The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest, the first being the Iowa caucuses , held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosing the delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions which choose the party nominees for the presidential elections to be held in November. Although only a few delegates are chosen in the New Hampshire primary, its real importance comes from the massive media coverage it receives, along with the first caucus in Iowa .
103-483: Spurred by the events of the 1968 election, reforms that began with the 1972 election elevated the two states' importance to the overall election, and began to receive as much media attention as all of the other state contests combined. An upset victory by an underdog candidate, or a weak showing by a front-runner can change the course of the primaries, as happened in 1952, 1968, and 2008 for the Democrats, and in 1980 for
206-470: A "middle of the gutter approach" to politics. Truman repeatedly criticized Senator McCarthy's character and temperament and called on Eisenhower to repudiate him. Stevenson ridiculed right-wing Republicans "who hunt Communists in the Bureau of Wildlife and Fisheries while hesitating to aid the gallant men and women who are resisting the real thing in the front lines of Europe and Asia. ... They are finally
309-668: A Salt Lake City speech Stevenson stated that right-wing Republicans were "quick with accusations, with defamatory hints and whispering campaigns when they see a chance to scare or silence those with whom they disagree. Rudely, carelessly, they invade the field of thought, of conscience, which belongs to God, and not to Senators. ... McCarthy and men like him can say almost anything, and if my opponent's conscience permits, he can try to help all of them get reelected." Stevenson said that right-wing attacks on government officials such as General George Marshall , who had served Truman as US Secretary of State and US Secretary of Defense , reflected
412-695: A balanced ticket. Sparkman remained in the Senate until his retirement in 1978. The Eisenhower campaign was one of the first presidential campaigns to make a major and concerted effort to win the female vote. Many of his radio and television commercials discussed topics such as education, inflation, ending the Korean War, and other issues that were thought to appeal to women. The Eisenhower campaign made extensive use of female campaign workers, who made phone calls to likely Eisenhower voters, distributed "Ike" buttons and leaflets, and threw parties to build support for
515-638: A base of support in the Midwest. The moderate Eastern Republicans were led by New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey , the party's presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948. The moderates tended to be interventionists who felt that the country needed to fight the Cold War overseas and confront the Soviet Union in Eurasia . They were also willing to accept most aspects of the social welfare state created by
618-526: A betrayal. He had previously thought Eisenhower would make a good president but said that "he has betrayed almost everything I thought he stood for." Eisenhower retained his enormous personal popularity from his leading role in World War II , and huge crowds turned out to see him around the nation. His campaign slogan, " I Like Ike ", was one of the most popular in American history. Stevenson attracted
721-405: A bill in 2009 to eliminate the vice-presidential preference ballot. The bill passed both houses of the state legislature, and took effect in 2012. The only time a non-incumbent won the vice-presidential primary and then went on to be formally nominated by his or her party was in 2004, when Democratic U.S. Senator John Edwards won as a write-in candidate . Edwards, who was running for President at
824-534: A campaign that has spent most of its reserves. For example, in 1992, Bill Clinton , although he did not win, did surprisingly well, with his team dubbing him the "Comeback Kid". The extra media attention helped his campaign's visibility in later primaries. The most recent presidential election winner to win the New Hampshire primary was Donald Trump in 2016. The three presidents before him ( Bill Clinton , George W. Bush and Barack Obama ) finished second in
927-577: A crusader against crime and corruption. The Gallup poll of February 15 showed Truman's weakness. Nationally, Truman was the choice of only 36% of Democrats, compared with 21% for Kefauver. Among independent voters, however, Truman had only 18%, and Kefauver led with 36%. In the New Hampshire primary , Kefauver upset Truman by winning 19,800 votes to Truman's 15,927 and capturing all eight delegates. Kefauver graciously said that he did not consider his victory "a repudiation of Administration policies, but
1030-522: A desire... for new ideas and personalities." Stung by that setback, however, Truman announced March 29 that he would not seek re-election. Truman insisted in his memoirs, however, that he had decided not to run for re-election well before his defeat to Kefauver. With Truman's withdrawal, Kefauver became the frontrunner for the nomination, and he won most of the primaries. Other primary winners were Senator Hubert Humphrey , who won his home state of Minnesota ; Senator Richard Russell Jr. from Georgia, who won
1133-502: A detailed account of his modest financial assets, and offered a glowing assessment of Eisenhower's candidacy. The highlight of the speech came when Nixon stated that a supporter had given his daughters a gift, a dog named Checkers, and that he would not return it because his daughters loved it. The "Checkers speech" led hundreds of thousands of citizens nationwide to wire the Republican National Committee to urge
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#17327827569021236-470: A difficult time appearing relaxed and at ease on camera. The television lighting was not flattering and made him look old and unattractive. In particular, his forehead tended to glisten under the lights. Eisenhower became upset when the CBS correspondent Dave Schoenbrun pointed that out and suggested him to try to alter his poses to make his forehead less noticeable and to apply makeup so that it would not shine from
