1928 United States presidential election — 36th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Hoover's landslide win over Al Smith marked the last Republican presidential victory until 1952 and elected the first Native American vice president.
Key Facts
- Election date
- November 6, 1928
- Winner
- Herbert Hoover (Republican)
- Defeated candidate
- Al Smith (Democrat, NY Governor)
- Vice President elected
- Charles Curtis, first Native American VP
- Last Republican win until
- 1952
- Hoover distinction
- First president born west of the Mississippi River
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
President Calvin Coolidge declined to seek reelection, opening the Republican field. The booming economy of the 1920s favored the Republican Party, while Al Smith's Catholicism, opposition to Prohibition, and ties to Tammany Hall generated significant opposition, particularly in the traditionally Democratic South.
On November 6, 1928, Republican Herbert Hoover and running mate Charles Curtis defeated Democrat Al Smith and Joseph T. Robinson in a landslide. Hoover dominated the electoral map, cracking the Solid South by carrying several states that had not voted Republican since Reconstruction, while Smith held only the Deep South, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Hoover's victory made him the first president born west of the Mississippi River and the last Cabinet secretary to win a presidential election. Charles Curtis became the first and only Native American vice president. The Republican victory extended the party's hold on the White House, though the next Republican presidential win would not come until 1952.
Political Outcome
Republican Herbert Hoover won a landslide presidential victory over Democrat Al Smith, carrying most of the country including several traditionally Democratic Southern states.
Calvin Coolidge (Republican) as incumbent President
Herbert Hoover (Republican) as President-elect, Charles Curtis as Vice President-elect