U.S. Presidential Election, 1920 (President Churchill)

The 1920 U.S.Presidential Election pitted incumbent President Winston Churchill against Ohio Governor James M. Cox.

Republican Nomination
President Churchill won renomination almost unanimously (10 convention votes were cast for Wisconsin Senator Robert LaFollette). Vice President Harding was renominated unanimously.

Democrat Nomination
The two leading contenders for the Democrat nomination were; former Treasury Secretary William McAdoo and former President Woodrow Wilson.

In the primaries, Wilson won primaries in New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania while McAdoo carried Oregon and Vermont. Ohio Governor James Cox won primaries in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

By convention time, Wilson was fading and McAdoo and Cox were gaining momentum. After eigty ballots McAdoo withdrew in favor of Cox leading to Cox's nomination on the 81st. ballot. New York Governor Al Smith was nominated for vice president.

General Election
With American success in the first world war and the economy making a comeback Churchill led over Cox throughout the whole campaign. The presence of a Roman Catholic (Smith) on a major party ticket was not only unheard of but highly controveral especially in the South. Smith's presence on the ticket was the main reason for Churchill's victories in the south.

Churchill Coattails
Republicans won over 60 seats in the U.S. Senate and over 310 in the U.S. House. With his party in overwhelming control of Congress, President Churchill was in a strong postion to push through legislation that make America stronger and more economiclly sound.