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1948 United States presidential election in Florida

Main article: 1948 United States presidential election

The 1948 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 2, 1948. Voters chose eight electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1948 United States presidential election in Florida
← 1944 November 2, 1948 1952 →
 
Nominee Harry Truman Thomas E. Dewey Strom Thurmond
Party Democratic Republican Dixiecrat
Home state Missouri New York South Carolina
Running mate Alben Barkley Earl Warren Fielding Wright
Electoral vote 8 0 0
Popular vote 281,988 194,280 89,755
Percentage 48.82% 33.63% 15.54%
County Results
President before election

Harry Truman
Democratic

Elected President

Harry Truman
Democratic

Harry S. Truman won by 87,708 votes or 15.19 percentage points over his Republican opponent Thomas E. Dewey. In culturally Deep Southern North Florida, including the rural and socially conservative Panhandle, Truman was able to rely on having a strong economic program – which Strom Thurmond entirely lacked – to hold off Thurmond's racial appeal.[1] In more cosmopolitan and liberal Central and South Florida – which had seen extensive settlement by Northerners since the war – his economic policies were a winner against Henry A. Wallace, who received only two percent of the state's vote but did an order of magnitude better in some Tampa precincts.[2]

Dewey nonetheless made dramatic gains upon previous Republican efforts in Florida. By carrying eleven counties, all of which were located in Central and South Florida, mostly in the southwest and on the east coast, he was only the fifth Republican to carry any Florida county at the presidential level since the poll tax' original implementation following the 1888 election.[3][a] The Dewey counties had in earlier Democratic primaries typically backed "conservative" candidates favoring limited or no economic regulation,[1] due to their lack of dependence on the traditionally "Southern" crops of cotton and tobacco, and would become the most consistently conservative and Republican counties in future presidential elections. Strom Thurmond, who had had to run as a third-party candidate under the "States' Rights" banner, nonetheless won over fifteen percent of the vote. Thurmond carried three counties but ran second in thirty-one others.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time that Florida was won by a Democratic presidential candidate by double digits. Republicans have won Florida by double digits in six subsequent elections. This election is also the last time Highlands County have ever voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.[4] Osceola County, which Truman won by two votes, would not vote Democratic again until 1996.[3] Seminole County would not vote Democratic again until 2020. 16% of white voters supported Thurmond.[5] Florida's ballot access laws required parties to have 5% of voters registered in them before the primary in May. The Progressives were unable to meet this requirement, but the Florida legislature changed the laws to allow the Dixiecrats to appear. This also allowed the Progressives to appear as well.[6]

Results

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United States presidential election in Florida, 1948[7]
Party Candidate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Democratic Harry S. Truman (incumbent) 281,988 48.82% 8
Republican Thomas E. Dewey 194,280 33.63% 0
States' Rights Strom Thurmond 89,755 15.54% 0
Progressive Henry A. Wallace 11,620 2.01% 0
Total 577,643 100.00% 8
Voter turnout (Voting age) 33.5%[8]

