1948
The 1948 U.S. presidential election was won by Harry S. Truman (Democratic) with 303 of 531 electoral votes, defeating Thomas E. Dewey (Republican). Electoral-vote margin: 114 (303 to 189). Popular-vote margin: 4.5 percentage points. Turnout was 52.2%. The cycle falls in the New Deal Coalition era of American electoral history.
Open the what-if calculator → — flip states and re-count. A toy, not history.
A fractured coalition still wins
In the greatest political upset in American history, Truman defeated the heavily favored Dewey despite nearly every poll and pundit predicting a Dewey victory. The famous photograph of a grinning Truman holding a Chicago Tribune front page reading 'Dewey Defeats Truman' captured the shock. The Democratic Party had fractured — Strom Thurmond's Dixiecrats took 39 electoral votes, and Henry Wallace's Progressive Party drew liberal votes — yet Truman prevailed by running an aggressive 'whistle-stop' campaign across the country.
Civil rights; postwar economy; Cold War with the Soviet Union; New Deal continuation
'Dewey Defeats Truman' — greatest upset in US political history; 4-party race
This summary was drafted with AI tools and has not yet been checked sentence by sentence. The vote table and the National Archives note on this page come from named sources; where they differ from the summary, rely on them. Tell us about an error.
States · 48 reporting
State results · 1948
- Ohio Truman by 7,107 · 0.2 pts
- California Truman by 17,865 · 0.4 pts
- Indiana Dewey by 13,246 · 0.8 pts
- Illinois Truman by 33,612 · 0.8 pts
- New York Dewey by 60,959 · 1.0 pts
CaliforniaTruman won it by 0.4 points; its electoral votes took the total to 278, past the 266 needed.
Line up the states the winner carried from widest margin to narrowest and add up their electoral votes: the tipping point is the state that takes the total past a majority.
Scroll the table sideways for every column.
| State | Electoral votes | Harry S. Truman Dem | Thomas E. Dewey Rep | Also named | Margin | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama1 | 11 EV | Not named | 40,9301 19.0% | Strom Thurmond 171,443 · 79.7%1 | 130,513 60.7 pts | Thurmond Dixie |
| Arizona | 4 EV | 95,251 53.8% | 77,597 43.8% | Henry A. Wallace 3,310 · 1.9% | 17,654 10.0 pts | Truman Dem |
| Arkansas | 9 EV | 149,659 61.7% | 50,959 21.0% | Strom Thurmond 40,068 · 16.5% | 98,700 40.7 pts | Truman Dem |
| California2 | 25 EV | 1,913,1342 47.6% | 1,895,2692 47.1% | Henry A. Wallace 190,381 · 4.7%2 | 17,865 0.4 pts | Truman Dem |
| Colorado | 6 EV | 267,288 51.9% | 239,714 46.5% | Henry A. Wallace 6,115 · 1.2% | 27,574 5.4 pts | Truman Dem |
| Connecticut | 8 EV | 423,297 47.9% | 437,754 49.5% | Henry A. Wallace 13,713 · 1.6% | 14,457 1.6 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Delaware | 3 EV | 67,813 48.8% | 69,588 50.0% | None | 1,775 1.3 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Florida | 8 EV | 281,988 48.8% | 194,280 33.6% | Strom Thurmond 89,755 · 15.5% Henry A. Wallace 11,620 · 2.0% | 87,708 15.2 pts | Truman Dem |
| Georgia | 12 EV | 254,646 60.8% | 76,691 18.3% | Strom Thurmond 85,055 · 20.3% | 169,591 40.5 pts | Truman Dem |
