Presidential Election of 1944

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION of 1944 took place while the United States was engaged in World War II. As Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Dewey squared off and battled for the presidency, the American military was making tremendous strides throughout the European and Pacific theatres of war. Roosevelt had led the country since 1933, and re-election seemed certain. The choice for Roosevelt's vice presidential candidate proved to be the most dramatic moment in the campaign, and [Page 629]this decision proved to be the most important. Although Roosevelt did not announce his decision to seek re-election until later in 1944, the State of the Union address in January clearly proclaimed his goals for the following four years. He spoke of changes to the tax system and food distribution, which would speed the continuing war effort. He also spoke of the continued importance of solidarity in America, as the nation faced another year of battles throughout the war.

As the months progressed, Roosevelt realized the need to confront some of his supposed weaknesses and Republican claims. Republicans, and even former administration officials, claimed that Roosevelt was disorganized and too clandestine. There were also rumblings from Republicans that a victory for Roosevelt could lead to a dictatorship or even the beginning of Communism in the United States. Questions of Roosevelt's health also came up in the press regularly; he had a chronic cough and suffered regularly from a variety of illnesses.