Sold – FDR’s Plan to Reinvigorate the Democratic Party in Preparation For the 1932 Election

Starting with the election of 1896, the Democratic Party sustained a series of defeats in its national campaigns. Broken only by successes in 1912 (when a split in the Republican Party allowed Wilson to win) and in 1916 (when its incumbent president barely squeaked through), it lost every presidential election through 1928. The contests in 1920, 1924 and 1928 were landslides. Throughout this period, the  party organization outside the south and some major cities had been degrading and by 1928 was pretty much shattered. Many wondered if the Democrats had a future.

Roosevelt was nominated for governor of New York in June of 1928 and quickly realized that, to have a hope of winning, he needed to reactivate the Democratic Party outside of New York City in an attempt to cut into the overwhelming Republican upstate vote. It was hard to know where to begin, as he was confronted with a basic lack of accurate information regarding the Democratic organization in upstate counties. In some instances even the list of county chairmen and local workers was either missing or too old to be of much use. In many communities, Democratic leaders had not distributed a campaign leaflet, nor held a rally, for twelve or more years. Segments of the organization had been inactive since Grover Cleveland’s day. FDR’s aides, Jim Farley and Louis Howe, worked hard to whip an organization into shape. They exhorted local Democrats to visit voters, distribute handbills, hold campaign rallies, and get every registered Democrat and independent to the polls on election day. They sought to have the party faithful undertake a serious canvass of voters in regions where Democrats hadn’t conducted an effective campaign for years. 

The 1928 election was a Republican landslide, and Al Smith was badly beaten by Herbert Hoover in the presidential canvass. However, Roosevelt managed to squeeze out a victory in the gubernatorial race, his entire margin of victory coming from the upstate counties where he had resurrected the Democratic Party. Most Democrats were understandably despondent about the election results. But Roosevelt’s greatest leadership quality, one that would shine through in fighting the Depression and the Second World War, was to avoid discouragement and remain optimistic while searching for solutions to the problems. He believed that the lessons learned from his own campaign were applicable nationwide, and that the Democratic Party could successfully rebound into a national contender. Rebuilding the party mattered to him even more, as he was already contemplating being its nominee in the 1932 presidential election and had no intention of losing.

Just a few weeks after the 1928 election, he laid out his plans to restore the Democratic Party to leadership by 1932.

Typed Letter Signed on his personal letterhead, New York, November 30, 1928, to James J. Connolly.

“…I am anxious to present to our party leaders a clear view of the sentiment throughout the country as regards the need of party activity in between presidential elections. I feel you are peculiarly able from practical experience to understand the advantage that would follow from having a strong and continuing national organization which would extend its powerful help to the Congressional campaigns in between elections and which could serve to constantly educate the public by a wise publicity all the year round as well as during the brief period of a national campaign.

”The defeat of Governor Smith was of course a deep disappointment but I have no patience with those that deduce from it that the Democratic Party is in any danger of extinction. Of the additional votes cast in the election the Democratic nominees apparently received many more than half and the casting of fifteen million votes for our ticket shows that our party has gained tremendous strength since 1920 and 1924. I am convinced that had we kept our national organization going between elections we should have done better, and I hope that steps will be taken to have this carried out during the next three years. This is no time to discuss candidates but it is time for putting into effect a permanent working organization. It is my hope that you will be able to spare the time to write me frankly on the subject.” He continued, “I would be very much pleased if you would find it possible to attend my inauguration as Governor in Albany on January 1st.” His efforts to rebuild the Democratic Pary were successful, so much so that it won the next five national elections.