1940 United States presidential election in California

The 1940 United States presidential election in California took place on November 5, 1940, as part of the 1940 United States presidential election. State voters chose 22 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

California voted for the Democratic incumbent, Franklin Roosevelt, over the Republican challenger, businessman Wendell Willkie.

Willkie did nonetheless make considerable gains vis-à-vis the previous Republican nominee, Alf Landon, who remains the solitary Republican nominee to not carry a single county in the state. Willkie carried seven counties scattered across the state and gained ten percentage points on Landon's performance.

This is the last election where the Democrats won Sutter County, which, as of the 2024 presidential election, stands as the longest run voting for one party by any California county.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016 Mono County would not vote Democratic again until John Kerry in 2004.Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868–2004, p. 131

Results 1940 United States presidential election in CaliforniaPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) 1,877,618 57.44% 22 Republican Wendell Willkie 1,351,419 41.34% 0 Progressive Norman Thomas 16,506 0.50% 0 Communist Earl Russell Browder 13,586 0.42% 0 Prohibition Roger Babson 9,400 0.29% 0 No party Write-ins 262 0.01% 0 Invalid or blank votes — Totals 3,268,791 100.00% 22 Voter turnout —

Results by county County Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic Wendell WillkieRepublican Norman ThomasProgressive Earl BrowderCommunist Roger BabsonProhibition ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % # % # %Alameda148,22455.21%116,96143.56%1,6180.60%1,2850.48%4080.15%00.00%31,26311.64%268,496Alpine6232.98%12566.49%00.00%10.53%00.00%00.00%-63-33.51%188Amador2,76266.14%1,37232.85%150.36%90.22%180.43%00.00%1,39033.29%4,176Butte10,68458.15%7,43340.46%1170.64%770.42%610.33%00.00%3,25117.70%18,372Calaveras2,40558.90%1,64940.39%210.51%40.10%40.10%00.00%75618.52%4,083Colusa2,65559.48%1,77439.74%150.34%50.11%150.34%00.00%88119.74%4,464Contra Costa30,90061.75%18,62737.22%2380.48%2090.42%630.13%30.01%12,27324.53%50,040Del Norte1,03444.92%1,23353.56%261.13%50.22%40.17%00.00%-199-8.64%2,302El Dorado4,14466.44%2,01932.37%370.59%150.24%220.35%00.00%2,12534.07%6,237Fresno48,86669.07%21,07929.79%3540.50%1430.20%3080.44%00.00%27,78739.27%70,750Glenn3,09554.96%2,47343.92%310.55%20.04%300.53%00.00%62211.05%5,631Humboldt12,32955.98%9,47043.00%920.42%780.35%550.25%00.00%2,85912.98%22,024Imperial7,72852.53%6,85446.59%640.44%250.17%410.28%00.00%8745.94%14,712Inyo1,82054.65%1,48344.53%120.36%30.09%120.36%00.00%33710.12%3,330Kern32,20261.78%19,44537.30%2190.42%1060.20%1540.30%00.00%12,75724.47%52,126Kings8,30767.43%3,91131.75%410.33%90.07%520.42%00.00%4,39635.68%12,320Lake1,89745.70%2,21553.36%230.55%50.12%110.26%00.00%-318-7.66%4,151Lassen4,36769.17%1,90230.13%200.32%110.17%130.21%00.00%2,46539.05%6,313Los