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1936 United States Senate election in Michigan

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1936 United States Senate election in Michigan

← 1930 November 3, 1936 1942 →
 
Nominee Prentiss M. Brown Wilber M. Brucker
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 910,937 714,602
Percentage 53.29% 41.80%

County results
Brown:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Brucker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election

James J. Couzens
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Prentiss M. Brown
Democratic

The 1936 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James J. Couzens ran for re-election to a third term in office, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Governor Wilber Brucker. Brucker was defeated in the general election by Democratic U.S. Representative Prentiss M. Brown, becoming the first Democrat to win this seat since 1853.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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1936 Republican Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Wilber M. Brucker 328,560 62.26%
Republican James J. Couzens (incumbent) 199,204 37.75%
Total votes 357,595 100.00%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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1936 Democratic Senate primary[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Prentiss M. Brown 125,338 36.32%
Democratic Louis B. Ward 117,872 34.16%
Democratic Ralph W. Liddy 71,963 20.85%
Democratic John Muyskens 29,935 8.67%
Total votes 357,595 100.00%

Ward contested the results and ran in the general election as a Third Party candidate.

General election

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Results

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1936 U.S. Senate election in Michigan[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Prentiss M. Brown 910,937 53.29% Increase32.38
Republican Wilber M. Brucker 714,602 41.80% Decrease36.35
Third Louis B. Ward 75,680 4.43% N/A
Socialist Roy E. Mathews 4,994 0.29% Decrease0.01
Communist Lawrence Emery 2,145 0.13% Decrease0.31
Socialist Labor Ralph Naylor 510 0.03% N/A
Commonwealth Albert B. Sheldon 429 0.03% N/A
American Edward N. Lee 147 0.01% N/A
Total votes 1,709,444 100.00%
Democratic gain from Republican

Aftermath

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Senator Couzens died on October 22. After his election, Brown was appointed to complete the remaining two months of Couzens's unexpired term.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate - R Primary". Our Campaigns.
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate - D Primary". Our Campaigns.
  3. ^ Michigan Manual. State of Michigan. 1937–38. p. 206.
  4. ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1937). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1936" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
  5. ^ Michigan Manual. State of Michigan. 1937–38. p. 251.