Herbert Hoover: “Rugged Individualism” Campaign Speech

Impact

In the presidential balloting, Hoover easily defeated Smith. The Republican secured 58.2 percent of the popular vote to his opponent's 40.9 percent (and 444 electoral votes to 87). Alternative, or third, parties, did much worse than they had done in previous balloting. The Socialists, who endorsed many of the programs that Hoover was highly critical of, had one of their worst performances since the party first contested the presidency. The party secured just 0.7 percent of the vote, compared with 3.4 percent in 1920 and the party's best performance of 5.99 percent in 1912.

Although Smith did very well in New York, compared with recent past Democratic candidates, Hoover won his opponent's state. New Yorkers voted for Hoover over Smith by a margin of 49.8 percent to 47.4 percent. Smith won the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which had large Catholic populations, and the Deep South states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Hoover also did very well in the South, which had been a Democratic bastion for most of the century. The Republican won Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and Texas. Republican presidential candidates had not won several of those states since the 1870s. Hoover also won everywhere else. He secured forty of forty-eight states.

Hoover's message of limited government was popular with many voters. His argument that an expanded government undermined individualism echoed many aspects of popular culture at the time. Hoover was a self-made millionaire who rose from humble origins to be wealthy as well as a leading philanthropist and political figure. Many hoped to emulate Hoover's path to success through hard work and perseverance. If the former orphan could rise so high, then so could other Americans. If Hoover asserted that government needed to stay out of people's way in order for them to be successful, then that was an argument that voters accepted.

Voters sought continued economic growth and greater stability. The speech positioned the Republican candidate as someone who would pursue continuity and limited reform, instead of dramatic changes, such as the repeal of Prohibition or dramatic increases in the government's role in the economy. Although some Americans wanted government action on issues such as a minimum wage, more were enjoying the prosperity of the age or wanted a share of that prosperity.

There were other factors that contributed to Hoover's victory. There was significant prejudice toward Catholics at the time, and this undermined Smith's appeal, especially in the South. Many religious and women's groups opposed Smith's proposals to abolish Prohibition. Finally, many business owners and financiers feared that Smith's policies would dramatically increase the cost of doing business through heavy regulation. The result was a victory that attracted not only traditional GOP groups but moderates and Democrats as well.

Hoover's speech had a long-term impact on U.S. politics that extended beyond his presidency and the years of the Great Depression. He helped define the political philosophy of the Republican Party and guide its policy choices for the remainder of the century.