Many expected Theodore Roosevelt to be the 1920 Republican nominee , but his death in January 1919 left the race for the Republican nomination wide open . The three major contenders for the Republican nomination were General Leonard Wood , who had been a close friend of Roosevelt , Senator Hiram Johnson , who was Roosevelt 's running mate on the 1912 Progressive ticket , and Governor Frank Lowden of Illinois . When the 1920 Republican National Convention met in June 1920 , none of the three major contenders were able to accrue enough support to win the nomination , and party leaders put forward various favorite son candidates . The party ultimately nominated a dark horse candidate , Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio . The Republicans centered their campaign around opposition to Wilson 's policies , with Harding promising a " return to normalcy " to the conservative policies that had prevailed at the turn of the century . Wilson largely stayed out of the campaign , although he endorsed Cox and continued to advocate for U.S. membership in the League of Nations . Harding won a landslide victory , taking 60.3 % of the popular vote and winning every state outside of the South . Democrats also suffered huge losses in the Congressional and gubernatorial elections of 1920 , and the Republicans increased their majorities in both houses of Congress
1920 Republican National Convention
1920 Republican National Convention
Presidency of Woodrow Wilson