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1952 United States presidential election was the 40th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1952. This was the first presidential election following the
Second Constitutional Convention (1949-1951), thus being the first presidential election that had a direct popular vote for president since the passage of the
22nd Amendment which changed the process, among other things, for electing the president and vice president. This would be the first election that required a contingent election for president since 1825, and a contingent election for vice president since 1837. Incumbent
President John Nance Garner was defeated by his vice president,
Henry A. Wallace, making Wallace the second incumbent vice president in U.S. history to successfully challenge and defeat the incumbent president in a presidential election after Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the 1800 election.
The popularity of President Garner had steadily fallen throughout his term. He maintained support in the
Democratic-Progressive alliance by supporting the Second Constitutional Convention and electoral reform. Garner's moderate and compromise approach to the
Second Reconstruction, especially with southern leaders, resulted in the Progressive leaving the alliance and challenging the Democrats in 1952. Garner maintained the military governorships in every state, much to protest to both leftist and southern civil governors and politicians. Garner attempted negotiations to reunite with the
Pacific States and
New England, but neither the Pacific States nor the New England states voted to reunite in referendums that were held in 1947.
With the collapse of the Democratic-Progressive alliance, much of the leftist parties had now fractured even more. While the
Federal and
Republican party's united to form the
Federal Republican party. Both the Democrats and Federal Republicans advocated increased participation in foreign affairs and interventionism, especially in the Americas, when it's to maintain U.S. interests. The
Socialist Labor party officially renamed their party, slightly, to the
Social Labor party to further disassociate with the more radical socialists that were still conducting, but minor, attacks against military forces nearing the end of the
Jacquerie period.
The Second Constitutional Convention was called to dramatically reform the U.S. Constitution following the
1948 election, especially
MacArthur's Rebellion. Many
Federal leaders after the
Second American Civil War attempted to return to the United States governance before the civil war and the
1936 election, but the continual militant attacks from both socialists and nationalists of the Jacquerie period after the surrender of the
Longist government and collapse of the
Pelley government since 1945 showed most politicians the necessity to dramatically amend the Constitution. The Convention ratified the 22nd Amendment which changed the election process for the president, largely abolishing the
Electoral College for directly electing the president and vice president and replacing it with a direct popular vote. If no candidate achieves over 50% percent of the popular vote the top two candidates advance to a contingent election to elect the president and vice president.
President Garner and Vice President Wallace, along with their running mates, would advance to the contingent election after both gained the most votes in the general election. Wallace would gain a majority in the
House Electoral College, defeating president Garner. While Wallace's running mate, North Dakota civilian governor
Norman Brunsdale of the
Nonpartisan League, was defeated by
Estes Kefauver, the running mate of Garner and a senator for Tennessee, in the
Senate Electoral College. This is mainly due to Garner/Kefauver winning more states than Wallace/Brunsdale. With Kefauver as vice president and the
Senate not in the Progressive alliance control, Wallace and the Progressives were unable to implement much of their social welfare reforms until the Senate was won by the Progressive alliance after the
1954 midterm elections. Wallace would become the first elected president to not be a Democrat or Republican since
Zachary Taylor was elected in 1848 as a Whig.
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Electors voting methods by the state in the 1952 U.S. contingent election
Winner-take-all: In the case of a contingent election this states' electors are to vote for the candidate that won the most votes in that state, if the candidate that won the most votes in the state in the general election doesn't advance to the contingent, the electors are to vote for the candidate that is endorsed by the vote winner.
Percentage-based: State legislatures appoint a percentage of their electors as close to the popular vote percentage of each candidate. These electors are pledged to the said candidate, for those candidates that don't advance to the contingent their electors are unpledged and can vote for either candidate, but can vote based on the endorsement by the candidate they were originally pledged to.
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The Second Constitutional Convention: 4 July 1949-4 July 1951
Newly admitted states: (3 July 1951)
- Lincoln
- Rio Grande
- Sequoyah
- Columbia [District of], technically not a state but has the territorial and governmental status as if it were one
- States to represent more conservative and rural regions in the Senate and to compromise with the increased voting suffrage and desegregation in the southern states. Sequoyah is admitted to represent Native Americans.
- The states of Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, and Texas agree to alter their states' borders to accommodate the new states
The 22nd Amendment: An overview
- Every citizen has the right to vote so long as they are constitutionally eligible and have not taken action against the law or Constitution.
- The presidential and vice presidential term is to begin on January 30, along with the Congress.
- A general election for president is held every 4 years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.
- The president will run on a joint ticket with a vice presidential candidate of their choosing.
- The general election, and any voters throughout the country for any election, is to have universal suffrage for all citizens that are over 18 years of age by the day of the election, and those who are not or formally imprisoned.
- The general election is a direct popular vote nationwide, with the presidential ticket which received over 50% of the popular vote becoming the president-elect and vice president-elect.
- In the case that no presidential ticket is able to achieve over 50% of the popular vote in the general election a contingent election is to be held between the top 2 popular vote earners in the general election.
- The contingent election for president and vice president is, if necessary, to be held on the last Tuesday of November.
- Each states legislature is to select the electors for the Electoral College for the contingent election, and are responsible for the laws that govern their states' electors.
- Electors aren't to be in employment, service, or under the pay of any level of the United States or states government and are eligible to vote.
- The Electoral College consists of the Electoral College for the House [of Representatves] and the Electoral College for the Senate.
- The House Electoral College consists of electors from each state, with each state allocated a number of electors that are the same as that states' House of Representatives apportionment, its responsibility is to vote for president.
- The presidential candidate that receives the majority of electors in the House Electoral College becomes the president-elect.
- The Senate Electoral College consists of electors from each state, with each state allocated 2 electors to match their states' senatorial apportionment, its responsibility is to vote for vice president.
- The vice presidential candidate that receives the majority of electors in the Senate Electoral College becomes the vice president-elect
[1] The States’ Rights party electors abstained, their votes aren’t counted but are shown on the map.