A new Anti New Deal Conservative Coalition was solidified with the elections of Robert Taft ( Son of William Howard Taft) unseated a incumbent Senator, and state Attorney General John Bricker was elected governor of Ohio. Republicans gained 7 seats in the senate in the midterms. Given the title of "Mr Republican", he thought Roosevelt's policies would create socialism and lead to tyranny. Their ideas was to restrict union rights and government spending on social programs. ( Social Security) Taft thought we should go back to the told way of Calvin Coolidge of low taxes and limited government. The Presidential election of 1940 was during Americas second world war, being the new face of the conservative coalition Taft ran for President. He was considered to be a real contender, because he was the number one enemy of the Roosevelt policies. However he had competition from New York District Attorney Thomas Dewey. Dewey and Taft come from two different wings of the republican party. Dewey was borderline progressive. However at the time he was the gang buster who put away high profile mob members. However neither of them got the nomination. They lost the nomination to a former democrat, New York Businessman Wendell Willkie the president of a huge utility company who battled FDR's Tennessee Valley Authority ( Energy from the Government). Willkie did not have much for party support, having zero public office experience he was considered a dark horse candidate. FDR won with 54% of the vote. Republicans still made gains in the senate but Dems gained 5 seats in the House. Until 1944 America was heavily involved in World War II, Taft who was in strong opposition to WW2. Going as far as to recommending that we don’t help any countries fighting Germany. Taft drew criticism from moderate republicans such as the ones he ran in the 1940 primaries against. Taft's conservative counterpart was re-elected two more terms as governor. President Roosevelt guided us through WW2, Pearl Harbor and got us out of the great depression. However his health was failing. 1944 was also a another presidential year, FDR was running for a fourth term. The first president to do so. This is one of the most significant president in our history next to the one who got us out of slavery and the Civil War. Democrats picked a different VP, Sen. Harry S. Truman from Missouri. On the Republican side Taft said that he was not running, a move which surprised many conservatives. Thomas Dewey was now governor of New York and announced he would run for presidency, to make conservatives happy Ohio Governor John Bricker ran, General Douglas MacArthur and Businessman Wendell Willkie ran but General Douglas MacArthur r lost in the primary and Willkie did not have the party support and died before the election. Thomas Dewey’s running mate was Ohio Governor John Bricker. A Northeastern Moderate and a Midwestern Conservative, this same thing would be tried 68 years later. FDR won with 53% of the vote. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in office the following year, Truman became president. Security, FDIC, and his labor laws were never repealed. Former VP Candidate John Bricker was elected tot he US Senate in 1946. The constitution was changed to where Presidents can only serve two terms.
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