1936 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

none June 2025 September 2023 1936 United States presidential election in Wisconsin Wisconsin 1913 presidential no 1932 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 1932 1940 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 1940 November 3, 1936 x160px Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936 june (3x4 cropped) (B&W).jpg Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic Party (United States) New York John Nance Garner 12 802,984 63.79% LandonPortr (cropped).jpg Alf Landon Republican Party (United States) Kansas Frank Knox 0 380,828 30.26% 1936 United States presidential election in Wisconsin results map by county.svg 300px County results Roosevelt #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% Landon #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% President Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic Party (United States) Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic Party (United States) The 1936 United States presidential election in Wisconsin was held on November 3, 1936, as part of the 1936 United States presidential election. State voters chose 12 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Wisconsin had since the decline of the Populist movement been substantially a one-party state dominated by the Republican Party.Burnham, Walter Dean; 'The System of 1896: An Analysis'; in The Evolution of American Electoral Systems, pp. 178-179 0313213798 The Democratic Party became entirely uncompetitive outside certain German Catholic counties adjoining Lake Michigan as the upper classes, along with the majority of workers who followed them, completely fled from William Jennings Bryan's agrarian and free silver sympathies.Sundquist, James; Politics and Policy: The Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years, p. 526 0815719094 As Democratic strength weakened severely after 1894 – although the state did develop a strong Socialist Party to provide opposition to the GOP – Wisconsin developed the direct Republican primary in 1903 and this ultimately created competition between the "League" under Robert M. La Follette, and the conservative "Regular" faction.Hansen, John Mark; Shigeo Hirano, and Snyder, James M. Jr.; 'Parties within Parties: Parties, Factions, and Coordinated Politics, 1900-1980'; in Gerber, Alan S. and Schickler, Eric; Governing in a Polarized Age: Elections, Parties, and Political Representation in America, pp. 165-168 978-1-107-09509-0 The beginning of the 1910s would see a minor Democratic revival as many La Follette progressives endorsed Woodrow Wilson,Crews, Kenneth D.; 'Woodrow Wilson, Wisconsin, and the Election of 1912'; Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3: 'Presidents, Vice Presidents and Political Parties: Performance and Prospects' (Summer, 1982), pp. 369-376 but this flirtation would not be long-lasting as Wilson's "Anglophile" foreign policies were severely opposed by Wisconsin's largely German- and Scandinavian-American populace.Leary, William M. (jr.); 'Woodrow Wilson, Irish Americans, and the Election of 1916'; The Journal of American History, Vol. 54, No. 1 (June 1967), pp. 57-72 Subsequent federal elections saw the Midwest desert the Democratic Party even more completely due to supposed preferential treatment of Southern farmers,Morello, John A.; Albert D. Lasker, Advertising, and the Election of Warren G. Harding, p. 64 0275970302 and in Wisconsin there were never more than three Democrats in the state legislature (and none in the State Senate) between 1921 and 1929. The Great Depression radically altered the state's politics, as