1936 United States presidential election Facts for Kids

The 1936 United States presidential election by county. Red areas voted more for Landon, and blue areas voted more for Roosevelt.

President Franklin Roosevelt, who won the 1936 election.

The 1936 United States presidential election was the 38th time Americans voted for their president. It happened on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. The main candidates were Franklin D. Roosevelt from the Democratic Party and his running mate John Nance Garner. Their opponents were Alf Landon from the Republican Party and his running mate, Frank Knox.

What Were the Election Results?
- Which States Had Close Votes?
Who Ran for the Republican Party?
Interesting Facts About the Election
Images for kids
See also

What Were the Election Results?

President Roosevelt was already in office and very popular. Many people liked his plan called the New Deal, which helped the country during tough times. He won a huge victory, taking 48 states and getting 523 electoral votes. He also received about 27.5 million individual votes.

Alf Landon, on the other hand, did not do well at all. He didn't even win his home state of Kansas. He only won two states: Vermont and Maine. He received just 8 electoral votes and about 16.7 million individual votes. This was one of the biggest wins in US presidential election history!

How Michigan counties voted in the 1936 election.

Which States Had Close Votes?

Even though Roosevelt won by a lot, some states had closer results. New Hampshire, which is next to Maine and Vermont, was one of them. In New Hampshire, less than 2% more people voted for Roosevelt than for Landon.

Landon's home state, Kansas, also had a somewhat closer vote. About 7.7% more people voted for Roosevelt there than for Landon. Other states with closer results included Massachusetts and Delaware.

Who Ran for the Republican Party?

Alf Landon, who became the Republican candidate.

Three main people wanted to be the Republican candidate for president in 1936. They were:

William Borah, a senator from Idaho
Frank Knox, a newspaper publisher from Illinois
Alf Landon, who was the governor of Kansas

In the end, Alf Landon easily won the chance to run for president. He then chose Frank Knox to be his running mate for vice president.

Interesting Facts About the Election

This election was the last time until 1964 that states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Indiana, and Nebraska voted for the Democratic candidate.
It was the only time Indiana voted for the Democratic candidate two elections in a row.
It was also the only time South Dakota voted for the Democratic candidate two elections in a row.
The state of Vermont voted closer to the Democratic candidate than it ever had before this election.
This was the last time for 80 years that Orange County, California, voted for the Democratic candidate in a presidential election.
No other US presidential candidate from the Democratic or Republican parties has ever received as few electoral votes as Alf Landon did in 1936.

Images for kids

Republican primaries by state results
Election poster in Manchester, New Hampshire
Governor Alf Landon of Kansas
Senator William Borah from Idaho
Publisher Frank Knox from Illinois (who later became Landon's running mate)
Former President Herbert Hoover from California (did not actively run)
Former Vice President Charles G. Dawes from Illinois (declined to run)
Senator Charles L. McNary from Oregon (declined to run)
Presidential election results by county
Democratic presidential election results by county
Republican presidential election results by county
"Other" presidential election results by county
American Labor presidential election results by county
Cartogram of presidential election results by county
Cartogram of Democratic presidential election results by county
Cartogram of Republican presidential election results by county
Cartogram of "Other" presidential election results by county
Cartogram of American Labor presidential election results by county