The Election of 1948

The atomic bomb brought a sudden end to Second World War. As president toward the close of the war, Harry Truman initially enjoyed great popularity, and partisanship was subordinated to the national effort to win the war. As the 1946 midterm elections approached, with conservative forces prevailing in Congress and inflation raging throughout the country, Truman was politically vulnerable. The Republicans won a thumping victory in the midterm elections, taking control of both houses of Congress. During the campaign Truman deflected blame for the country’s domestic ills by using the Eightieth Congress as a whipping boy. But Truman pulled off the greatest upset in the history of presidential elections. He won 24 million votes and 24 states compared to Dewey’s 22 million and 16 states. With this powerful coalition intact, Truman proved that a Democrat could win a presidential election even without the Solid South.