March 10 to May 19, 1936 1940 → 1,478,676 729,908 44.5% 21.9% Start date 1936 | 5 3 729,908 527,054 21.9% 15.8% | |
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Winner Alf Landon | ||
The 1936 Republican presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Republican Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1936 U.S. presidential election. The nominee was selected through a series of primary elections and caucuses culminating in the 1936 Republican National Convention held from June 9 to June 12, 1936, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Although many candidates sought the Republican nomination, only two, Governor Landon and Senator Borah, were considered to be serious candidates. While favorite sons County Attorney Earl Warren of California, Governor Warren E. Green of South Dakota, and Stephen A. Day of Ohio won their respective primaries, the 70-year-old Borah, a well-known progressive and "insurgent," carried the Wisconsin, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Oregon primaries, while also performing quite strongly in Knox's Illinois and Green's South Dakota. However, the party machinery almost uniformly backed Landon, a wealthy businessman and centrist, who won primaries in Massachusetts and New Jersey and dominated in the caucuses and at state party conventions.
The Convention
With Knox's candidacy withdrawing in order to become Landon's selection for Vice President, and Day, Green, and Warren releasing their delegates, Landon's victory was assured.