Dewey Defeats Truman?????

October 28, 2020 Posted by: Harry S Truman National Historic Site

As this blog entry is being written, America is less than a week away, and over 60,000,000 have already cast their ballots.

In 1948, another famous election year, many thought the election was a foregone conclusion...and not in the favor of Harry S Truman.

In 1948, Harry Truman was an unpopular president, at least according to the polls. There seemed little enthusiasm for Truman to continue for another four years. The high approval ratings he enjoyed after the end of World War II all but evaporated.

Even the Democratic Party was nervous and unenthusiastic.

But as Truman boarded the Presidential train, the Ferdinand Magellan, he traveled across the country. Almost everywhere he stopped the crowds were eye popping. The cheering was loud, the reception overwhelming. What was happening?

The pollsters didn't seem to notice, or care. Some pollsters stopped polling in September, under the assumption that Governor Thomas Dewey of New York was the presumptive president-elect.

But the old Truman magic proved them wrong.

Click here to look at some awesome primary documents related to the 1948 election. As you look at them, you'll see that 1948 is relevant to us today, in 2020. And it will be relevant in 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036.....

Harry S Truman is always relevant!

harrytruman, 1948election, presidentialelection