When the Democrats met at Philadelphia they were concerned about the ability of Truman to win the election. Despite the concerns, President Truman was nominated on the first ballot. The major issue of the convention was the Democratic platform supporting civil rights legislation. That resulted in the desertion of the Democratic party by many Southern delegates.
The Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey the governor of New York again as its nominee at its convention in Philadelphia. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina ran as a candidate of the Dixiecraft party (a break away of the disgruntled Southern Democrats). Henry Wallace ran as a candidate of the Progressives, on a platform that opposed the Marshall Plan and was more conciliatory to the Soviet Union.
The campaign began with Truman the underdog. In his acceptance speech Truman had said that " I'm going to fight hard. I'm going to give 'em hell" So he did. He began a coast to coast train campaign in which he covered 22,000 miles and gave ten speeches a day. It became known as the "whistle stop" campaign. Despite his growing support the pundits wrote him off. The night of the election newspapers gave the victory to Dewey. The next morning the stunning extent of the Trumans victory became clear.
Participation of Eligible Voters: 62.5%
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