Here are the most notable candidates for the Democratic nomination.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 58 (NY)
Born in Hyde Park, New York, and cousin of Theodore Roosevelt (26th POTUS), Roosevelt attended Groton School, Harvard College, and Columbia Law School, and went on to practice law in New York City. He won election to the New York Senate in 1910, and then served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Wilson during the last World War. Roosevelt was James Cox’s running mate for the Democrats in 1920, but Cox was defeated in that year’s presidential election. Despite his partial paralysis stemming from his illness, Roosevelt returned to public office by being elected as Governor of New York in 1928. He was in office for four years and served as a reform Governor, promoting programs to combat the economic crisis of the time. In 1932, Roosevelt defeated President Hoover in the presidential election, becoming the nation’s 32nd President. During the first 100 days, Roosevelt spearheaded federal legislation and issued a profusion of executive orders that instituted the New Deal—a variety of programs designed to produce relief, recovery, and reform. He created numerous programs to provide relief to the unemployed and farmers while seeking economic recovery with the N.R.A. and other programs. He also instituted major regulatory reforms related to finance, communications, and labor, and presided over the end of Prohibition. He implemented the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Social Security. The economy having been improved, Roosevelt won a landslide reelection in 1936. However, the economy then relapsed into a deep recession in 1937-38. Roosevelt sought passage of the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937, which would have expanded the size of the Supreme Court of the United States. The bipartisan Conservative Coalition prevented passage of the bill and blocked the implementation of further New Deal programs and reforms.
Postmaster General James Aloysius Farley, 52 (NY)
Born in Grassy Point, New York, he is now the chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Postmaster General under President Roosevelt. A business executive and dignitary and a Knight of Malta, Farley was commonly referred to as a political kingmaker, and he was responsible for Roosevelt’s rise to the presidency. Farley was the campaign manager for New York politician Al Smith’s 1922 gubernatorial campaign and Roosevelt’s 1928 and 1930 gubernatorial campaigns as well as Roosevelt’s presidential campaigns of 1932 and 1936. Farley predicted large landslides in both, and revolutionized the use of polling data. He was also responsible for pulling together the New Deal Coalition of Catholics, labor unions, African Americans, and farmers. Farley and the administration’s patronage machine over which he presided helped to fuel the social and infrastructure programs of the New Deal. He handled most mid-level and lower-level appointments, in consultation with state and local Democratic organizations. He was the first high-ranking government official to travel to Rome in 1933.
Vice President John Nance Garner, 72 (TX)
Born in Detroit, Texas, Garner began his political career as the county judge of Uvalde County. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1898 to 1902 and won election to represent Texas in the House of Representatives in 1902. He represented Texas’s 15th congressional district from 1903 to 1933. Garner served as House Minority Leader from 1929 to 1931, and was elevated to Speaker of the House when Democrats won control of the House in 1930. Garner sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1932, but he agreed to serve as Franklin Roosevelt’s running mate at the 1932 Democratic National Convention. Roosevelt and Garner won the 1932 election and were re-elected in 1936. A conservative Southerner, Garner opposed the sit-down strikes of the labor unions and the New Deal’s deficit spending. He broke with Roosevelt in 1937 over the issue of enlarging the Supreme Court, and helped defeat it on the grounds that it centralized too much power in the President’s hands.
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In the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention '40 in Chicago, Illinois, there was much speculation as to whether President Franklin Roosevelt would run for an unprecedented third term. The two-term tradition, although not (yet) enshrined in the Constitution, had been established by George Washington when he refused to run for a third term in 1796, 144 years ago. Roosevelt refused to give a definitive statement as to his willingness to be a candidate again, and he even indicated to some ambitious Democrats, like James Farley, that he would not run for a third term and that they could seek the Democratic nomination. By outward appearances, Roosevelt had been preparing for retirement.
Whether Roosevelt would run for a third term was the question at the annual Gridiron Club dinner December 9, 1939. In one skit, an actor asked, “Is he, or ain’t he?” over and over as he gazed at a massive papier mache sphinx representing President Roosevelt. The unanswered question: would FDR run for a third term?
GALLUP POLL - JANUARY 3
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESInterviewing Date 12/24-29/39
Survey # 180-A Question #11a
Asked of Democrats: Whom would you like to see nominated by the Democratic party for President in 1940?
Roosevelt… 78%
Garner… 13%
McNutt… 4%
Hull… 2%
Murphy… 1%
Farley… 1%
Others… 1%
No opinion… 25%Survey #180-A Question #11b
Asked of Democrats: If Franklin Roosevelt is not a candidate, whom would you like to see nominated?
Garner… 58%
McNutt… 17%
Hull… 8%
Parley… 5%
Others… 12%
No opinion… 52%
GALLUP POLL - JANUARY 12
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELTInterviewing Date 12/24-29/39
Survey #180-A Question #13c
In general, do you approve or disapprove today of Franklin Roosevelt as President?
