The 1936 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 3, 1936, as part of the 1936 United States presidential election. Voters chose five representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
Incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D–New York), running with Vice President John Nance Garner, won Oregon in a landslide over Governor Alf Landon (R–Kansas) and running mate Frank Knox. Roosevelt took 64.42% of the popular vote to Landon's 29.64%, in what remains the strongest Democratic presidential performance in Oregon history.
Oregon was essentially a one-party Republican state during the Fourth Party System from 1896 to 1928, with the party winning almost every statewide election during the period. However, in 1932, due to massive economic discontent caused by the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first Democrat since Horatio Seymour in 1868 to win a majority of the state's vote, carrying Oregon by an overwhelming 21 point margin. In 1936, the extremely popular Roosevelt greatly improved upon his 1932 margin, winning Oregon by nearly 35 percentage points. Even amidst a massive Democratic landslide, Oregon weighed in more than 10 points to the left of the nation, a striking departure from its historical status as a Republican stronghold.
Before the election, the primary focus was on power development in the water-rich and mountainous Pacific Northwest, especially the construction of major Federal damsTollefson, Gene; BPA and the Struggle for Power at Cost, p. 185 Published 1987 by Bonneville Power Association and whether power rates for all users should be uniform.Tollefson; BPA and the Struggle for Power at Cost, p. 127 The Republican Party strongly supported private utilities, whilst Democrats generally supported at least some degree of public ownership and control of electric utilities.Blumm, Michael C.; ‘The Northwest's Hydroelectric Heritage: Prologue to the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act’; Washington Law Review, volume 58|Issue 2 (April 1, 1983)
As of 2024, Roosevelt remains the only Democrat (and the last candidate of any party) to sweep all of Oregon's counties in a presidential election. Out of FDR's four campaigns for president, this is the only one in which Benton County would support him. Additionally, the 1936 election remains the last in which a Democratic presidential candidate won Josephine County.Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
Results
Results by county County Franklin D. RooseveltDemocratic Alf LandonRepublican William LemkeGéoelections; 1936 Presidential Election Popular Vote (.xlsx file for €15)Independent Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votescastScammon, Richard M. (compiler); America at the Polls: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics 1920-1964; p. 372 # % # % # % # % # % Baker 4,991 69.79% 1,768 24.72% 362 5.06% 30 0.42% 3,223 45.07% 7,151 Benton 3,547 47.78% 3,390 45.67% 446 6.01% 40 0.54% 157 2.12% 7,423 Clackamas 14,203 66.67% 5,830 27.37% 1,114 5.23% 156 0.73% 8,373 39.30% 21,303 Clatsop 6,267 70.96% 2,261 25.60% 257 2.91% 47 0.53% 4,006 45.36% 8,832 Columbia 5,587 71.62% 1,815 23.27% 356 4.56% 43 0.55% 3,772 48.35% 7,801 Coos 7,167 67.42% 2,576 24.23% 834 7.85% 53 0.50% 4,591 43.19% 10,630 Crook 1,086 61.99% 589 33.62% 71 4.05% 6 0.34% 497 28.37% 1,752 Curry 913 54.35% 497 29.58% 247 14.70% 23 1.37% 416 24.76% 1,680 Deschutes 4,278 72.71% 1,299 22.08% 257 4.37% 50 0.85% 2,979 50.63% 5,884 Douglas 4,893 48.40% 4,254 42.08% 919 9.09% 44 0.44% 639 6.32% 10,110 Gilliam 983 69.67% 362 25.66% 65 4.61% 1 0.07% 621 44.01% 1,411 Grant 1,436 57.69% 697 28.00% 342 13.74% 14 0.56% 739 29.69% 2,489 Harney 1,262 65.05% 546 28.14% 122 6.29% 10 0.52% 716 36.91% 1,940 Hood River 2,759 65.77% 1,249 29.77% 155 3.69% 32 0.76% 1,510 36.00% 4,195 Jackson 7,520 54.05% 4,866 34.97% 1,449 10.41% 79 0.57% 2,654 19.07% 13,914 Jefferson 514 64.01% 253 31.51% 34 4.23% 2 0.25% 261 32.50% 803 Josephine 2,840 47.69% 1,992 33.45% 1,067 17.92% 56 0.94% 848 14.24% 5,955 Klamath 8,562 70.05% 3,225 26.39% 369 3.02% 66 0.54% 5,337 43.67% 12,222 Lake 1,274 56.55% 725 32.18% 247 10.96% 7 0.31% 549 24.37% 2,253 Lane 13,926 57.51% 8,309 34.31% 1,704 7.04% 276 1.14% 5,617 23.20% 24,215 Lincoln 3,024 59.98% 1,585 31.44% 401 7.95% 32 0.63% 1,439 28.54% 5,042 Linn 5,856 52.23% 4,110 36.66% 1,175 10.48% 70 0.62% 1,746 15.57% 11,211 Malheur 2,630 59.64% 1,385 31.41% 365 8.28% 30 0.68% 1,245 28.23% 4,410 Marion 15,536 59.59% 8,595 32.97% 1,710 6.56% 230 0.88% 6,941 26.62% 26,071 Morrow 1,181 63.02% 518 27.64% 161 8.59% 14 0.75% 663 35.38% 1,874 Multnomah 106,561 69.96% 41,405 27.18% 3,358 2.20% 995 0.65% 65,156 42.78% 152,319 Polk 3,694 56.85% 2,246 34.56% 514 7.91% 44 0.68% 1,448 22.28% 6,498 Sherman 823 67.85% 337 27.78% 50 4.12% 3 0.25% 486 40.07% 1,213 Tillamook 2,781 60.68% 1,380 30.11% 399 8.71% 23 0.50% 1,401 30.57% 4,583 Umatilla 5,753 61.13% 2,943 31.27% 676 7.18% 39 0.41% 2,810 29.86% 9,411 Union 4,643 69.17% 1,517 22.60% 520 7.75% 32 0.48% 3,126 46.57% 6,712 Wallowa 2,000 63.86% 811 25.89% 295 9.42% 26 0.83% 1,189 37.96% 3,132 Wasco 3,573 68.92% 1,278 24.65% 318 6.13% 15 0.29% 2,295 44.27% 5,184 Washington 8,641 63.48% 4,148 30.47% 721 5.30% 102 0.75% 4,493 33.01% 13,612 Wheeler 663 55.71% 502 42.18% 22 1.85% 3 0.25% 161 13.53% 1,190 Yamhill 5,366 55.92% 3,443 35.88% 729 7.60% 58 0.60% 1,923 20.04% 9,596Totals266,73364.55%122,70629.69%21,8315.11%2,7510.65%144,02734.85%414,021
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Benton
See also United States presidential elections in Oregon
References