Republican Party presidential primaries, 1944

Republican Party presidential primaries, 1944
United States
March 14 to May 19, 1944

 
Candidate Thomas E. Dewey Douglas MacArthur Earl Warren
Home state New York Wisconsin California
Contests won 3 2 1
Popular vote 278,272 662,127 594,439
Percentage 12.2% 28.9% 26.0%

 
Candidate John W. Bricker W. Chapman Revercomb Harold Stassen
Home state Ohio West Virginia Minnesota
Contests won 1 1 1
Popular vote 366,444 91,602 67,508
Percentage 16.0% 4.0% 3.0%

 
Candidate Charles A. Christopherson
Home state South Dakota
Contests won 1
Popular vote 33,497
Percentage 1.6%

Results map by state.

Previous Republican nominee

Wendell Willkie

Republican nominee

Thomas E. Dewey

The 1944 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1944 U.S. presidential election. The nominee was selected through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1944 Republican National Convention held from June 26 to June 28, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois.[1]

As 1944 began the frontrunners for the Republican nomination appeared to be Wendell Willkie, the party's 1940 candidate, Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, the leader of the party's conservatives, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, the leader of the party's powerful, moderate eastern establishment, General Douglas MacArthur, then serving as an Allied commander in the Pacific theater of the war, and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen, then serving as a U.S. naval officer in the Pacific. However, Taft surprised many by announcing that he was not a candidate; instead he voiced his support for a fellow conservative, Governor John W. Bricker of Ohio. With Taft out of the race some GOP conservatives favored General MacArthur. However, MacArthur's chances were limited by the fact that he was leading Allied forces against Japan, and thus could not campaign for the nomination. His supporters did enter his name in the Wisconsin primary. The Wisconsin primary proved to be the key contest, as Dewey won by a surprisingly wide margin; he took 14 delegates to four for Harold Stassen, while MacArthur won the three remaining delegates. Willkie was shut out in the Wisconsin primary; he did not win a single delegate. His unexpectedly poor showing in Wisconsin forced him to withdraw as a candidate for the nomination.

At the 1944 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Dewey easily overcame Bricker and was nominated on the first ballot. In a bid to maintain party unity, Dewey, a moderate, chose the conservative Bricker as his running mate; Bricker was nominated by acclamation.

Candidates

Nominee

Withdrew during convention

Withdrew during primaries

Statewide contest by winner

Date Primary Douglas MacArthur Earl Warren John W. Bricker Thomas Dewey W. Chapman Revercomb Harold Stassen Riley A. Bender Charles A. Christopherson Wendell Willkie Joseph H. Bottum Unpledged
March 14 New Hampshire 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100%
April 5 Wisconsin 73% 0% 0% 15% 0% 0% 0% 0% 5% 0% 0%
April 11 Illinois 92% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0% 6% 0% 0% 0% 0%
April 11 Nebraska 0% 0% 0% 23% 0% 66% 0% 0% 10% 0% 0%
April 23 Pennsylvania 5% 0% 2% 84% 0% 1% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0%
April 25 Massachusetts 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100%
May 1 Maryland 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 21% 0% 79%
May 2 South Dakota 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 60% 0% 40% 0%
May 2 Ohio 0% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
May 2 West Virginia 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
May 16 California 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
May 16 New Jersey 1% 0% 1% 86% 0% 1% 0% 0% 3% 0% 0%
May 19 Oregon 0% 0% 5% 78% 0% 9% 0% 0% 5% 0% 0%

The convention

Convention vote
Presidential ballot 1 Vice-presidential ballot 1
New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey 1,056 Ohio Governor John W. Bricker 1,057
General Douglas MacArthur 1 Abstaining 2

See also

References

  1. "Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books". Books.google.com. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
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