the La Follette family did not support President Herbert Hoover in 1932, with the result that he lost to Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt by two-to-one. Following a brief Democratic interlude after the 1932 elections, Robert M. La Follette, Jr. formed the Wisconsin Progressive Party and during the 1934 midterm elections that party captured seven of Wisconsin's ten House of Representatives seats and most statewide offices under a platform of improved land conservation and a federal referendum and initiative system.Janus, Erika; A Short History of Wisconsin, p. 138 0870204734 La Follette, despite his respect for Union Party nominee William Lemke, strongly endorsed Roosevelt,'Roosevelt Assets Large in Wisconsin: Backed by La Follettes and Labor, His Forces Count on Retaining State'; The New York Times, October 22, 1936, p. 13 whilst Landon based his hopes on traditional Democrats responding to Al Smith's backing of him and the state's farmers' dislike of trade treaties as reducing their access to foreign markets. At the beginning of the poll it was thought that Union Party candidate Lemke would threaten Roosevelt's hold on Wisconsin's electoral votes as the Midwest had gone through a record heatwave and extreme drought.Blair, Edson; 'Washington: Both Sides of the Curtain: Lemke's Part in the National Election Campaign – La Follette and Discriminating Wisconsin Voters – Landon and Illinois'; Barron's (Boston, Massachusetts), August 24, 1936, p. 4 Republican nominee Alf Landon campaigned in Wisconsin in late September, arguing that Roosevelt's trade agreements with Canada were hurting Wisconsin's farmers,Hagerty, James A.; 'Drive in Wisconsin Began by Landon: Leaders Pledge State Victory When They Board His Train on Way to Milwaukee'; The New York Times, September 26, 1936, p. 1 and that racial tolerance in a state where virtually all areas outside inner Milwaukee had become sundown townsSee Loewen, James W.; Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, pp. 56, 68 1595586741 alongside academic freedom were critical issues for the state and the nation.'Landon Demands Racial Tolerance: In Wisconsin Wayside Talks Candidate Also Calls for Academic Freedom'; Special to The New York Times, September 27, 1936, p. 30 Landon did receive a good reception in Milwaukee, but had his hotel invaded in Oshkosh. Senator La Follette did much of the campaigning for Roosevelt in the state, whilst the President focused his campaign on other states of the Midwest.'La Follette Urges Roosevelt Return: Senator Radios a Call From Chicago to All Liberals to Back the President'; The New York Times, September 29, 1936, p. 23 Late in September, polls showed Roosevelt narrowly leading Landon,'Close Race Seen in Four States Landon Will Visit: Trend of Democratic Popularity in Four States'; Daily Boston Globe, September 22, 1936, p. 3 although a Gallup poll showed him increasing his lead in Wisconsin.Gallup, George; 'Roosevelt Is Gaining According to Nationwide Poll: Delaware, Minnesota Shift Gives 306 Electoral Votes'; Daily Boston Globe, October 4, 1936, p. 5 Although no later polls were conducted, as it turned out Roosevelt won convincingly and held his two-to-one 1932 margin, carrying all but four counties. Vis-à-vis the 1932 election, Roosevelt gained significantly in the industrial areas of the northwest – in Douglas County he gained 24 percent on his 1932 figures – and in the urban southeast,Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 387-388 978-0-691-16324-6 but lost in the rural areas lying between these two groups. A substantial vote for Lemke from isolationist German Catholics would pave the way for the traditionally Democratic areas in the east to permanently leave the party with the following election, as this group could not accept the urban bias of the New Deal. Roosevelt was the first Democrat since Franklin Pierce in 1852 to carry Rock County. As of 2024, this remains the strongest performance by a Democrat in Wisconsin; also, Roosevelt's winning margin of over 422,000 votes is the largest in history for a presidential candidate in Wisconsin.Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ 2022-12-29 uselectionatlas.org Primaries Presidential preference were held for both major parties during the state's spring elections (in April) to select delegates to both the 1936 Democratic National Convention and the 1936 Republican National Convention. In both parties, voters directly elected which delegates they wanted to represent their congressional district at their party's convention. The Republican primary also included the election of at-large delegates for the state. In both primaries, it was indicated on ballots which presidential contender the individuals standing for delegate had pledged themselves to support if elected to the convention. Many prospective delegates running in the Republican primary indicated that they were standing to be elected as uninstructed (un-pledged) delegates.The Wisconsin Blue Book 1937 - Full view - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AXHRYO3YEVDUIK8X/pages/AZOC2PQASNJ3AH8A search.library.wisc.edu (University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries) State of Wisconsin 8 April 2025 293–300 1937 General election 1936 United States presidential election in WisconsinWisconsin Historical Society, Certificate of Board of State Canvassers Relative to Presidential Candidates and Presidential Electors - November 3, 1936The Wisconsin Blue Book 1937 Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library Summary Vote For President By Counties Madison, Wisconsin 418 https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AXHRYO3YEVDUIK8X/full/AC4SI5ZTSPZA4E8JPartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt (incumbent) 802,984 63.79% 12 Republican Alf Landon 380,828 30.26% 0 UnionListed as "Independent Union" in Wisconsin William Lemke 60,297 4.79% 0 Socialist Norman Thomas 10,626 0.84% 0 CommunistListed as "Independent Communist" in Wisconsin Earl R. Browder 2,197 0.17% 0 IndependentListed as "Independent Prohibition" in Wisconsin D. Leigh Colvin 1,071 0.09% 0 Socialist LaborListed as "Independent Socialist Labor" in Wisconsin John W. Aiken 557 0.04% 0 Write-in ScatteringThe Scattering votes are not listed in the 1937 Blue Book. The Board of Canvassers report shows the Scattering vote in its own column, separate from the total vote per county. 152 0.01% 0 Totals 1,258,712 100.00% 12 Results by county County Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic Alf LandonRepublican William LemkeUnion Norman ThomasSocialist Other candidatesVarious parties Margin Total votescast # % # % # % # % # % # % Adams 2,289 63.96% 1,191 33.28% 85 2.37% 5 0.14% 9 0.25% 1,098 30.68% 3,579 Ashland 5,904 68.01% 2,439 28.10% 226 2.60% 52 0.60% 60 0.69% 3,465 39.91% 8,681 Barron 7,419 55.55% 5,067 37.94% 714 5.35% 97 0.73% 58 0.43% 2,352 17.61% 13,355 Bayfield 4,336 65.37% 2,071 31.22% 109 1.64% 64 0.96% 53 0.80% 2,265 34.15% 6,633 Brown 21,417 68.92% 8,433 27.14% 1,088 3.50% 108 0.35% 31 0.10% 12,984 41.78% 31,077 Buffalo 3,434 55.44% 2,481 40.05% 249 4.02% 27 0.44% 3 0.05% 953 15.39% 6,194 Burnett 2,801 62.80% 1,422 31.88% 191 4.28% 33 0.74% 13 0.29% 1,379 30.92% 4,460 Calumet 4,694 65.99% 1,972 27.72% 424 5.96% 14 0.20% 9 0.13% 2,722 38.27% 7,113 Chippewa 