1936 Republican Party presidential primaries

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[]

Major candidates[]

These candidates participated in multiple state primaries or were included in multiple major national polls.

Candidate	Most recent position	Home state	Campaign
Alf Landon	Governor of Kansas (1933–37)	Kansas	(Campaign)
William Borah	U.S. Senator from Idaho (1907–40)	Idaho	(Campaign) Withdrew at convention
Frank Knox	Publisher of the Chicago Daily News	Illinois	Withdrew before convention

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.

Businessman Stephen A. Day of Ohio
Former Governor Warren Green of South Dakota
Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren of California

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.

Senator Lester J. Dickinson of Iowa
Former President Herbert Hoover of California
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[]

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

References[]

^ Kalb, Deborah (2016-02-19). Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "US President - R Primaries (Polling)". OurCampaigns.com. 28 Dec 2009. Retrieved 12 Apr 2020.

[1] Kalb, Deborah (2016-02-19). Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books. ISBN 9781483380353. Retrieved 2016-02-19.

[:0-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "US President - R Primaries (Polling)". OurCampaigns.com. 28 Dec 2009. Retrieved 12 Apr 2020.

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