March 18, Obama delivered a speech at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Obama denounced Wright’s words while placing them in the context of America’s tortured racial past. March 25, Hillary Clinton admits she "misspoke" about remembering a warm, FirstLady-like welcome in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a difficult landing under a hail of sniper gunfire. April 6, Obama in a private fundraiser speculated that bitterness over economic troubles made rural voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” Obama simultaneously insulted gun owners, churchgoers, opponents of illegal immigration, while suggesting that money trouble clouded the little people’s good judgment. Obama was now accused of being elitist. April 22, Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary with approximately 55% of the vote, almost 10% more than Obama; Obama led in the delegate count, however, Clinton had more pledged superdelegates.

443

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May 6, Obama won the North Carolina primary by a significant margin but lost Indiana to Clinton 50.56% to 49.44%. Although Clinton won Indiana, by a small margin, pundits declared he campaign was all but over, since Obama led significantly in the delegate count. Clinton won the majority of the remaining primaries, but still trailed Obama in the delegate count, Clinton claimed to win a majority of the popular vote but the Associated Press noted she only a had a small lead in the only scenario May 31, 2008 Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic Party decided to seat the delegations from Michigan and Florida, but they would only half the vote value June 3, with the help of superdelegate support and endorsements, Obama clinched the nomination Clinton however, refused to concede although, on June 3, she hinted that her campaign was coming to a close in a speech in New York, she finally conceded to Obama on June 7, and pledged her full support.

Republican Party:       

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Early front runners, in 2006 were New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain. Throughout 2007 Giuliani, remained at the top of the polls followed by McCain and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who virtually tied for second place. January 28, 2007, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announced his candidacy. February 5, Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announced his candidacy. February 13, Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson announced his candidacy. March 12, Texas Congressman Ron Paul. April 25, 2007, John McCain officially launched his campaign on in New Hampshire saying, “I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced.” McCain’s 2008 campaign started off top-heavy, mismanaged, over-hyped and under-funded. After the second Republican presidential debate in early 2007, Giuliani and McCain were considered the front runners Mike Huckabee won the Iowa primary and hoped for a third-place finish in New Hampshire since his campaign was short on funds. After an endorsement by Senator Joseph Lieberman, McCain’s campaign rebounded, he won the New Hampshire primary over favorites Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. McCain won by a small margin over Huckabee in South Carolina. January 30: After Giuliani placed third in the Florida primary, he withdrew and gave his support McCain. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed McCain prior to the California primary on Super Tuesday, February 5. February 5, Super Tuesday, McCain won Arizona (53 delegates), and nearly all of California's 173 delegates, and won seven other states, 602 delegates in total. Huckabee was the "surprise performer", he won five Southern states and 218 delegates; Romney won seven states and 201 delegates. February 7, Romney suspended his presidential campaign "Forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win". Romney endorsed McCain on February 14. 444

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Only Huckabee and Paul remained in the primaries challenging McCain. Huckabee won Louisiana and Kansas. Huckabee and Paul had a good showing in Washington, McCain won by a small margin. After Super Tuesday McCain was the front runner, but only clinched the 1,191 delegates needed on March 4, after he won Texas, Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island primaries. Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race. Only Ron Paul remained in the race, although he only had 16 delegates.

Primaries Quotations: 

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“You...came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.” Barack Obama, February 10, 2007, Springfield, Illinois, Campaign Launch “When we started this race, Barack told us that he wanted the campaign to be a vehicle for involving people and giving them a stake in the kind of organizing he believed in. He is still the same guy who came to Chicago as a community organizer twenty-three years ago. The idea that we can organize together and improve our country — I mean, he really believes that.” Obama’s political consultant, David Axelrod told Rolling Stone “I am an American running for president. I do not define my candidacy by my religion. A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.” Mitt Romney, December 6, 2007, Texas A&M University “I just don't want to see us fall backward as a nation. I mean, this is very personal for me. Not just political. I see what's happening. We have to reverse it…. Some people think elections are a game: who's up or who's down. It’s about our country. It's about our kids' future. It's about all of us together. Some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some difficult odds.” Hillary Clinton, Portsmouth New Hampshire “My friends, you know I’m past the age when I can claim the noun ‘kid,’ no matter what adjective precedes it. But tonight, we sure showed them what a comeback looks like.” John McCain, after his victory in the New Hampshire Primary Yes, we can. It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can…. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can…. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can…. Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.” Barack Obama, New Hampshire Concession Speech “Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.” Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008 “Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about eighteen million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time” Hillary Clinton Concession Speech, Washington, June 3, 2008 445