7,854 53.08% 5,760 38.93% 1,107 7.48% 50 0.34% 25 0.17% 2,094 14.15% 14,796 Clark 6,931 52.78% 5,196 39.57% 845 6.43% 84 0.64% 76 0.58% 1,735 13.21% 13,132 Columbia 8,936 59.36% 5,607 37.25% 445 2.96% 38 0.25% 28 0.19% 3,329 22.11% 15,054 Crawford 4,377 55.02% 2,857 35.91% 699 8.79% 12 0.15% 11 0.14% 1,520 19.11% 7,956 Dane 35,856 67.77% 15,233 28.79% 1,333 2.52% 268 0.51% 218 0.41% 20,623 38.98% 52,908 Dodge 14,782 65.41% 6,829 30.22% 900 3.98% 66 0.29% 22 0.10% 7,953 35.19% 22,599 Door 3,952 51.57% 3,146 41.05% 535 6.98% 11 0.14% 20 0.26% 806 10.52% 7,664 Douglas 16,684 75.28% 5,079 22.92% 192 0.87% 90 0.41% 118 0.53% 11,605 52.36% 22,163 Dunn 5,619 51.20% 4,570 41.64% 702 6.40% 53 0.48% 31 0.28% 1,049 9.56% 10,975 Eau Claire 10,065 58.31% 6,802 39.41% 331 1.92% 43 0.25% 19 0.11% 3,263 18.90% 17,260 Florence 1,037 53.67% 800 41.41% 70 3.62% 17 0.88% 8 0.41% 237 12.27% 1,932 Fond du Lac 14,821 57.16% 9,179 35.40% 1,785 6.88% 70 0.27% 76 0.29% 5,642 21.76% 25,931 Forest 3,092 68.18% 1,334 29.42% 89 1.96% 13 0.29% 7 0.15% 1,758 38.77% 4,535 Grant 9,170 52.39% 7,196 41.11% 1,072 6.12% 34 0.19% 31 0.18% 1,974 11.28% 17,503 Green 5,941 60.26% 3,700 37.53% 165 1.67% 27 0.27% 26 0.26% 2,241 22.73% 9,859 Green Lake 3,840 55.84% 2,926 42.55% 94 1.37% 8 0.12% 9 0.13% 914 13.29% 6,877 Iowa 4,988 54.85% 3,623 39.84% 445 4.89% 12 0.13% 26 0.29% 1,365 15.01% 9,094 Iron 3,319 76.46% 902 20.78% 47 1.08% 5 0.12% 68 1.57% 2,417 55.68% 4,341 Jackson 4,537 65.01% 2,235 32.02% 181 2.59% 18 0.26% 8 0.11% 2,302 32.98% 6,979 Jefferson 11,144 64.33% 5,599 32.32% 524 3.02% 40 0.23% 17 0.10% 5,545 32.01% 17,324 Juneau 4,544 55.74% 3,084 37.83% 488 5.99% 19 0.23% 17 0.21% 1,460 17.91% 8,152 Kenosha 18,137 66.57% 7,268 26.68% 1,537 5.64% 199 0.73% 104 0.38% 10,869 39.89% 27,245 Kewaunee 4,971 74.01% 1,527 22.73% 213 3.17% 4 0.06% 2 0.03% 3,444 51.27% 6,717 La Crosse 14,455 63.29% 7,558 33.09% 769 3.37% 37 0.16% 21 0.09% 6,897 30.20% 22,840 Lafayette 4,976 53.81% 3,801 41.11% 432 4.67% 18 0.19% 20 0.22% 1,175 12.71% 9,247 Langlade 5,837 67.22% 2,635 30.34% 126 1.45% 38 0.44% 48 0.55% 3,202 36.87% 8,684 Lincoln 5,520 59.86% 3,120 33.83% 523 5.67% 36 0.39% 23 0.25% 2,400 26.02% 9,222 Manitowoc 15,539 64.68% 5,094 21.20% 3,274 13.63% 90 0.37% 29 0.12% 10,445 43.47% 24,026 Marathon 17,898 66.10% 7,328 27.06% 1,661 6.13% 150 0.55% 39 0.14% 10,570 39.04% 27,076 Marinette 8,884 62.24% 4,938 34.59% 369 2.59% 65 0.46% 18 0.13% 3,946 27.64% 14,274 Marquette 1,812 46.26% 1,957 49.96% 135 3.45% 8 0.20% 5 0.13% -145 -3.70% 3,917 Milwaukee 221,512 74.59% 54,811 18.46% 13,100 4.41% 6,311 2.13% 1,224 0.41% 166,701 56.14% 296,958 Monroe 6,491 54.06% 4,695 39.10% 750 6.25% 40 0.33% 32 0.27% 1,796 14.96% 12,008 Oconto 6,729 60.98% 3,774 34.20% 454 4.11% 67 0.61% 10 0.09% 2,955 26.78% 11,034 Oneida 5,208 64.65% 2,294 28.48% 483 6.00% 60 0.74% 11 0.14% 2,914 36.17% 8,056 Outagamie 16,163 59.07% 9,485 34.66% 1,642 6.00% 50 0.18% 24 0.09% 6,678 24.40% 27,364 Ozaukee 5,594 70.65% 1,785 22.54% 489 6.18% 36 0.45% 14 0.18% 3,809 48.11% 7,918 Pepin 1,785 51.80% 1,466 42.54% 177 5.14% 11 0.32% 7 0.20% 319 9.26% 3,446 Pierce 4,061 44.06% 3,935 42.70% 1,139 12.36% 61 0.66% 20 0.22% 126 1.37% 9,216 Polk 5,618 53.51% 3,596 34.25% 920 8.76% 334 3.18% 31 0.30% 2,022 19.26% 10,499 Portage 10,576 71.25% 3,969 26.74% 246 1.66% 32 0.22% 21 0.14% 6,607 44.51% 14,844 Price 5,098 66.62% 2,215 28.95% 220 2.88% 43 0.56% 76 0.99% 2,883 37.68% 7,652 Racine 24,474 64.54% 10,850 28.61% 2,052 5.41% 244 0.64% 300 0.79% 13,624 35.93% 37,920 Richland 4,080 46.97% 4,245 48.87% 294 3.38% 17 0.20% 50 0.58% -165 -1.90% 8,686 Rock 17,991 53.34% 14,693 43.56% 907 2.69% 72 0.21% 66 0.20% 3,298 9.78% 33,729 