The election of 1920 saw two dark horse candidates battle it out to lead the United States into a new decade marked by growing instability. Warren G. Harding and James M. Cox faced off in a pivotal race amid the aftermath of World War I and domestic unrest.
The Fallout from World War I
As detailed in the 1916 election article, Woodrow Wilson secured re-election on the promise to maintain American neutrality. However, this pledge faltered as Wilson led the U.S. into World War I. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania and the Zimmermann Telegram were significant catalysts for this shift, with the latter revealing a German proposal to ally with Mexico against the U.S.
The war ended on November 11, 1918, with Wilson championing the League of Nations as a framework to prevent future conflicts. While Europe embraced the League, the U.S. Congress rejected the Treaty of Versailles and U.S. membership, undermining Wilson’s international vision and leaving America politically divided.
Domestic Turmoil
Wilson’s declining popularity and health shaped his final years in office. The Spanish Flu pandemic devastated communities, while the First Red Scare, widespread labor strikes, and postwar inflation heightened tensions. Racial unrest also boiled over, with the “Red Summer” of 1919 bringing violent race riots to dozens of cities.
To make matters worse, Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke in October 1919, leaving him incapacitated. His wife, Edith Wilson, effectively managed White House duties in what some historians call “the Petticoat Presidency.” This combination of crises created fertile ground for political change in 1920.
The Nomination Battle
Both major parties faced contentious nomination battles.
- Democrats: After a deadlocked convention, Governor James M. Cox of Ohio secured the nomination. His running mate was Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy and a rising Democratic star who would later redefine the presidency.
- Republicans: Following speculation that Theodore Roosevelt might run before his death in 1919, the GOP eventually rallied around Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio. Harding, a compromise candidate, balanced party factions by selecting Governor Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts—famed for his handling of the Boston Police Strike—as his running mate.
Harding’s slogan, “Return to Normalcy,” encapsulated the Republican promise of stability after years of war, unrest, and uncertainty.
Third-Party Candidates
The 1920 election also featured a handful of third-party challengers:
- Socialist Party: Eugene V. Debs ran for the fifth time, remarkably from prison, after being convicted under the Espionage Act for his anti-war speeches.
- Farmer-Labor Party: Parley Christensen represented agrarian and labor interests.
- Prohibition Party: Aaron Watkins campaigned on the continued enforcement of Prohibition, newly enacted under the 18th Amendment.
Debs’s candidacy, despite his imprisonment, highlighted the growing dissatisfaction among segments of the working class.
Major Issues and Campaigns
The League of Nations was a central issue. Cox supported U.S. membership with reservations, while Harding deliberately kept his stance vague, promising instead to restore stability at home.
The 1920 election was also the first in which women could vote nationwide, following the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Harding’s appeal to traditional values and his calm, reassuring style resonated strongly with these new voters.
Harding’s campaign made full use of modern media and organization, benefiting from strong financing and his personable “front porch campaign” in Marion, Ohio. Cox, meanwhile, campaigned vigorously across the country but could not overcome the widespread desire for change.
The Results
The election of 1920 ended in a landslide:
- Warren G. Harding (Republican): 404 electoral votes, 60.3% of the popular vote
- James M. Cox (Democrat): 127 electoral votes, 34.2% of the popular vote
- Eugene V. Debs (Socialist): 3.4% of the popular vote (running from prison)
- Parley Christensen (Farmer-Labor): 1% of the popular vote
- Aaron Watkins (Prohibition): 0.7% of the popular vote
Harding even carried traditionally Democratic Tennessee, the first Republican victory there since 1872. His overwhelming win marked a return to Republican dominance and was the first presidency since James Monroe’s uncontested re-election in 1820 to claim more than 60% of the popular vote.
Conclusion
The election of 1920 demonstrated Americans’ desire to retreat from the upheavals of war, disease, and social unrest in favor of “normalcy.” While Grover Cleveland had been the only president to serve non-consecutive terms just a few decades earlier, Harding’s overwhelming victory underscored a very different public mood than in Cleveland’s time.
Yet, as the next article will reveal, Harding’s “normalcy” presidency would be anything but stable, plagued by corruption scandals and ultimately cut short—setting the stage for Calvin Coolidge in the election of 1924.
