| Year: | 1940 |
| Type: | Presidential election year |
| Election Day: | November 5 |
| Incumbent President: | Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) |
| Next Congress: | 77th |
| President Control: | Democratic hold |
| President Candidate1: | Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) |
| Electoral Vote1: | 449 |
| President Candidate2: | Wendell Willkie (R) |
| Electoral Vote2: | 82 |
| President Pv Margin: | Democratic +9.9% |
| President Map Caption: | 1940 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Willkie, blue denotes states won by Roosevelt. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate. |
| Senate Seats Contested: | 36 of 96 seats (32 Class 1 seats + 4 special elections) |
| Senate Control: | Democratic hold |
| Senate Net Change: | Republican +4[1] |
| Senate Map Caption: | 1940 Senate results |
| House Seats Contested: | All 435 voting members |
| House Control: | Democratic hold |
| House Pv Margin: | Democratic +5.8% |
| House Net Change: | Democratic +5 |
| Governor Seats Contested: | 34 |
| Governor Net Change: | Republican +2 |
| Governor Map Caption: | 1940 gubernatorial election results |
The 1940 United States elections were held on November 5. The Democratic Party continued to dominate national politics, as it defended its congressional majorities and retained the presidency. It was the last election prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II.
In the presidential election, Democratic incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to serve an unprecedented third term, defeating Republican businessman Wendell Willkie of New York. Although Willkie fared better than the previous two Republican presidential candidates, Roosevelt crushed Willkie in the electoral college and won the popular vote by ten points. At the 1940 Democratic National Convention, Roosevelt overcame opposition from Vice President John Nance Garner and Postmaster General James Farley to win on the first ballot. Willkie won the Republican nomination on the sixth ballot, defeating Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft and Manhattan District Attorney Thomas Dewey.[2] [3]
The Democrats gained five seats in the House of Representatives, furthering their majority over the Republicans. The Democrats also maintained a majority in the U.S. Senate; however, they lost three seats to the Republicans in that house.[3]