America's Wonders

[Historia Crux]

California Gubernational Election, 1934

-Democratic Gubernational Primary
1st - Upton Sinclair (53.53%)
2nd - George Creel (35.36%)
3rd - Justus Wardell (6.01%)
4th - Milton Young (5.11%)


The Democratic Nominee for the California Governorship, Upton Sinclair

-Republican Gubernational Primary
1st - Frank Merriam (42,44%)
2nd - Clement Young (28.36%)
3rd - John Quinn (18.80%)
4th - Raymond Haight (10.41%)


The Republican Nominee for the California Governorship, Frank Merriam

The Campaign would spin around Sinclair's radical idea of EPIC (End Poverty In California) program that ranged from California taking over idle factories and farmland, which would then be run as cooperatives in the theme of production for use, instead of production for profit. The idea was to use these cooperatives to put the unemployed back to work. To run the cooperatives, Sinclair proposed the formation of an agency to be called the California Authority for Production. This would be attacked by many buissnessmen and also Republican candidate Frank Merrium as a step towards Communism. As Sinclair swung from the left and Merrium swung from the right, Raymond Haight would fight from the center as the Commonwealth-Progressive Party candidate or better known as the Progressive Party would have a strong support from many Conservative and Moderate Democrats that weren't supporting the EPIC program.

Results
Sinclair would hold his lead over the time of campaigning, ranging from close 2% to 4% polling to 10% polling over Merrium. The Results would lead to a narrow 2% victory over Merrium as Haight would have a 13% in the results, a strong third place for the Progressives and that nearly ruined Sinclair's chances for the Governorship.

1st - Upton Sinclair (44.13%)
2nd - Frank Merrium (42.49%)
3rd - Raymond Haight (12.99%)
Other (Socialist, Communist) (0.38%)

[Historia Crux]

The Governorship of Upton Sinclair (1934-?)

The overlay of Governor Sinclair's term in office would center around EPIC (End Poverty In California) as he would jump on and begin his work on the effects of the Depression on California. The California Authority for Production would be created under Sinclair but the "take over" of farmlands and some factories would come quickly under fire by some Democrats and Republicans and also many farmers would be disgruntled by Governor Sinclair's EPIC program. After several months of haggling over the farmlands as factories were easier to buy as many were either in hands of poor businessmen of sorts and were quick to sell there factories to the state or they were more run down of sorts and Governor Sinclair would buy these and fix them up and open them up to the Californian people that were hungry for jobs. The farmlands were a patchwork as only either poor farmers or empty areas could be bought as many farmers were still very reluctant about selling there farms. All of the EPIC program would lead to a slow but effective recovery of the jobs and the economy of California but this was nominal at best compared to the rest of the nation and some states would follow suit and create there own EPIC programs in there respective states.

[Historia Crux]

Democratic Presidential Nomination, 1936

Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt would easily win the nomination against little know lawyer Henry Breckinridge would win the New Jersey primary on account that FDR wouldn't file for ballot status there but would win 19% of the vote with a write in campaign. John Nance Garner would be easily renominated as Vice President with Roosevelt.

Republican Presidential Nomination, 1936

A fight between Liberals and Conservatives would end up at the convention as Kansas Governor Alf Landon and Idaho Senator William Borah would be considered as the only serious candidates as many favorite sons would run and win there respective home state. Landon would be endorsed by many before the convention by Green, Day, Warren and many others and would easily overpower Borah and would take Frank Knox as his Vice President.

Share Our Wealth Presidential Nomination, 1936

After Huey Long survived the assassination attack on him, many possible candidates would back out and would leave the field vacant and Long would jump in and win the nomination and would choose the reluctant Robert La Follette Jr as his Vice Presidential nominee.

Presidential Campaign, 1936

Polling would show that Roosevelt would be leading far ahead of Landon and Long. The major factor for the Share Our Wealth party was to put a Republican in the White House to then allow Huey Long to win in 1940, but none of this would come to fruition. Landon was a terrible campaigner and would do little as the major factor that helped him was the small draw of left supporters from Roosevelt to Long had pushed states like New Hampshire into Landon's corner but virtually nothing else. Roosevelt would sit back and do mediocre campaigning as he would think that his reelection was a shoe in, Long campaigned in the West, parts of the South and parts of New England.

