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1940 United States elections
1938          1939          1940          1941          1942
Presidential election year
Election dayNovember 5
Incumbent president Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic)
Next Congress 77th
Presidential election
Partisan controlDemocratic hold
Popular vote marginDemocratic +9.9%
Electoral vote
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)449
Wendell Willkie (R)82
1940 United States presidential election in California 1940 United States presidential election in Oregon 1940 United States presidential election in Washington (state) 1940 United States presidential election in Idaho 1940 United States presidential election in Nevada 1940 United States presidential election in Utah 1940 United States presidential election in Arizona 1940 United States presidential election in Montana 1940 United States presidential election in Wyoming 1940 United States presidential election in Colorado 1940 United States presidential election in New Mexico 1940 United States presidential election in North Dakota 1940 United States presidential election in South Dakota 1940 United States presidential election in Nebraska 1940 United States presidential election in Kansas 1940 United States presidential election in Oklahoma 1940 United States presidential election in Texas 1940 United States presidential election in Minnesota 1940 United States presidential election in Iowa 1940 United States presidential election in Missouri 1940 United States presidential election in Arkansas 1940 United States presidential election in Louisiana 1940 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 1940 United States presidential election in Illinois 1940 United States presidential election in Michigan 1940 United States presidential election in Indiana 1940 United States presidential election in Ohio 1940 United States presidential election in Kentucky 1940 United States presidential election in Tennessee 1940 United States presidential election in Mississippi 1940 United States presidential election in Alabama 1940 United States presidential election in Georgia 1940 United States presidential election in Florida 1940 United States presidential election in South Carolina 1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina 1940 United States presidential election in Virginia 1940 United States presidential election in West Virginia 1940 United States presidential election in Maryland 1940 United States presidential election in Delaware 1940 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania 1940 United States presidential election in New Jersey 1940 United States presidential election in New York 1940 United States presidential election in Connecticut 1940 United States presidential election in Rhode Island 1940 United States presidential election in Vermont 1940 United States presidential election in New Hampshire 1940 United States presidential election in Maine 1940 United States presidential election in Massachusetts 1940 United States presidential election in Maryland 1940 United States presidential election in Delaware 1940 United States presidential election in New Jersey 1940 United States presidential election in Connecticut 1940 United States presidential election in Rhode Island 1940 United States presidential election in Massachusetts 1940 United States presidential election in Vermont 1940 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
1940 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Willkie, blue denotes states won by Roosevelt. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contested36 of 96 seats
(32 Class 1 seats + 4 special elections)
Net seat changeRepublican +4 [1]
1940 United States Senate special election in Idaho 1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois 1940 United States Senate special election in Kentucky 1940 United States Senate special election in Vermont 1940 United States Senate election in Arizona 1940 United States Senate election in California 1940 United States Senate election in Connecticut 1940 United States Senate election in Delaware 1940 United States Senate election in Florida 1940 United States Senate election in Indiana 1940 United States Senate election in Maine 1940 United States Senate election in Maryland 1940 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1940 United States Senate election in Michigan 1940 United States Senate election in Minnesota 1940 United States Senate election in Mississippi 1940 United States Senate election in Missouri 1940 United States Senate election in Montana 1940 United States Senate election in Nebraska 1940 United States Senate election in Nevada 1940 United States Senate election in New Jersey 1940 United States Senate election in New Mexico 1940 United States Senate election in New York 1940 United States Senate election in North Dakota 1940 United States Senate election in Ohio 1940 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania 1940 United States Senate election in Rhode Island 1940 United States Senate election in Tennessee 1940 United States Senate election in Texas 1940 United States Senate election in Utah 1940 United States Senate election in Vermont 1940 United States Senate election in Virginia 1940 United States Senate election in Washington 1940 United States Senate election in West Virginia 1940 United States Senate election in Wisconsin 1940 United States Senate election in Wyoming
1940 Senate results

  Democratic gain   Democratic hold
  Republican gain   Republican hold

  Progressive hold
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 435 voting members
Popular vote marginDemocratic +5.8%
Net seat changeDemocratic +5
1940 House election results map
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested34
Net seat changeRepublican +2
1940 Rhode Island gubernatorial election 1940 Illinois gubernatorial election 1940 Wisconsin gubernatorial election 1940 Iowa gubernatorial election 1940 Arkansas gubernatorial election 1940 Kansas gubernatorial election 1940 Texas gubernatorial election 1940 New Mexico gubernatorial election 1940 Arizona gubernatorial election 1940 Florida gubernatorial election 1940 Massachusetts gubernatorial election 1940 Michigan gubernatorial election 1940 Nebraska gubernatorial election 1940 South Dakota gubernatorial election 1940 Minnesota gubernatorial election 1940 Maine gubernatorial election 1940 Colorado gubernatorial election 1940 Ohio gubernatorial election 1940 Tennessee gubernatorial election 1940 Connecticut gubernatorial election 1940 Idaho gubernatorial election 1940 Georgia gubernatorial election 1940 New Jersey gubernatorial election 1940 Delaware gubernatorial election 1940 Indiana gubernatorial election 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election 1940 Montana gubernatorial election 1940 New Hampshire gubernatorial election 1940 North Carolina gubernatorial election 1940 North Dakota gubernatorial election 1940 Utah gubernatorial election 1940 Vermont gubernatorial election 1940 Washington gubernatorial election 1940 West Virginia gubernatorial election
1940 gubernatorial election results

  Democratic gain   Democratic hold

  Republican gain   Republican hold

The 1940 United States elections were held on November 5. The Democratic Party continued to dominate national politics, as it defended its congressional majorities and retained the presidency. It was the last election prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II.

In the presidential election, Democratic incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to serve an unprecedented third term, defeating Republican businessman Wendell Willkie of New York. Although Willkie fared better than the previous two Republican presidential candidates, Roosevelt crushed Willkie in the electoral college and won the popular vote by ten points. At the 1940 Democratic National Convention, Roosevelt overcame opposition from Vice President John Nance Garner and Postmaster General James Farley to win on the first ballot. Willkie won the Republican nomination on the sixth ballot, defeating Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft and Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey. [2] [3]

The Democrats gained five seats in the House of Representatives, furthering their majority over the Republicans. The Democrats also maintained a majority in the U.S. Senate; however, they lost three seats to the Republicans in that house. [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Republicans picked up three seats in the regularly-scheduled elections and picked up an additional seat in the special elections.
  2. ^ "1940 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1940" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 28 December 2011.