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The loneliest campaign; the Truman victory of 1948

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Author Irwin Ross examines the 1948 election, when President Harry S. Truman defeated Governor Thomas Dewey of New York in a supposed upset. The campaign played out in the pre-TV era of railroads and radio, when the South still voted Democratic, and when Republicans still had a potent Eastern/liberal wing. Many wrote off Truman's chances due a divided Democratic Party. Angry Southerners deserted to Strom Thurmond's (anti-civil rights) Dixiecrat campaign, while some liberals preferred former Vice President Henry Wallace on the Progressive Party ticket. These third-party desertions cost Truman electoral votes in the South and perhaps the East, but may have increased his appeal to black voters and anti-communists in critical states like Ohio, Illinois and California. The author contrasts the President's "give em hell" style against Governor Dewey's cautious approach (based on Dewey's lead in the polls). The author, and for that matter Dewey, should have focused more on the fact that in 1948 the USA enjoyed peace and prosperity - conditions that favor incumbents (Truman). Finally, we see how voters surprised the pundits and experts, choosing Truman by a 49%-45% margin (Electoral Votes: Truman-303, Dewey-189, Thurmond-39). Overall, this is a readable and informative effort.