Primaries Results: Democratic Party: Jun 03, 2008           

Hillary Rodham Clinton: 18,155,676, 47.95% Barack Obama: 17,952,233, 47.41% John Edwards: 1,007,069, 2.66% Uncommitted: 326,775, 0.86% Bill Richardson: 105,017, 0.28% Dennis J. Kucinich: 103,267, 0.27% Joe Biden: 81,623, 0.22% Scattering: 46,058, 0.12% Mike Gravel: 40,260, 0.11% Chris Dodd: 35,203, 0.09% Jim Rogers: 3,905, 0.01%

Republican Party: Jun 03, 2008         

John McCain: 9,838,910, 46.49% Mitt Romney: 4,681,436, 22.12% Mike Huckabee: 4,281,900, 20.23% Ron Paul: 1,214,563, 5.74% Rudy Giuliani: 597,499, 2.82% Fred Thompson: 303,845, 1.44% Uncommitted: 70,873, 0.33% Alan L. Keyes: 59,636, 0.28% Scattering: 48,004, 0.23%

Conventions (Dates & Locations):    

Constitution Party National Convention, April 23–26, 2008, Kansas City, Missouri Libertarian National Convention, May 23–26, 2008, Denver, Colorado Green Party National Convention, July 10–13, 2008, Chicago, Illinois Reform Party National Convention, July 18–20, 2008, Dallas, Texas

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Democratic National Convention: August 25-28, 2008, Pepsi Center and Invesco Field; Denver Nancy Pelosi of (California) 1/Acclamation Barack H. Obama (Illinois) Joseph R. Biden (Delaware) Republican National Convention: September 1-4, 2008 Xcel Energy Center; St Paul 1st ballot John S. McCain (Arizona) Sarah L. Palin (Alaska)

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Convention Turning Points: 

Barack Obama’s speech attracted 38.4 million and Joe Biden’s attracted 24 million viewers.

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Sarah Palin’s acceptance address on September 3, approximately 37 million viewers. John McCain gave his speech to a record national viewing audience of 38.9 million.

Democratic National Convention: 

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Obama selected Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate. Obama selected a tough campaigner, a smart Washington insider, a bridge to working-class whites and, most important, an experienced foreign policy hand Hillary Rodham Clinton’s name was placed in nomination to recognize her historymaking campaign, winning 1,896 state delegate votes and over 18,000,000 popular votes in the primaries and caucuses. Senator Obama secured the nomination with 2,201 of the necessary 2,118 delegate votes needed to win. Hillary Rodham Clinton suspended the state-by-state roll call vote she had demanded and moved for the 2008 Democratic Convention to nominate Senator Barack Obama by acclamation. Network cameras zeroed in on African-Americans, young and old, beaming, as tears poured down their cheeks. For the first time in American history, a major political party had nominated a black man to be president. Speeches: Michelle Obama, Senator Barak Obama’s wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton. Massachusetts Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy gave a short speech supporting Obama although was undergoing treatment for a malignant brain tumor. Senator Kennedy used a combined message paraphrased from his brother, John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address and his own 1980 convention speech. Obama chose to accept his nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Obama also shifting the venue to an 80,000-seat stadium, the Denver Broncos’ Invesco Field for his acceptance speech on the convention’s fourth night.

