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The 1952 United States presidential election was the 42nd quadrennial presidential election and was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1952. US Army General Douglas MacArthur would defeat Incumbent President Robert Wagner in a landslide victory, securing 399 electoral votes and 32 million votes in the popular vote. MacArthur campaigned on fighting communism both abroad and domestically, taking advantage of the ongoing red scare and the Wagner administration's perceived weakness in fighting Communism.
Course of the election[]
Progressive Union Nomination[]
After winning the 1948 election in an upset victory, Wagner had propelled the Progressive Union to major party status within the United States. Despite winning the election, the Progressive Union would still remain in the minority in both chambers of Congress throughout 1949-1950, blocking any efforts by Wagner to pass key legislation that the Progressive Union campaigned on. However, the Progressive Union narrowly securing majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, allowing for major campaign promises such as the Social Security Act of 1950 to narrowly pass. Facing no serious primary challenge, Wagner and Vice President Taylor would be re-nominated at the Progressive Union convention in Cincinatti, Ohio. In his acceptance speech, Wagner touted his many accomplishments as President such as the recently passed Social Security Act of 1950 as well as successful military engagements such as protecting Japan from communist invasion during the Tokyo Uprising.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Robert F. Wagner Jr.
|
Glen H. Taylor
|
Democratic Nomination[]
Upon the defeat of Charles Edison in the 1948 election, the Democratic Party would continue to become the more solidly conservative party within the United States. Adopting an interventionist foreign policy approach and absorbing many new members from the interventionist and staunchly conservative New Right. In late 1949, Army General Douglas MacArthur would begin expressing interest for a run for President under the Democratic Party. However, many political commentators did not believe that MacArthur would run for President, and many felt that MacArthur was just posturing. MacArthur would officially announce his run for President on November 27th, 1951, after years of speculation. As a result, many Democrats did not enter the primaries or the convention with many expecting the MacArthur campaign to easily clutch the Democratic nomination. MacArthur would secure the nomination after the first round of voting at the convention. MacArthur showed interest in selecting a conservative as his running mate, with his campaign floating potentially selecting Pennsylvania Representative Francis E. Walter. However, Ohio Governor Frank Lausche would use his influence within the Democratic Party to launch his Vice Presidential campaign. By the fourth ballot, Lausche would secure enough delegates to officially becomes MacArthur's running mate. Despite political differences, many in the Democratic Party viewed Lausche's selection positively as he could help win back urban constituencies which had swung from the Democratic Party to the Progressive Union.
At his acceptance speech at the convention in Philadelphia, MacArthur promised that he would bring strong leadership to the White House and would be capable at protecting American interests both at home and abroad.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Douglas MacArthur
|
Frank Lausche
|
Republican Nomination[]
After a poor performance in the 1948 election and devastating losses in the 1950 midterms, the Republican Party struggled to maintain itself as a major US political party. With liberal votes largely going to the Progressive Union and conservative votes going to the Democratic Party, the Republicans struggled to maintain a consistent voter base. As a result, a factional split within the Republican Party would occur between the remaining Republicans, with some wishing to reform the Republican Party to become a more centrist political party to counteract the right-wing Democratic Party and the left-wing Progressive Union. Meanwhile, a faction of conservatives still remained within the Republican Party and sought to counteract the Democratic Party by emerging as the dominant conservative party within the United States. Going into the convention, the liberal centrists would unite around Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. while the conservative faction largely gathered around Oregon Governor Douglas McKay. Cabot Lodge Jr. initially led in the first few ballots, but McKay would overtake Cabot Lodge Jr. by the fourth ballot. After a close contest, a unity ticket would be forged as a compromise between the liberal centrist and conservative factions which would see McKay nominated for President and Cabot Lodge Jr. nominated as Vice President.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Douglas McKay
|
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
|
Douglas MacArthur speaking at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (1952)
General Election[]
Going into the election after the conventions, MacArthur would lead Wagner by over 10 points throughout the summer. MacArthur would deliver several speeches criticizing Wagner's inexperience and using his youth against him. In several campaign speeches, MacArthur would often tout his experience as a general to emphasize his qualifications for the Presidency. A big issue during the campaign was the Sea of Crete crisis which was ongoing throughout the summer of 1952. The Wagner administration taking a diplomatic approach to the crisis rather than retaliating against the Hellenic People's Republic for their assault on an American battleship would be met with hostility and criticism from hawkish members of all 3 parties. MacArthur characterized Wagner's negotiations with the Hellenic People's Republic as "appeasement" with MacArthur believing that negotiations with non-nuclear hostile threats was "unnecessary and weak". The Democrats ran on a campaign of staunch interventionism and social conservatism to combat communism "at home and domestically". The Democratic rhetoric coincided with the rise of Walterism amidst the Red Scare, however the MacArthur campaign itself rejected directly engaging in Walterism, believing it to be bad optically for the party.
Even as Wagner trailed behind MacArthur in the polling, the Wagner campaign would still remain enthusiastic in their campaigning. President Wagner would go on a speaking tour at several venues throughout the United States in the months leading up to the election. Wagner campaigned on having kept promises made on the 1948 campaign trail, such as the implementation of the revolutionary Social Security Act of 1950 which provided pensions to retired Americans 65 and older. Wagner campaigned on protecting these gains made for working class Americans and postured as the "candidate of the working class". Wagner also criticized the MacArthur campaign for "dangerous" foreign policy rhetoric and claimed that MacArthur would repeal Social Security. Wagner would also tout successes such as resolving the Sea of Crete Crisis as evidence of his administration's foreign policy expertise. Wagner would gain a large amount of support from Labor Unions such as the AFL-CIO as well as other organizations such as the NAACP. Despite the enthusiastic campaign led by Wagner, MacArthur would remain ahead in polling throughout much of the months leading up to election day.
The Republican Party would trail behind both the Progressive Unionists and the Democrats, due to losing much of their established base to both parties. As a result, the Douglas McKay campaign would simultaneously campaign as a "no nonsense conservative" and as a centrist social liberal. Within the conservative aspect of the campaign, McKay would campaign on small government conservatism more aligned with the Old Right and the politics of Robert Taft. This old right conservatism was distinct from the new right conservatism which had taken control of the Democratic Party, and McKay would criticize the MacArthur campaign for potentially expanding the size of the federal government. Similar criticism would be leveraged by the McKay campaign on the Wagner administration for pursuing policies, such as Social Security, that would increase deficit spending.
Outcome[]
Douglas MacArthur would win the election in both a popular vote and electoral college landslide. Despite losing by wide margins, Wagner would gain more votes in the popular vote in the 1952 election than he did in the 1948 election. Despite running an enthusiastic campaign, Douglas MacArthur's status as a World War II general and mastermind behind the J-Day landings. MacArthur's victory would solidify the New Right as the dominant faction within the Democratic Party.
See also:[]
Sources cited:[]
- “1952 Presidential Election Interactive Map - 270toWin.” 270toWin.com, www.270towin.com/1952_Election/interactive_map. Accessed 18 Mar. 2022.
- Beat, Matthew. "The American Presidential Election of 1952.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubOqu1QJRU4. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
- The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “United States Presidential Election of 1952 | United States Government.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 28 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1952.