U.S. Presidential Election, 1936 (President Churchill)

The U.S. Presidential Election, 1936 was a major Republican victory in which former President Winston Churchill defeated President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Republican Nomination
Former President Winston Churchill wasthe leading contender from the begging, however progressive Senator William Borah of Idaho won several primaries and gave Churchill a run for his money in several others. Kansas Governor Alf Landon won the support of several state conventions and made Churchill campaign hard for the state convention delegations.

At the Republican convention, Churchill won the nomination on the first ballot and chose Landon as his running-mate.

Democrat Nomination
Democrat candidates


 * Attorney Henry S. Breckenridge of New York
 * President Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York
 * Congressman Upton Sinclair of California
 * Former Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York

President Roosevelt was growing unpopular even with his own party. Roosevelt's main opponent in the Democrat primaries was former New York Governor Al Smith, New York attorney Henry Breckenridge ran as a conservative Democrat while Sinclair ran as a left-wing Democrat. Smith won primaries in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania while Roosevelt carried Florida, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Breckenridge won in New Jersey were only he and Smith were on the ballot, Sinclair carried California by a narrow margin over Roosevelt.

At the Democrat convention, Roosevelt won the nomination on the first ballot but only with 15 more delege votes than he needed. Vice President Albert Ritchie had died in July and House Minority Leader John Nance Garner was nominated for Vice President.