Great Presidential Campaign Squeakers

[Okla-homey]

First in a series.

1916: Woodrow Wilson (D) v. Charles Evans Hughes (R)

On election night Hughes took an early lead in the Eastern and Midwestern states, and several newspapers declared him the winner. However, Wilson refused to concede, and as returns came in from the South and West Wilson made a comeback and eventually took the lead.

The key state proved to be California, which Wilson won by only 3,800 votes out of nearly a million cast. The electoral vote was one of the closest in American history - with 266 votes needed to win, Wilson took 30 states for 277 electoral votes, while Hughes won 18 states and 254 electoral votes.

If Hughes had carried California and its 13 electoral votes, he would have won the election. In the popular vote Wilson's lead was larger, although it was still narrow - Wilson took 49% of the popular vote to Hughes' 46%.

A popular legend from the 1916 campaign states that Hughes went to bed on Election Night thinking that he was the newly-elected president. When a reporter tried to telephone him the next morning to get his reaction to Wilson's comeback, someone (stories vary as to whether this person was his son or a butler or valet) answered the phone and told the reporter that "the President is sleeping." The reporter retorted, "When he wakes up, tell him he isn't the President anymore."

Next week: Truman (D) v. Dewey (R)

[C&CDean]

DEWEY WINS!! DEWEY WINS!!

[SoonerStormchaser]

Heh...Harry Truman...and people bitch now about Palin being too inexperienced to be a Veep.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Heh, Wilson another liberal peacemaking dem...Some say his failure at Armistice began his downward spiral and other that he was too intellectual about things. Then again he did have an odd female relationship.

[SoonerStormchaser]

So?
He also had a major stroke and was a vegetable the last 19 months of his tenure.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

So?
He also had a major stroke and was a vegetable the last 19 months of his tenure.

Which was attributed to his failure in the armistice meetings.

Wasn't his wife or girlfriend the "effective" President? And the "Stroke" hushed up?

[Pricetag]

On election night Hughes took an early lead in the Eastern and Midwestern states, and several newspapers declared him the winner. However, Wilson refused to concede
This is something I've been wondering about since the 2000 election. Had Wilson conceded, would Hughes have been president? What is the power of the concession? I remember when they were recounting and recounting people were calling for Gore to concede, but I never understood how that could somehow override how the actual votes went.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

I fail to believe conceding anything means anything. You either won or lost and if in doubt, I wouldn't concede. Though if on edoes and is proven the winner later, then the electorate is right.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Which was attributed to his failure in the armistice meetings.

Wasn't his wife or girlfriend the "effective" President? And the "Stroke" hushed up?

Yes on the wife part...and yes on the coverup.

[Okla-homey]

This is something I've been wondering about since the 2000 election. Had Wilson conceded, would Hughes have been president? What is the power of the concession? I remember when they were recounting and recounting people were calling for Gore to concede, but I never understood how that could somehow override how the actual votes went.

Legally, it ain't over until the Secretary of State in each state certifies the results, barring lawsuits challenging the result of course. It was believed at the time Gore's concession would have resulted in the calling off of his legal team.