1940 United States presidential election (Lucky With Lindy)

The 1940 United States presidential election was the 39th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1940. Republican candidate, Charles Lindbergh, defeated incumbent, Secretary of State, Cordell Hull.

The election was contested in the shadow of World War II in Europe, as the United States was emerging from the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt declined to run for a third term due to the Intervention Papers, which were transcripts from a secretly recorded conversation in which Roosevelt expressed his support for intervening in World War II. The papers damaged Roosevelt's popularity and led to his choice not to run again, which left the Democratic Party without a clear candidate. Overall, 11 people declared their candidacy for the nomination, however, three stood to gain the nomination. New York Postmaster General James A. Farley, Vice President John Nance Garner, and Cordell Hull. While Garner represented the conservative Southern Democrats, both Farley and Hull represented the Democrats more closely aligned with Roosevelt. Hull would win over Farley and Garner due to his credentials in foreign policy and having served with Roosevelt, with Farley nominated as Hull's running mate.

In the Republican National Convention, Wendell Willkie, Robert Taft, and Thomas Dewey went back and forth in the polls, however, when Charles Lindbergh announced his candidacy, Lindbergh began polling ahead. Lindbergh represented the hardline isolationalists and he would win the nomination of the ninth ballot, Lindbergh chose Hamilton Fish III as his running mate.

While Hull mainly ran a reserved and calm campaign, focusing on his credentials and stating his experience would keep America out of war, Lindbergh ran a fiery campaign where he attacked Hull and the Roosevelts as bringing America to the brink of war. Lindbergh would lead early polls until Hull's campaign would begin attacking Lindbergh for his Anti-Semitic remarks and his endorsement by the America First Committee. Lindbergh's comments would bring his wide lead closer, and the last poll held before the election had Hull winning by 49% to Lindbergh's 48%. Lindbergh, despite the polls, would win in an electoral college landslide, carrying 318 electoral votes, and winning the popular vote with 50.1%. Hull would win just 213 electoral votes and 48.9% of the popular vote.