Republican National Convention: 

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The first day of the convention was curtailed when Hurricane Gustav hit Louisiana, and threatened to hit New Orleans; First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain gave short speeches. The convention resumed normal proceedings on the second day after Hurricane Gustav subsided with little damage. Wednesday, September 3: Conducted the roll call for the Presidential nomination, Arizona was allowed to vote out of order putting McCain over the top of the majority needed. Arizona was able to declare McCain the winner on the first ballot. Running mate Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech on Wednesday, September 3, and was nominated by acclamation on Thursday, September 4, when John McCain gave his acceptance speech. 10,000 protesters marched against the war in Iraq, while 2,000 marched to end homelessness and poverty.

Number of Ballots to Choose Nominees: 447

Democratic Party: Presidential 1st ballot Candidate     

Votes Percentage

Barack Obama 3,188.5 72.15% Hillary Rodham Clinton 1,010.5 22.87% Abstentions 1.0 0.00% Delegates who did not vote 219.0 4.96% Totals 4,419.0 100.00%

Vice Presidential 

Joseph Biden, acclamation

Republican Party: Presidential 1st ballot Candidate     

Votes Percentage

John McCain 2,343 98.45% Ron Paul 15 0.63% Mitt Romney 2 0.08% Delegates that did not vote 20 Totals 2,380 100.00%

0.84%

Vice Presidential ballot 

Sarah Palin, unanimous

Third Party Candidates: 

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Constitution Party: Presidential, Chuck Baldwin; Vice Presidential, Darrell Castle of Tennessee; Opposition: Iraq war, the Sixteenth Amendment, Roe v. Wade, IRS, Federal Reserve. Green Party: Presidential, Cynthia McKinney (Georgia); Vice Presidential, Rosa Clemente (New York) single-payer universal health care, withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, reparations for African Americans, a Department of Peace. Libertarian Party: Presidential, Bob Barr (Georgia); Vice Presidential, Wayne Allyn Root rework/abolish the income tax, opposition to Iraq war, Patriot Act.

Convention Keynote Speaker: 

Democratic National Convention: Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner 448

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Republican National Convention: Rudy Giuliani

Nominating Speech Speakers (President): Party Platform/Issues: 

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Democratic Party: Redeployment of American troops serving in Iraq, a woman’s right to choose, “tough and practical” immigration reform, health care reform and access; alternative energy technologies. Fight global warming, amending NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement); expansion AmeriCorps and Peace Corps programs. Republican Party: Increase intelligence gathering capabilities to combat terrorism and for national security; Armed Forces support (economic opportunities and health and disability care for veterans); opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants; English as the official language; United Nations reform; tax relief (economic growth, promote small business); government reform (balanced budget act, ending earmarks in legislation) nuclear energy (off-shore; on-shore drilling; alternative energy resources; international cooperation to solve global warming).

General Election Controversies/Issues:         

Iraq war Bush's unpopularity Change vs. experience Economy (government bailout, banks, housing crisis, Fanny Mae & Freddie Mac) Health care reform Energy; alternative fuels Voter registration lists, caging lists (voter suppression) Culture Wars Candidates of 2008 seemed to agree about one thing — America needed a change.

Campaign Innovations (General Election):   

Usage of websites and social media sites YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. Mobilized activists, donations, and voters through campaign web sites, social media sites. “More than a million people asked for campaign text messages on their cellphones. Two million joined MyBO, a website fusing social networking with volunteer work, while more than 5 million supported Obama's profile on social sites like Facebook. Most famously, 13 million voters signed up for regular e-mails, fundraising pitches, and other communications.” By November, a quarter of Obama voters interacted with the Obama network, a vital virtual community.

