Republican Party presidential primaries, 1944

Republican Party presidential primaries, 1944

March 14 to May 19, 1944

Nominee Douglas MacArthur Earl Warren John W. Bricker Home state Wisconsin California Ohio Contests won 2 1 1 Popular vote 662,127 594,439 366,444 Percentage 28.9% 26.0% 16.0%   Nominee Thomas E. Dewey W. Chapman Revercomb Harold Stassen Home state New York West Virginia Minnesota Contests won 3 1 1 Popular vote 278,272 91,602 67,508 Percentage 12.2% 4.0% 3.0%   Nominee Charles A. Christopherson Home state South Dakota Contests won 1 Popular vote 33,497 Percentage 1.6%

Results map by state.

Previous Republican nominee Wendell Willkie Republican nominee Thomas E. Dewey

The 1944 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1944 U.S. presidential election. The nominee was selected through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1944 Republican National Convention held from June 26 to June 28, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois.

As 1944 began the frontrunners for the Republican nomination appeared to be Wendell Willkie, the party's 1940 candidate, Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, the leader of the party's conservatives, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, the leader of the party's powerful, moderate eastern establishment, General Douglas MacArthur, then serving as an Allied commander in the Pacific theater of the war, and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen, then serving as a U.S. naval officer in the Pacific. However, Taft surprised many by announcing that he was not a candidate; instead he voiced his support for a fellow conservative, Governor John W. Bricker of Ohio. With Taft out of the race some GOP conservatives favored General MacArthur. However, MacArthur's chances were limited by the fact that he was leading Allied forces against Japan, and thus could not campaign for the nomination. His supporters did enter his name in the Wisconsin primary. The Wisconsin primary proved to be the key contest, as Dewey won by a surprisingly wide margin; he took 14 delegates to four for Harold Stassen, while MacArthur won the three remaining delegates. Willkie was shut out in the Wisconsin primary; he did not win a single delegate. His unexpectedly poor showing in Wisconsin forced him to withdraw as a candidate for the nomination.

At the 1944 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, Dewey easily overcame Bricker and was nominated on the first ballot. In a bid to maintain party unity, Dewey, a moderate, chose the conservative Bricker as his running mate; Bricker was nominated by acclamation.

Republican candidates

Nominee

• 

  Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York

Withdrew during convention

• 

  Governor John W. Bricker of Ohio

Withdrew during primaries

• 

  Joseph H. Bottum of South Dakota

• 

  Representative Charles A. Christopherson of South Dakota

• 

  General Douglas MacArthur of Wisconsin

• 

  Senator W. Chapman Revercomb of West Virginia

• 

  Former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota

• 

  Governor Earl Warren of California

• 

  Businessman Wendell Willkie of Indiana

Statewide contest by winner

Date	Primary	Douglas MacArthur	Earl Warren	John W. Bricker	Thomas Dewey	W. Chapman Revercomb	Harold Stassen	Riley A. Bender	Charles A. Christopherson	Wendell Willkie	Joseph H. Bottum	Unpledged
March 14	New Hampshire	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	100%
April 5	Wisconsin	73%	0%	0%	15%	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%	0%	0%
April 11	Illinois	92%	0%	0%	2%	0%	0%	6%	0%	0%	0%	0%
April 11	Nebraska	0%	0%	0%	23%	0%	66%	0%	0%	10%	0%	0%
April 23	Pennsylvania	5%	0%	2%	84%	0%	1%	0%	0%	2%	0%	0%
April 25	Massachusetts	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	100%
May 1	Maryland	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	21%	0%	79%
May 2	South Dakota	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	60%	0%	40%	0%
May 2	Ohio	0%	0%	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 2	West Virginia	0%	0%	0%	0%	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 16	California	0%	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 16	New Jersey	1%	0%	1%	86%	0%	1%	0%	0%	3%	0%	0%
May 19	Oregon	0%	0%	5%	78%	0%	9%	0%	0%	5%	0%	0%

The convention

Convention vote

Presidential ballot	1	Vice-presidential ballot	1
New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey	1,056	Ohio Governor John W. Bricker	1,057
General Douglas MacArthur	1	Abstaining	2

See also

• Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1944