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1940 United States presidential election in California

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FieldValue
election_name1940 United States presidential election in California
countryCalifornia
flag_imageFlag of California (1924–1953).pngborder
typepresidential
ongoingno
previous_election1936 United States presidential election in California
previous_year1936
next_election1944 United States presidential election in California
next_year1944
turnout81.44% (of registered voters) 1.92 pp
78.32% (of eligible voters) 7.76 pp
election_dateNovember 5, 1940
image_sizex200px
image1FDRoosevelt1938.jpg
nominee1**Franklin D. Roosevelt**
party1Democratic Party (United States)
home_state1New York
running_mate1**Henry A. Wallace**
electoral_vote1**22**
popular_vote1**1,877,618**
percentage1**57.44%**
image2WendellWillkie.png
nominee2Wendell Willkie
party2Republican Party (United States)
home_state2New York
running_mate2Charles L. McNary
electoral_vote20
popular_vote21,351,419
percentage241.34%
map_image325px
map_size400px
map_captionCounty Results
titlePresident
before_electionFranklin D. Roosevelt
before_partyDemocratic Party (United States)
after_electionFranklin D. Roosevelt
after_partyDemocratic Party (United States)

78.32% (of eligible voters) 7.76 pp Roosevelt Willkie Main article: 1940 United States presidential election

The 1940 United States presidential election in California took place on November 5, 1940, as part of the 1940 United States presidential election. State voters chose 22 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

California voted for the Democratic incumbent, Franklin Roosevelt, over the Republican challenger, businessman Wendell Willkie.

Willkie did nonetheless make considerable gains vis-à-vis the previous Republican nominee, Alf Landon, who remains the solitary Republican nominee to not carry a single county in the state. Willkie carried seven counties scattered across the state and gained ten percentage points on Landon's performance.

This is the last election where the Democrats won Sutter County, which, as of the 2024 presidential election, stands as the longest run voting for one party by any California county. Mono County would not vote Democratic again until John Kerry in 2004.

Results

1940 United States presidential election in CaliforniaPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
**Democratic****Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent)****1,877,618****57.44%****22**
RepublicanWendell Willkie1,351,41941.34%0
ProgressiveNorman Thomas16,5060.50%0
CommunistEarl Russell Browder13,5860.42%0
ProhibitionRoger Babson9,4000.29%0
*No party*Write-ins2620.01%0
Invalid or blank votes
**Totals****3,268,791****100.00%****22**
Voter turnout

