1948 United States presidential election in Idaho

1948 United States presidential election in Idaho

← 1944 November 2, 1948[1] 1952 →
All 4 Idaho votes to the Electoral College
Nominee Harry S. Truman Thomas Dewey Party Democratic Republican Home state Missouri New York Running mate Alben W. Barkley Earl Warren Electoral vote 4 0 Popular vote 107,370 101,514 Percentage 49.98% 47.26%
County Results Truman   40-50%   50-60%   60-70% Dewey   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%
President before election Harry S. Truman Democratic Elected President Harry S. Truman Democratic

Elections in Idaho
Federal government Presidential elections 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1890 1895 1897 1901 1902 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1918 sp 1920 1924 1926 1928 sp 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 sp 1942 1944 1946 sp 1948 1950 1950 sp 1954 1956 1960 1962 sp 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government General elections 2014 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2022 Senate elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures Ballot measures 1994 Proposition 1 2006 Amendment 2 Proposition 2 2018 Proposition 1 Proposition 2
Boise Mayoral elections 2015 2019 2023
Meridian Mayoral elections 2015 2019 2023
v t e

The 1948 United States presidential election in Idaho took place on November 2, 1948, as part of the 1948 United States presidential election. State voters chose four^[2] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Franklin D. Roosevelt had carried Idaho in all four of his presidential runs, carrying the state by more than 20 points in 1932 and 1936, but by a narrower 9 points in 1940 and only 3.5 points in 1944. However, Oregon Senator Wayne Morse said that Dewey would fail to maintain these gains in the West if Bureau of Reclamation programs were cut as demanded by the House Appropriations Committee.^[3] Truman campaigned heavily in the West, including Idaho, arguing that the region was an economic colony of Wall Street under the GOP and that only the Democratic Party could give the region direct access to its natural resources.^[4] While in Pocatello, Truman also defended himself against charges of corruption by machine politics from his days in Kansas City.^[5]

Idaho was won by incumbent President Harry S. Truman (D–Missouri), running with Senator Alben W. Barkley, with 49.98% of the popular vote, against Governor Thomas Dewey (R–New York), running with Governor Earl Warren, with 47.26% of the popular vote.^[6][7]

This election marked the conclusion of Idaho's status as a swing state, as it would quickly become one of the most Republican states in the nation. Since this election, Idaho has supported a Democratic presidential nominee only once, when Lyndon B. Johnson carried the state by 1.83 points in 1964, amidst a national Democratic landslide. Furthermore, other than Johnson, no Democrat except John F. Kennedy in 1960 has won even 40% of the state's vote. Republicans would also score landslide wins in the 1950 state elections,^[8] This is the last election in which the southeastern Mormon counties of Bonneville, Bingham, Jefferson, Madison, Minidoka and Oneida (now known as some of the most heavily Republican counties in the nation) voted for a Democratic presidential candidate.^[9]

This is one of only three states outside the former confederacy, the others being Arizona and Oklahoma, in which Truman's margin has not been matched by any subsequent Democrat. In every other non-southern state (as well as few southern ones), Lyndon Johnson outran Truman's narrow victory in his 1964 landslide.