1339-587: A distinguished family in Illinois and was well known as a gifted orator, intellectual, and political moderate. In the spring of 1952, Truman attempted to convince Stevenson to take the presidential nomination, but Stevenson stated that he wanted to run for re-election as Governor of Illinois. However, Stevenson never completely took himself out of the race, and as the convention approached, many party bosses and normally- apolitical citizens hoped that he could be "drafted" to run. The 1952 Democratic National Convention
1442-470: A presidential candidate to the public in the same manner that one might sell a car or a brand of toothpaste. The liberal journalist Marya Mannes mocked the approach with this ditty: " Eisenhower hits the spot /One full general, that's a lot/Feeling sluggish, feeling sick?/Take a dose of Ike and Dick!/ Philip Morris , Lucky Strike / Alka Seltzer , I like Ike!" For his part, Stevenson would have nothing to do with television at all and condemned Eisenhower's use of
1545-426: A semi-open primary: unaffiliated voters (those registered without party affiliation) may vote in either party's primary. Votes registered with one party cannot "cross vote" to vote in another party's primary. Under state law, officially recognized parties may hold a state-sanctioned primary. To receive official party status, a party's candidate must receive at least 4% of the votes cast for governor or U.S. senator in
1648-500: A time when an honorable man simply has to raise the flag" and entered the New Hampshire Democratic primary. On March 12, 1968, McCarthy, who was the only candidate on the ballot, came within 7 percentage points of defeating President Lyndon Johnson , a write-in candidate who was technically still exploring his candidacy and had not bothered to file. Just a few days later, on March 16, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy entered
1751-439: A write-in candidate. Candidates in bold won the primary. Candidates in italics were incumbent presidents. Notes: An asterisk indicates a write-in candidate. Candidates in bold won the primary. Candidates in italics were incumbent presidents. A vice-presidential preference primary was also formerly held at the New Hampshire primary. New Hampshire State Senator Jack Barnes , who won the 2008 Republican contest, co-sponsored
1854-425: Is consensus among scholars and pundits that the New Hampshire primary, because of the timing and the vast media attention, can have a great impact and may even make, break or revive a candidate. Controlling for other factors statistically, a win in New Hampshire increases a candidate's share of the final primary count in all states by 27 percentage points. Since 1977, New Hampshire has fought hard to keep its timing as
1957-541: The 2008 presidential race . Florida, Michigan, Nevada and South Carolina all moved their nominating contests up. New Hampshire ultimately retained its first-primary status, holding its primary on January 8, 2008, the earliest ever date. In 2023, the Democratic National Committee approved a calendar that would make New Hampshire the second Democratic primary to be held in 2024. Under the DNC calendar,
2060-589: The American Legion , a bastion of hardline conservatism, and boldly declared that there was nothing patriotic or American about what McCarthy was doing. Even with the dignified nature of the campaign, the dislike between the two candidates was visible. Stevenson criticized Eisenhower's noncondemnation of McCarthy and his use of television spots, and Eisenhower, who had initially respected Stevenson, came in time to view him as simply another career politician, which he strongly disliked. The 1952 election campaign
2163-522: The New Deal in the 1930s but sought to reform the programs to be more efficient and business-friendly. The moderates were also concerned with ending the Republicans' losing streak in presidential elections and felt that the popular Eisenhower had the best chance of beating the Democrats. For that reason, Dewey declined the notion of a third run for president despite his large amount of support within
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#17327827569022266-810: The New Hampshire primary in which his supporters wrote his name onto the ballot and gave him an upset victory over Taft. However, until the Republican National Convention, the primaries were divided fairly evenly between the two, and when the convention opened, the race for the nomination was still too close to call. Taft won the Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, and South Dakota primaries, and Eisenhower won those in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Oregon. Stassen and Warren won only their home states of Minnesota and California respectively, which effectively ended their chances of earning
2369-462: The South Carolina primary would be held first on February 3, followed by both the New Hampshire primary and Nevada caucuses on February 6. New Hampshire officials of both parties have opposed the move, and vowed to go forward with a first-in-the-nation primary, even if it triggers a loss of its convention delegates as a penalty for breaching the party calendar. The New Hampshire primary is
2472-451: The Truman administration ) left Truman at a low political ebb. Polls showed that he had a 66% disapproval rating , a record that would be matched only decades later by Richard Nixon and surpassed by George W. Bush . Truman's main opponent was the populist Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver , who had chaired a nationally televised investigation of organized crime in 1951 and was known as
2575-472: The race for President . Johnson subsequently withdrew from the election with this Shermanesque statement : "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president." One minor candidate in the Republican primary was William W. Evans Jr. , a former New Jersey State Assemblyman, who received just 151 votes statewide. The 1968 New Hampshire Democratic primary
2678-403: The 1952 campaign concerned a scandal that emerged when Richard Nixon, Eisenhower's running mate, was accused by several newspapers of receiving $ 18,000 in undeclared "gifts" from wealthy donors. In reality, contributions were by design only from early supporters and limited to $ 1,000, with full accountability. Nixon, who had been accusing the Democrats of hiding corruption, suddenly found himself on
