Today In History: US Elections

A timeline of pivotal pre-election happenings on the 7th of November

While the people of America exercise patience with the reporting of election results, historic political moments of the US are getting renewed attention. As we wait to find out who wins the 2020 Presidential Election, here's a timeline that highlights noteworthy electoral events that took place on this day - the 7th of November - in the United States:

 

 

1916: Jeannette Rankin - First Woman Elected to Congress

(Photo: Stock Images)

On November 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin won a seat in the US House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to Congress and to hold a seat in either chamber.

Born in Montana, US, Rankin was the first woman member of the US Congress (1917–19, 1941–43). She was a vigorous feminist and a lifetime pacifist and crusader for social and electoral reform. She introduced the first bill that would have allowed women citizenship independent of their husbands and also supported government-sponsored hygiene instruction in maternity and infancy. Reflecting deep-seated pacifism, she became an outspoken isolationist and was one of 49 members of Congress to vote against declaring war on Germany in 1917.

1944: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elected President of the US

(Photo: Reuters)

On November 7, 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt defeated Thomas E. Dewey and was elected to an unprecedented fourth term as president of the United States. FDR remains the only president to have served more than two terms.

Roosevelt led the US through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. In so doing, he greatly expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs and reforms known as the New Deal, and he served as the principal architect of the successful effort to rid the world of German National Socialism and Japanese militarism.

1972: Richard Nixon Re-Elected

(Photo: Reuters)

On November 7, 1972, President Richard Nixon was re-elected in a landslide over Democrat George McGovern, years after losing the governor's election in California, where Nixon held what he called his 'last press conference,' (1962) and told reporters that “you won't have Nixon to kick around any more”.

Nixon rose to national prominence as a representative and senator from California. After five years in the White House that saw the conclusion to the US involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, he became the only president to resign from the office.

1972: Joseph Biden Elected

(Photo: US Congress - Pocket Congressional Directory, 1975)

On November 7, 1972, Delaware elected Joseph Biden as one of its US Senators. Biden was re-elected in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002.

Republican United States Senator J. Caleb Boggs ran for a third term in the United States Senate in 1972. Boggs faced off against Joe Biden, a New Castle County Councilman. Though Boggs was expected to easily win a third term over the then-unknown Biden, the election ended up being the closest Senate election of the year. Biden narrowly defeated Boggs by 3,162 votes, winning his first of seven US Senate elections.

 

2000: Hilary Clinton Elected

(Photo: File)

On November 7, 2000, Hillary Clinton was elected to represent New York in the US Senate, becoming the first First Lady to win elected office.

Clinton’s resume was unique among First Ladies and senators. After meeting her husband, Bill, at Yale Law School, she spent her early career as an advocate for children’s rights and was named to the board of the Legal Services Corporation. During Bill’s presidency, she took an active role in promoting the administration’s healthcare policy and used her position to bring attention to children’s rights and family law issues.

2000: Controversy Between George W. Bush & Al Gore

(Photo: File)

On November 7, 2000, Republican candidate George W. Bush wins the US Presidential Election.

The controversial election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was inconclusive at first. Al Gore conceded to George Bush and then retracted his concession based on an early prediction of the vote in Florida. Hillary Clinton won the NY Senate seat. In 2001, Bill Sammon authored "At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election" and Alan M Dershowitz authored "Supreme Injustice: How the High Court Hijacked Election 2000." Gore lost to Bush despite receiving over 500,000 more votes.

2006: A Win for Democrats

On November 7, 2006, in a rout once considered almost inconceivable, Democrats won a 51st seat in the Senate and regained total control of the Congress after 12 years of near-domination by the Republican Party. Almost 79 million people voted in the election, with Democrats drawing more support than Republicans for the first time in a midterm election since 1990.

 

2006: Keith Ellison - First Muslim Elected to Congress

(Photo: AFP)

On November 7, 2006, Keith Ellison, a Democratic state lawmaker from Minnesota, became the first Muslim elected to Congress. Ellison was also the first African American representative from Minnesota.

Later, Ellison served as the titular Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee (from 2017 to 2018). In Congress, Ellison was a vice-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a Chief Deputy Whip. He also sat on the House Committee on Financial Services.

 

2008: President Obama's First News Conference

(Photo: File)

On November 7, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama gave his first news conference and vowed to pass a stimulus plan as his first act. Obama took the podium and delivered a steely speech on subjects ranging from his daughter's allergies, a former first lady's interest in séances, a reporter's injured arm, and, of course, the economy.