As a former Confederate state, North Carolina had a history of Jim Crow laws, disfranchisement of its African-American population and dominance of the Democratic Party in state politics. However, unlike the Deep South, the Republican Party had sufficient historic Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain one-third of the statewide vote total in most general elections,[3] where turnout was higher than elsewhere in the former Confederacy due substantially to the state’s early abolition of the poll tax in 1920.[4] Like Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina did not have statewide white primaries, although certain counties did use the white primary.[5]
In 1928, anti-Catholicism in the Outer Banks and growing middle-class urban Republicanism in Piedmont cities turned North Carolina to GOP nominee Herbert Hoover,[6] but this was sharply and severely reversed in the following decade beginning with Hoover’s failed nomination of John Johnston Parker to the Supreme Court.[7] With the South having the highest unemployment in the nation and blaming its fate upon the North and Wall Street,[8] exceptionally heavy support was given to Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 everywhere except in a few rock-ribbed Republican mountain bastions.[6] Nevertheless, there was virtually no change to the state’s social structure during the New Deal,[9] and the conservative “Shelby Dynasty” was strong enough to prevent any populist challenge so much as developing.[10] After the 1936 Democratic landslide and Roosevelt’s failed “court-packing” plan, the state’s leading federal officeholders came to increasingly oppose Roosevelt’s policies.[9]
Although the state’s relatively numerous Republicans were highly active in support of nominees Wendell Willkie and Senate Minority LeaderCharles L. McNary, early analysts said Roosevelt remained so popular with the state’s voters that there was no chance of the incumbent losing.[11] A poll in mid-October had Roosevelt carrying the state by a three-to-one margin after having given the incumbent 72 percent during the third week of September.[12]
Large portions of the interior of the United States – heavily populated by German Americans – opposed increasing "tension" with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and would switch support to Willkie.[14] North Carolina, however, was historically one of the least isolationist states, and its almost entirely English and Scotch-Irish descended electorate strongly favoured as much aid to Britain’s World War II effort as possible.[15] Thus, North Carolina’s electorate did not merely resist the GOP shift in the heartland – in many Appalachian counties with normally substantial Republican support, FDR gained on what he had achieved in his 1932 and 1936 national landslides.[13]
^Key, Valdimer Orlando (1949). Southern Politics in State and Nation. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 502.
^Klarman, Michael J. (2001). "The White Primary Rulings: A Case Study in the Consequences of Supreme Court Decision-Making". Florida State University Law Review. 29: 55–107.
^ abPhillips. The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 212-215
^Topping, Simon (2008). Lincoln's lost legacy: the Republican Party and the African American vote, 1928-1952. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. p. 22. ISBN0813032288.
^Ritchie, Donald A. (2007). Electing FDR: the New Deal campaign of 1932. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 143. ISBN070061687X.
^"Willkie Is Shown Favor in South: Strong Feeling for Him by Thinking Voters". The South Bend Tribune. September 1, 1940. pp. 1, 7.
^"North Carolina Leaning to F.D.R. in Poll". Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. October 6, 1940. p. 19.
^ ab"NC US President Race, November 05, 1940". Our Campaigns.
^Dunn, Susan. 1940: FDR, Willkie, Lindbergh, Hitler—The Election Amid the Storm. p. 107. ISBN0300190867.
^See Menendez, Albert J. (2005). The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004. p. 68. ISBN0786422173.
^"1940 Presidential General Election Results – North Carolina". Retrieved August 21, 2018.
^"The American Presidency Project – Election of 1940". Retrieved August 21, 2018.
^Sullivan, Robert David (June 29, 2016). "How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century". The National Catholic Review (America Magazine ed.).
^"Presidential General Election Results Comparison – North Carolina".