2781-969: The 3,099 counties/independent cities making returns, Eisenhower won the most popular votes in 2,104 (67.89%) while Stevenson carried 995 (32.11%). Eisenhower won in 21 of the 39 cities with a population above 250,000. He won in six of the eight largest Southern cities. The election was the first in which a computer, the UNIVAC I (and Monrobot III ), was used to predict the results; it came within 3.5% of Eisenhower's popular vote tally and four votes of his electoral vote total. Source (popular vote): Leip, David. "1952 Presidential Election Results" . Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved September 16, 2012 . Source (electoral vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996" . National Archives and Records Administration . Retrieved August 1, 2005 . Source: Lesser-Known Candidates Forum Too Many Requests If you report this error to
2884-716: The Florida primary, and the diplomat W. Averell Harriman , who won West Virginia. However, most states still chose their delegates to the Democratic Convention by state conventions, which meant that the party bosses, especially the mayors and governors of large Northern and Midwestern states and cities, were able to choose the Democratic nominee. The bosses, including Truman himself, strongly disliked Kefauver since his investigations of organized crime had revealed connections between American Mafia figures and many of
2987-527: The GOP race, the primary results revealed voter frustrations with mainstream "establishment" politicians. Bernie Sanders narrowly placed first in the Democratic primary once again, edging out former Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg with 76,384 votes to 72,454. Incumbent President Donald Trump won an overwhelming victory in the Republican primary with 129,734 votes, beating former Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld by over 75 percentage points and receiving
3090-487: The General. I doubt that America will entrust its future, its hopes, to the master of a house divided against itself." Stevenson, Truman, and other Democrats campaigning that fall also criticized Senators Joseph McCarthy , William E. Jenner , and other right-wing Republicans for what they believed were reckless and unwarranted attacks and congressional investigations into leading government officials and public servants. In
3193-577: The New Deal, regarding these programs as diminishing individual liberty and economic freedom. Taft had unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 1940 and 1948 presidential elections but lost both times to moderate candidates from New York: Wilkie and Dewey respectively. At the age of 63, Taft felt that it was his last chance to run for president so his friends and supporters, encompassing many party regulars, worked diligently on his behalf. His feelings were correct, as he died about nine months after
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3296-462: The New Hampshire primary before later being elected to the presidency. The previous four presidents before that, won the New Hampshire primary. New Hampshire has held a presidential primary since 1916 and started the tradition of being the first presidential primary in the United States starting in 1920. Until 1948, the New Hampshire primary, like most of the small number of other primaries in
3399-505: The New Hampshire primary. Iowa's contest is not considered to be "a similar election" because the caucuses do not involve actual balloting. New Hampshire's status as the first in the nation has been considered controversial by those who claim the ethnic makeup of the state is not diverse enough. Efforts to alter New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary status have periodically occurred. In 2007, different states attempted to leapfrog other states by scheduling earlier primaries and caucuses for
3502-554: The Northeast and Midwest. The fight for the Republican nomination was between General Dwight D. Eisenhower , who became the candidate of the party's moderate Eastern Establishment ; Senator Robert A. Taft from Ohio, the longtime leader of the party's conservative wing; Governor Earl Warren of California, who appealed to Western delegates and independent voters; and former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota, who still had
3605-560: The Republican Convention in July, Reeves believed that the general's words were "powerful" but "unfocused" and "all over the map". Eisenhower's public speeches were even worse since he was unable to make his point to the voting public in a clear intelligible manner. Reeves felt that Eisenhower needed to condense his message down to a few simple easily-digestible slogans. Eisenhower at first also fared poorly on television and had
3708-535: The Republican Party to keep Nixon on the ticket, and Eisenhower stayed with him. Despite the red-baiting of the Republicans' right wing, the campaign on the whole was conducted with a considerable degree of dignity, and Stevenson was seen as reinvigorating a Democratic Party that had become exhausted after 20 years in power and as refreshing its appeal with younger voters. He accused Eisenhower of silently tolerating McCarthy's excesses. Stevenson went before
3811-444: The Republican side, Pat Buchanan garnered an unexpected 37% showing behind incumbent President George H. W. Bush . Buchanan did not win a single state, but revealed some doubts about the moderate president among conservative voters. George W. Bush 's campaign, which for months had dominated in polling, money and endorsements on the Republican side, suffered a blow when John McCain, who had been surging in late polls, ended up beating
3914-454: The Republican ticket in their neighborhoods. On election day, Eisenhower won a solid majority of the female vote. Eisenhower campaigned by attacking "Korea, Communism, and Corruption", issues that the Republicans regarded as the failures of the outgoing Truman administration to solve. The Eisenhower campaign accused the administration of "neglecting Latin America" and thus "leading them into