Major Personalities (General Election): George W, Bush; Sarah Palin; Tina Fey, Joe Wurzelbacher “Joe the Plumber”; Bill Ayres; Collin Powell Campaign Tactics:

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Democratic Party:     

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Shrewd tactics and soaring rhetoric fueled Obama’s campaign. Obama organized from the bottom up. “No drama Obama” recruited aides who harmonized with one another. His early opposition in 2002 to the war in Iraq certified his independence from Washington groupthink. Obama rejected $84 million in public financing for the general campaign. Obama raised a record-breaking $150 million in September alone, as part of an overall total of $600 million for the general election. Extensive mid-campaign foreign tour to shore up his foreign credentials, in late July Obama, visited Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Throughout the fall campaign, Obama maintained calmness, professionalism, and steadiness. Let McCain and the Republicans stumble without the attacks. Final Obama Surge, media blitz: Obama addressed crowds of as many as 100,000 voters. His campaign spent four million dollars purchasing 30 minutes on CBS, NBC and Fox days before the campaign ended, for a prime-time candidate’s extended biographical infomercial. Obama returned to unity rhetoric “In one week’s time, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.”

Republican Party:    

McCain appealed to Republican voters as experienced but not tainted by an identification with Bush, vindicated by the Iraq surge, a genuine war hero, and national leader. John McCain spent much of the summer deriding Obama’s inexperience, especially overseas. Negative rhetoric and ads, attacks on inexperience After the third presidential debate, McCain would campaign with “Joe the Plumber.”

Debates: 

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September 26, 2008, University of Mississippi (foreign policy/national security) moderated Jim Lehrer PBS. Polls showed that by 52 percent to 35 percent most Americans deemed Obama the winner. McCain appeared too prickly, condescendingly dismissing Obama as inexperienced or uncomprehending at least seven times. October 2: The vice-presidential debate, Washington University, St. Louis, moderated Gwen Ifill PBS. Palin was probably stronger the first half, Biden was stronger in the second half with smooth, hard-hitting attacks that tagged McCain as George W. Bush redux and wrong on the war, the economy, the environment, and energy. October 7: Belmont University (town meeting, economy) moderated Tom Brokaw NBC News October 15: Hofstra University (domestic/economic policy) moderator Bob Schieffer, CBS News

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October 19: Columbia University political union and took place thereon. Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, and Chuck Baldwin. Moderator Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Broadcast on C-SPAN and on the Internet by Break-the-Matrix.

Turning Points (General Election): 

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Updated Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): Civil liberties groups and the netroots denounced FISA, which McCain pronounced a “vital national security matter.” In late June, Obama announced he would vote for the latest version, having opposed an earlier version, because the compromise bill reaffirmed the primacy of the FISA courts. June 16, Obama told Jake Tapper of ABC News that just as the original attackers of the World Trade Center from 1993 were brought to justice within the Constitution’s boundaries, future terrorists could be fought legally but effectively. This comment allowed Republicans to mock his “September 10” mentality, for treating terrorism as a domestic law enforcement issue, not an external military threat. The highpoint of the most extensive mid-campaign foreign tour a presidential nominee ever undertook occurred on July 24, when Obama addressed a crowd of 200,000 to 240,000 people at Berlin’s Victory Column. Obama’s mid-campaign foreign tour overstepped. Many Americans considered the tour presumptuous, disrespectful to the incumbent, and premature. August 20, in an interview with Politico, when John McCain was asked how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, owned; McCain could not respond, "I think — I'll have my staff get to you." Both on the stump and in Obama's ad, "Seven", the gaffe was used to show that McCain was out of touch Soon after McCain chose, Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, she was forced to admit her 17-year-old daughter Bristol was five months pregnant and would marry the father soon. The announcement was an attempt to repudiate blogosphere claims that Sarah Palin’s fifth child, Trig, was Bristol’s and the mother was covering up her daughter’s earlier pregnancy. 2008 financial crisis The financial meltdown doomed the McCain campaign. Especially with McCain seemingly out of touch assessment of the economic mess – offering the Hooveresque declaration “The fundamentals of our economy are strong.” September 24, McCain announced he was suspending his campaign and would probably skip the first debate on September 26 to fly back to Washington to help solve the crisis and would not continue his campaign until the crisis was resolved. September 25, President George W. Bush invited both candidates to a White House meeting with key administration officials and Congressional leaders. Senator Obama asked some probing, intelligent questions during the meeting, while Senator McCain sat silently, impotently. McCain ultimately appeared with the crisis still unresolved. September 2008: Sarah Palin stumbled badly in interviews with ABC’s Charles Gibson and CBS’s Katie Couric. Tina Fey on “Saturday Night Live” imitating Sarah Palin’s gaffes and missteps on the campaign trail.

