# Electoral history of Franklin D. Roosevelt

* This article is part of a series aboutFranklin D. Roosevelt
Personal
Electoral history
Family
Paralysis
State Senator
Secretary of the Navy
1920 Cox–Roosevelt campaign
44th Governor of New York
Governorship
32nd President of the United States
First & second terms, 1933–1941
Third & fourth terms, 1941–1945
Timeline
Transition
Inaugurations
first
second
third
fourth
First term
First 100 days
New Deal
Glass-Steagall Act
WPA
Social Security
SEC
Fireside Chats
Second term
Supreme Court Packing
National Recovery Act
1937 recession
March of Dimes
Third term
World War II
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Infamy Speech
Atlantic Charter
Japanese Internment
Tehran Conference
United Nations
D-Day
Second Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill
Harlan F. Stone Supreme Court nomination
Wiley Rutledge Supreme Court nomination
Fourth term
Yalta Conference
Declining health
Death and state funeral
Presidential campaigns
1932
primaries
convention
campaign
election
1936
primaries
convention
campaign
election
1940
primaries
convention
campaign
election
1944
primaries
convention
campaign
election
Legacy
Criticism
Foreign policy
New Deal critics
Civil rights record
Presidential Library
Memorial
Cultural depictions :
vte :
This is the electoral history of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served as the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945) and the 44th governor of New York (1929–1932).
A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt was first elected to the New York State Senate in 1910, representing the 26th district. He won re-election in 1912 before resigning shortly after starting his second term to accept the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. He served throughout World War I, then resigned in 1920 to run for Vice President of the United States as a part of James M. Cox's campaign. They would lose in a landslide to the Republican ticket of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. After a break from electoral politics following his polio diagnosis, Roosevelt made his political comeback when he was narrowly elected Governor of New York in the 1928 election. His popularity as a result of his handling of the Great Depression in the state allowed him to win re-election by a much wider margin in 1930.
Roosevelt re-entered national politics when he announced his bid for the presidency in the 1932 election. After securing the Democratic nomination, he unseated incumbent President Herbert Hoover, becoming the first Democrat to win an outright majority of the popular vote since Samuel J. Tilden in 1876 and effectively jumpstarting the Fifth Party System. His re-election in 1936 was the greatest electoral landslide since the largely uncontested 1820 election, receiving the highest percentage of the electoral vote won by any candidate since then. He became the first and only president to win an unprecedented third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944, in which he continued to enjoy relatively comfortable margins of victory due to his favorable handling of World War II and the persisting popularity of the New Deal. Roosevelt would die in office less than three months into his fourth term, being succeeded by Vice President Harry S. Truman.

## New York State Senate elections (1910–1912)
### 1910

1910 New York's 26th State Senate district election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 15,708 | 51.88 | +5.99 |
| | Republican | John F. Schlosser (incumbent) | 14,568 | 48.12 | −3.61 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 30,276 | 100.00 | |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### 1912

1912 New York's 26th State Senate district election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 15,590 | 48.45 | −3.43 |
| | Republican | Jacob G. Southard | 13,959 | 43.38 | −4.74 |
| | Progressive | George A. Vossler | 2,628 | 8.17 | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 32,177 | 100.00 | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## United States Senate election (1914)
### Primary election

1914 United States Senate election in New York, Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James W. Gerard | 133,815 | 62.08 |
| | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 63,879 | 29.64 |
| | Democratic | James S. McDonough | 17,862 | 8.29 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 215,556 | 100.00 |

## Vice presidential campaign (1920)
### Nomination

1920 Democratic National Convention, vice presidential tally :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1,094 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,094 | 100.00 |

### General election

1920 United States presidential election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote |
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Warren G. Harding | Calvin Coolidge | Republican | 16,144,093 | 60.32 | 404 | 76.08 |
| | James M. Cox | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Democratic | 9,139,661 | 34.15 | 127 | 23.92 |
| | Eugene V. Debs | Seymour Stedman | Socialist | 913,693 | 3.41 | | |
| | Parley P. Christensen | Max S. Hayes | Farmer–Labor | 265,398 | 0.99 | | |
| | Aaron S. Watkins | D. Leigh Colvin | Prohibition | 188,787 | 0.71 | | |
| | James E. Ferguson | William J. Hough | American | 47,968 | 0.18 | | |
| | William Wesley Cox | August Gillhaus | Socialist Labor | 31,084 | 0.12 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | Others | 34,496 | 0.13 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 26,765,180 | 100.00 | 531 | 100.00 |
| Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections ||||||||