February 15, 2024
1940, united, states, presidential, election, north, carolina, main, article, 1940, united, states, presidential, election, took, place, november, 1940, part, 1940, united, states, presidential, election, north, carolina, voters, chose, representatives, electo. Main article 1940 United States presidential election The 1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 5 1940 as part of the 1940 United States presidential election North Carolina voters chose 13 2 representatives or electors to the Electoral College who voted for president and vice president 1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina 1936 November 5 1940 1 1944 All 13 North Carolina votes to the Electoral College Nominee Franklin D Roosevelt Wendell WillkieParty Democratic RepublicanHome state New York New YorkRunning mate Henry A Wallace Charles L McNaryElectoral vote 13 0Popular vote 609 015 213 633Percentage 74 03 25 97 County Results Roosevelt 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 90 100 Willkie 50 60 60 70 70 80 President before electionFranklin D RooseveltDemocratic Elected President Franklin D RooseveltDemocraticAs a former Confederate state North Carolina had a history of Jim Crow laws disfranchisement of its African American population and dominance of the Democratic Party in state politics However unlike the Deep South the Republican Party had sufficient historic Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain one third of the statewide vote total in most general elections 3 where turnout was higher than elsewhere in the former Confederacy due substantially to the state s early abolition of the poll tax in 1920 4 Like Virginia Tennessee and Oklahoma the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina did not have statewide white primaries although certain counties did use the white primary 5 In 1928 anti Catholicism in the Outer Banks and growing middle class urban Republicanism in Piedmont cities turned North Carolina to GOP nominee Herbert Hoover 6 but this was sharply and severely reversed in the following decade beginning with Hoover s failed nomination of John Johnston Parker to the Supreme Court 7 With the South having the highest unemployment in the nation and blaming its fate upon the North and Wall Street 8 exceptionally heavy support was given to Democratic nominee Franklin D Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 everywhere except in a few rock ribbed Republican mountain bastions 6 Nevertheless there was virtually no change to the state s social structure during the New Deal 9 and the conservative Shelby Dynasty was strong enough to prevent any populist challenge so much as developing 10 After the 1936 Democratic landslide and Roosevelt s failed court packing plan the state s leading federal officeholders came to increasingly oppose Roosevelt s policies 9 Although the state s relatively numerous Republicans were highly active in support of nominees Wendell Willkie and Senate Minority Leader Charles L McNary early analysts said Roosevelt remained so popular with the state s voters that there was no chance of the incumbent losing 11 A poll in mid October had Roosevelt carrying the state by a three to one margin after having given the incumbent 72 percent during the third week of September 12 Contents 1 Results 1 1 Results by county 2 Analysis 3 ReferencesResults edit1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina Party Candidate Votes Democratic Franklin D Roosevelt inc 609 015 74 03 Republican Wendell Willkie 213 633 25 97 Total votes 822 648 100 Results by county edit 1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina by county 13 County Franklin Delano RooseveltDemocratic Wendell Lewis WillkieRepublican Margin Martin 97 76 4 628 2 24 106 95 