The Presidential Election 1920

By 1920, the nation was ready for a change. During his second presidential term, Woodrow Wilson had been criticized for many of his policies and decisions, and was seen to have led the nation into World War I. There were ongoing disagreements over peace treaties, debate over the League of Nations and splits over Prohibition, all against a backdrop of strikes, race riots and even a terrorist attack in New York. The Democrats chose James M. Cox as their candidate, with former-president Roosevelt as his running mate. Warren G. Harding, a lesser-known senator, was the Republican candidate. The Republican campaign successfully used Wilson’s unpopularity and political failures to gain advantage, aided by their strong opposition to membership of the League of Nations. Harding won a landslide victory with 60.3 per cent of the popular vote.