Approve… 63.5%
Disapprove… 36.5%Interviewing Date 12/15-20/39
Survey #179-A Question #11
If President Roosevelt runs for a third term will you vote for him?
Yes…46%
No… 54%
Political Affiliation Yes No Democrats 79% 21% Republicans 7% 93%
The Pittsburgh Press (March 11, 1940)
IT’S ZERO HOUR FOR ROOSEVELT DRAFT PROGRAM
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New Hampshire Primary Due to Give Him First 3rd Term Delegation
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By LYLE C. WILSON,
United Press Staff WriterWashington, March 11 –
President Roosevelt must call off the third term draft movement today or be prepared tomorrow to begin accumulating convention delegates pledged or favorable to his renomination.
Lacking some word of disavowal from the White House, it appears now that the draft-Roosevelt movement will have a substantial bloc of delegates, well over 200, when the Democratic National Convention meets July 15 in Chicago. The Roosevelt drafters are active now in nine of 15 presidential preference primary states for a stake of 288 delegate votes, 263 short of the bare majority necessary to nominate.
New Hampshire Primary
First, Roosevelt delegates are scheduled to be elected tomorrow in New Hampshire’s preferential primary which may or may not be binding according to the nature of the pledge appearing on the primary ballot. New Hampshire leads off the primary list in an election in which Mr. Roosevelt is assured of at least some of the states’ 12 convention votes because neither Vice President John Garner nor Postmaster General James Farley are represented by full slates.
There is but slight expectation here that Mr. Roosevelt will recognize the impending New Hampshire primary with a statement of his 1940 intentions. The fact that he has remained silent so long and must state his position today to prevent accumulation of delegates has convinced some observers that Mr. Roosevelt intends to withhold the big news until the Democratic convention meets.
No Real G.O.P. Contest
There is no real Republican contest in the New Hampshire primary, although one delegate is running as pledged to District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey, despite the latter’s refusal to seek New Hampshire support. Other Republican delegates are unpledged.
Except for a few intimates to whom Mr. Roosevelt has said he was not a candidate, none here presumes to know his 1940 intentions. If he is not seeking renomination, however, it is fairly obvious that his tactics so far are directed, first, toward preventing the nomination of Mr. Garner or any other conservative, and, second, toward accumulating so substantial a bloc of delegates that he will be able to force party conservatives to nominate a man satisfactory to New Dealers. The compromise candidate given most serious consideration here is Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
However, as Germany swept through Western Europe and menaced Britain, Roosevelt decided that only he had the necessary experience and skills to see the nation safely through the Nazi threat. He was aided by the party’s political bosses, who feared that no Democrat except Roosevelt could defeat Wendell Willkie, the popular Republican nominee. Having a new President come in to face these challenges while learning the ropes, the party leaders deemed potentially existentially catastrophic for the nation.
GALLUP POLL - APRIL 15
PRESIDENTIAL TRIAL HEATInterviewing Date 3/27-4/1/40
Survey #188-K Question #5b
If President Roosevelt runs for a third term on the Democratic ticket against Senator Vandenberg on the Republican ticket, which one would you prefer?
Roosevelt… 53%
Vandenberg… 47%
No opinion… 12%
GALLUP POLL - MAY 15
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESInterviewing Date 5/5-10/40
Survey #193-K Question #3b
Asked of Democrats: If Franklin Roosevelt is not a candidate, whom would you like to see the Democratic party nominate for President?
Hull… 47%
Garner… 21%
Farley… 16%
McNutt… 6%
Wheeler… 4%
Jackson… 1%
LaGuardia…1%
Others… 4%
No opinion… 45%
Newark Sunday Call (June 30, 1940)
Third Party Is Seen Probable
Two ‘Interventionists’ in Race Would Force It, Says Johnson.
Washington, June 30 (UP) –Senator Johnson (D-CO), calling Wendell Willkie an “interventionist”, asserted yesterday that there would be a third party – “the Peace Party” – if the Democratic Presidential nominee also was one.
“The mothers, the ‘cannon fodder’, and the veterans of this republic demand a vote on the question of peace and they shall have it,” Johnson added in a statement.
The Colorado Senator is supporting Senator Wheeler of Montana for the Democratic nomination.
Wheeler has been critical of the administration’s policy of aid to the Allies, and two weeks ago in the Senate declared that he would “break with the Democratic Party” if it became a ‘war party.’
Johnson said that Wheeler was the only Democrat who could defeat the Republican Presidential candidate.
“Willkie is vulnerable in his Wall Street connections and in his attitude toward war and the Democrats to win must make the most of his weakness,” he said.
With the Republican convention over, capital political interest veered to the forthcoming Democratic convention at Chicago beginning July 15.