52 4 522Northampton 97 33 3 826 2 67 105 94 66 3 721Bertie 97 10 3 287 2 90 98 94 21 3 189Greene 96 64 2 990 3 36 104 93 28 2 886Pitt 96 46 10 067 3 54 369 92 93 9 698Hertford 96 40 2 464 3 60 92 92 80 2 372Edgecombe 95 97 7 516 4 03 316 91 93 7 200Halifax 95 67 7 982 4 33 361 91 35 7 621Franklin 95 42 4 724 4 58 227 90 83 4 497Granville 94 85 3 924 5 15 213 89 70 3 711Chowan 94 68 1 547 5 32 87 89 35 1 460Hoke 94 21 1 904 5 79 117 88 42 1 787Currituck 93 76 1 532 6 24 102 87 52 1 430Lenoir 93 42 6 247 6 58 440 86 84 5 807Nash 93 24 8 456 6 76 613 86 48 7 843Wilson 93 13 7 912 6 87 584 86 25 7 328Gates 92 78 1 388 7 22 108 85 56 1 280Anson 92 46 4 552 7 54 371 84 93 4 181Scotland 92 26 2 981 7 74 250 84 52 2 731Union 91 89 7 179 8 11 634 83 77 6 545Vance 91 80 4 252 8 20 380 83 59 3 872Warren 91 55 2 676 8 45 247 83 10 2 429Robeson 90 86 9 251 9 14 931 81 71 8 320Onslow 89 79 2 383 10 21 271 79 58 2 112Richmond 89 34 6 530 10 66 779 78 68 5 751Craven 88 70 4 916 11 30 626 77 41 4 290Person 88 23 3 239 11 77 432 76 46 2 807Pender 88 06 2 249 11 94 305 76 12 1 944Camden 87 76 961 12 24 134 75 53 827Lee 87 48 3 682 12 52 527 74 96 3 155Wake 87 16 18 083 12 84 2 665 74 31 15 418Caswell 86 93 2 335 13 07 351 73 86 1 984Pasquotank 86 75 3 314 13 25 506 73 51 2 808Columbus 86 33 5 900 13 67 934 72 67 4 966Durham 85 60 14 810 14 40 2 491 71 20 12 319Beaufort 85 52 5 528 14 48 936 71 04 4 592Jones 85 47 1 371 14 53 233 70 95 1 138Cumberland 84 40 6 050 15 60 1 118 68 81 4 932Bladen 84 34 2 925 15 66 543 68 69 2 382New Hanover 84 03 8 600 15 97 1 635 68 05 6 965Perquimans 83 76 1 176 16 24 228 67 52 948Washington 82 65 1 724 17 35 362 65 29 1 362Cleveland 82 59 9 346 17 41 1 970 65 18 7 376Rockingham 82 51 11 315 17 49 2 398 65 03 8 917Cabarrus 82 03 11 776 17 97 2 579 64 07 9 197Wayne 81 41 7 222 18 59 1 649 62 82 5 573Duplin 81 06 5 394 18 94 1 260 62 13 4 134Mecklenburg 80 40 28 768 19 60 7 013 60 80 21 755Gaston 80 08 17 262 19 92 4 294 60 16 12 968Hyde 79 55 1 202 20 45 309 59 10 893Dare 79 40 1 214 20 60 315 58 80 899Haywood 78 55 8 631 21 45 2 357 57 10 6 274Alamance 77 17 11 429 22 83 3 382 54 33 8 047Orange 76 95 3 673 23 05 1 100 53 91 2 573Rowan 76 24 13 023 23 76 4 059 52 48 8 964Forsyth 74 36 20 664 25 64 7 125 48 72 13 539Harnett 74 33 6 602 25 67 2 280 48 66 4 322Buncombe 74 04 24 878 25 96 8 723 48 08 16 155Tyrrell 73 31 1 140 26 69 415 46 62 725Guilford 73 11 26 565 26 89 9 770 46 22 16 795Iredell 73 00 10 328 27 00 3 820 46 00 6 508McDowell 70 48 5 290 29 52 2 216 40 95 3 074Johnston 70 41 9 976 29 59 4 192 40 82 5 784Chatham 68 76 4 025 31 24 1 829 37 51 2 196Carteret 68 53 3 896 31 47 1 789 37 06 2 107Surry 67 98 8 871 32 02 4 178 35 96 4 693Rutherford 67 84 8 869 32 16 4 204 35 68 4 665Caldwell 67 82 6 334 32 18 3 005 35 65 3 329Catawba 66 51 11 233 33 49 5 656 33 02 5 577Pamlico 66 48 1 448 33 52 730 32 97 718Jackson 65 44 4 563 34 56 2 410 30 88 2 153Brunswick 64 10 2 717 35 90 1 522 28 19 1 195Henderson 63 06 6 336 36 94 3 712 26 11 2 624Swain 62 96 2 422 37 04 1 425 25 92 997Montgomery 62 70 3 007 37 30 1 789 25 40 1 218Moore 62 60 4 330 37 40 2 587 25 20 1 743Transylvania 62 13 3 312 37 87 2 019 24 25 1 293Polk 61 63 2 454 38 37 1 528 23 25 926Alleghany 61 60 1 952 38 40 1 217 23 19 735Davidson 61 37 11 084 38 63 6 978 22 73 4 106Lincoln 61 26 4 901 38 74 3 099 22 53 1 802Stokes 61 18 4 274 38 82 2 712 22 36 1 562Burke 59 70 7 242 40 30 4 889 19 40 2 353Yancey 58 10 3 489 41 90 2 516 16 20 973Stanly 58 04 6 321 41 96 4 569 16 09 1 752Graham 56 32 1 404 43 68 1 089 12 64 315Macon 55 99 2 941 44 01 2 312 11 97 629Alexander 55 27 2 739 44 73 2 217 10 53 522Randolph 54 51 8 455 45 49 7 056 9 02 1 399Cherokee 54 32 3 180 45 68 2 674 8 64 506Clay 53 43 1 349 46 57 1 176 6 85 173Davie 53 35 2 896 46 65 2 532 6 71 