United States Presidential Election, 1940 (Joe Steele)

The United States presidential election of 1940 was for all intents and purposes, the last free and open election held in the United States.

The Campaign
By this time, President Joe Steele had had eight years to amass absolute power. Many of his enemies had been either executed for treason, or had died in mysterious accidents. Others had simply been exiled to some of the least populated parts of the country. In 1940, it was simply understood that Steele would win.

It came as a bit of a surprise that the Republican Party would risk running any candidate, and an even greater surprise when they found a candidate willing to run. However, [[Wendell Willkie#Wendell Willkie in "Joe Steele" made a half-hearted attempt.

The Election
Steele won handily, as Willkie could not safely campaign on even the most mundane of issues. After 1940, Steele's status as president for life was insured. He ran unopposed in 1944, 1948, and 1952. He died shortly after. However, after a power-struggles amongst his would-be heirs, J. Edgar Hoover took the office of the president, and instituted a regime more tyrannical than Steele's.