Vice Presidential Issue
Most Democrats, confident that President Roosevelt would accept a third nomination, appeared to believe that the only major issue facing their convention would be selection of a Vice Presidential candidate.
Senator Ellender (D-LA) predicted that nomination of Mr. Roosevelt for a third term would be “practically unanimous, except for a few favorite son candidates.”
The Louisiana Senator said that renomination of Vice President Garner, “if he will take it,” would be a harmonious move.
“If Garner won’t have it, I believe Senator Byrnes (D-SC) is leading the field,” Ellender said.
As a preliminary to the Democratic convention, it was announced that a subcommittee of the Democratic National Committee would meet in Chicago July 11 to consider a plan for reapportioning delegates to future conventions.
The subcommittee, headed by Senator Theodore F. Green of Rhode Island, was created pursuant to instructions of the 1936 national convention, which voted out the two-thirds rule. Southern delegates, in yielding the rule under which they had been able to balance the numerical superiority of northern states in choosing a Presidential candidate, were assured that a new system of apportioning delegates would be installed.
The present system is two delegates for each Senator and Representative in Congress, plus six from the District of Columbia and each of the territorial possessions except the Virgin Islands Presidential voting get bigger delegations in the next party convention.
GALLUP POLL - JULY 1
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESInterviewing Date 6/9-14/40
Survey #198-K Question #10a
Asked of Democrats: Whom would you like to see nominated by the Democratic party for President?
Roosevelt… 92%
Hull… 3%
Garner… 2%
Farley… 1%
McNutt… 1%
Others… 1%
No opinion… 17%Interviewing Date 6/9-14/40
Survey #198-K Question #10b
Asked of Democrats: If Franklin Roosevelt is not a candidate, whom would you like to see the Democratic party nominate for president?
Hull… 47%
Garner… 23%
Farley… 12%
McNutt… 9%
Wheeler… 3%
Jackson… 1%
LaGuardia… 1%
Others… 4%
No opinion… 48%
Results of the Democratic primaries
| Date | Primary | Franklin D. Roosevelt | James Farley | John Nance Garner | William B. Bankhead | Charles W. Sawyer | O. John Rogge | Millard Tydings | Burton K. Wheeler | Joseph C. O’Mahoney | Unpledged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 12 | New Hampshire | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 2 | Wisconsin | 88% | 0% | 13% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 9 | Illinois | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 9 | Nebraska | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 23 | Pennsylvania | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 30 | Massachusetts | 1% | 96% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| May 5 | South Dakota | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| May 7 | Alabama | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 7 | California | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 14 | Ohio | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 14 | West Virginia | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 17 | Oregon | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 21 | New Jersey | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Results of the Democratic State Conventions and Committees
| Date | Primary | Franklin D. Roosevelt | James Farley | John Nance Garner | William B. Bankhead | Charles W. Sawyer | O. John Rogge | Millard Tydings | Burton K. Wheeler | Joseph C. O’Mahoney | Unpledged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 27 | Maine | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 6 | Arizona | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| April 7 | Puerto Rico | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 15 | New York | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 25 | Georgia | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| April 26 | Hawaii | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 11 | Oklahoma | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 12 | Iowa | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 13 | North Dakota | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 17 | North Carolina | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 20 | Delaware | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 22 | Maryland | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| May 23 | Vermont | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 4 | Connecticut | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 5 | Louisiana | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 10 | Kansas | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 11 | Mississippi | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 14 | Virginia | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| June 15 | Michigan | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 16 | Nevada | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| June 16 | Washington | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 18 | Arkansas | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 22 | Illinois | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| June 27 | Indiana | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
The News-Dispatch (July 9, 1940)
McNutt Believes There Will Be 3rd Term Try
Washington, July 9 (UP) –Federal Security Administrator Paul V. McNutt intimated indirectly after a conference with President Roosevelt today that he believes the chief executive will seek a third term.
Farley To Be Placed In Nomination
Chicago, July 9 (UP) –Postmaster General James A. Farley’s name will be placed in nomination for President next week before the Democratic National Convention, he revealed today in an enigmatic reply to a press conference question.
The Daily News (July 12, 1940)
Roosevelt Not To Attend Convention
Washington, July 12 (UP) –President Roosevelt announced definitely today that he would not go to Chicago to attend the Democratic National Convention, but continued his secrecy as to his intentions regarding a third term.
Mr. Roosevelt, maintaining the greatest riddle in American political history, gave no clue as to whether he intends to submit to the draft movement which is assuming overwhelming proportions as delegates gather at Chicago.
He would not tell press conference questioners whether he contemplates any message to the convention or to the political lieutenants who are organizing pre-convention strategy. Declaring that regardless of politics and conventions he still is President of the United States and business must go on as usual, Mr. Roosevelt said his only plans are for a brief cruise down the Potomac Saturday and Sunday and a trip the following Sunday to his Hyde Park home.