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Sarah Palin became more of a liability to the Republican campaign. The word that the Republican National Committee had spent $150,000 outfitting Palin and her family, undercut her “just folks” image. Leaks from the McCain camp accused her of being uncooperative and uncoachable, undermining the campaign. Palin infuriated Hillary Clinton supporters with her affect and her policy stands. Ultimately, Palin polarized. September 29, House Republicans rejected the $700 billion bailouts causing the Dow Jones to drop by 777.68 points, wiping out an estimated $1.2 trillion. Rumors that Obama was Muslim, that he attended a radical madrasa in Indonesia, that he was an unpatriotic radical palling around with violent unreconstructed sixties radicals like the former Weather Underground Organization fugitive Bill Ayres, floated around the blogosphere making headlines. Third Presidential Debate: McCain repeatedly invoked Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumbing contractor in Holland, Ohio, whose confrontation with Barack Obama days earlier while Obama was campaigning door-to-door was broadcast over YouTube. McCain made “Joe the Plumber” into an American Everyman, the voice of the people, “Joe the plumber” joined McCain on the campaign trail Bush’s former Secretary of State Colin Powell blamed McCain and Palin for stirring up the nastiness in the campaign, saying his friend McCain was out of his depth economically, and that Palin was unqualified, and he was endorsing Obama. Final Obama Surge, media blitz: Obama addressed crowds of as many as 100,000 voters. Obama's campaign spent four million dollars purchasing 30 minutes on CBS, NBC and Fox days before the campaign ended, for a prime-time candidate’s extended infomercial. Obama returned to unity rhetoric “In one week’s time, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.” Obama prime-time infomercial: Clips of Obama’s 2004 Democratic National Convention, photos of Obama’s parents, and canned footage of World War II workers. Excerpts of testimonies from Michelle Obama, Governor Bill Richardson, Senator Dick Durbin, and retired Brigadier General John Adams were interspersed. Viewers saw the candidate at rallies and heard him giving the voters a more direct – and uncharacteristically subdued — pitch. Obama was placed in a mock Oval Office, speaking substantively into the television cameras, and emphasized the nation was in crisis. The polling lead switched at least three times; the two were tied when the Democratic convention began. Obama surged after his convention, McCain surged after his. Obama started running away with it after the financial meltdown.

Popular Campaign Slogans:  

Democratic Party: Barack Obama “Change We Can Believe In,” “Change We Need,” “Hope,” “Yes We Can!” Republican Party: John McCain “Country First”

Campaign Song: 

Republican: John McCain: "Take A Chance On Me" (ABBA), "Our Country" (John Mellencamp), "Raisin' McCain" (John Rich) 452

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Democratic: Barack Obama: "Yes We Can" (will.i.am featuring various artists), "Better Way" (Ben Harper), "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (Stevie Wonder), "City of Blinding Lights" (U2), "Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson), "Think" (Aretha Franklin), "The Rising" (Bruce Springsteen), "Only in America" (Brooks & Dunn)

Primary candidates: Democratic:   

Hillary Clinton: "You and I" (Celine Dion), "Takin' Care of Business" by BachmanTurner Overdrive, "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton and "American Girl" by Tom Petty, Chris Dodd: "Get Ready" and "Reach Out I'll Be There" by The Temptations, John Edwards: "Our Country" by John Mellencamp,

Republican:  

Rudy Giuliani: Take Us Out by Jerry Goldsmith (theme from "Rudy") and "Rudie Can't Fail" by The Clash, Mike Huckabee: "More Than A Feeling" by Boston (Tom Scholz of Boston asked Huckabee to stop using the song)

Influential Campaign Appeals or Ads: Democratic Party: 

"Seven": Showing McCain was out of touch when he could not respond to the question about how many houses he owned.