Results-
Long and La Follette would be able to send Landon's home state of Kansas and New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and a smattering of Midwestern and Western states along with Massachusetts and Delaware by all close margins. Democrat leader James Farley would say that "So goes Maine, So goes Mr. Landon's career". Louisiana would pull out a 50 to 45 victory over Roosevelt as a La Follette on the ticket would only give a 29% in Wisconsin, but would hand the state over to Landon on account of this. Franklin Delano Roosevelt would be reelected to his second term of office over Landon and Long, but this would begin the SOW party and it's coming future.

Franklin D. Roosevelt/John Garner: 417 EV 54.29% PV

Alfred Landon/Frank Knox: 102 EV 37.46% PV

Huey Long/Robert La Follette Jr: 10 EV 7.56 PV

Other (Socialist, Communist): 0 EV 0.69% PV

[Historia Crux]

The Governorship seemed to be tied up for Upton Sinclair at first as a small number of contenders challenged him and a bickering group of Republican candidates would tear into each other. Soon it would become a vigorous campaign for the governorship.

California Gubernational Election, 1938

-Democratic Gubernational Primary
1st - Upton Sinclair (79.35%)
2nd - Justus Wardell (20.65%)


The Democratic Nominee for the California Governorship, Upton Sinclair

-Republican Gubernational Primary
1st - George Hatfield (40.71%)
2nd - Louis Mayer (35.58%)
3rd - Frank Merrium (16.49%)
4th - Raymond Haight ( 8.22%)


The Republican Nominee for the California Governorship, George Hatfield

-Progressive Gubernational Primary
1st - Raymond Haight (61.68%)
2nd - Upton Sinclair (36.11%)
3rd - William Riker (2.21%)

The Progressive Nominee for the California Governorship, Raymond Haight

Governor Sinclair's support would be around that his improvement of the Californian economy by the still disputed EPIC program and some support that was lost in 1934 would funnel back to him in the upcoming 1938 Gubernational Election. Lt. Governor George Hatfield would say that Sinclair was a radical and a man that hates the lower class, this would help with many of the disgruntled farmers in the state. Other attacks would come from primary hopeful Louis Mayer, who would use his fame and money to create attack ads against Governor Sinclair and this would hurt him as another strong smear campaign like 1934 would begin. Former Progressive/Commonwealth candidate Raymond Haight would win only the Progressive nomination and would only have a 6% in polls, mainly coming from conservatives and farmers in central California.

Results
The smear campaign would continue and drag Sinclair in the mud and back as his polls began to drop and Hatfield's increased with Haight just staying stagnant with still 6% of the vote. After all this Governor Sinclair would pull out a 4% over Lt. Hatfield in the 1938 Gubernational Election.

1st - Upton Sinclair (48.62%)
2nd - George Hatfield (44.31%)
3rd - Raymond Haight (6.15%)
Other (Commonwealth, Scattering) (0.92%)

[Historia Crux]

The Governorship of Upton Sinclair (1938-?)

With 1938 came after the recession in the 1937 year and as many attacked the "New Deal" as it didn't live up to the standards of many and would begin some to support the Republicans over the Democrats. Newly reelected Governor Upton Sinclair would soon try and help the ailing economy flaws and would push for more effort on the EPIC program and would buy up more ailing factories and farmlands and quickly turning them into cooperatives and this would help for the most part of 1938. As 1939 rolled around, the EPIC program was in need of work and soon Sinclair would "update" it with some similar New Deal ideas, this would come as some avid supporters of the New Deal policies would be declared Fascist or Communists by the Republican right and Sinclair wouldn't be free of this. His working with labor unions peacefully would help and hurt his image to some as Republicans stood against this and denounced that Sinclair and Labor Unions were "Radical Idealists", this would prompt Sinclair to use the 1938 Gubernational Campaign for the Republican Party "Working With the Middle Class" and the "People's Party" and would say in his honest tone that "If they care about the middle class that does include many labormen in it, does that make it they they hate the men of the middle class and the people that are trying to better California?". Honest Upton would come from this and would become a rallying slogan for the California Governor during 1939. Soon after the "Honest Upton" slogan would catch the eye of some of the higher ups in the national Democratic Party and as the Presidential Election of 1940 approached and as Roosevelt and Vice President John Garner were beginning to have friction between each other and FDR was quietly looked for a suitable replacement for the Vice Presidency come the 1940 Nomination.

