1936 United States presidential election in Florida

The 1936 United States presidential election in Florida was held on November 8, 1936. Florida voters chose seven electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

1936 United States presidential election in Florida

← 1932 November 8, 1936 1940 →
 
Nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt Alf Landon
Party Democratic Republican
Home state New York Kansas
Running mate John Nance Garner Frank Knox
Electoral vote 7 0
Popular vote 249,117 78,248
Percentage 76.08% 23.90%

County Results
Roosevelt
  50-60%
  60-70%
  70-80%
  80-90%
  90-100%


President before election

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic

Elected President

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic

Ever since the disfranchisement of blacks at the beginning of the 1890s, Florida had been a one-party state ruled by the Democratic Party. The disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites by poll taxes in 1889[1] had left the Republican Party – between 1872 and 1888 dependent upon black votes – virtually extinct.

With the single exception of William Howard Taft's win in Calhoun County in 1908[2] the Democratic Party won every county in Florida in every presidential election from 1892[a] until 1916. Only twice – and never for more than one term – did any Republican serve in either house of the state legislature between 1896 and 1928. Despite this Democratic dominance and the restrictions on the franchise of the poorer classes due to the poll tax, significant socialist movements were to develop and persist in Tampa[3] and to a lesser extent over other parts of the state, especially against the powerful Ku Klux Klan.[4] There was also a powerful Prohibitionist movements in older North Florida, which saw the Prohibition Party even win the governorship for one term under the notorious anti-Catholic minister Sidney J. Catts.

The 1920s saw the GOP increase its vote totals above those from traditional Unionists (which Florida entirely lacked) in Texas, Arkansas, Alabama or Georgia, aided by a growing "Presidential Republican" vote in southern Florida from migrants from northern states.[5] In 1928, Florida, especially the western Panhandle pineywoods, turned dramatically away from the Democratic Party due to the nomination of Catholic Al Smith, with the result that Herbert Hoover became the first Republican to win a statewide election since the end of Reconstruction.[5] However, the Depression and elimination of anti-Catholicism saw a return to normal overwhelming Democratic dominance in 1932. Despite this, Hoover’s gains in newer South and Central Florida were not completely lost, as Republicans still managed 40% of the vote in Osceola, Charlotte, and Pinellas counties, all of which were beginning to see large-scale migration from historically Republican Northern states.

In 1932, Florida would elect David Sholtz as governor who was closely allied with President Roosevelt and strongly in favor of the New Deal. He would even fashion himself politically in a manner that was similar to Roosevelt.[6] Roosevelt would face an assassination attempt in Miami's Bayfront Park in February 1933. Roosevelt would visit Florida on March 23, 1936 going to Rollins College in Winter Park to do a ceremony there. The event would attract sizable crowds and it is believed the presidential election occurring in November would be a sizable motivator for his trip. It was estimated that 75,000 to 100,000 people would watch the motorcade that ended up driving for 10 miles and David Sholtz would ride alongside him.[7]

A number of conservative Southern newspapers – in Florida, the Jacksonville Times-Union – were opposed to Roosevelt and despite the extreme historical hostility towards the GOP, supported Republican nominee Alf Landon in all but name.[8] Nonetheless, a combination of powerful political funding of the Democratic Party from textile and other businesses,[9] and support for FDR's New Deal in the anti-Smith pineywoods,[10] meant that Landon had no hope of making any gains on Herbert Hoover's performance in 1932. Incumbent President Roosevelt won by 170,869 votes or 52.18%, carrying as in 1932 every county in the state.[11] Roosevelt’s 76.08% is the second-best ever Democratic performance in Florida behind only Grover Cleveland’s 1892 performance and the best ever Democratic performance for a Democrat with a Republican opponent.