Rusk 3,877 57.18% 2,453 36.18% 338 4.99% 80 1.18% 32 0.47% 1,424 21.00% 6,780 Sauk 8,355 56.41% 5,626 37.98% 757 5.11% 37 0.25% 37 0.25% 2,729 18.42% 14,812 Sawyer 2,834 59.88% 1,726 36.47% 140 2.96% 23 0.49% 10 0.21% 1,108 23.41% 4,733 Shawano 8,865 68.59% 3,679 28.46% 274 2.12% 79 0.61% 28 0.22% 5,186 40.12% 12,925 Sheboygan 17,415 62.06% 8,865 31.59% 1,442 5.14% 234 0.83% 107 0.38% 8,550 30.47% 28,063 St. Croix 4,679 41.71% 4,316 38.47% 2,153 19.19% 52 0.46% 18 0.16% 363 3.24% 11,218 Taylor 4,721 67.55% 1,758 25.15% 355 5.08% 112 1.60% 43 0.62% 2,963 42.40% 6,989 Trempealeau 5,929 60.30% 3,339 33.96% 525 5.34% 21 0.21% 18 0.18% 2,590 26.34% 9,832 Vernon 6,044 53.22% 4,811 42.36% 459 4.04% 17 0.15% 26 0.23% 1,233 10.86% 11,357 Vilas 2,559 61.69% 1,298 31.29% 216 5.21% 22 0.53% 53 1.28% 1,261 30.40% 4,148 Walworth 7,093 44.15% 8,462 52.67% 444 2.76% 52 0.32% 15 0.09% -1,369 -8.52% 16,066 Washburn 3,220 61.73% 1,650 31.63% 303 5.81% 29 0.56% 14 0.27% 1,570 30.10% 5,216 Washington 7,129 58.96% 3,589 29.68% 1,297 10.73% 60 0.50% 17 0.14% 3,540 29.28% 12,092 Waukesha 14,982 59.47% 8,921 35.41% 1,125 4.47% 121 0.48% 45 0.18% 6,061 24.06% 25,194 Waupaca 6,920 47.52% 6,680 45.88% 895 6.15% 46 0.32% 20 0.14% 240 1.65% 14,561 Waushara 2,636 41.05% 3,302 51.43% 423 6.59% 34 0.53% 26 0.40% -666 -10.37% 6,421 Winnebago 18,522 58.57% 11,679 36.93% 1,201 3.80% 140 0.44% 79 0.25% 6,843 21.64% 31,621 Wood 9,982 62.57% 4,902 30.73% 903 5.66% 66 0.41% 100 0.63% 5,080 31.84% 15,953Totals802,98463.79%380,82830.26%60,2974.79%10,6260.84%3,9770.32%422,15633.54%1,258,712 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Rock Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Marquette Richland Waushara Electors These were the names of the electors for each ticket. Franklin D. Roosevelt & John Nance GarnerDemocratic Party Alf Landon & Frank KnoxRepublican Party William Lemke & Thomas C. O'BrienUnion Party text-align:center M. L. Richdorf William B. Rubin Elizabeth Cook Paul A. Hemmy Jr. Bart E. McGonigle Anthony J. Szozerbinski Henry L. Nunn Joseph Barnett William G. Bate Gerald F. Clifford Edwin Larkin Fred A. Russell text-align:center Edward J. Samp John B. Chapple George Ingersoll Robert Caldwell William L. Graves Leon Novak James T. Drought William Campbell Wilson S. Delzell Orville G. Hegner Charles Dawson Peter J. Skamser text-align:center Anthony Baranowski William J. Noe Paul H. Kuehn Arthur M. Lockard Joseph F. Walsh Clement J. Lange Alice Reddin Frank W. Smith Carl N. Dehlinger Alfred T. Moore Alfred J. LaGrandeur Herbert A. Mittelsdorf Earl R. Browder & James W. FordCommunist Party D. Leigh Colvin & Claude A. WatsonProhibition Party John W. Aiken & Emil F. TeichertSocialist Labor Party Norman Thomas & George A. NelsonSocialist Party text-align:center Frank B. Metcalfe Harry Miller Al Jensen Glenn P. Turner Arthur Oschsner Leonard Place Clara Palm Fred Kneevers William Zuegge Jesse Winters Paul Boyd Ole Blum text-align:center John Sekat Victor E. Tollefson Dalton G. Johnson Joseph Gary George Walker Frank Ingram Gussie Battiest Fern Dobbins Esther Mattson Allan Kaufman Herman Hardrath Henry Hamberg text-align:center Hazel Williams Charles H. Berryman Benjamin Hansche Helen Nichol Horace G. Willey Charles H. Mott Ivan T. Mishoff Theron Shove Wallace Schaal Ida Hopkins Abraham L. Knapton Nellie Tribbey text-align:center David Lynch Valdemar Werdier Louise Weber William J. Philumalee Louis Ballin Alex Gradijan Steve Paschke Alfred L. Koeser Mike Jastinski William Kelenic Thomas Henry Bagan John G. Shepherd See also United States presidential elections in Wisconsin Notes References 60em Wisconsin 1936 Category:1936 Wisconsin elections