1936 Election Cycle

Franklin Roosevelt carried Minnesota by 30.8 points for the lone Democratic victory in a statewide race for the most decisive victory in a presidential election by a Democratic nominee. The Farmer-Labor Party held the open seats for Governor and Lieutenant Governor with nominees Elmer Benson and G.T. Lindsten respectively, Attorney General Harry Peterson won a third term, C.A. Halverson unseated five-term Republican Treasurer Julius Schmahl, and Hjalmar Petersen unseated Republican Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner Frank Matson. Republicans only won the office of Secretary of State with Mike Holm victorious in his bid for an eighth term. Andrew Holt and Royal Stone were reelected Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.

In federal races there was a partisan split in the two elections for U.S. Senate. Farmer-Laborite Ernest Lundeen won an election to a full term, replacing nominee Governor Floyd Olson who died in August. Democratic nominee Patrick Delaney withdrew from the race in October to help ensure Olson would defeat Republican congressman and former Governor Theodore Christianson. Republican Guy Howard won a special election to serve the remaining few months of the term of Thomas Schall who died in December 1935.

In U.S. House elections, the Farmer-Labor Party picked off two seats from the Republicans, flipping the open 5th CD seat with Dewey Johnson and defeating incumbent William Pittenger in the 8th CD with John Bernard. The Farmer-Laborites won five seats, the Republicans three, and the Democrats one.