Editing Thomas E. Dewey (section)

===1944===
{{Main|1944 United States presidential election}}

Dewey's foreign-policy position evolved during the 1940s; by 1944 he was considered an [[Internationalism (politics)|internationalist]] and a supporter of projects such as the United Nations. It was in 1940 that Dewey first clashed with [[Robert A. Taft]]. Taft—who maintained his non-interventionist views and economic conservatism to his death—became Dewey's great rival for control of the Republican Party in the 1940s and early 1950s. Dewey became the leader of moderate Republicans, who were based in the Eastern states, while Taft became the leader of conservative Republicans who dominated most of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].<ref>Smith, p. 32–35.</ref>

Dewey was the frontrunner for the [[Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1944|1944 Republican nomination]].<ref>Smith, pp. 387–388</ref> In April 1944 he won the key Wisconsin primary, where he defeated [[Wendell Willkie]] and former Minnesota governor [[Harold Stassen]]. Willkie's poor showing in Wisconsin forced him to quit the race and he died later that year.<ref>Smith, pp. 390–391</ref> At the 1944 Republican Convention, Dewey's chief rivals—Stassen and Ohio governor [[John W. Bricker]]—both withdrew and Dewey was nominated almost unanimously. Dewey then made Bricker (who was supported by Taft) his running mate. This made Dewey the first presidential candidate to be born in the 20th century. As of 2021, he was also the youngest Republican presidential nominee.<ref>Smith, p. 401–425.</ref>

In the general election campaign, Dewey crusaded against the alleged inefficiencies, corruption and [[Communist]] influences in incumbent president Roosevelt's New Deal programs, but mostly avoided military and foreign policy debates. Dewey had considered including the [[Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy theory|conspiracy theory]] that Roosevelt knew about the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] beforehand and allowed it to happen and to say: "...{{nbsp}}and instead of being re-elected he should be [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeached]]."{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} The allegation would have suggested the then-secret fact that the U.S. had broken the [[Purple code]] still in use by the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese military]]. Dewey eventually yielded to [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Army Chief of Staff]] [[George C. Marshall]]'s [[Magic (cryptography)#Dewey and Marshall|urging not to touch this topic]].<ref>Paul F. Boller Jr., ''Presidential Campaigns'', 1985.</ref> Marshall informed [[Harry Hopkins]] of his action in late October that year; Hopkins then told the president. Roosevelt reasoned that "Dewey would not, for political purposes, give secret and vital information to the enemy".<ref>{{Cite book|title=George Marshall: Defender of the Republic|last=Roll|first=David|publisher=Dutton Caliber|year=2019|isbn=978-1101990971|pages=438}}</ref>

During the campaign, in a first, Roosevelt provided Dewey with information on the war efforts, such as the breaking of [[Japanese naval code]].<ref name="Henry">{{cite book |last1=Henry |first1=Laurin L. |title=Presidential Transitions |date=January 1961 |publisher=The Brookings Institution |location=Washington, D.C. |pages= 468–470}}</ref><ref name="HenryJournal">{{cite journal |last1=Henry |first1=Laurin L. |title=Presidential Transitions: The 1968–69 Experience in Perspective |journal=Public Administration Review |date=1969 |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=471–482 |doi=10.2307/973467 |jstor=973467 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/973467 |access-date=May 19, 2021 |issn=0033-3352}}</ref> This was the first time that an opposition presidential candidate was given briefings by the incumbent presidential administration.<ref name="HenryJournal"/>

Dewey lost the [[1944 U.S. presidential election|election]] on November 7, 1944, to President Roosevelt. He had polled 45.9% of the popular vote compared to Roosevelt's 53.4%, a stronger showing against FDR than any previous Republican opponent. In the Electoral College, Roosevelt defeated Dewey by a margin of 432 to 99.