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The 1956 United States presidential election was the 43rd quadrennial presidential election and was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1956. Progressive nominee and former Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Air Forces Elliot Roosevelt defeated Incumbent President Douglas MacArthur in a landslide victory, where he secured 398 electoral votes, 33 states and 55.81% of the popular vote. Roosevelt advocated for a less-active and hawkish stance on the Cold War in comparison to MacArthur's aggressive campaign against communism.
Course of the election[]
Progressive Union Nomination[]
Despite losing the past election, the Progressive Union slowly gained popularity during the 4 years of MacArthur's tenure, as his foreign policies regarding the Cold War were starting to seem excessive by both Progressives and Republicans. Now considered one of the main parties in American politics, the 1950s saw many Republicans changing to the center-left wing of the Progressives as the GOP lost relevancy after Robert Taft's presidency. Former vice president Glen H. Taylor ran in the primaries, but was easily defeated by Roosevelt as he was both a veteran and son of a respected Governor. President Wagner also endorsed Roosevelt and helped him with aspects of his campaign.
Roosevelt picked Lyndon Baines Johnson as his running mate. Johnson was a former Democrat who served as both Representative and Senator from Texas. At first, they disagreed over economic issues but overall agreed on a containment policy against communism.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Elliot Roosevelt
|
Lyndon B. Johnson
|
Democratic nomination[]
Even with the gradual loss of popularity during his tenure, MacArthur and Lausche were easily re-nominated for the Democratic ticket, facing little to no opposition during the convention and primaries. The only other major Democratic option was Adlai Stevenson II, grandson of the 23rd vice president of the United States, who failed to prove himself as more capable than MacArthur to lead the nation.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Douglas MacArthur
|
Frank Lausche
|
Republican nomination[]
Since Stassen's failed attempt to win the 1948 Election, most members of the Republican Party decided to leave the party or politics as a whole during the early to late 50s. Thomas E. Dewey, who had run as vice presidential candidate in 1948, was considered the most logical option and possible saver of the GOP left the party in 1954, leaving a blank in the nomination. To fill the blank would appear Herbert Hoover Jr. who served as Secretary of Commerce under Robert A. Taft, also being the son of former President Herbert Hoover. His father's low popularity would be a main factor against him during the primaries and general elections, with Hoover senior's presidency being considered a big reason for the Wall Street Crash of '29. On his campaign, he alluded to the philanthropic actions his father had made before becoming president, mostly succeeding by using this.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Herbert Hoover Jr.
|
Sumner G. Whittier
|
General election[]
"These are the stakes! To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die." - Vice Presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson
MacArthur in 1955 while explaining his plan regarding influence in the Americas and Africa
MacArthur decided to "double down" on the policies of his incumbent presidency, including the expansion of American influence in Central and South America. Issues addressed by the candidates include the expansion of communist influence around the world, the Braden Plan and its consequences, the increase of military spending, nuclear development and the Space Race. The democrats planned to continue MacArthur's space ambitions on a second term, while the P.U. proposed the formation of a new space program with a different focus.
Following the atomic bombing of Bad Radkersberg, the Yugoslav Wars and the United States' involvement in them became a top campaign issues for voters. With the war marking the first ever use of the atomic bomb in warfare, American voters feared nuclear annihilation and largely soured on the once-popular President MacArthur. Opinion polling from this time found that MacArthur's favorability rating collapsed from 58% in January of 1956 to only 26% by October of that year. Mass media and television also played an important role in this election, with the now iconic "Daisy Girl" ad being broadcast to millions of Americans, accusing the MacArthur administration for bringing the world closer to nuclear annihilation. To many, this was the most vicious Presidential election in recent memory and has been regarded by historians as one of the most divisive.
Civil Rights were also an important matter during the election, with the Progressive Union promising expansion of Civil Rights legislation and to codify anti-lynching legislation into law. The NAACP endorsed Roosevelt for the Presidency. In contrast, MacArthur campaigned as a "moderate" on Civil Rights and felt that the Progressive Union was going too far in its desegregation pledges.
This election marked one of the lasts times a Republican nominee was seriously considered in a presidential election, since by 1960 most of them had already left the Party, leading to a two-main party system between Democrats and Progressives.
Outcome[]
Roosevelt and Johnson won in a landslide victory against the two other contenders, marking one of the largest and most successful Progressive campaigns in the history of the United States. The ticket won with more than 36 million votes (representing 55.81% of the total popular vote), secured 33 states with 398 electoral votes, going from the northeastern Green States to the Midwest and Southwest, being also able to win the states of California and Texas from which the two candidates were from.