Results by county

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County[9] Harry S. Truman
Democratic 		Thomas E. Dewey
Republican 		Strom Thurmond
Dixiecrat 		Henry A. Wallace
Progressive 		Margin Total votes cast
# % # % # % # % # %
Alachua 3,745 36.78% 2,403 23.60% 3,937 38.67% 97 0.95% -192 -1.89% 10,182
Baker 849 72.19% 112 9.52% 213 18.11% 2 0.17% 636 54.08% 1,176
Bay 5,168 70.68% 928 12.69% 1,193 16.32% 23 0.31% 3,975 54.36% 7,312
Bradford 1,228 56.07% 357 16.30% 593 27.08% 12 0.55% 635 28.99% 2,190
Brevard 2,348 42.20% 2,315 41.61% 857 15.40% 44 0.79% 33 0.59% 5,564
Broward 7,096 36.35% 9,933 50.88% 2,300 11.78% 192 0.98% -2,837 -14.53% 19,521
Calhoun 1,404 78.26% 128 7.13% 258 14.38% 4 0.22% 1,146 63.88% 1,794
Charlotte 520 41.01% 559 44.09% 172 13.56% 17 1.34% -39 -3.08% 1,268
Citrus 940 56.90% 461 27.91% 244 14.77% 7 0.42% 479 28.99% 1,652
Clay 1,544 56.31% 722 26.33% 457 16.67% 19 0.69% 822 29.98% 2,742
Collier 362 41.14% 247 28.07% 251 28.52% 20 2.27% 111 12.62% 880
Columbia 1,797 53.93% 553 16.60% 978 29.35% 4 0.12% 819 24.58% 3,332
DeSoto 1,157 55.57% 569 27.33% 350 16.81% 6 0.29% 588 28.24% 2,082
Dixie 862 67.82% 111 8.73% 295 23.21% 3 0.24% 567 44.61% 1,271
Duval 28,567 47.85% 15,379 25.76% 14,428 24.17% 1,321 2.21% 13,188 22.09% 59,695
Escambia 13,982 63.11% 3,267 14.75% 4,790 21.62% 117 0.53% 9,192 41.49% 22,156
Flagler 153 23.61% 154 23.77% 330 50.93% 11 1.70% -176 -27.16% 648
Franklin 635 59.79% 130 12.24% 294 27.68% 3 0.28% 341 32.11% 1,062
Gadsden 1,427 50.93% 376 13.42% 992 35.40% 7 0.25% 435 15.53% 2,802
Gilchrist 884 83.32% 46 4.34% 131 12.35% 0 0.00% 753 70.97% 1,061
Glades 274 49.37% 150 27.03% 127 22.88% 4 0.72% 124 22.34% 555
Gulf 1,219 77.20% 146 9.25% 209 13.24% 5 0.32% 1,010 63.96% 1,579
Hamilton 1,071 66.44% 202 12.53% 337 20.91% 2 0.12% 734 45.53% 1,612
Hardee 1,871 65.49% 689 24.12% 281 9.84% 16 0.56% 1,182 41.37% 2,857
Hendry 699 53.89% 340 26.21% 241 18.58% 17 1.31% 359 27.68% 1,297
Hernando 825 49.34% 441 26.38% 372 22.25% 34 2.03% 384 22.96% 1,672
Highlands 2,257 52.98% 1,471 34.53% 498 11.69% 34 0.80% 786 18.45% 4,260
Hillsborough 18,854 45.67% 13,529 32.77% 5,094 12.34% 3,809 9.23% 5,325 12.90% 41,286
Holmes 1,799 56.29% 492 15.39% 902 28.22% 3 0.09% 897 28.07% 3,196
Indian River 1,055 43.10% 1,134 46.32% 246 10.05% 13 0.53% -79 -3.22% 2,448
Jackson 3,169 55.11% 648 11.27% 1,917 33.34% 16 0.28% 1,252 21.77% 5,750
Jefferson 700 52.91% 153 11.56% 467 35.30% 3 0.23% 233 17.61% 1,323
Lafayette 975 85.15% 52 4.54% 117 10.22% 1 0.09% 858 74.93% 1,145