## New York gubernatorial elections (1928–1930)
### 1928

1928 New York gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 2,130,193 | 48.96 | −3.34 |
| | Republican | Albert Ottinger | 2,104,129 | 48.36 | +4.56 |
| | Socialist | Louis Waldman | 101,859 | 2.34 | −0.53 |
| | Workers | William F. Dunne | 10,741 | 0.25 | +0.06 |
| | Socialist Labor | Charles Hunter Corregan | 4,213 | 0.10 | −0.02 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,351,135 | 100.00 | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 1930

1930 New York gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 1,770,342 | 56.13 | +7.18 |
| | Republican | Charles H. Tuttle | 1,045,341 | 33.14 | −15.22 |
| | Law Preservation | Robert P. Carroll | 190,666 | 6.05 | N/A |
| | Socialist | Louis Waldman | 120,444 | 3.82 | +1.48 |
| | Communist | William Z. Foster | 18,034 | 0.57 | N/A |
| | Socialist Labor | Jeremiah D. Crowley | 9,096 | 0.29 | +0.19 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,153,923 | 100.00 | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Presidential elections (1932–1944)
### 1932
#### Primary elections

1932 Democratic Party presidential primaries :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1,464,607 | 49.44 |
| J. Hamilton Lewis | J. Hamilton Lewis | 590,130 | 19.92 |
| Al Smith | Al Smith | 415,795 | 14.04 |
| John Nance Garner | John Nance Garner | 249,816 | 8.43 |
| William H. Murray | William H. Murray | 226,392 | 7.64 |
| Leo J. Chassee | Leo J. Chassee | 7,372 | 0.25 |
| Gus H. Howard | Gus H. Howard | 5,541 | 0.19 |
| Others | Others | 2,972 | 0.10 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,962,625 | 100.00 |

#### General election

1932 United States presidential election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote |
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Franklin D. Roosevelt | John Nance Garner | Democratic | 22,821,277 | 57.41 | 472 | 88.89 |
| | Herbert Hoover (inc.) | Charles Curtis (inc.) | Republican | 15,761,254 | 39.65 | 59 | 11.11 |
| | Norman Thomas | James H. Maurer | Socialist | 884,885 | 2.23 | | |
| | William Z. Foster | James W. Ford | Communist | 103,307 | 0.26 | | |
| | William David Upshaw | Frank S. Regan | Prohibition | 81,905 | 0.21 | | |
| | William Hope Harvey | Frank Hemenway | Liberty | 53,425 | 0.13 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | Others | 45,845 | 0.12 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 39,751,898 | 100.00 | 531 | 100.00 |
| Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections ||||||||

### 1936
#### Primary elections

1936 Democratic Party presidential primaries :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 4,830,730 | 93.19 |
| Henry Skillman Breckinridge | Henry Skillman Breckinridge | 136,407 | 2.63 |
| Upton Sinclair | Upton Sinclair | 106,068 | 2.05 |
| John S. McGroarty | John S. McGroarty | 61,391 | 1.18 |
| Joseph A. Coutremarsh | Joseph A. Coutremarsh | 39,730 | 0.77 |
| Others | Others | 9,329 | 0.18 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 5,183,655 | 100.00 |

#### Nomination

1936 Democratic National Convention, presidential tally :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | – | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | – | 100.00 |

