# Could FDR be elected today?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [July 4, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720 "2024-07-04T14:00:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720/1 "2024-07-04T14:00:20Z")

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I know there was a “gentleman’s agreement” to not show him in his chair while President, but obviously things are different now. So could his disability stop him from being elected today?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720/2 "2024-07-04T14:21:48Z")

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I think that the sort of people who would be reluctant to vote for someone in a wheelchair would be disproportionately found in places like Texas… but Texas still managed to elect Greg Abbott. So I don’t think that the sort of person that would be swayed by that is common enough to make much difference.

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720/3 "2024-07-04T15:03:49Z")

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There have been lots of physically disabled American politicians:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_physically\_disabled\_politicians#United\_States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_physically_disabled_politicians#United_States)

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720/4 "2024-07-04T15:07:08Z")

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I’d argue war injuries fall under a different category when running for office I.e. you can spin them to appeal to voters perhaps more easily than you can, say, polio. I may well be wrong.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-fdr-be-elected-today/1003720/5 "2024-07-04T15:15:36Z")

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No. Because he’s dead.

I actually don’t think his disability would keep him from being elected. But part of the reason I think that is that we now have the example of FDR to look back at.