364Ashe 53 04 4 716 46 96 4 175 6 08 541Watauga 49 16 3 615 50 84 3 739 1 69 124Yadkin 47 31 3 660 52 69 4 077 5 39 417Sampson 46 96 5 107 53 04 5 769 6 09 662Wilkes 46 36 7 299 53 64 8 446 7 28 1 147Madison 40 72 3 171 59 28 4 617 18 57 1 446Mitchell 30 59 1 450 69 41 3 290 38 82 1 840Avery 28 85 1 194 71 15 2 944 42 29 1 750Analysis editLarge portions of the interior of the United States heavily populated by German Americans opposed increasing tension with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and would switch support to Willkie 14 North Carolina however was historically one of the least isolationist states and its almost entirely English and Scotch Irish descended electorate strongly favoured as much aid to Britain s World War II effort as possible 15 Thus North Carolina s electorate did not merely resist the GOP shift in the heartland in many Appalachian counties with normally substantial Republican support FDR gained on what he had achieved in his 1932 and 1936 national landslides 13 North Carolina was thus won in a landslide by incumbent President Roosevelt and running mate Agriculture Secretary Henry A Wallace with 74 03 percent of the popular vote against Willkie s 25 97 percent 16 17 As of the 2020 presidential election update this is the last election in which Davie County and Randolph County voted for a Democratic presidential candidate 18 This is also the best Democratic performance in the state since Andrew Jackson in 1832 19 References edit United States Presidential election of 1940 Encyclopaedia Britannica Retrieved August 21 2018 1940 Election for the Thirty ninth Term 1941 45 Retrieved August 21 2018 Phillips Kevin P The Emerging Republican Majority pp 210 242 ISBN 978 0 691 16324 6 Key Valdimer Orlando 1949 Southern Politics in State and Nation Alfred A Knopf p 502 Klarman Michael J 2001 The White Primary Rulings A Case Study in the Consequences of Supreme Court Decision Making Florida State University Law Review 29 55 107 a b Phillips The Emerging Republican Majority pp 212 215 Topping Simon 2008 Lincoln s lost legacy the Republican Party and the African American vote 1928 1952 Gainesville Florida University Press of Florida p 22 ISBN 0813032288 Ritchie Donald A 2007 Electing FDR the New Deal campaign of 1932 Lawrence Kansas University Press of Kansas p 143 ISBN 070061687X a b See Abrams Douglas Carl 1992 Conservative constraints North Carolina and the New Deal Jackson Mississippi University Press of Mississippi ISBN 9780878055593 Christensen Rob 2010 The paradox of Tar Heel politics the personalities elections and events that shaped modern North Carolina Chapel Hill North Carolina University of North Carolina Press pp 62 68 ISBN 9780807899632 Willkie Is Shown Favor in South Strong Feeling for Him by Thinking Voters The South Bend Tribune September 1 1940 pp 1 7 North Carolina Leaning to F D R in Poll Winston Salem Journal and Sentinel Winston Salem North Carolina October 6 1940 p 19 a b NC US President Race November 05 1940 Our Campaigns Dunn Susan 1940 FDR Willkie Lindbergh Hitler The Election Amid the Storm p 107 ISBN 0300190867 See Menendez Albert J 2005 The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States 1868 2004 p 68 ISBN 0786422173 1940 Presidential General Election Results North Carolina Retrieved August 21 2018 The American Presidency Project Election of 1940 Retrieved August 21 2018 Sullivan Robert David June 29 2016 How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century The National Catholic Review America Magazine ed Presidential General Election Results Comparison North Carolina Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1940 United States presidential election in North Carolina amp oldid 1173834073, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