Results

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Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote Electoral
vote
Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic New York 249,117 76.08% 7 John Nance Garner Texas 7
Alf Landon Republican Kansas 78,248 23.90% 0 Frank Knox Illinois 0
Write-ins 56 0.02% 0 0
Norman Thomas Socialist New York 9 0.00% 0 George A. Nelson Wisconsin 0
William Lemke Write-in North Dakota 1 0.00% 0 Thomas C. O'Brien Massachusetts 0
Earl Browder Write-in 1 0.00% 0 James W. Ford New York 0
Total 327,436 100% 7 7
Needed to win 266 266

Results by county

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County Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Democratic
Alfred Mossman Landon
Republican
Various candidates
Write-ins
Margin Total votes cast[12]
# % # % # % # %
Alachua 4,788 84.33% 890 15.67% 3,898 68.65% 5,678
Baker 1,555 93.06% 116 6.94% 1,439 86.12% 1,671
Bay 3,202 85.55% 541 14.45% 2,661 71.09% 3,743
Bradford 1,494 83.60% 293 16.40% 1,201 67.21% 1,787
Brevard 2,300 66.72% 1,147 33.28% 1,153 33.45% 3,447
Broward 4,385 69.70% 1,906 30.30% 2,479 39.41% 6,291
Calhoun 1,043 85.21% 181 14.79% 862 70.42% 1,224
Charlotte 782 58.80% 548 41.20% 234 17.59% 1,330
Citrus 1,366 89.57% 159 10.43% 1,207 79.15% 1,525
Clay 1,251 69.00% 562 31.00% 689 38.00% 1,813
Collier 902 91.11% 88 8.89% 814 82.22% 990
Columbia 2,783 93.42% 196 6.58% 2,587 86.84% 2,979
Dade 28,007 73.08% 10,295 26.86% 21 0.05% 17,712 46.22% 38,323
De Soto 1,594 74.00% 560 26.00% 1,034 48.00% 2,154
Dixie 1,170 94.81% 64 5.19% 1,106 89.63% 1,234
Duval 25,989 82.88% 5,368 17.12% 20,621 65.76% 31,357
Escambia 9,138 85.36% 1,567 14.64% 7,571 70.72% 10,705
Flagler 507 82.71% 106 17.29% 401 65.42% 613
Franklin 1,413 91.87% 125 8.13% 1,288 83.75% 1,538
Gadsden 2,572 92.85% 198 7.15% 2,374 85.70% 2,770
Gilchrist 836 93.72% 56 6.28% 780 87.44% 892
Glades 523 69.00% 235 31.00% 288 37.99% 758
Gulf 844 92.24% 71 7.76% 773 84.48% 915
Hamilton 1,554 95.51% 73 4.49% 1,481 91.03% 1,627
Hardee 2,142 71.73% 844 28.27% 1,298 43.47% 2,986
Hendry 741 76.00% 234 24.00% 507 52.00% 975
Hernando 1,115 78.08% 313 21.92% 802 56.16% 1,428
Highlands 1,898 68.97% 842 30.60% 12 0.44% 1,056 38.37% 2,752
Hillsborough 20,202 79.03% 5,361 20.97% 14,841 58.06% 25,563
Holmes 3,213 80.63% 772 19.37% 2,441 61.25% 3,985
Indian River 1,270 70.48% 532 29.52% 738 40.95% 1,802
Jackson 3,757 91.46% 351 8.54% 3,406 82.91% 4,108
Jefferson 1,243 90.73% 127 9.27% 1,116 81.46% 1,370
Lafayette 1,084 93.13% 80 6.87% 1,004 86.25% 1,164
Lake 4,045 66.53% 2,034 33.45% 1 0.02% 2,011 33.08% 6,080
Lee 2,549 69.12% 1,137 30.83% 2 0.05% 1,412 38.29% 3,688
Leon 3,770 93.16% 277 6.84% 3,493 86.31% 4,047
Levy 2,003 91.63% 183 8.37% 1,820 83.26% 2,186
Liberty 800 92.59% 64 7.41% 736 85.19% 864
Madison 2,278 92.53% 184 7.47% 2,094 85.05% 2,462
Manatee 3,487 70.56% 1,455 29.44% 2,032 41.12% 4,942
Marion 4,664 85.99% 760 14.01% 3,904 71.98% 5,424
Martin 778 70.41% 327 29.59% 451 40.81% 1,105
Monroe 2,605 90.23% 282 9.77% 2,323 80.46% 2,887
Nassau 1,095 81.90% 242 18.10% 853 63.80% 1,337
Okaloosa 2,433 84.19% 457 15.81% 1,976 68.37% 2,890
Okeechobee 655 77.88% 186 22.12% 469 55.77% 841
Orange 7,314 62.42% 4,394 37.50% 9 0.08% 2,920 24.92% 11,717
Osceola 1,622 59.57% 1,101 40.43% 521 19.13% 2,723
Palm Beach 9,635 68.25% 4,478 31.72% 4 0.03% 5,157 36.53% 14,117
Pasco 2,229 65.79% 1,159 34.21% 1,070 31.58% 3,388
Pinellas 12,072 59.57% 8,183 40.38% 10 0.05% 3,889 19.19% 20,265
Polk 10,441 71.45% 4,164 28.49% 9 0.06% 6,277 42.95% 14,614
Putnam 2,709 73.53% 975 26.47% 1,734 47.07% 3,684
St. John's 3,411 75.87% 1,085 24.13% 2,326 51.73% 4,496
St. Lucie 1,946 79.66% 497 20.34% 1,449 59.31% 2,443
Santa Rosa 2,934 79.77% 744 20.23% 2,190 59.54% 3,678
Sarasota 2,418 69.62% 1,055 30.38% 1,363 39.25% 3,473
Seminole 2,580 74.20% 897 25.80% 1,683 48.40% 3,477
Sumter 1,724 70.14% 734 29.86% 990 40.28% 2,458
Suwannee 2,863 93.41% 202 6.59% 2,661 86.82% 3,065
Taylor 1,897 93.73% 127 6.27% 1,770 87.45% 2,024
Union 1,089 92.44% 89 7.56% 1,000 84.89% 1,178
Volusia 7,924 61.63% 4,934 38.37% 2,990 23.25% 12,858
Wakulla 1,417 96.92% 45 3.08% 1,372 93.84% 1,462
Walton 2,778 84.49% 510 15.51% 2,268 68.98% 3,288
Washington 2,289 82.40% 486 17.49% 3 0.11% 1,803 64.90% 2,778
Totals 249,117 76.08% 78,248 23.90% 71 0.02% 170,869 52.18% 327,436

