1920 United States elections

Elections were held on November 2, 1920. In the aftermath of World War I, the Republican Party re-established the dominant position it lost in the 1910 and 1912 elections. This was the first election after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the constitutional right to vote.

1920 United States elections

← 1918          1919          1920          1921          1922 → Presidential election year
Election day	November 2
Incumbent president	Woodrow Wilson (Democratic)
Next Congress	67th
Presidential election
Partisan control	Republican gain
Popular vote margin	Republican +26.2%
Electoral vote
Warren G. Harding (R)	404
James M. Cox (D)	127
1920 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Harding, blue denotes states won by Cox. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall control	Republican hold
Seats contested	34 of 96 seats (32 Class 3 seats + 2 special elections)
Net seat change	Republican +10
1920 Senate election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold
House elections
Overall control	Republican hold
Seats contested	All 435 voting members
Net seat change	Republican +63
1920 House of Representatives results
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	35
Net seat change	Republican +7
1920 gubernatorial election results   Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican gain   Republican hold

In the presidential election, Republican senator Warren G. Harding from Ohio defeated Democratic governor James M. Cox of Ohio.^[1][2] Harding won a landslide victory, taking every state outside the South and dominating the popular vote. Harding won the Republican nomination on the tenth ballot, defeating former Army Chief of Staff Leonard Wood, Illinois governor Frank Lowden, California senator Hiram Johnson, and several other candidates. Cox won the Democratic nomination on the 44th ballot over former Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, New York governor Al Smith, and several other candidates. Future president Calvin Coolidge won the Republican nomination for vice president, while fellow future president Franklin D. Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination for vice president. Harding was the first sitting senator to be elected president.

The Republicans made large gains in the House and the Senate, strengthening their majority in both chambers. They picked up 63 seats in the House of Representatives, furthering their majority over the Democrats. The Republicans also strengthened their majority in the Senate, gaining ten seats.^[2]

See also

• 1920 United States presidential election
• 1920 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1920 United States Senate elections
• 1920 United States gubernatorial elections

Further reading

External links

• "The Presidential Election of 1920". American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 16, 2002.