| Idaho | 4 EV | 107,370 50.0% | 101,514 47.3% | Henry A. Wallace 4,972 · 2.3% | 5,856 2.7 pts | Truman Dem |
| Illinois3 | 28 EV | 1,994,7153 50.1% | 1,961,1033 49.2% | None | 33,612 0.8 pts | Truman Dem |
| Indiana | 13 EV | 807,833 48.8% | 821,079 49.6% | None | 13,246 0.8 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Iowa | 10 EV | 522,380 50.3% | 494,018 47.6% | Henry A. Wallace 12,125 · 1.2% | 28,362 2.7 pts | Truman Dem |
| Kansas | 8 EV | 351,902 44.6% | 423,039 53.6% | None | 71,137 9.0 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Kentucky | 11 EV | 466,756 56.7% | 341,210 41.5% | Strom Thurmond 10,411 · 1.3% | 125,546 15.3 pts | Truman Dem |
| Louisiana | 10 EV | 136,344 32.7% | 72,657 17.5% | Strom Thurmond 204,290 · 49.1% | 67,946 16.3 pts | Thurmond Dixie |
| Maine | 5 EV | 111,916 42.3% | 150,234 56.7% | None | 38,318 14.5 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Maryland | 8 EV | 286,521 48.0% | 294,814 49.4% | Henry A. Wallace 9,983 · 1.7% | 8,293 1.4 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Massachusetts4 | 16 EV | 1,151,7884 53.4% | 909,3704 42.2% | Henry A. Wallace 38,157 · 1.8%4 | 242,418 11.2 pts | Truman Dem |
| Michigan5 | 19 EV | 1,003,4485 47.6% | 1,038,5955 49.2% | Henry A. Wallace 46,515 · 2.2%5 | 35,147 1.7 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Minnesota6 | 11 EV | 692,9666 57.2% | 483,6176 39.9% | Henry A. Wallace 27,866 · 2.3%6 | 209,349 17.3 pts | Truman Dem |
| Mississippi | 9 EV | 19,384 10.1% | 5,043 2.6% | Strom Thurmond 167,538 · 87.2% | 148,154 77.1 pts | Thurmond Dixie |
| Missouri7 | 15 EV | 917,3157 58.1% | 655,0397 41.5% | None | 262,276 16.6 pts | Truman Dem |
| Montana | 4 EV | 119,071 53.1% | 96,770 43.1% | Henry A. Wallace 7,313 · 3.3% | 22,301 9.9 pts | Truman Dem |
| Nebraska | 6 EV | 224,165 45.8% | 264,774 54.2% | None | 40,609 8.3 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Nevada | 3 EV | 31,291 50.4% | 29,357 47.3% | Henry A. Wallace 1,469 · 2.4% | 1,934 3.1 pts | Truman Dem |
| New Hampshire | 4 EV | 107,995 46.7% | 121,299 52.4% | None | 13,304 5.7 pts | Dewey Rep |
| New Jersey | 16 EV | 895,455 45.9% | 981,124 50.3% | Henry A. Wallace 42,683 · 2.2% | 85,669 4.4 pts | Dewey Rep |
| New Mexico | 4 EV | 105,464 56.8% | 80,303 43.2% | None | 25,161 13.5 pts | Truman Dem |
| New York8,9 | 47 EV | 2,780,2048 44.3% | 2,841,1638 45.3% | Henry A. Wallace 509,559 · 8.1%8 | 60,959 1.0 pts | Dewey Rep |
| North Carolina | 14 EV | 459,070 58.0% | 258,572 32.7% | Strom Thurmond 69,652 · 8.8% | 200,498 25.3 pts | Truman Dem |
| North Dakota | 4 EV | 95,812 43.4% | 115,139 52.2% | Henry A. Wallace 8,391 · 3.8% | 19,327 8.8 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Ohio | 25 EV | 1,452,791 49.5% | 1,445,684 49.2% | Henry A. Wallace 37,596 · 1.3% | 7,107 0.2 pts | Truman Dem |
| Oklahoma | 10 EV | 452,782 62.7% | 268,817 37.3% | None | 183,965 25.5 pts | Truman Dem |
| Oregon | 6 EV | 243,147 46.4% | 260,904 49.8% | Henry A. Wallace 14,978 · 2.9% | 17,757 3.4 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Pennsylvania10 | 35 EV | 1,752,42610 46.9% | 1,902,19710 50.9% | Henry A. Wallace 55,161 · 1.5%10 | 149,771 4.0 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Rhode Island | 4 EV | 188,619 57.8% | 134,892 41.4% | None | 53,727 16.5 pts | Truman Dem |