Results by county

CountyFranklin D. Roosevelt
DemocraticWendell Willkie
RepublicanNorman Thomas
ProgressiveEarl Browder
CommunistRoger Babson
ProhibitionScattering
Write-inMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%#%#%#%Total1,877,61857.44%1,351,41941.34%16,5060.50%13,5860.42%9,4000.29%2620.01%526,19916.10%3,268,791
Alameda148,22455.21%116,96143.56%1,6180.60%1,2850.48%4080.15%00.00%31,26311.64%268,496
Alpine6232.98%12566.49%00.00%10.53%00.00%00.00%-63-33.51%188
Amador2,76266.14%1,37232.85%150.36%90.22%180.43%00.00%1,39033.29%4,176
Butte10,68458.15%7,43340.46%1170.64%770.42%610.33%00.00%3,25117.70%18,372
Calaveras2,40558.90%1,64940.39%210.51%40.10%40.10%00.00%75618.52%4,083
Colusa2,65559.48%1,77439.74%150.34%50.11%150.34%00.00%88119.74%4,464
Contra Costa30,90061.75%18,62737.22%2380.48%2090.42%630.13%30.01%12,27324.53%50,040
Del Norte1,03444.92%1,23353.56%261.13%50.22%40.17%00.00%-199-8.64%2,302
El Dorado4,14466.44%2,01932.37%370.59%150.24%220.35%00.00%2,12534.07%6,237
Fresno48,86669.07%21,07929.79%3540.50%1430.20%3080.44%00.00%27,78739.27%70,750
Glenn3,09554.96%2,47343.92%310.55%20.04%300.53%00.00%62211.05%5,631
Humboldt12,32955.98%9,47043.00%920.42%780.35%550.25%00.00%2,85912.98%22,024
Imperial7,72852.53%6,85446.59%640.44%250.17%410.28%00.00%8745.94%14,712
Inyo1,82054.65%1,48344.53%120.36%30.09%120.36%00.00%33710.12%3,330
Kern32,20261.78%19,44537.30%2190.42%1060.20%1540.30%00.00%12,75724.47%52,126
Kings8,30767.43%3,91131.75%410.33%90.07%520.42%00.00%4,39635.68%12,320
Lake1,89745.70%2,21553.36%230.55%50.12%110.26%00.00%-318-7.66%4,151
Lassen4,36769.17%1,90230.13%200.32%110.17%130.21%00.00%2,46539.05%6,313
Los Angeles822,71858.13%574,26640.58%6,9710.49%6,9140.49%4,1510.29%2490.02%248,45217.56%1,415,269
Madera5,74967.61%2,65331.20%320.38%350.41%340.40%00.00%3,09636.41%8,503
Marin11,36550.20%10,97448.47%1510.67%1300.57%200.09%00.00%3911.73%22,640
Mariposa1,93564.44%1,03534.47%130.43%110.37%90.30%00.00%90029.97%3,003
Mendocino7,05556.13%5,34542.53%700.56%660.53%330.26%00.00%1,71013.60%12,569
Merced10,50162.57%6,10136.35%840.50%270.16%710.42%00.00%4,40026.22%16,784
Modoc2,23261.49%1,37137.77%140.39%40.11%60.17%30.08%86123.72%3,630
Mono52352.56%45946.13%20.20%50.50%60.60%00.00%646.43%995
Monterey14,75855.00%11,81044.01%1200.45%760.28%690.26%00.00%2,94810.99%26,833
Napa6,77152.68%5,92446.09%600.47%340.26%640.50%00.00%8476.59%12,853
Nevada5,78266.01%2,86332.69%570.65%270.31%300.34%00.00%2,91933.33%8,759
Orange28,23643.44%36,07055.49%2550.39%820.13%3540.54%00.00%-7,834-12.05%64,997
Placer8,40267.56%3,88731.26%730.59%350.28%390.31%00.00%4,51536.31%12,436
Plumas3,41872.11%1,27026.79%340.72%100.21%80.17%00.00%2,14845.32%4,740
Riverside20,00347.20%21,77951.39%1970.46%560.13%3450.81%00.00%-1,776-4.19%42,380
Sacramento51,35168.09%23,20130.76%4520.60%2250.30%1870.25%00.00%28,15037.33%75,416
San Benito2,44149.99%2,40749.29%170.35%110.23%70.14%00.00%340.70%4,883
San Bernardino37,52054.47%30,51144.30%3200.46%1380.20%3890.56%00.00%7,00910.18%68,878
San Diego71,18855.57%55,43443.27%6840.53%3480.27%4560.36%00.00%15,75412.30%128,110
San Francisco185,60759.51%122,44939.26%1,5130.49%1,9350.62%3740.12%00.00%63,15820.25%311,878
San Joaquin26,53652.55%23,40346.34%2390.47%1410.28%1790.35%00.00%3,1336.20%50,498
San Luis Obispo8,49953.39%7,20445.25%790.50%670.42%710.45%00.00%1,2958.13%15,920
San Mateo29,83152.38%26,53946.60%2900.51%2110.37%800.14%00.00%3,2925.78%56,951
Santa Barbara17,23754.41%14,10744.53%1820.57%910.29%610.19%00.00%3,1309.88%31,678
Santa Clara40,44949.63%40,10049.20%4580.56%2940.36%1950.24%00.00%3490.43%81,496
Santa Cruz10,68347.51%11,45350.93%1750.78%710.32%1040.46%00.00%-770-3.42%22,486
Shasta8,66268.03%3,90930.70%660.52%710.56%250.20%00.00%4,75337.33%12,733
Sierra1,05766.98%51132.38%70.44%20.13%10.06%00.00%54634.60%1,578
Siskiyou7,71463.17%4,38735.92%560.46%180.15%360.29%10.01%3,32727.24%12,212
Solano15,05470.58%6,08128.51%830.39%530.25%570.27%00.00%8,97342.07%21,328
Sonoma15,23047.04%16,81951.94%1450.45%1190.37%600.19%60.02%-1,589-4.91%32,379
Stanislaus16,49451.96%14,80346.63%1550.49%580.18%2360.74%00.00%1,6915.33%31,746
Sutter4,19557.11%3,08942.06%260.35%150.20%200.27%00.00%1,10615.06%7,345
Tehama3,61854.59%2,91343.95%530.80%130.20%310.47%00.00%70510.64%6,628
Trinity1,43163.83%78034.79%120.54%150.67%40.18%00.00%65129.04%2,242
Tulare20,12955.96%15,41442.85%2090.58%410.11%1780.49%00.00%4,71513.11%35,971
Tuolumne3,54162.96%2,00435.63%270.48%290.52%230.41%00.00%1,53727.33%5,624
Ventura15,18257.00%11,22542.15%840.32%640.24%790.30%00.00%3,95714.86%26,634
Yolo6,38058.78%4,37340.29%630.58%190.18%190.18%00.00%2,00718.49%10,854
Yuba4,66064.57%2,47134.24%350.48%330.46%180.25%00.00%2,18930.33%7,217

Electors

Up through 1936, voters in California chose presidential electors directly. Starting in 1940, however, California adopted the modern "short ballot" where voters select from the actual candidates' names and each vote is treated as being for a candidate and his or her party's entire slate of electors. The individuals below were nominated by each party to serve as the state's members of the 1940 Electoral College should their party's ticket win the state:

Franklin D. Roosevelt
& Henry A. Wallace
Democratic PartyWendell Willkie
& Charles L. McNary
Republican PartyNorman Thomas
& Maynard Krueger
Progressive PartyEarl Browder
& James W. Ford
Communist PartyRoger Babson
& Edgar V. Moorman
Prohibition Party

Notes

References

References

  1. "Historical Voter Registration and Participation in Statewide General Elections 1910-2018".
  2. (November 3, 2020). "California Election Results". The New York Times.
  3. Sullivan, Robert David; [http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’]; ''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016
  4. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, p. 131 {{ISBN. 0786422173
  5. California Secretary of State. "State of California Statement of Vote, General Election, November 5, 1940". State Printing Office.
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