North Dakota's Two William Lemke Campaigns in the 1936 Elections

Abstract

The 1936 elections in North Dakota presented voters with a rare situation, as incumbent Republican House candidate William Lemke ran for reelection while also running for president of the United States as the Union Party candidate. Previous work on his presidential campaign noted his personal appeal mattered in North Dakota, but I argue that this is short-sighted; more than personal appeal likely shaped how voters approached these two campaigns. Using empirical models of county-level Lemke voting, I evaluate the role played by his personal appeal, along with federal farm aid per capita, cooperative grain and elevator companies per capita, and the signal strength of Father Coughlin's radio program. I find that Lemke's personal appeal mattered, but these other factors played significant roles, too. Lemke the House candidate performed better where Father Coughlin's radio program had a stronger signal and where residents received more federal farm aid per capita; Lemke the presidential candidate did worse in counties where Father Coughlin's radio program had a stronger signal and better in counties with greater numbers of cooperatives per capita. Overall, these findings provide insights into this particular election while illuminating factors that potentially shaped voting across the Great Plains during this era.