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The 37th episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1936, the Great Depression drags on, but the New Deal is extremely popular. The polls say it will be a close race, but the polls are not scientific, as it turns out.
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The 38th Presidential election in American history took place on November 3, 1936. Almost four years earlier, Franklin Roosevelt went straight to work, causing the federal government to become more involved with the economy than ever before. This was at a low point of the Great Depression, and Americans were desperate for any kind of positive news. They wanted the President to do something- anything, to try to help the economy, and Roosevelt, or FDR as we will call him from now on, gave executive orders and signed laws that were all meant to provide what historians call “The Three Rs.”
Relief for the unemployed and poor,
Recovery for the economy,
and Reform of the financial system so that a depression like this never happened again
These laws and programs became famously known as The New Deal, and they are the reason why today we have things like social security, unemployment benefits, an 8-hour work day, a federal minimum wage, the FDIC and the SEC.
FDR’s New Deal was the federal government micromanaging at an unprecedented level, and in normal conditions, it probably wouldn’t fly. But like I said, the people demanded action, and FDR delivered. While most Americans supported him, some did not, and the New Deal did not end the Depression. Some even argued it made it just prolonged it.
Just before the election, the Great Depression had entered its 8th year. FDR wanted four more years to more aggressively push more New Deal programs. The New Deal had become very popular with the Democratic Party, and he was renominated with little opposition. Vice President John Nance Garner was once again his running mate.
My home state of Kansas dominated the Republican Party this election. While the party had many potential presidential nominees, only two stood out- Alf Landon, the former millionaire oilman and Governor of Kansas, and William Borah, a Senator from Idaho who had went to the University of Kansas. The party’s establishment went with Landon, who actually supported many New Deal policies, yet had a strong reputation for being fiscally conservative and reducing taxes in Kansas. The Republicans nominated newspaper publisher Frank Knox as his running mate.
Louisiana Senator Huey Long, aka The Kingfish, had planned to run for President in 1936, but he was assassinated the year before, a month after he announced he was running actually. Like his friend Father Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest who was a big radio star, Long had originally supported FDR in 1932, but later criticized him, saying he wasn’t doing enough to help the poor. Long actually promoted the controversial Share Our Wealth program, which called for a massive redistribution of money from the super rich to everyone else.
After Long died, Coughlin pressed forward with the movement, which eventually turned into a new political party, called the Union Party. According to some historians, Coughlin and Long never wanted to win the 1936 election- they just wanted to split the progressive vote to cause FDR to lose. Regardless of whether or not this was true, the newly formed Union Party nominated William Lemke, a U.S. Representative from North Dakota who lacked charisma and a chance at winning this election. Thomas O’Brien, a lawyer from Boston, was his running mate.
Some political pundits predicted a close election, but the New Deal was very popular with many Americans, and with the Depression still dragging on many still kept their faith in it. Alf Landon was considered no match for FDR. Plus, he sucked at campaigning. Well actually, he didn’t campaign. A columnist joked, "Considerable mystery surrounds the disappearance of Alfred M. Landon of Topeka, Kansas.... The Missing Persons Bureau has sent out an alarm bulletin bearing Mr. Landon's photograph and other particulars, and anyone having information of his whereabouts is asked to communicate direct with the Republican National Committee."
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