Notes

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  1. ^ In the 1892 presidential election, Republican Benjamin Harrison was not on the ballot and the party backed Populist James B. Weaver.

References

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  1. ^ Silbey, Joel H. and Bogue, Allan G.; The History of American Electoral Behavior, p. 210 ISBN 140087114X
  2. ^ Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote; 1896-1932 (second edition); pp. 156-157 Published 1947 by Stanford University Press
  3. ^ Ford, Edward J.; 'Life on the Campaign Trail: a Political Anthropology of Local Politics' (thesis), published 2008 by University of South Florida, pp. 114-118
  4. ^ Gregory, Raymond F.; Norman Thomas: The Great Dissenter, pp. 150-151 ISBN 0875866239
  5. ^ a b Phillips, Kevin; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 210-211, 261 ISBN 9780691163246
  6. ^ Cox, Merlin G. (1964) "David Sholtz: New Deal Governor of Florida," Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 5.
  7. ^ Dickinson, Joy (January 20, 2013). "Despite bullets in Miami, FDR conquered Central Florida in open motorcade". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Shappard, Si; The Buying of the Presidency?: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and the Election of 1936 (Praeger Series on American Political Culture), p. 115 ISBN 144083105X
  9. ^ Webber, Michael J.; New Deal Fat Cats: Business, Labor, and Campaign Finance in the 1936 Presidential Election, pp. 100-103 ISBN 082321947X
  10. ^ Phillips, The Emerging Republican Majority; p. 262
  11. ^ "1936 Presidential General Election Results – Florida". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S Presidential Elections.
  12. ^ Scammon, Richard M. (compiler); America at the Polls: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics 1920-1964; pp. 87-88 ISBN 0405077114