1936 Republican Party presidential primaries

1936 Republican Party presidential primaries

March 10 to May 19, 1936
1,003 delegates to the Republican National Convention 502 (majority) votes needed to win
Candidate William Borah Alf Landon Frank Knox Home state Idaho Kansas Illinois Contests won 5 3 1 Popular vote 1,478,676 729,908 527,054 Percentage 44.5% 21.9% 15.8%
First place finishes by popular vote   William Borah (5)   Alfred Landon (3)   Frank Knox (1)   Earl Warren (1)   Stephen A. Day (1)   Warren E. Green (1)
Previous Republican nominee Herbert Hoover Republican nominee Alf Landon

From March 10 to May 19, 1936, voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for president in the 1936 United States presidential election. The nominee was selected through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1936 Republican National Convention held from June 9 to June 12, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio.[1]

Although many candidates sought the Republican nomination, only two, Governor Alfred Landon and Senator William Borah, were considered to be serious candidates.^[citation needed]

While favorite sons County Attorney Earl Warren of California, Governor Warren E. Green of South Dakota, and Stephen A. Day of Ohio won their respective primaries, the 70-year-old Borah, a well-known progressive and "insurgent," carried the Wisconsin, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Oregon primaries, while also performing quite strongly in Knox's Illinois and Green's South Dakota. However, the party machinery almost uniformly backed Landon, a wealthy businessman and centrist, who won primaries in Massachusetts and New Jersey and dominated in the caucuses and at state party conventions.

Schedule and results

Date	Primary	William Borah	Alfred Landon	Frank Knox	Earl Warren	Stephen A. Day	Warren E. Green
March 10	New Hampshire	0%	0%	100%	0%	0%	0%
April 7	Wisconsin	98%	2%	0%	0%	0%	0%
April 14	Illinois	46%	0%	54%	0%	0%	0%
April 14	Nebraska	74%	25%	0%	0%	0%	0%
April 28	Massachusetts	4%	80%	2%	0%	0%	0%
April 28	Pennsylvania	100%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 5	California	0%	43%	0%	57%	0%	0%
May 5	South Dakota	50%	0%	0%	0%	0%	50%
May 12	Ohio	3%	6%	0%	0%	90%	0%
May 12	West Virginia	85%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 15	Oregon	90%	4%	0%	0%	0%	0%
May 19	New Jersey	21%	79%	0%	0%	0%	0%

Candidates

Nominee

Candidate			Experience	Home state	Campaign	Popular vote	Contests won	Running mate
Alf Landon			Governor of Kansas (1933–1937) Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party (1928–1930)	Kansas	(Campaign) Secured nomination: June 9, 1936	869,602 (36.0%)	3	Frank Knox

Withdrew at convention

These candidates participated in multiple state primaries or were included in multiple major national polls and withdrew their candidacy at the Republican National Convention.

Candidate			Experience	Home state	Campaign	Popular vote	Contests won
William Borah			U.S. Senator from Idaho (1907–1940)	Idaho	(Campaign) Withdrew at convention	1,478,676 (44.5%)	5

Withdrew prior to convention

These candidates participated in multiple state primaries or were included in multiple major national polls and withdrew their candidacy prior to the start of the RNC.

Candidate			Experience	Home state	Campaign	Popular vote	Contests won
Frank Knox			Publisher of the Chicago Daily News	Illionis	Withdrew before convention	527,054 (17.8%)	1

Favorite sons

The following candidates ran only in their home state's primary or caucus for the purpose of controlling its delegate slate at the convention and did not appear to be considered national candidates by the media.

Candidate			Experience	Home state	Campaign	Popular vote	Contests won
Stephen A. Day			Special counsel to the Comptroller of the Currency (1926-1928)	Illionis	Withdrew before convention	527,054 (17.8%)	1
Warren Green			Governor of South Dakota (1931-1933)	South Dakota	[data missing]	[data missing]	1
Earl Warren			District Attorney of Alameda County (1925 -1939)	California	[data missing]	[data missing]	1

Declined to run

The following persons were listed in two or more major national polls or were the subject of media speculation surrounding their potential candidacy, but declined to actively seek the nomination.

• Former Vice President Charles G. Dawes of Illinois
• Senator Lester J. Dickinson of Iowa (ran for re-election instead)
• Former President Herbert Hoover of California
• Former Governor Frank Lowden of Illinois
• Senator Charles L. McNary of Oregon
• Senator Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan

Polling

Graph of opinion polls conducted

National polling

Poll source	Publication	William Borah	Lester Dickinson	Herbert Hoover	Frank Knox	Alf Landon	Arthur Vandenberg
Gallup[2]	Oct. 1935	26%	1%	12%	8%	33%	3%
Gallup[2]	Jan. 1936	28%	1%	17%	7%	43%	4%
Gallup[2]	March 1936	20%	1%	14%	5%	56%	4%
Gallup[2]	Apr. 1936	19%	1%	14%	5%	56%	5%
Gallup[2]	Apr. 1936	18%	1%	14%	6%	55%	6%

Convention

Main article: 1936 Republican National Convention

With Knox's candidacy withdrawing in order to become Landon's selection for vice president, and Day, Green, and Warren releasing their delegates, Landon's victory was assured.

Ballot	Alfred Landon	William Borah	VP Ballot	Frank Knox
First	984	19	First	1,003

See also

• 1936 Democratic Party presidential primaries

References

1. Kalb, Deborah (2016-02-19). Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
2. "US President - R Primaries (Polling)". OurCampaigns.com. 28 Dec 2009. Retrieved 12 Apr 2020.