4017-687: The Republicans. Since 1952 , the primary has been a major testing ground for candidates for both the Republican and Democratic nominations. Candidates who do poorly frequently drop out, while lesser-known, underfunded candidates who excel in New Hampshire can become serious contenders, garnering large amounts of media attention and campaign funding. The New Hampshire primary is a semi-open primary: unaffiliated voters (those registered without party affiliation) may vote in either party's primary. Voters registered with one party cannot "cross vote" to vote in another party's primary. New Hampshire state law provides: "The presidential primary election shall be held on
4120-656: The South. The Midwest was a bastion of conservatism and isolationist sentiment. Dislike of Europeans, in particular the British, was common, and there was a widespread feeling that the British manipulated American foreign policy and were eager to kowtow to the Soviet Union, although such attitudes had begun to change among the younger generation who had fought in World War II. In addition, the conservatives opposed much of
4223-581: The Taft delegates in those states and replace them with Eisenhower delegates and called the proposal "Fair Play." Although Taft and his supporters angrily denied that charge, the convention voted to support Fair Play 658 to 548, and Taft lost many Southern delegates. Eisenhower's chances were boosted when several uncommitted state delegations, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, decided to support him and also when Stassen released his delegates and asked them to support Eisenhower. The removal of many Southern delegates and
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4326-593: The arms of wily Communist agents waiting to exploit local misery and capitalize on any opening to communize the Americas." Charges that Soviet spies had infiltrated the government plagued the Truman administration and became a "major campaign issue" for Eisenhower. The Republicans blamed the Democrats for the military's failure to be fully prepared to fight in Korea, accused the Democrats of harboring communist spies within
4429-500: The ballot are obscure or fringe, and some are perennial candidates . Saint Anselm College runs a Lesser-Known Candidates Forum every four years. The primary is conducted by secret ballot . Voters mark their selection on paper ballots, which are tabulated by hand and optical scan . The communities of Dixville Notch , Hart's Location , and Millsfield traditionally participate in the New Hampshire midnight voting , in which they open their polling places at midnight. In particular,
4532-406: The ballot if he submitted fifty supporting petitions from each of the two congressional districts. Voters could choose delegates who were explicitly pledged to a particular candidate. New Hampshire did not begin to assume its current importance until 1952. In that year, Dwight D. Eisenhower demonstrated his broad voter appeal by defeating Robert A. Taft , "Mr. Republican", who had been favored for
4635-610: The big-city Democratic political organizations. The party bosses thus viewed Kefauver as a maverick who could not be trusted and so refused to support him for the nomination. Instead, with Truman taking the initiative, they began to search for other more acceptable candidates. However, most of the other candidates had a major weakness. Russell had much Southern support, but his support of racial segregation and his opposition to civil rights for blacks led many liberal Northern and Midwestern delegates, pressed by their many black voters, to reject him. Truman favored Harriman of New York, but
4738-413: The boss of the Illinois delegation, Stevenson finally agreed to enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. The party bosses from other large Northern and Midwestern states quickly joined in support. Kefauver led on the first ballot, but he had far fewer votes than necessary to win. Stevenson gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot. After the delegates nominated Stevenson,
4841-604: The campaign that he would like to get on the Stevenson campaign trail "with a club and make a good and loyal American" out of Stevenson. Neither Stevenson nor Sparkman had been a part of the Truman administration, and both largely ignored its record, preferred to hark back to the Roosevelt's New Deal achievements, and warned against a repetition of the Great Depression under President Herbert Hoover if Eisenhower
4944-429: The candidate meets the constitutional requirement for the presidency, being at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen status, and a U.S. resident for at least 14 years. A candidates must affirm that he or she is a registered member of the party for the nomination they seek. The record number of candidates was 62, in the 1992 primary. In the 2016 New Hampshire primary, 58 candidates ran. Many candidates who appear on
5047-480: The convention then turned to selecting a vice-presidential nominee. After narrowing it down to Senators John Sparkman , and A. S. Mike Monroney , President Truman and a small group of political insiders chose Sparkman, a conservative segregationist from Alabama, for the nomination. The convention largely complied and nominated Sparkman as Stevenson's running mate. He was chosen because of his Southern identity and conservative record, which party leaders hoped would create
5150-498: The country, listed only the names of local citizens who wanted to be delegates to the state convention. In 1948, Richard F. Upton, speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives decided to make the primary "more interesting and meaningful…so there would be a greater turnout at the polls." The state legislature passed a law allowing citizens to vote directly for the presidential candidates. Any candidate could get on
5253-422: The defensive. Eisenhower and his aides even considered dropping Nixon from the ticket and picking Senator William Knowland as a replacement running mate. Eisenhower, who barely knew Nixon, waffled and refused to comment on the incident. Nixon saved his political career, however, with a dramatic half-hour speech, the " Checkers speech ", on live television. In this speech, Nixon denied the charges against him, gave