| South Carolina | 8 EV | 34,423 24.1% | 5,386 3.8% | Strom Thurmond 102,607 · 72.0% | 68,184 47.8 pts | Thurmond Dixie |
| South Dakota | 4 EV | 117,653 47.0% | 129,651 51.8% | Henry A. Wallace 2,801 · 1.1% | 11,998 4.8 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Tennessee | 12 EV Truman 11, Thurmond 1 (faithless elector) | 270,402 49.1% | 202,914 36.9% | Strom Thurmond 73,815 · 13.4% | 67,488 12.3 pts | Truman Dem |
| Texas | 23 EV | 750,700 65.4% | 282,240 24.6% | Strom Thurmond 106,909 · 9.3% | 468,460 40.8 pts | Truman Dem |
| Utah | 4 EV | 149,151 54.0% | 124,402 45.0% | None | 24,749 9.0 pts | Truman Dem |
| Vermont11 | 3 EV | 45,55711 36.9% | 75,92611 61.5% | Henry A. Wallace 1,279 · 1.0%11 | 30,369 24.6 pts | Dewey Rep |
| Virginia | 11 EV | 200,786 47.9% | 172,070 41.0% | Strom Thurmond 43,393 · 10.4% | 28,716 6.8 pts | Truman Dem |
| Washington | 8 EV | 476,165 52.6% | 386,315 42.7% | Henry A. Wallace 31,692 · 3.5% | 89,850 9.9 pts | Truman Dem |
| West Virginia | 8 EV | 429,188 57.3% | 316,251 42.2% | None | 112,937 15.1 pts | Truman Dem |
| Wisconsin | 12 EV | 647,310 50.7% | 590,959 46.3% | Henry A. Wallace 25,282 · 2.0% | 56,351 4.4 pts | Truman Dem |
| Wyoming | 3 EV | 52,354 51.6% | 47,947 47.3% | None | 4,407 4.3 pts | Truman Dem |
Shares are of each state’s total vote for president. “Not named”: the figures do not give that candidate a line of their own in that state — for example under 1% of the vote, not on the ballot there, or counted on an unnamed line (see the state’s note). Margin is the leader’s lead over the second-placed candidate.
Notes on the figures
- Alabama Truman had no electors on Alabama's ballot.
- California The official table notes: Others: 42 Christian Nationalist Party, 6 Greenback Party, 4 Vegetarian Party and 761 scattering votes (footnote 3).
- Illinois The official table notes: Others: write-in vote (footnote 4).
- Massachusetts The official table notes: Others: blanks 48,201 and scattering 633 votes (footnote 5).
- Michigan The official table notes: Others: scattering (footnote 6).
- Minnesota The official table notes: Teichert ran as the Industrial Government Party candidate (footnote 1).
- Missouri The official table notes: Others: write-in vote (footnote 4).
- New York Truman's figure includes 222,562 votes on the Liberal Party line.
- New York The official table notes: Truman figure includes 222,562 Liberal Party votes (footnote 7); the table gives no separate Liberal figure. Others: blanks, void, and scattering (footnote 8). Teichert ran as the Industrial Government Party candidate (footnote 1). Wallace's figure is printed in the Wallace (Progressive) column; the table does not name the line.
- Pennsylvania The official table notes: Others: scattering (footnote 6). Teichert ran as the Industrial Government Party candidate (footnote 1); Dobbs as the Militant-Workers Party candidate (footnote 2).
- Vermont The official table notes: Others: scattering (footnote 6).
SourceStatistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1948 . How these figures were compiled
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