Much of Hoover's success at the 1928 elections was due to his open support for Prohibition and his commitment to sustaining the interests of white and Protestant voters, in contrast to Smith, of Irish descent, a practicing Catholic, and an opponent of Prohibition. He supported the policies of his predecessor, Calvin Coolidge, since both belonged to the Republican Party, so he had a liberal economic vision that he captured in his electoral campaign. In this way, he promised to continue with the policies of laissez-faire, low taxes and low public expenditure.
The Hoover administration began in a climate of prosperity inherited from the 1920s by its predecessors, but was soon marked by the onset of the Great Depression, which erupted after the Black Thursday of October 24, 1929.