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#17327827569025356-472: The election. Warren, although highly popular in California, refused to campaign in the presidential primaries, which limited his chances of winning the nomination. He retained the support of the California delegation, and his supporters hoped that in the event of an Eisenhower–Taft deadlock, Warren might emerge as a compromise candidate. After being persuaded to run , Eisenhower scored a major victory in
5459-484: The electorate from its desire to repudiate 'Trumanism'." Eisenhower's goal to unite the Republican Party for the fall campaign led him to campaign with and endorse several Republicans with whom he was uncomfortable. In particular, he resented having to endorse Senator William Jenner's reelection campaign when campaigning in Indianapolis, due to Jenner's accusations against George Marshall as being "a living lie" who
5562-604: The end, Eisenhower narrowly defeated Taft on the first ballot. To heal the wounds caused by the battle, he visited Taft's hotel suite and met with him. Taft issued a brief statement congratulating Eisenhower on his victory, but he was bitter about the accusation that he had stolen delegates and withheld his active support for Eisenhower for several weeks after the convention. In September 1952, Taft and Eisenhower met again at Morningside Heights , in New York City . Taft promised there an active support of Eisenhower in exchange for
5665-532: The entire campaign, Eisenhower led in all opinion polls and by wide margins in most of them. To circumvent the local Republican Party organizations, which were mostly controlled by Taft supporters, the Eisenhower forces created a nationwide network of grassroots clubs, "Citizens for Eisenhower". Independents and Democrats were welcome, as the group specialized in canvassing neighborhoods and holding small-group meetings. Citizens for Eisenhower hoped to revitalize
5768-486: The event with his own campaign money, inviting the other candidates to participate at short notice. The Bush camp did not learn of Reagan's decision to include the other candidates until the debate was due to begin. Bush refused to participate, which led to an impasse on the stage. As Reagan attempted to explain his decision, Jon Breen, the editor of the Nashua Telegraph and debate moderator, ordered Bob Malloy,
5871-457: The event. Reagan sailed to an easy win in New Hampshire. Reagan eventually secured the nomination, and selected Bush as his running mate. The two won the general election. Bill Clinton was able to declare himself the "Comeback Kid" after posting a surprise second-place finish behind Paul Tsongas in the Democratic primary. Clinton's support had been flagging for weeks since being hit by allegations of infidelity with actress Gennifer Flowers . On
5974-469: The federal government, and criticized the Truman administration for the many officials who had been accused of various crimes. Stevenson hoped to exploit the rift between the conservative Taft Republicans and the moderate Eisenhower Republicans. In a speech in Baltimore, Stevenson said, "The GOP elephant has two heads nowadays, and I can't tell from day to day who's driving the poor beast, Senator Taft or
6077-456: The first primary, while Iowa has the first caucus a few days sooner. State law requires that its primary must be the first in the nation. It has been the first by tradition since 1920. As a result, the state has moved its primary earlier in the year to remain the first. The primary was held on the following dates: 1952–1968, the second Tuesday in March. 1972, the first Tuesday in March. 1976–1984,
6180-406: The four states which Strom Thurmond had won at the previous election, but lost all but five of the states that Truman had won that year. Eisenhower took three Southern states that the Republicans had won only once since Reconstruction : Virginia, Florida, and Texas. Despite the Republican win in Florida, that year was the last time that a Democrat has won Collier County before southwestern Florida
6283-584: The fourth Tuesday in February. 1988–1996, the third Tuesday in February. 2000, the first Tuesday in February (February 1). 2004, the fourth Tuesday in January (January 27). The shifts have been to compete with changing primary dates in other states. The primary dates for 2008 (January 8) and 2012 (January 10) continued the trend – they were held the second Tuesday in January, in both years. In defense of their primary, voters of New Hampshire have tended to downplay
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#17327827569026386-506: The front-runner of the 1980 Republican presidential primary after his upset Iowa caucus victory over Ronald Reagan . Bush and Reagan became the two leading candidates in the primaries over the other four candidates. With the other candidates in single digits, the Nashua Telegraph offered to host a debate between Reagan and Bush. Worried that a newspaper-sponsored debate might violate electoral regulations, Reagan arranged to fund
6489-553: The fulfillment of a number of requests such as a demand that Eisenhower would offer Taft's followers a fair share of patronage positions if he won the election and that Eisenhower would agree to balance the federal budget and "fight creeping domestic socialism in every field." Eisenhower agreed to the terms, and Taft campaigned assiduously for the Republican ticket. In fact, Eisenhower and Taft agreed on most domestic issues, and their disagreements were primarily on foreign policy. Though there were initial suggestions that Warren could earn
6592-541: The general election. Despite not earning the presidential or the vice-presidential nomination, Warren would be appointed as Chief Justice of the United States in October 1953, and Stassen would hold various positions within Eisenhower's administration. The balloting at the Republican convention went as follows: The expected candidate for the Democratic nomination was the incumbent President Harry S. Truman. Since
