The 1928 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 6, 1928. All contemporary 48 states were part of the 1928 United States presidential election. State voters chose 45 electors to the United States Electoral College, Electoral College, which selected the President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice president.
New York (state), New York was won by Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover of California, who was running against Democratic Party (United States), Democratic List of governors of New York, Governor of New York Al Smith, Alfred E. Smith. Hoover's running mate was Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Majority Leader Charles Curtis of List of United States senators from Kansas, Kansas, while Smith's running mate was United States Senate, Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson of List of United States senators from Arkansas, Arkansas.
Hoover won with a plurality of 49.79 percent of the vote to Smith's 47.44 percent, a margin of 2.35 points. Socialist Party of America, Socialist candidate Norman Thomas finished a distant third, with 2.44 percent. Although New York was Al Smith's home state and he had been elected governor there, the 1920s were a fiercely Republican decade in American politics, and New York during the Fourth Party System was a fiercely Republican state in presidential elections. In 1928, Herbert Hoover was winning the third consecutive nationwide Republican landslide, and the economic boom and social good feelings of the Roaring Twenties under popular Republican leadership proved too much for Smith to overcome both nationally and in his home state.
However, Smith's performance in New York was still impressive in the context of the 1920s, and highly significant in shaping the state's political development. In the elections preceding 1928, New York had been more Republican than the nation as a whole, even in the nationwide Republican landslides of 1920 United States presidential election, 1920 and 1924 United States presidential election, 1924. Smith's narrow 2-point defeat in the midst of the nationwide Republican landslide of 1928 made New York State 15% more Democratic Party (United States), Democratic than the national average. Smith's 47.44 percent was also the highest vote share a Democratic presidential candidate had received in New York State since former Governor of New York, New York Governor Grover Cleveland won the state in 1892 United States presidential election in New York, 1892, as Woodrow Wilson only won the state with 41% in 1912 when the Republican vote was split.
Smith dramatically improved upon how Democrats before him had done and laid the groundwork for turning the state Democratic in 1932 United States presidential election in New York, 1932 and beyond. In 1920 United States presidential election in New York, 1920 and 1924 United States presidential election in New York, 1924, Republicans had swept every county in New York State and Democrats had received less than 30% of the vote. In 1928, Smith came within 2 points of winning the state by sweeping all five boroughs of heavily populated New York City, winning the state capital of Albany, New York, Albany and Albany County, New York, Albany County along with neighboring Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County, and winning two counties in North Country (New York), northern New York along the Saint Lawrence River, Clinton County, New York, Clinton County and Franklin County, New York, Franklin County.
Key to Smith's strength in New York State was his sweep of the five massively populated boroughs of New York City. A New York City native, Smith took over 60% of the vote in Manhattan and the Bronx, and also won majorities in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Up to this point, 1928 was the strongest victory ever for a Democrat in the city. Smith, a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic of Irish people, Irish, Italians, Italian, and German Americans, German immigrant heritage, held special appeal to Catholic and ethnic immigrant communities that populated cities like New York and Boston. The first Catholic to be nominated on a major-party ticket, Smith's Catholicism would severely weaken his candidacy in many rural parts of the country, especially in the Southern United States, South, but would prove an asset in appealing to voters in New York.
[Phillips, Kevin P.; ''The Emerging Republican Majority'', pp. 14, 40-41 ] The urban, ethnic coalition that delivered New York City to Al Smith would prove to be a harbinger of long-term realignment of both the city and the state toward the Democratic Party.
1928 began a Democratic winning streak in New York City that has never been broken since, as New York City would be solidified as one of the most Democratic cities in the United States,
[Sullivan, Robert David]
‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’
''America Magazine'' in ''The National Catholic Review''; June 29, 2016 and a major obstacle to overcome for any Republican seeking to compete in New York State. 1928 also turned the state capital of Albany, which had previously been a Republican city, into a Democratic bastion in upstate New York.
Hoover, for his part, was able to hold on to New York State's electoral votes in 1928 by sweeping much of traditionally staunchly Republican upstate New York and Long Island, where efforts from Hoover's future successor Franklin D. Roosevelt could not swing dry, Protestant Yankee voters to Smith.
[McElvaine, Robert S. ; ''Encyclopedia of the Great Depression: A-K'', pp. 229, 276 ] In addition, the turnout and vote number margins were not yet there in New York City in 1928 to overcome Republican dominance in the rest of the state. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt would build on Smith's coalition to flip New York State into the Democratic column, winning the state with virtually the same county map as Smith, but with stronger vote number margins and turnout. After 1928, New York state would not vote Republican again until 1948.
Results
Results by county
See also
* United States presidential elections in New York
* Presidency of Herbert Hoover
References
{{1928 United States elections
1928 United States presidential election by state, New York
United States presidential elections in New York (state), 1928
1928 New York (state) elections