Angeles822,71858.13%574,26640.58%6,9710.49%6,9140.49%4,1510.29%2490.02%248,45217.56%1,415,269Madera5,74967.61%2,65331.20%320.38%350.41%340.40%00.00%3,09636.41%8,503Marin11,36550.20%10,97448.47%1510.67%1300.57%200.09%00.00%3911.73%22,640Mariposa1,93564.44%1,03534.47%130.43%110.37%90.30%00.00%90029.97%3,003Mendocino7,05556.13%5,34542.53%700.56%660.53%330.26%00.00%1,71013.60%12,569Merced10,50162.57%6,10136.35%840.50%270.16%710.42%00.00%4,40026.22%16,784Modoc2,23261.49%1,37137.77%140.39%40.11%60.17%30.08%86123.72%3,630Mono52352.56%45946.13%20.20%50.50%60.60%00.00%646.43%995Monterey14,75855.00%11,81044.01%1200.45%760.28%690.26%00.00%2,94810.99%26,833Napa6,77152.68%5,92446.09%600.47%340.26%640.50%00.00%8476.59%12,853Nevada5,78266.01%2,86332.69%570.65%270.31%300.34%00.00%2,91933.33%8,759Orange28,23643.44%36,07055.49%2550.39%820.13%3540.54%00.00%-7,834-12.05%64,997Placer8,40267.56%3,88731.26%730.59%350.28%390.31%00.00%4,51536.31%12,436Plumas3,41872.11%1,27026.79%340.72%100.21%80.17%00.00%2,14845.32%4,740Riverside20,00347.20%21,77951.39%1970.46%560.13%3450.81%00.00%-1,776-4.19%42,380Sacramento51,35168.09%23,20130.76%4520.60%2250.30%1870.25%00.00%28,15037.33%75,416San Benito2,44149.99%2,40749.29%170.35%110.23%70.14%00.00%340.70%4,883San Bernardino37,52054.47%30,51144.30%3200.46%1380.20%3890.56%00.00%7,00910.18%68,878San Diego71,18855.57%55,43443.27%6840.53%3480.27%4560.36%00.00%15,75412.30%128,110San Francisco185,60759.51%122,44939.26%1,5130.49%1,9350.62%3740.12%00.00%63,15820.25%311,878San Joaquin26,53652.55%23,40346.34%2390.47%1410.28%1790.35%00.00%3,1336.20%50,498San Luis Obispo8,49953.39%7,20445.25%790.50%670.42%710.45%00.00%1,2958.13%15,920San Mateo29,83152.38%26,53946.60%2900.51%2110.37%800.14%00.00%3,2925.78%56,951Santa Barbara17,23754.41%14,10744.53%1820.57%910.29%610.19%00.00%3,1309.88%31,678Santa Clara40,44949.63%40,10049.20%4580.56%2940.36%1950.24%00.00%3490.43%81,496Santa Cruz10,68347.51%11,45350.93%1750.78%710.32%1040.46%00.00%-770-3.42%22,486Shasta8,66268.03%3,90930.70%660.52%710.56%250.20%00.00%4,75337.33%12,733Sierra1,05766.98%51132.38%70.44%20.13%10.06%00.00%54634.60%1,578Siskiyou7,71463.17%4,38735.92%560.46%180.15%360.29%10.01%3,32727.24%12,212Solano15,05470.58%6,08128.51%830.39%530.25%570.27%00.00%8,97342.07%21,328Sonoma15,23047.04%16,81951.94%1450.45%1190.37%600.19%60.02%-1,589-4.91%32,379Stanislaus16,49451.96%14,80346.63%1550.49%580.18%2360.74%00.00%1,6915.33%31,746Sutter4,19557.11%3,08942.06%260.35%150.20%200.27%00.00%1,10615.06%7,345Tehama3,61854.59%2,91343.95%530.80%130.20%310.47%00.00%70510.64%6,628Trinity1,43163.83%78034.79%120.54%150.67%40.18%00.00%65129.04%2,242Tulare20,12955.96%15,41442.85%2090.58%410.11%1780.49%00.00%4,71513.11%35,971Tuolumne3,54162.96%2,00435.63%270.48%290.52%230.41%00.00%1,53727.33%5,624Ventura15,18257.00%11,22542.15%840.32%640.24%790.30%00.00%3,95714.86%26,634Yolo6,38058.78%4,37340.29%630.58%190.18%190.18%00.00%2,00718.49%10,854Yuba4,66064.57%2,47134.24%350.48%330.46%180.25%00.00%2,18930.33%7,217Total 1,877,61857.44%1,351,41941.34%16,5060.50%13,5860.42%9,4000.29%2620.01%526,19916.10%3,268,791

Electors Up through 1936, voters in California chose presidential electors directly. Starting in 1940, however, California adopted the modern "short ballot" where voters select from the actual candidates' names and each vote is treated as being for a candidate and his or her party's entire slate of electors. The individuals below were nominated by each party to serve as the state's members of the 1940 Electoral College should their party's ticket win the state:

Franklin D. Roosevelt & Henry A. WallaceDemocratic Party Wendell Willkie & Charles L. McNaryRepublican Party Norman Thomas & Maynard KruegerProgressive Party Earl Browder & James W. FordCommunist Party Roger Babson & Edgar V. MoormanProhibition Party

Notes

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