6695-601: The governor in New Hampshire by more than 18 points. The result forecast a tough two-man race for the GOP nomination, which carried on until Super Tuesday in March. Al Gore helped himself with a narrow win in the Democratic primary, which somewhat assuaged his supporters' concerns about Bill Bradley 's insurgent campaign. Senator John Kerry secured a decisive victory with 35% of the vote, 10 percentage points more than second-place finisher Howard Dean . Hillary Clinton managed an upset win over Barack Obama in New Hampshire, despite polls showing her as much as 13 points behind in
6798-459: The importance of the Iowa caucus. "The people of Iowa pick corn, the people of New Hampshire pick presidents," said then-Governor John H. Sununu in 1988. Recently, media expectations for the New Hampshire primary have come to be almost as important as the results themselves. Meeting or beating expectations can provide a candidate with national attention, often leading to an infusion of donations to
6901-399: The last until Donald Trump in 2016 that the Republicans won Pacific County, Washington , or Swift County, Minnesota . It was the last time the Republicans won Missouri until 1968 and the last time that a Republican won the election without Kentucky. Stevenson's 700-vote win was the smallest percentage margin in any state since Woodrow Wilson had won New Hampshire by 56 votes in 1916. Of
7004-596: The latter had never held an elective office and was inexperienced in politics. Truman next turned to Vice President Alben W. Barkley but at 74, he was rejected as being too old by leaders of labor unions . Other minor or favorite son candidates included Oklahoma Senator Robert S. Kerr , Massachusetts Governor Paul A. Dever , Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey, and Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright . One candidate soon emerged who seemingly had few political weaknesses, Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. The grandson of former Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson , he came from
7107-399: The lighting. Eventually, he gave in and agreed to those modifications. Reeves also wanted Eisenhower to not wear his eyeglasses on camera to look younger, but since he could not read the prompter board without them, Reeves devised a large handwritten signboard. Reeves's television work, although pioneering, was the subject of considerable criticism on the grounds that he was attempting to sell
7210-449: The medium by calling it "selling the presidency like cereal". He made a point of the fact that he did not watch or even own a television, and the same for went many members of his inner circle. Both campaigns made use of television ads. A notable ad for Eisenhower was an issue-free feel-good animated cartoon with a soundtrack song by Irving Berlin called "I Like Ike". For the first time, a presidential candidate's personal medical history
7313-513: The men who seemingly believe that we can confound the Kremlin by frightening ourselves to death." In return, McCarthy often jokingly confused the names Adlai and Alger, the first name of the convicted Soviet spy Alger Hiss , by stating "Alger, I mean Adlai" in his speeches. McCarthy exploited the fact that Stevenson had defended Hiss as innocent despite all of the evidence otherwise. McCarthy, in response to Stevenson's criticisms, also stated during
7416-401: The moderate and conservative wings was so severe that it was feared that party's conservatives would run Taft as a third-party candidate. Eisenhower had apparently given little thought to choosing his running mate. When asked, he replied that he assumed the convention would pick someone. The spot ultimately fell to the young California Senator Richard Nixon , who was viewed as a centrist. Nixon
7519-415: The most recent general election in New Hampshire. Currently, only Democrats and Republicans meet this criterion. New Hampshire has a low barrier to ballot access . Any person may run for president by (1) paying a $ 1,000 filing fee or collecting the signatures of 10 registered voters in each New Hampshire county and (2) completing a declaration of candidacy form that declares, under penalty of perjury, that
7622-456: The most votes in the New Hampshire primary for an incumbent candidate in U.S. history, breaking Bill Clinton's 1996 record of 76,797. President Joe Biden was a write-in candidate due to the Democratic primary scheduling controversy ; he won the Democratic race with over 64 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the Republican primary with about 54 percent of the vote, beating Nikki Haley 's approximate 43 percent. Notes: An asterisk indicates
7725-456: The newcomers with suspicion and hostility. More significantly, activism in support of Eisenhower did not translate into enthusiasm for the party's cause. On election day, Eisenhower won a decisive victory by winning over 55% of the popular vote and carrying 39 of the 48 states. Stevenson did not win a single state north of the Mason–Dixon line or west of Arkansas; he did succeed in winning back
7828-499: The newly passed 22nd Amendment did not apply to whoever was president at the time of its passage, he was eligible to run again. However, Truman entered 1952 with his popularity plummeting, according to polls. The bloody and indecisive Korean War was dragging into its third year, Senator Joseph McCarthy 's anti-communist crusade was stirring public fears of an encroaching "Red Menace", and the disclosure of widespread corruption among federal employees (including some high-level members of
7931-438: The nomination, and Estes Kefauver defeated incumbent President Harry S. Truman , leading Truman to abandon his campaign for a second term of his own. The other president to be forced out of the running for re-election by New Hampshire voters was Lyndon Johnson , who, as a write-in candidate , managed only a 49–42 percent victory over Eugene McCarthy in 1968, and won fewer delegates than McCarthy, and consequently withdrew from
8034-892: The nomination. General Douglas MacArthur also won the support of ten delegates from various states (mostly in Oregon) but had made it clear from early in the race that he had no interest in being nominated. When the 1952 Republican National Convention opened in Chicago, most political experts rated Taft and Eisenhower as about equal in delegate vote totals. Eisenhower's managers, led by both Dewey and Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. , accused Taft of "stealing" delegate votes in Southern states such as Texas and Georgia, and claimed that Taft's leaders in those states had unfairly denied delegate spots to Eisenhower supporters, putting Taft delegates in their place. Lodge and Dewey proposed to evict