[Historia Crux]

Democratic Presidential Nomination, 1940

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would be nominated for an unprecedented third term for the presidency, the Vice Presidential nomination wouldn't be an easy one. Upton Sinclair would be backed by Roosevelt for the nomination but a strong willed Conservatives in the Democratic party would back William Bankhead for the nomination but Bankhead would have 347 delegates to Sinclair's 608 delegates. After this fall for the conservatives and they would bolt after they argued that Sinclair was a "complete radical" for the vice presidency. The Roosevelt/Sinclair ticket would declare that this was a time for hope, change and unity in the nation and in the party. This would seem hollow to some as empty seats were now empty to the Conservatives.

Republican Presidential Nomination, 1940

Thomas Dewey, Robert Taft and Wendell Willkie would come to the nomination in Philadelphia as Taft and Dewey led but Willkie would continue to gain on them in polling and delegates. After several ballots, the nomination was now between Taft and Willkie as over the other four ballots had shown there gradual rise in delegates at Dewey's expense. The last ballot, the fifth ballot would have Wendell Willkie win the nomination and would soon approach House Minority Leader and Convention Chairmen Joe Martin on an idea of a suitable VP and this would come from anti new deal Congressman Dewey J. Short of Missouri and Short would be quickly accepted.

Share Our Wealth Presidential Nomination, 1940

Vice Presidential nominee Robert La Follette Jr would make an easy run for the nomination and gain it over several other minimal candidates but La Follette wouldn't be free of Huey Long's grasp as the Long backed Smedley Butler would be nominated as La Follette's Vice President.

Conservative Presidential Nomination, 1940

The quickly thrown together convention in Memphis would easily nominate Vice President John Nance Garner anti new deal Senator Josiah William Bailey of North Carolina, a supporter and co-author of the "Conservative Manifesto". The Garner/Bailey ticket would call for real reforms in Washington and an end to the "Fake New Deal".

Presidential Campaign, 1940

With La Follette and Garner pulling away votes from both Willkie and Roosevelt, the election would prove to be close as polls would show that 44% for Roosevelt, 42% for Willkie, 6% for Garner and 7% for La Follette. Political satire would become more popular as the Garner/Bailey ticket would be said to be the "Old Grumpy No Deal ticket" as Roosevelt and Sinclair were shown as energetic and lively candidates. Major issues would center upon the growing war in Europe, Roosevelt was against interventionism and so was Garner and La Follette but Willkie was for more involvement with the allies in the war and this would boost some of his support till election day.

Results-
Even with a strong third and fourth parties calling for "No Third Term" and as the strong Willkie/Short ticket would blast Roosevelt, it would all come down to Texas of all states. As Garner had made a strong attempt to at least gain his home state in the election would lead to a small margin of victory by Roosevelt for his third term of office.

Franklin Roosevelt/Upton Sinclair: 275 EV 44.1% PV

Wendell Willkie/Dewey Short: 244 EV 42.8% PV

Robert La Follette Jr/Smedley Butler: 12 EV 6.9% PV

John Garner/Josiah Bailey: 0 EV 5.9% PV

Other (Socialist, Prohibition, etc): 0 EV 0.3% PV

[Historia Crux]

The Third Term of Franklin Roosevelt (1941-) Democratic

The third term of President Roosevelt goes as expected, he would pass the lend lease act into law and other improvements on the New Deal. There would be some whispers about Charles Lindbergh running for the Republican nomination in 1944 on account that his proposed neutrality pact with Nazi Germany had gone unheard. Roosevelt and Sinclair would work together on many bills for the most part but a EPIA (End Poverty In America) program wouldn't come about yet but a citizens group centered on the EPIC and EPIA plan would be formed and the End Poverty group would be quick supporters of Vice President's push for a Poverty Secretary. The late 1941 would bring the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire and would be quick as the "Day of Infamy" would be burned into American minds as America became polarized for war against Japan and soon on December 11th, Germany and Italy would declare war on the United States.

America would still have the split between the many isolationist and internationalist supporters but it seemed for the time being that the internationalists had won. Roosevelt would push for an executive order to the internment of Japanese Americans and the seizure of their property. This would come with a backlash from many, including FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, Vice President Upton Sinclair and even Roosevelt's wife Eleanor would all oppose this Executive Order 9066 and Roosevelt would decide not to sign 9066 into effect. After several wins by the American forces and the Allies as Japan would now be involved in the "Pacific Front" with the US and Roosevelt would continue his Pacific plan as some generals and even some of his cabinet would call on that the American forces should hone in on China and use it as a launching point into the Japanese Islands. In mid June after struggling with an ailing health and stress upon Roosevelt would lead to him to have a heartattack in mid June of 1942 and would lead to his death and the nation would be heartbroken by these turn of events as Vice President Upton Sinclair would assend to the presidency.