1936 United States Senate elections

← 1934 November 3, 1936 1938 →
32 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Joseph Robinson Charles McNary Party Democratic Republican Leader since December 3, 1923 March 4, 1933 Leader's seat Arkansas Oregon Seats before 69 22 Seats after 74 17 Seat change 5 5 Seats up 19 11 Races won 24 6   Third party Fourth party   Party Farmer-Labor Progressive Seats before 2 1 Seats after 2 1 Seat change Seats up 1 0 Races won 1 0   Fifth party   Party Independent Seats before 0 Seats after 1 Seat change 1 Seats up 0 Races won 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      Farmer-Labor hold      Independent gain      No election
Majority Leader before election Joseph Robinson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Joseph Robinson Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1936 coincided with the reelection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Great Depression continued and voters backed progressive candidates favoring Roosevelt's New Deal in races across the country. The Democrats gained 5 net seats during the election, and in combination with Democratic and Farmer-Labor interim appointments and the defection of George W. Norris from the Republican Party to become independent, the Republicans were reduced to 16 seats, the most lopsided Senate since Reconstruction.

Gains and Losses

The Republicans took one open seat in Massachusetts, while the Democrats took open seats in Michigan and New Hampshire and defeated incumbents Daniel O. Hastings (R-DE), Lester J. Dickinson (R-IA), W. Warren Barbour (R-NJ), Jesse H. Metcalf (R-RI), and Robert D. Carey (R-WY).

• Republicans gained one Democratic open seat:

1. Massachusetts

• Democrats gained one Republican open seat:

1. Colorado
2. Michigan (incumbent died, leaving seat vacant)

• Democrats held an open seat:

1. Louisiana
2. Oklahoma

• Farmer-Laborers held an open seat:

1. Minnesota

• Republicans held an open seat:

1. New Hampshire

• Republican incumbents lost five elections

1. Delaware
2. Iowa
3. New Jersey
4. Rhode Island
5. Wyoming

• One Republican was re-elected, but changed party to become an Independent:

1. Nebraska

Milestones

This was the last of four consecutive elections where Republicans suffered losses due to the ongoing effects of the Great Depression. This was also the last Senate election in the 20th century in which a Democratic candidate who won two terms also made net gains in the Senate on both occasions (although Franklin Roosevelt won a third and fourth term, he lost Senate seats on both occasions).

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the April 1936 special election.

Result of the elections

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summaries

Elections during the 74th Congress

In these special elections the winners were seated once they qualified; ordered by election date.

Elections leading to the 75th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1937; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Alabama

Alabama election

← 1930 1942 →

Nominee John H. Bankhead II H. E. Berkstresser Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 239,632 33,698 Percentage 87.03% 12.24%

U.S. senator before election John H. Bankhead II Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John H. Bankhead II Democratic

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Florida (Special)

There were two special elections in Florida, due to the May 8, 1936 death of four-term Democrat Park Trammell and the June 17, 1936 death of five-term Democrat Duncan U. Fletcher.

Florida (Special, Class 1)

Democrat Scott M. Loftin was appointed May 26, 1936 to continue the term, pending a special election. Primaries were held August 11, 1936.^[5]

Andrews would be re-elected once and serve until his death September 18, 1946.

Florida (Special, Class 3)

Democrat William Luther Hill was appointed July 1, 1936 to continue the term, pending a special election. Democrat Claude Pepper, who had lost to Trammell in 1934 won this election.

Pepper would be re-elected twice and serve until he lost renomination in 1950. He would later be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and serve there for 26 years.

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Louisiana (Regular)

Louisiana (Special)

Democrat Rose McConnell Long was elected April 21, 1936 to finish the term to which she was appointed on January 31, 1936. She was not a candidate, however, to the next term on November 3, 1936, see above.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020)

Maine

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

← 1930 1942 →

Nominee Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. James Michael Curley Thomas C. O'Brien Party Republican Democratic Union Popular vote 875,160 739,751 134,245 Percentage 48.53% 41.02% 7.44%

U.S. senator before election Marcus A. Coolidge Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Republican

Michigan

Minnesota

There were 2 elections to the same seat on the same day due to the December 22, 1935 death of two-term Republican Thomas D. Schall.