8137-476: The party by expanding its activist ranks and by supporting moderate and internationalist policies. It did not endorse candidates other than Eisenhower, but he paid it little attention after he had won, and it failed to maintain its impressive starting momentum. Instead, it energized the conservative Republicans, which led finally to the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964. Longtime Republican activists viewed
8240-399: The party's vice-presidential slot for the second successive election if he withdrew and endorsed Eisenhower, he ultimately chose not to do so. Eisenhower wished to award the vice-presidential nod to Stassen, who had endorsed Eisenhower and held generally similar political positions. However, the party bosses wanted to find a running mate who could mollify Taft's supporters, as the schism between
8343-595: The party. The Republicans had been out of power for 20 years, and there was a strong sentiment that a proper two-party system needed to be re-established. It was also felt that the party winning the White House would have more incentive to rein in radicals and demagogues such as Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy . The conservative Republicans, led by Taft, were based in the Midwest and parts of
8446-463: The person elected president had always carried the primary. Bill Clinton broke the pattern in 1992, as did George W. Bush in 2000, Barack Obama in 2008, and Joe Biden in 2020. In 1992, Clinton lost to Paul Tsongas in New Hampshire. In 2000, George W. Bush lost to John McCain in New Hampshire. In 2008, Barack Obama lost to Hillary Clinton . In 2020, Joe Biden lost to Bernie Sanders . In November 1967, Eugene McCarthy declared, "there comes
8549-479: The polling place inside the ballroom of The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch opens at midnight, usually in front of a crowd of journalists, where the village's handful of voters cast their ballots before the polls close about less than ten minutes later. This has led many presidential candidates to visit the area before the New Hampshire primary in hopes of securing an early-morning boost. There
8652-588: The popular vote and carry every state outside of the South ; he even managed to carry Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas, Southern states that voted for Democrats since the end of Reconstruction , with the exception of 1928 . Eisenhower received over 34 million votes, which at the time was the largest share of the popular vote a presidential candidate had received, surpassing Franklin D. Roosevelt's record in 1936. Republicans gained among Democrats, especially urban and suburban Southerners, and White ethnic groups in
8755-439: The race. The winner in New Hampshire has not always won their party's nomination, as demonstrated by Republicans Leonard Wood in 1920 , Harold Stassen in 1948, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as a write-in candidate in 1964, Pat Buchanan in 1996, and John McCain in 2000, and Democrats Estes Kefauver in 1952 and 1956, Paul Tsongas in 1992, Hillary Clinton in 2008, and Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020 . From 1952 to 1988,
8858-639: The run-up to the vote. The win helped Clinton get back some of the momentum she lost the week before when Obama carried the Iowa caucuses—though Obama eventually won the Democratic nomination. John McCain won the Republican primary, sparking an unexpected comeback for the senator whose long-shot campaign had been written off as a lost cause months before. He went on to win the GOP nomination. Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton by 22 percentage points. Sanders amassed 152,193 votes in total, earning him 15 delegates, while Clinton managed 95,252 votes with 9 delegates. Together with Donald Trump 's double-digit win in
8961-492: The second Tuesday in March or on a date selected by the secretary of state which is 7 days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election, whichever is earlier." New Hampshire has closely guarded its "first primary in the nation" status through this provision. The state has held the first primary in each presidential campaign since 1920 . The Iowa caucuses , which began in 1972 for Democrats and 1976 for Republicans, occur earlier than
9064-492: The support of the uncommitted states decided the nomination in Eisenhower's favor. However, the convention was among the most bitter and emotional in American history. When Senator Everett Dirksen from Illinois, a Taft supporter, pointed at Dewey on the convention floor during a speech and accused him of leading the Republicans "down the road to defeat," mixed boos and cheers rang out from the delegates, and there were even fistfights between some Taft and Eisenhower delegates. In
9167-522: The support of the young emerging postwar intellectual class, but Eisenhower was seen as more appealing to Main Street. Stevenson was ridiculed in some quarters as too effeminate to be president, which was sometimes used as a euphemism for a male homosexual. The staunchly-conservative New York Daily News called him "Adelaide" Stevenson even though he had a reputation as a ladies' man, divorced in 1949, and remained single throughout 1952. A notable event of
9270-725: The time, did not actively solicit vice-presidential votes. In 1968, the sitting Vice President Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic vice-presidential primary, and then later won the Presidential nomination after the sitting President Lyndon B. Johnson dropped out of the race. The following candidates received the greatest number of votes at each election. * – write-in candidate Sources: New Hampshire Department of State , New Hampshire Political Library Early votes: Reform plans: 1952 United States presidential election Harry S. Truman Democratic Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican A Presidential election
