1940

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 1940 map

Roosevelt broke the two-term tradition set by Washington, winning an unprecedented third term amid the European crisis. Wendell Willkie was a liberal Republican businessman who agreed with much of the New Deal; the election turned largely on foreign policy, with Roosevelt promising to keep America out of the war while supporting Britain. Willkie made the race competitive but Roosevelt's incumbency advantage and the anxiety over Hitler's conquests in Europe sealed his victory.