1932 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Selection of the Democratic Party nominee June 2025 May 2023 1932 Democratic Party presidential primaries United States 1912 primary no 1928 Democratic Party presidential primaries 1928 1936 Democratic Party presidential primaries 1936 March 8 to May 20, 1932 1,154 delegates to the Democratic National Convention 770 (two-thirds) FDR in 1933 (3x4).jpg 150x150px 00308F Franklin D. Roosevelt New York 666.25 10 1,464,607 49.44% Unsuccessful 1928.jpg ffcc00 Al Smith New York 201.75 2 415,795 14.04% John Nance Garner (3x4 cropped b).jpg 006A4E John Nance Garner Texas 90.25 1 249,816 8.43% 350px First place by popular vote 350px First place by convention roll call 1 #00308F Roosevelt #ffcc00 Smith #006A4E Garner #916f6f VariousFavorite sons received the support of Virginia (Harry F. Byrd), Oklahoma (William H. Murray), Missouri (James A. Reed), Ohio, and Maryland (Albert Ritchie). The Ohio primary was won by Murray. Democratic nominee Al Smith Franklin D. Roosevelt From March 8 to May 20, 1932, voters and members of the Democratic Party elected delegates to the 1932 Democratic National Convention for the purpose of nominating a candidate for president in the 1932 United States presidential election.https://books.google.com/books?id=9CZECwAAQBAJ&pg=PA397 Guide to U.S. Elections - Google Books 2016-02-19 9781483380353 2016-02-19 Kalb Deborah CQ Press New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1932 Democratic National Convention held from June 27 to July 2, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. Background Al Smith was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for president in 1928. After receiving the Democratic nomination, Smith was prohibited by New York law from simultaneously running for reelection in the 1928 gubernatorial election. Smith persuaded his then-ally Franklin D. Roosevelt to run in his place. Roosevelt won. Though Smith's initial plan was to use the 1928 campaign as a springboard to the White House in 1932, he demurred following his defeat, loosening his grip on both the Democratic National Committee and Tammany Hall and instructing several inquirers, including Roosevelt, that he would not seek the White House in 1932. However, Smith began to reconsider his decision following a series of snubs by Roosevelt, his own dissatisfaction with the private sector, and the rising odds of a Democratic victory over Herbert Hoover following the 1929 stock market crash and ensuing Great Depression. Beginning the day after his 1931 inauguration for a second term as Governor of New York, Roosevelt allowed his aides Louis Howe and James Farley to float his name as a potential candidate for president in 1932.Smith 2007 249 An early test of Roosevelt's strength came when Democratic National Committee chairman John Jakob Raskob floated a proposal to have the party endorse the repeal of Prohibition and the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, both positions unpopular with Roosevelt's potential base in the South and West. Endorsing the tariff would also signal a boost to Smith's bid for a second nomination for president, since Smith had already endorsed it.Smith 2007 252 Defying Raskob's expectations, Roosevelt opposed the motion and gathered enough support to force Raskob to withdraw both proposals at the March 5 meeting, thereby solidifying his support in the South and West. Regional leaders like Cordell Hull began to rally behind Roosevelt's potential candidacy.Smith 2007 253–54 Roosevelt and his supporters spent much of 1931 cultivating support from party leaders and potential delegates in the South and West. Roosevelt secured endorsements from Hull, Pat Harrison, James F. Byrnes, and Richard Russell Jr.Smith 2007 256 These conversations, along with internal polling conducted by Jesse I. Straus and the Scripps-Howard newspaper agency, convinced Roosevelt that he was a serious front-runner for the nomination.Smith 2007 254–58 At the January 9, 1932 national committee meeting, Roosevelt's allies successfully moved to place the 1932 convention in Chicago and elevate an ally to secretary of the party.Smith 2007 258 On January 23, Roosevelt officially announced his candidacy. In February 1932, Smith publicly commented that he “would place [his] cause in the hands of the people and risk [his] chances without making an active campaign for the nomination.”https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2012-03-12/the-strange-start-of-fdr-s-1932-campaign-echoes