9373-405: The unpopular Truman administration. Instead, he campaigned on the popularity of the New Deal and stoked fears of another Great Depression under a Republican administration. Eisenhower retained his enormous popularity from the war, as was seen in his campaign slogan, " I Like Ike ". Eisenhower's public support, coupled with the unpopularity of Truman, allowed him to win comfortably with 55.18% of
9476-460: The volume operator, to mute Reagan's microphone. When Malloy refused, Breen repeated his order. A visibly angry Reagan responded, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!" [ sic ], referring to the editor and debate moderator Jon Breen. Eventually the other candidates agreed to leave, and the debate proceeded between Reagan and Bush. Reagan's quote was often repeated as "I paid for this microphone!" and dominated news coverage of
9579-535: Was "joining hands once more with this criminal crowd of traitors and Communist appeasers ... under the direction of Mr. Truman and Mr. Acheson." Many Democrats were particularly upset when Eisenhower, on a scheduled campaign swing through Wisconsin, decided not to give a speech he had written criticizing McCarthy's methods without naming him and later allowed himself to be photographed shaking hands with McCarthy as if he had supported McCarthy. Truman, who had once been friends with Eisenhower, never forgot what he saw as
9682-544: Was charismatic and very well known, in sharp contrast to Stevenson. Republicans attacked President Harry S. Truman's handling of the Korean War and the broader Cold War , alleging Soviet spies infiltrated the U.S. government. Democrats faulted Eisenhower for failing to condemn Senators Joseph McCarthy , William E. Jenner , and other reactionary Republicans, who, the Democrats alleged, engaged in reckless and unwarranted attacks. Stevenson tried to separate himself from
9785-418: Was elected. The historian Herbert Parmet stated that, "although Stevenson tried to separate his campaign from Truman's record, his efforts failed to dispel the widespread recognition that, for a divided America, torn by paranoia and unable to understand what had disrupted the anticipated tranquility of the postwar world, the time for change had really arrived. Neither Stevenson nor anyone else could have dissuaded
9888-478: Was held in Chicago in the same Coliseum that the Republicans had gathered in several weeks earlier. Since the convention was being held in his home state, Governor Stevenson, who still proclaimed that he was not a presidential candidate, was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He proceeded to give a witty and stirring address that led his supporters to begin a renewed round of efforts to nominate him despite his protests. After meeting with Jacob Arvey ,
9991-632: Was held in the United States on November 4, 1952. Republican nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democratic Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II in a landslide victory , becoming the first Republican president in 20 years. This was the first election since 1928 without an incumbent president on the ballot. Stevenson emerged victorious on the third presidential ballot of the 1952 Democratic National Convention by defeating Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver , Georgia Senator Richard Russell Jr. , and other candidates. The Republican nomination
10094-453: Was known as an aggressive campaigner and a fierce anti-communist but as one who shied away from some of the more extreme ideas of the party's right wing, including isolationism and the dismantling of the New Deal. Most historians now believe that Eisenhower's nomination was the result of his perceived electability against the Democrats. Most of the delegates were conservatives who would probably have supported Taft if they felt that he could win
10197-682: Was one of the crucial events in the politics of that landmark year in United States history. Senator Eugene McCarthy began his campaign with a poem that he wrote in imitation of the poet Robert Lowell , "Are you running with me Jesus": I'm not matching my stride With Billy Graham's by the Clyde I'm not going for distance With the Senator's persistence I'm not trying to win a race even at George Romney's pace. I'm an existential runner, Indifferent to space I'm running here in place ... Are you with me Jesus? George H. W. Bush emerged as
10300-437: Was primarily contested by Eisenhower, a general, widely popular for his leadership in World War II , and the conservative Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft . With the support of Thomas E. Dewey and other party leaders, Eisenhower narrowly prevailed over Taft at the 1952 Republican National Convention . He selected youthful California Senator Richard Nixon as his running mate. In the first televised presidential campaign, Eisenhower
10403-490: Was released publicly, as were partial versions of his financial histories, because of the issues that had been raised in Nixon's speech. Near the end of the campaign, Eisenhower, in a major speech, announced that if he won the election he would go to Korea to see if he could end the war. His great military prestige, combined with the public's weariness with the conflict, gave Eisenhower the final boost he needed to win. Throughout
10506-443: Was the first one to make use of the new medium of television, partly by the efforts of Rosser Reeves , the head of Ted Bates, Inc. , a leading advertising firm. Reeves had initially proposed a series of radio spots to Dewey in the 1948 campaign, but Dewey considered them undignified. Reeves later maintained that Dewey might have won the election if he had been slightly more open-minded. Studying Douglas MacArthur 's keynote speech at
10609-575: Was turned into a growing Sun Belt Republican stronghold, and it was also the last time that a Democrat has won Aiken County, South Carolina , before the " Solid South " would collapse in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement . That year was also, however, the last time a Republican won Yolo County, California or the Native American Rolette County, North Dakota and Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota , and
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