Republican Party: 

A popular advertisement that juxtaposed images of the trashy celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton as Germans shouted, “Obama, Obama,” then asked tartly: “He’s the biggest celebrity in the world – but is he ready to lead?”

Money Spent (Each Campaign/Party/Overall):  

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Obama raised $639,174, 281 to John McCain’s $360,167,823 for the general campaign. The total of $999,342,104 did not include the millions spent on the campaign by the Republican and Democratic National Committees, advocacy groups like Moveon.org, interest groups like AARP, America’s largest membership organization for people fifty and over. Obama’s campaign could spend $310 million on airing 570,963 commercials. McCain spent $135 million for 274,737 airings.

Defining Quotation (Winning Candidate):

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“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this,” Obama cried to thunderous applause. This moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive…. We love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight…. In Washington, they call this the ‘Ownership Society,’ but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck, you're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You are on your own. Change happens because the American people demand it because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments.” Barack Obama, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver: "The American Promise", August 28, 2008 “With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.” Barack Obama, Berlin, July 24, 2008

Defining Quotation (Losing Candidate): 

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“Raising taxes on small businesses will kill jobs. Joe the plumber said 'look, I've been working all my life, I want to buy the business I'm in, but you're going to raise my taxes,” McCain recalled. “You know what Senator Obama said? He wants to spread the wealth around.” John McCain, third Presidential debate “Fight with me. Fight with me. Fight for what’s right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people….We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.” John McCain, Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, September 4, 2008 “I know how to win wars. And if I’m elected President, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory, I know how to do that…. In wartime, judgment and experience matter. In a time of war, the commander in chief doesn’t get a learning curve…. My friends, flip-floppers all over the world are enraged,” McCain chuckled. John McCain, Albuquerque, New Mexico, mid-July, 2008 I guess a small-town mayor is a sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that, in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they’re listening and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening. No, we tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco…. And now, I’ve noticed a pattern with our opponent, and maybe you have, too. We’ve all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers, and there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the State Senate. This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word “victory,” except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades 454

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away, when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot… … when that happens, what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer — the answer is to make government bigger, and take more of your money, and give you more orders from Washington, and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. I had the privilege of living most of my life in a small town. I was just your average hockey mom and signed up for the PTA. I love those hockey moms. You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick…. Sarah Palin Address Accepting the Vice Presidential Nomination at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, September 3, 2008

Campaign Quotations: 

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“It isn’t easy for me to disappoint Senator McCain in the way that I have this morning, and I regret that. I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that’s why I’m supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Senator John McCain. I found that (John McCain) was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that we were having. Almost every day there was a different approach to the problem and that concerned me, sensing that he doesn’t have a complete grasp of the economic problems that we had.” Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, October 19, 2008 “This November, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.” Edward M. Kennedy, Speech at the Democratic National Convention

Significant Books:  

Balz, Daniel J, and Haynes Johnson. The Battle for America, 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election. New York: Viking, 2009. Thomas, Evan. A Long Time Coming: The Inspiring, Combative 2008 Campaign and the Historic Election of Barack Obama. New York, NY: PublicAffairs, 2009.

Lasting Legacy of Campaign:       

First African-American nominee and winner. First Roman Catholic elected Vice President. First female nominated on the Republican Party ticket. First female major party runner up for the Presidential nomination. Largest economic cataclysm ever to occur during a general election. Largest grassroots and netroots campaign ever. An unprecedented $4.3 billion spent by all candidates combined.

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