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Opening the Door to History: Warren G. Harding’s Front Porch Campaign
Setting the Stage
Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, was elected by a landslide victory on Nov. 2, 1920. His huge victory, representing the largest margin of success for any presidential candidate until that point in history, culminated a three-month campaign.
Harding’s Democratic opponent, James Cox, staged a two-month campaign. Besides both conducting relatively short campaigns, as compared to modern times, the campaign styles of the two men were completely opposite.
Cox chose to campaign in the more traditional style – traveling from town to town by train, giving speeches to as many people as possible using a new invention, the microphone. His running mate, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who would become President himself in the 1930s, also crisscrossed the country giving speeches.
Harding used his middle-class home in Marion, Ohio as his campaign headquarters. He chose to give speeches from the uniquely designed round front porch to crowds who would come to him. His running mate, Calvin Coolidge, gave some speeches in various locations but, overall, kept a low profile.
Harding’s decision to run a front porch campaign was not a new idea. The campaign would be the third in Ohio history staged on a candidate’s front porch. Ohio Presidents James Garfield and William McKinley both won with front porch campaigns. Harding’s would be the largest of the three, and the final one, in Ohio and American history.
By basing his campaign in Marion, a town of 29,000 people, Harding showcased his small-town roots and Midwestern values, demonstrating that someone indeed could take, as he said, “Main Street to the White House.” Most Americans in 1920 had much in common with Warren Harding. A self-made man, Harding owned a small business, The Marion Daily Star newspaper, with a circulation of about 11,500. He lived in a nice home, but certainly not a mansion. A friendly, outgoing person who genuinely liked to meet and chat with people, Harding easily won over the crowds who felt they were chatting with a neighbor from around the corner, rather than a presidential candidate.
Harding’s looks helped, too. Considered an extremely handsome man, Harding made an impressive “presidential” figure. He possessed a charisma which is well documented. His voice was described by contemporaries as “silver:” a deep, warm voice which made a lasting impression.
Excitement in Ohio
Warren G. Harding won the nomination for Republican candidate for president of the United States during the Republican National Convention in Chicago in June 1920. Unlike recent presidential elections, in which the leading candidate has been unofficially chosen for months, no one was sure who would emerge from Chicago as the candidate in 1920. Harding was selected on the 10th ballot, or the 10th vote of the delegates attending the convention.
Harding’s opponent, James Cox, then the sitting governor of Ohio, was selected the Democratic nominee on the 44th ballot during the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco in August.
The length of the presidential campaigns was much different from today. Harding’s campaign officially opened on July 31, 1920 and would last about three months. Cox’s campaign started in late August, so would last just over two months. Today’s presidential candidates often begin assembling funding and publicity a couple of years before they actually run for president.
Harding’s campaign required the help of his hometown citizens in order to be successful. In showcasing Marion, Ohio, Harding also wanted to demonstrate the hospitality of its townspeople. They did not let him down.
As soon as the campaign strategy was decided upon, Marionites swung into action. They had just a few weeks to plan all of the activities for Nomination Day, the day when the Republican leaders would arrive in Marion to officially tell Warren Harding that he was their candidate for president. He, in turn, would officially accept the nomination.
Thousands of visitors were expected for Nomination Day, a true challenge for the town of 29,000. The Marion Civic Association formed many committees to handle all aspects of the visitors’ needs. Welcome committees would be stationed at the train station downtown to welcome the many people arriving in Marion by train. Other committees would be in place at the north, south, east and west roads leading into Marion to greet incoming automobile traffic. Committees were established to provide food and lodging for the guests. Information booths, “emergency restaurants” (concession stands), first aid stations and directions to restrooms were established. The women of the households near the Harding home on Mount Vernon Avenue were asked to open their homes and their hearts to the visitors.
Four marching bands were to be on duty at all times, some to lead guests in constant parades through the center of town to the Harding home. Another would provide arriving guests with cheery tunes as they disembarked from their trains. Still another band would set up on the newly constructed bandstand at the school along the parade route.
Nomination Day saw Marion astir early due to the excitement and the work to be done. A barbecue for 5,000 was set up at the downtown school building. Church members were busy cooking food to be served for large groups of visitors assigned to their buildings.
The town had never looked better. Red, white and blue bunting, or cloth, was draped from many downtown windows. Harding’s picture was everywhere. A Court of Honor, featuring regal pillars with Harding’s picture and eagles on top, lined the streets from downtown to well past Harding’s home. Everything was ready.
The crowds poured in. Starting on Nomination Day, throughout the summer and until the campaign closed on Election Day in November, more than 600,000 people visited Marion to be a part of the front porch campaign. It was not unusual for Marion’s population to double for a day on busy campaign days.
Next door to Harding’s home was the George Christian, Jr., house. Christian had been Mr. Harding’s personal secretary during Harding’s five years in the U.S. Senate. He graciously moved his family out of its house during the summer of 1920 so the house could become National Republican Headquarters.
Harding attracted many different types of people to Marion, all eager to hear Harding’s ideas for America. Members of Congress visited regularly, as well as a day when 60 famous Broadway singers and dancers arrived to show their support, dazzling the townspeople along the way. Large groups scheduled their trips to Marion in advance. These groups, representing specific interest groups in the country, were called delegations.
Among the delegations gathering around the porch to hear Harding speak were immigrants, traveling salesmen, Native Americans, African-Americans, pottery workers and women. Women were entering a new era in American history that year – they won the right to vote for president after many years of effort. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified by the last required state – Tennessee -- in August 1920.
Harding spoke about many serious issues in more than 40 official speeches from the front porch, hundreds of impromptu speeches, and about 130 speeches in a dozen other states. America faced many challenges in 1920, including the monumental one of easing the nation from war to peace. World War I, called The Great War at that time, had ended with the signing of an armistice in 1918. A peace treaty was far from settled. Many of the nation’s problems centered around the economic and social turmoil associated with the war.
Even though the campaign issues were indeed serious, the mood of the campaign in Marion was light and happy. Election Day was just around the corner.
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