Who won South Dakota in the 1940 presidential election?

Willkie (Republican) carried South Dakota in 1940, winning its 4 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did South Dakota have in 1940?

South Dakota cast 4 electoral votes in the 1940 presidential election.

Did South Dakota vote for the national winner in 1940?

No. South Dakota backed Willkie, while Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency nationally.

New Deal CoalitionSD · 4 EV

1940

South Dakota: Willkie carries 4 EV.

South Dakota cast its 4 electoral votes for Willkie (Republican). National winner: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) — South Dakota voted against the national winner this cycle.

South Dakota in 1940

The 1940 contest saw South Dakota line up behind Willkie, delivering 4 electoral votes to the Republican ticket. The presidency went elsewhere: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) won nationally, while South Dakota had backed a different ticket.

The result flipped South Dakota away from the Democratic ticket it had backed in each of the previous 2 cycles. The region divided — North Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska joined South Dakota for the Republican ticket, while Minnesota, Wyoming, and Montana did not. Over its 34 recorded presidential cycles, South Dakota has backed the Republican party more than any other — 29 times in all. The vote fell within the New Deal Coalition — FDR, civil rights, and the long Democratic majority.

Nationally, Franklin D. Roosevelt finished with 449 of the 531 electoral votes to Wendell Willkie's 82. Franklin D. Roosevelt led the national popular vote with 54.74% of the ballots cast.

The 1940 national map

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