Lake 3,474 41.96% 3,579 43.23% 1,180 14.25% 46 0.56% -105 -1.27% 8,279
Lee 1,883 32.48% 2,276 39.26% 1,600 27.60% 38 0.66% -393 -6.78% 5,797
Leon 3,607 58.55% 1,149 18.65% 1,350 21.91% 55 0.89% 2,257 36.64% 6,161
Levy 1,128 55.76% 225 11.12% 662 32.72% 8 0.40% 466 23.04% 2,023
Liberty 737 86.81% 30 3.53% 81 9.54% 1 0.12% 656 77.27% 849
Madison 1,189 51.70% 207 9.00% 898 39.04% 6 0.26% 291 12.66% 2,300
Manatee 2,766 36.35% 3,371 44.30% 1,431 18.80% 42 0.55% -605 -7.95% 7,610
Marion 4,650 57.01% 1,829 22.43% 1,640 20.11% 37 0.45% 2,821 34.58% 8,156
Martin 815 38.55% 948 44.84% 323 15.28% 28 1.32% -133 -6.29% 2,114
Miami-Dade 59,681 53.52% 41,301 37.04% 7,136 6.40% 3,394 3.04% 18,380 16.48% 111,512
Monroe 3,759 83.48% 548 12.17% 122 2.71% 74 1.64% 3,211 71.31% 4,503
Nassau 1,518 55.10% 540 19.60% 681 24.72% 16 0.58% 837 30.38% 2,755
Okaloosa 2,519 62.86% 486 12.13% 992 24.76% 10 0.25% 1,527 38.10% 4,007
Okeechobee 784 74.81% 179 17.08% 84 8.02% 1 0.10% 605 57.73% 1,048
Orange 10,063 39.23% 11,971 46.67% 3,374 13.15% 244 0.95% -1,908 -7.44% 25,652
Osceola 1,577 44.65% 1,575 44.59% 357 10.11% 23 0.65% 2 0.06% 3,532
Palm Beach 9,408 39.01% 10,996 45.60% 3,226 13.38% 485 2.01% -1,588 -6.59% 24,115
Pasco 2,375 48.66% 1,839 37.68% 628 12.87% 39 0.80% 536 10.98% 4,881
Pinellas 15,724 35.32% 24,900 55.92% 3,400 7.64% 500 1.12% -9,176 -20.60% 44,524
Polk 12,034 52.57% 7,692 33.60% 2,992 13.07% 174 0.76% 4,342 18.97% 22,892
Putnam 1,947 40.27% 1,435 29.68% 1,431 29.60% 22 0.46% 512 10.59% 4,835
St. Johns 1,994 31.63% 1,840 29.18% 2,438 38.67% 33 0.52% -444 -7.04% 6,305
St. Lucie 1,704 38.38% 1,689 38.04% 1,027 23.13% 20 0.45% 15 0.34% 4,440
Santa Rosa 2,316 65.72% 549 15.58% 639 18.13% 20 0.57% 1,677 47.59% 3,524
Sarasota 2,302 32.31% 3,559 49.95% 1,213 17.02% 51 0.72% -1,257 -17.64% 7,125
Seminole 2,261 45.16% 1,665 33.25% 1,060 21.17% 21 0.42% 596 11.91% 5,007
Sumter 1,411 65.57% 251 11.66% 486 22.58% 4 0.19% 925 42.99% 2,152
Suwannee 3,033 71.62% 398 9.40% 786 18.56% 18 0.43% 2,247 53.06% 4,235
Taylor 1,354 67.73% 216 10.81% 422 21.11% 7 0.35% 932 46.62% 1,999
Union 594 67.96% 55 6.29% 225 25.74% 0 0.00% 369 42.22% 874
Volusia 9,202 46.76% 7,764 39.46% 2,411 12.25% 301 1.53% 1,438 7.30% 19,678
Wakulla 997 72.30% 72 5.22% 305 22.12% 5 0.36% 692 50.18% 1,379
Walton 2,366 62.28% 652 17.16% 761 20.03% 20 0.53% 1,605 42.25% 3,799
Washington 1,380 62.42% 297 13.43% 523 23.65% 11 0.50% 857 38.77% 2,211
Totals 281,988 48.82% 194,280 33.63% 89,755 15.54% 11,620 2.01% 87,708 15.19% 577,643

