1948 United States presidential election

From TNOpediA
1948 United States presidential election

← 1944 November 8, 1948 1952 →

531 members of the Electoral College
266 electoral votes needed to win
 
Nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower Robert Taft
Party Democrat Republican
Home state Kansas Ohio
Running mate Burton K. Wheeler Arthur Vandenberg
Electoral vote 414 117
States carried 39 9
Popular vote 31,967,257 21,275,505
Percentage 60.0% 40.0%

Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Eisenhower/Wheeler, and red denotes those won by Taft/Vandenberg. Grey denotes the electoral votes for George Patton by 3 Texas faithless electors.

President before election

Thomas E. Dewey
Republican

Elected President

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Democratic

The 1948 United States presidential election was the 41st quadrennial presidential electional. It was the first presidential election held after World War II and saw Democratic candidate and former Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower defeat Republican Governor Robert A. Taft in the biggest landslide of the 20th century.

In the 1940 election, Republican candidate Thomas E. Dewey bested Democratic candidate Harry Hopkins in the slimmest election in history. However, due to severe mismanagement of domestic policy and the loss of World War II under Deweys administration, the Republican party was blamed for losing the war which left the party in shambles. Combined with the Democratic Party nominating Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose command of Allied Forces in Britain made him extremely popular, the DNC would see their biggest victory since the days of FDR.