VT and ME in 1940 - why the slight shift to FDR?

[tinman64]

VT and ME were the two states Franklin Roosevelt lost in the 1936 election.  Clearly, both states -- as they had in 1932 -- rejected FDR and his New Deal policies.

In 1940, why did these two states show a slight swing to FDR, when many other traditional Republican states swung solidly back to the GOP fold?  Here are the examples:

1936 - Maine

Landon (R) 55.49 %
Roosevelt (D) 41.52 %

Margin: 13.97 % (R)

1940 - Maine

Willkie (R) 51.10 %
Roosevelt (D) 48.77 %

Margin: 2.33 % (R)

1936 - Vermont

Landon (R) 56.39 %
Roosevelt (D) 43.24 %

Margin: 13.15 % (R)

1940 - Vermont

Willkie (R) 54.78 %
Roosevelt (D) 44.92 %

Margin: 9.86 % (R)

FDR lost both states in 1940, of course -- but why did his percentages improve in both states?  Thanks for any answers.

[Rob]

The coming war crisis. New England Yankees were Anglophiles, and as such wanted to help Great Britain fight Nazi Germany. They strongly approved of FDR's Lend-Lease program, and were alienated by the isolationism of conservative Republicans.

[A18]

The coming war crisis. New England Yankees were Anglophiles, and as such wanted to help Great Britain fight Nazi Germany. They strongly approved of FDR's Lend-Lease program, and were alienated by the isolationism of conservative Republicans.

How do you know all this stuff?

[PBrunsel]

The coming war crisis. New England Yankees were Anglophiles, and as such wanted to help Great Britain fight Nazi Germany. They strongly approved of FDR's Lend-Lease program, and were alienated by the isolationism of conservative Republicans.

I will also add to this fine analyisis that there was a national distrust in Wilkie's leadership abilities.

[Colin]

The coming war crisis. New England Yankees were Anglophiles, and as such wanted to help Great Britain fight Nazi Germany. They strongly approved of FDR's Lend-Lease program, and were alienated by the isolationism of conservative Republicans.

How do you know all this stuff?

Well number one he's probably actually a smart person and secondly he's probably run up on this stuff, unlike you.

[A18]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Yeah, I don't "run up" on this stuff, whatever the hell that means. Try posting something remotely intelligent for once.

[skybridge]

The coming war crisis. New England Yankees were Anglophiles, and as such wanted to help Great Britain fight Nazi Germany. They strongly approved of FDR's Lend-Lease program, and were alienated by the isolationism of conservative Republicans.

How do you know all this stuff?

In the 20th century, New England was usually a center for anti-war movements.

[A18]

A. What does that have to do with my question?

B. How does that not completely contradict what Bob/Goldwater just said?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

He's probably trying to argue that Bob's reason that it was the war is therefore incorrected, however he is comparing apples to oranges in doing so.

[Rob]

In the 20th century, New England was usually a center for anti-war movements.

Any pacifist tradition in New England is recent and dates from the Vietnam War. Even then, the strong antiwar sentiment was concentrated in lower New England; upper New England has only very recently become pacifist.

In 1940, Irish voters were isolationist and anti-British; they trended Republican. The WASPs felt a certain connection with Great Britain (many had been educated there), and so many of them supported FDR for the first time. Compare the 1940 results in Maine and Vermont with 1948, when the war was over and FDR was gone. They both recorded major GOP swings, as they returned to their normal political state.

[Erc]

Also, Willkie wasn't really a Republican, so the traditional Party Loyalty might not have been in as full effect as it was in '36 or '32.