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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Counties that flipped from Democratic to Dixiecrat

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Analysis

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With the exception of the 1928 election, when fierce anti-Catholicism and Prohibitionism caused Herbert Hoover to defeat the wet Catholic Al Smith,[10] Florida since the end of the Reconstruction era had been a classic Southern one-party state dominated by the Democratic Party. Disfranchisement of African-Americans and many poor whites had virtually eliminated the Republican Party – only nine Republicans had ever been elected to the state legislature since 1890 – and Democratic primaries were the sole competitive elections.

Under the influence of Senator Claude Pepper, Florida had abolished the poll tax in 1937, leading to steady increases in voter turnout during the following several elections;[11] however, there was no marked increase in African-American voting and Democratic hegemony remained unchallenged: FDR did not lose a single county in the state during his four elections.[3]

However, on February 2, 1948, incumbent President Harry S. Truman, fearing that the anti-democratic practices and racial discrimination of the South would severely denigrate the United States' reputation in the Cold War,[12] launched the first civil rights bill since the end of Reconstruction, along with Executive Order 9981 to desegregate the military. Mississippi governor Fielding Wright had already sounded a call for revolt, which he took to the Southern Governors Conference at Wakulla Springs[13] to say that calls for civil rights legislation by national Democrats would not be tolerated in the South.

After Truman was renominated at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Southern Democrats walked out and convened at Birmingham, Alabama on July 17, nominating South Carolina Governor James Strom Thurmond for president and Mississippi Governor Fielding L. Wright for vice president.[14] Due to its smaller proportion of African Americans in its population than in other Southern states, Florida experienced less dissent from the national Democratic Party in response to these actions.[15] Florida Senator Claude Pepper argued that, unless Dwight D. Eisenhower was nominated instead, Truman was the only viable nominee, while Frank D. Upchurch, a long-time adversary of Pepper, recommended that the renomination of Truman be fought.[16] Eventually, those opposed to Truman won the primary fight, taking eleven and a half votes out of twenty and control of the state's delegation. When Florida's Democrats designated their presidential electors, four were pledged against Truman and four to vote for him,[15] although only names of electors were listed.[17] However, after the "States' Rights" convention in July, Miami Herald publisher Reuben Clein filed a civil suit to disqualify the four original electors who planned to vote for Thurmond.[16][18] Pepper reversed his earlier pledge not to support Truman, and a special session of the state legislature provided separate lists for all candidates,[16] including the progressive former Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Pepper campaigned on Dewey's alleged support of big business over the "little man",[19] and Truman made a whistle-stop tour of the state in mid-October.[20]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ William Howard Taft carried Calhoun County in 1908; Warren G. Harding in 1920 and Calvin Coolidge in 1924 each carried three counties in South Florida, and Herbert Hoover in 1928 carried the state and 41 of 67 counties.

References

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  1. ^ a b Doherty, Herbert J. (junior); 'Liberal and Conservative Politics in Florida'; The Journal of Politics, vol. 14, no. 3 (August 1952), pp. 403-417
  2. ^ Menendez; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, p. 75
  3. ^ a b c Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 164-165 ISBN 0786422173
  4. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  5. ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 147.
  6. ^ Schmidt 1960, p. 149.
  7. ^ "1948 Presidential General Election Results – Florida".
  8. ^ Gans, Curtis and Mulling, Matthew; Voter Turnout in the United States, 1788-2009, p. 481 ISBN 9781604265958
  9. ^ Our Campaigns; FL US President Race, November 02, 1948
  10. ^ Doherty, Herbert J. (junior); 'Florida and the Presidential Election of 1928'; The Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 2 (October 1947), pp. 174-186
  11. ^ Poll Taxes: Hearings Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on S. 1280, Seventy-Seventh Congress, Second Session, Parts 1-2, p. 289
  12. ^ Frederickson, Kari A.; The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South, p. 76 ISBN 0807849103
  13. ^ Key, Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation, p. 330 Alfred A. Knopf (1949)
  14. ^ Key; Southern Politics, p. 335
  15. ^ a b Key; Southern Politics, pp. 337-338
  16. ^ a b c Pleasant, Julian M (1998). "Claude Pepper, Strom Thurmond, and the 1948 Presidential Election in Florida". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 76 (4): 439–473. JSTOR 30149933. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  17. ^ 'Floridians to Find It Hard to Vote Dixiecrat Ticket'; The Evening Independent, July 17, 1948, p. 1
  18. ^ Gainesville Sun, September 5, 1948; Tallahassee Daily Democrat, September 8, 1948
  19. ^ 'Pepper Charges Dewey Favours Big Business'; St. Petersburg Times, September 3, 1948, p. 1
  20. ^ Goldzwig, Steven R.; Truman's Whistle-stop Campaign, p. 89 ISBN 1603440062

Works cited

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