Minnesota (Special)

Minnesota special election

← 1930 November 3, 1936 1942 (Special) →

Nominee Guy V. Howard N. J. Holmberg Party Republican Independent Popular vote 317,457 210,364 Percentage 42.89% 28.42%   Nominee Andrew Olaf Devold John G. Alexander Party Independent Independent Popular vote 147,858 64,493 Percentage 19.98% 8.71%

County Results: Howard:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70% Holmberg:      30-40% Devold:      30-40% Tie:      Howard/Holmberg 30-40%

U.S. senator before election Elmer A. Benson Farmer-Labor Elected U.S. Senator Guy V. Howard Republican

The election was held to fill the vacancy in the seat formerly held by Thomas D. Schall for the final two months of Schall's unexpired term. Governor Floyd B. Olson had appointed Elmer Benson to fill the seat in 1935, but this appointment was temporary and subject to a special election held in the next general election year thereafter--1936. Benson opted to run for governor instead of running for election to continue for the remainder of the term. No special primaries were held for the special election, and, among Minnesota's three major parties, only the Republican Party of Minnesota officially fielded a candidate--Guy V. Howard. Regardless of the absence of Farmer-Labor and Democratic nominees, Howard nevertheless faced a great degree of competition from independent candidates Nathaniel J. Holmberg, Andrew Olaf Devold, and John G. Alexander.

The candidates were:

• John G. Alexander (I), Attorney and real estate manager
• Andrew Olaf Devold (I), Attorney, State Senator since 1919, former State Representative (1915-1919); a member of the Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota and formerly a member of the Socialist Party of Minnesota
• N. J. Holmberg (I), Former State Senator (1915-1919) and State Representative (1907-1915); a member of the Republican Party of Minnesota
• Guy V. Howard (R), Businessman and Republican elector in the 1916 presidential election

Howard was not a candidate for the next term, and served only until January 1937.

Minnesota (Regular)

Minnesota regular election

← 1930 1942 →

Nominee Ernest Lundeen Theodore Christianson Party Farmer-Labor Republican Popular vote 663,363 402,404 Percentage 62.24% 37.76%

County results

U.S. senator before election Elmer A. Benson Farmer-Labor Elected U.S. Senator Ernest Lundeen Farmer-Labor

The election to the next term was won by Farmer-Labor congressman Ernest Lundeen.

Mississippi

Montana

Montana election

← 1934 (Special) 1942 →

Nominee James E. Murray Thomas Larson Joseph P. Monaghan Party Democratic Republican Independent Popular vote 121,769 60,038 39,655 Percentage 54.98% 27.11% 17.91%

U.S. senator before election James E. Murray Democratic Elected U.S. Senator James E. Murray Democratic

Nebraska

Nebraska election

← 1930 November 3, 1936 1942 →

Nominee George Norris Robert Simmons Terry Carpenter Party Independent Republican Democratic Popular vote 258,700 223,276 108,391 Percentage 43.82% 37.82% 18.36%

Results by county Norris:      30-39%      40-49%      50-59%      60-69% Simmons:      30-39%      40-49%      50-59% Carpenter:      30-39%      40-49%      50-59%      60-69%

U.S. senator before election George W. Norris Independent Elected U.S. Senator George W. Norris Independent

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1932 (Special) 1942 →

Nominee William H. Smathers William Warren Barbour Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 916,414 740,088 Percentage 54.90% 44.34%

County Results Smathers:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Barbour:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election William Warren Barbour Republican Elected U.S. Senator William H. Smathers Democratic

New Mexico

There were 2 elections, due to the May 6, 1935 death of two-term Republican Bronson M. Cutting.

New Mexico (Special)

Democratic former-Congressman Dennis Chavez had been Cutting's opponent in 1934. On May 11, 1935, after Cutting's death, Chavez was then appointed to continue Cutting's term, pending a special election which he then won.

Chavez would be re-elected four more times and serve until his death in 1962.

New Mexico (Regular)

One-term Democrat Carl Hatch was easily re-elected.

Hatch would be re-elected once and serve until his 1948 retirement.

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

Wyoming

See also

• 1936 United States elections
  • 1936 United States presidential election
  • 1936 United States House of Representatives elections
• 74th United States Congress
• 75th United States Congress

Notes

References