1940 United States Presidential Election

1936 Presidential Election - 1944 USA Presidential Election, 1944 DSA Presidential Election

## Background

After Huey Long was inaugurated as President, a lot has happened. President Long passed the Share Our Wealth program before he was assassinated by a Japanese spy, a plane having hit Capitol Hill killing most of Congress, Germany invaded most of Europe kick-starting World War III, and fascism started becoming a prominent force in America with the rise of the Christian Party and William Dudley Pelley. With all of this set in motion, America was facing a very chaotic election year.

## Primaries

**-Dem Primary**

Henry WallaceHenry Wallace came into power during a very tumultuous time. After President Long's assassination and the attack on the capitol, Wallace had to quell the chaos in the streets as well as fight a war against Japan. Wallace was proving to be fairly popular within the party, and as a result he would face no serious challenger for the Democratic nomination. He would choose Harry Truman as his running mate.
**-GOP Primary**

Arthur VandenburgDuring a very chaotic time period, the Republicans had decided to paint themselves as the sensible, moderate party in contrast with the Democrats recent passing of Share Our Wealth, and William Dudley Pelley's radical agenda. They chose Arthur Vandenburg, senator of Michigan to head the ticket, and Charles McNary to be his running mate.
**-Christian Party**

William Dudley PelleyAfter a minor write-in campaign in the 1936 presidential election, several race related riots, and the progressive turn of the Democrats, a sleeping giant of the south was awoken with William Dudley Pelley. Pelley had risen to prominence on his policy of Christian economics and attacks on colored and semitic communities, as well as calling for neutrality with the Axis powers due to their current struggles with the Japanese. Pelley would win his own party's nomination, and eventually chose Hamilton Fish III as his running mate.

## Results

 Arthur Vandenburg

William Dudley PelleyHenry WallaceArthur VandenburgThis was a surprising election for a number of reasons. First off, before the election, William Dudley Pelley had been arrested in county jail after his league was revealed to harbor plans of seditious acts and attacks on federal bodies, as he was awaiting trial. Second, Pelley's drastic and unprecedented rise in notoriety and subsequent victory had several facets to it. William Dudley Pelley had managed to keep himself in the headlines, turning this election into an issue about himself, arguably splitting the vote between Henry Wallace and Arthur Vandenburg as they both campaigned heavily against him. This alone was key in his victories in several key, urban states, such as Ohio and California, which he needed to have a stand in in order to have a chance at winning. In addition to this, Pelley's campaign's alignment with religious themes had resonated with many southern voters, especially after the Democrats progressive turn and the chaotic past years that the country has been forced into. Winning over southern and agricultural states, as well as performing well enough in suburban areas had created a slim winning coalition for him. Arthur Vandenburg and the Republicans had struggled to find ground outside of North Eastern states, meanwhile President Wallace had managed to be on fighting grounds in most parts of the country. Shortly after Pelley's victory, there have been multiple riots across the country, and he had to be escorted out of the county jail to a secure location after the facility was raided by a mob.