#### General election

1936 United States presidential election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote |
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Franklin D. Roosevelt (inc.) | John Nance Garner (inc.) | Democratic | 27,752,648 | 60.80 | 523 | 98.49 |
| | Alf Landon | Frank Knox | Republican | 16,681,862 | 36.54 | 8 | 1.51 |
| | William Lemke | Thomas C. O'Brien | Union | 892,378 | 1.95 | | |
| | Norman Thomas | George A. Nelson | Socialist | 187,910 | 0.41 | | |
| | Earl Browder | James W. Ford | Communist | 79,315 | 0.17 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | Others | 53,586 | 0.12 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 45,647,699 | 100.00 | 531 | 100.00 |
| Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections ||||||||

### 1940
#### Primary elections

1940 Democratic Party presidential primaries :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 3,250,555 | 72.16 |
| John Nance Garner | John Nance Garner | 426,641 | 9.47 |
| Charles W. Sawyer | Charles W. Sawyer | 283,952 | 6.30 |
| William B. Bankhead | William B. Bankhead | 196,508 | 4.36 |
| H. C. Allen | H. C. Allen | 102,729 | 2.28 |
| Willis Allen | Willis Allen | 90,718 | 2.01 |
| James Farley | James Farley | 76,919 | 1.71 |
| Ellis E. Patterson | Ellis E. Patterson | 48,337 | 1.07 |
| Unpledged | Unpledged | 27,636 | 0.61 |
| Others | Others | 636 | 0.01 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 4,504,631 | 100.00 |

#### Nomination

1940 Democratic National Convention, presidential tally :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 946 | 86.32 |
| James Farley | James Farley | 72 | 6.57 |
| John Nance Garner | John Nance Garner | 61 | 5.57 |
| Millard Tydings | Millard Tydings | 9 | 0.82 |
| Cordell Hull | Cordell Hull | 5 | 0.47 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,093 | 100.00 |

#### General election

1940 United States presidential election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote |
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Franklin D. Roosevelt (inc.) | Henry A. Wallace | Democratic | 27,313,945 | 54.74 | 449 | 84.56 |
| | Wendell Willkie | Charles L. McNary | Republican | 22,347,744 | 44.78 | 82 | 15.44 |
| | Norman Thomas | Maynard C. Krueger | Socialist | 116,599 | 0.23 | | |
| | Roger Babson | Edgar Moorman | Prohibition | 57,903 | 0.12 | | |
| | Earl Browder | James W. Ford | Communist | 48,557 | 0.10 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | Others | 17,365 | 0.03 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 49,902,113 | 100.00 | 531 | 100.00 |
| Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections ||||||||

### 1944
#### Primary elections

1944 Democratic Party presidential primaries :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 1,566,218 | 79.24 |
| Joseph T. Ferguson | Joseph T. Ferguson | 164,915 | 8.34 |
| Harry F. Byrd | Harry F. Byrd | 109,000 | 5.51 |
| Claude R. Linger | Claude R. Linger | 59,282 | 3.00 |
| Unpledged | Unpledged | 57,299 | 2.90 |
| Fred H. Hildebrandt | Fred H. Hildebrandt | 7,414 | 0.38 |
| A. W. Powell | A. W. Powell | 6,727 | 0.34 |
| Others | Others | 5,754 | 0.29 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,976,609 | 100.00 |

#### Nomination

1944 Democratic National Convention, presidential tally :
| Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) | 1,086 | 92.35 |
| Harry F. Byrd | Harry F. Byrd | 89 | 7.56 |
| James Farley | James Farley | 1 | 0.09 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 1,176 | 100.00 |

#### General election

1944 United States presidential election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote |
| Candidate | Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % |
| | Franklin D. Roosevelt (inc.) | Harry S. Truman | Democratic | 25,612,916 | 53.38 | 432 | 81.36 |
| | Thomas E. Dewey | John W. Bricker | Republican | 22,017,929 | 45.89 | 99 | 18.64 |
| | Unpledged | Unpledged | Texas Regulars | 143,238 | 0.30 | | |
| | Norman Thomas | Darlington Hoopes | Socialist | 79,017 | 0.16 | | |
| | Claude A. Watson | Andrew N. Johnson | Prohibition | 74,758 | 0.16 | | |
| Others | Others | Others | Others | 57,004 | 0.12 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 47,984,862 | 100.00 | 531 | 100.00 |
| Source: Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections ||||||||