| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1936 United States Presidential Election was the 38th quadrennial presidential election that was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. Incumbent President Al Smith would defeat Kansas Governor Alf Landon by wide popular vote and electoral vote margins. As the depression continued on into 1936, the Republicans hoped to use potential dissatisfaction against Al Smith and prevent him from securing a second term. The main issue of the election were Smith's expansion of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, US involvement on the international stage, and the repeal of the Smooth-Hawley Tariff Act
Course of the election[]
Democratic Nomination[]
While the party establishment would support renominating the Smith/Garner ticket, they gained detractors from within the Democratic party. There was speculation that New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt would challenge Smith for the nomination again, however Roosevelt denied these rumors in September of 1935. Albert Ritchie announced his run for the Democratic nomination on November 8th, 1935, believing that Smith's pursuit of policies such as the RFC had given too much power to the government and betrayed the conservative wing of the Democratic party. However, Ritchie would die suddenly on February 24th, 1936. Smith did not just receive detractors from the conservative wing, and there were many Progressive Democrats eager to support a progressive challenger to Smith. The most notable of these was Louisiana Senator Huey Long, who was planning a primary challenge against Smith, but was assasinated in 1935. Without a single candidate who officially declared, progressives would launch a write-in campaign for writer Upton Sinclair, who would end up winning the California primary. But with no unified opposition, Smith re-secured the nomination without any major opposition.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Al Smith
|
John Nance Garner
|
Republican Nomination[]
Having lost the 1936 election the Republican ticket had many contenders, some more realistic than others. Former President Hoover considered making it the third clash between him and Smith but ultimately decided against it, endorsing “Whoever receives the nomination in Cleveland.” New York Mayor LaGuardia received draft letters from the Republican establishment like the Taft family but decided against requests due to the shame and cost of losing. Kansas Governor Alf Landon was left as the big serious candidate and swept through the hearts of staunch Republicans through his radio and letter campaigns. The selection of Vice President became more important as this could set the stage for the 1940 election but ultimately the Republicans failed to elevate a young man and instead choose the 62 year old Frank Knox of newspaper fame. The ticket was announced at the Republican National Convention held at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio on the 12th of June.
| Nominee | Running Mate |
|---|---|
| Alf Landon
|
Frank Knox
|
General Election[]
After accepting the Republican nomination on the 12th of June, Landon would begin to extensively campaign in rural areas of the Midwest, hoping to sway the votes of farmers away from Smith by capitlizing on Smith's repeal of the Smooth-Hawley Tariff Act as an "attack on farmers" and hoped to use the repeal as a wedge issue to win back rural Americans from the Smith campaign. However, Smith emphasized that lifting the tariffs had helped grow US gross domestic product and that his expansion of government corporations such as the Reconstruction Finance Corporation which secured fair loans to farmers. Smith attacked Landon for his supposed political inexperience which would make him an ineffective President in passing legislation and effectively leading the country forward.
Outcome[]
Smith would defeat Landon in an electoral college and popular vote landslide, winning 485 electoral votes to Landon's 46. Despite Republican gains in the midwest, Smith was able to pick up support in the steel belt and Western states.
See also:[]
Sources cited:[]
- “The American Presidential Election of 1936.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGbKZ2ihYVk. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.
- “1936 Presidential Election Interactive Map.” 270toWin.com, www.270towin.com/1936_Election/interactive_map. Accessed 7 Jan. 2022.
- Wikipedia Contributors. “Huey Long.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huey_Long.