United States Presidential Election of 1948

Truman upset Dewey 303 to 189 despite a three-way split and a famous wrong headline.

Overview

Abandoned by Dixiecrats backing Thurmond and progressives backing Wallace, and trailing in every poll, Truman embarked on a 22,000-mile whistle stop campaign attacking the do-nothing Republican Congress. He won 303 to 189 with 39 for Thurmond, rescuing the New Deal coalition's southern wing in part by plowing a fifth civil rights plank. The Chicago Tribune printed Dewey Defeats Truman before the result. Truman's upset remains the standard for polling misses and comebacks.