The Strange Start of FDR's 1932 Campaign: Echoes Scranton Philip March 15, 2012 www.bloomberg.com Bloomberg News May 16, 2018 While this was not a clear declaration of candidacy, political observers saw this as an indication that Smith was making himself available as a “Stop Roosevelt” candidate ahead of the first primary contest, which would be held in New Hampshire. Candidates Candidate Born Office Held State Delegates 130px|Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt January 30, 1882(age 50)Hyde Park, New York 44thGovernor of New York (1929–1932)New York 1909 666.25 Candidate Born Office Held State Delegates 130px|Smith Al Smith (Campaign) December 30, 1873(age 58)Manhattan, New York 42ndGovernor of New York (1919–1920, 1923–1928)New York 1909 201.75 130px John Nance Garner November 22, 1868(age 63) Detroit, Texas 39thSpeaker of theHouse of Representatives(1931–1933)Texas 90.25 Primaries and results + Date Contest Delegates Roosevelt Lewis Smith Garner Murray Leo J. Chassee Uncommitted Others March 8 New Hampshire primarySmith 2007 259 8 861.87% (15,401) - - - - - - - March 15 North Dakota primarySmith 2007 260 961.91% (52,000) - - - 138.10% (32,000) - - - March 23 Georgia primary 90.29% (51,498) - - - - - - 9.71% (5,541)Favorite son Gus H. Howard. April 5 Wisconsin primary 98.57% (241,742) - 1.43% (W) (3,502) - - - - - April 12 Nebraska primary 62.99% (91,393) - - 18.86% (27,359) 17.38% (25,214) - - 0.77% (1,121) April 13 Illinois primary 58 0.18% (W) (1,084) 5899.76% (590,130) 0.05% (W) (266) 0.01% (W) (35) - - - 0.01% (W) (37) April 26 Massachusetts primary 26.89% (56,454) - 73.11% (153,465) - - - - - Pennsylvania primary 56.65% (133,002) - 43.11% (101,227) - - - - - May 3 Alabama primary 100.00% (134,781) - - - - - - - California primary 32.47% (175,008) - 26.26% (141,517) 41.27% (222,385) - - - - South Dakota primary 100.00% (35,370) - - - - - - - May 10 Ohio primary 1.71% (W) (1,999) - 0.82% (W) (951) 0.06% (W) (72) 96.45% (112,512) - - 0.96% (W) (1,123) West Virginia primary 90.32% (219,671) - - - 8.15% (19,826) 1.53% (3,727) - - May 17 New Jersey primary 36.27% (W) (3,219) - 58.97% (W) (5,234) 1.56% (W) (138) - - - 3.20% (W) (285) May 20 Oregon primary 78.62% (48,554) - - - 19.42% (11,993) - - 1.97% (1,214) June 7 Florida primaryGray R.A. http://archive.org/details/TabulationofofficialvoteFloridaprimaryelections1932 Tabulation of official vote. Florida primary elections : Democratic and Republican (1932) 1932 State Library and Archives of Florida 3 English Internet Archive 87.71% (203,372) - - - 10.72% (24,847) 1.57% (3,645) - - Legend:   1st place(popular vote) 2nd place(popular vote) 3rd place(popular vote) Candidate has Withdrawnor Ceased Campaigning (W) - Votes are Write-In Delegates not selected in primaries Many delegations were not selected in public statewide primaries. The following table shows delegates awarded at a state level by convention, committees, and other means that did not involve votes by a public electorate. Delegates not awarded via primaries Other delegate allocation Date Contest Delegates Roosevelt Lewis Smith Garner Murray Leo J. Chassee Uncommitted Others January 23 Territory of Alaska conventionSmith 2007 259 6 6 - - - - - - - January Washington county caucusesSmith 2007 259 16 16Roosevelt did not win all 16 delegates at the county caucuses, but county delegates to the state convention were instructed to vote for Roosevelt delegates. When the state convention was eventually held, Roosevelt swept the delegates. - - - - - - - February Oklahoma conventionSmith 2007 259 22 - - - - 22 - - - March 12 Minnesota conventionSmith 2007 260 24 24Smith supporters stormed out of the convention and held a rump convention nominating their own slate of 24 delegates to contest credentials at the Chicago convention. - - - - - - -March 29 Iowa conventionSmith 2007 261 26 Maine conventionSmith 2007 261 12MarchMissouri convention36Favorite son James A. Reed, though party boss Tom Pendergast had privately pledged support to Roosevelt as necessary.MarchMaryland conventionMaryland's delegates were pledged to favorite son Albert Ritchie.MarchArkansas convention18 See also Republican Party presidential primaries, 1932 White primary Notes References Bibliography Smith Jean Edward 2007 FDR https://archive.org/details/fdr00smit registration Random House New York 1st 978-1-4000-6121-1 Category:Tammany Hall Category:Al Smith