• Exhibit Introduction

• The Prize:
  The Power of the Presidency

• The Candidates:
  Party Conventions

• The Chase:
  Political Campaigning

• The Image:
  Marketing the Candidates

• The Choice:
  Election Day

• The Coronation:
  Inaugurating the President

• Related resources:
  
  • Election results 1900-1944
  • Election results 1948-2000
  • 1948 Election
  • Teacher Lesson Plans

• Back to the
  Truman Library Home Page

THE CHASE:
Political Campaigning

A century ago it was a virtue for Presidential candidates to refrain from active campaigning, which was perceived to be beneath the dignity of the office to which they aspired. As recently as 1920 Warren G. Harding conducted most of his campaign from the front porch of his home in Marion, Ohio.

But in the years since, candidates have increasingly traveled the country seeking votes. Harry Truman's whistle stop campaign of 1948 is perhaps the most memorable example of the trend. The age of passenger jets enabled candidates seemingly to appear everywhere at once, while television coverage served to multiply the number of voters the candidates could reach at any single appearance.

The length of Presidential campaigns - once limited to a short burst between Labor Day and Election Day - has also expanded. With the party nominations typically decided by the spring primaries, a party candidate can campaign against his rival for six months or longer. Today a Presidential campaign is a marathon, fueled by money, advertising, television and endless travel.