The Presidential Election 1944

In the midst of war, the election of 1944 saw more success for the Republican party than in any other recent election, yet they were still unable to unseat Franklin D. Roosevelt and prevent him from an unprecedented fourth term in office. Roosevelt ran for president with senator Harry Truman for vice president. The Democrats nominated New York State Governor Thomas Dewey, a strong candidate who favoured a post-war United Nations and tried to sway the voters with his belief that it was ‘time for a change’. Roosevelt campaigned hard and, despite rumours of ill health, delivered many successful key addresses. He won a decisive victory with 432 electoral votes, but achieved his lowest margin of the popular vote with just 53.4 per cent.