1936 United States presidential election (No FDR)

The 1936 United States presidential election was the 38th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. In the midst of the Great Depression, independent candidate, Huey Long, narrowly defeated former Democratic Assisstant Secretary of War Henry Skillman Breckinridge and Republican Governor Alf Landon of Kansas. This marked the first time since George Washington in 1792 that an independent candidate was elected president.

Long was widely considered to be the front-runner at the start of the 1936 Democratic National Convention, but he lacked support from major Democratic leaders due to his radical Share Our Wealth program and more authoritarian actions as governor of Louisiana. They backed Henry Skillman Breckinridge and with the backing of party leaders, Breckinridge won on the 4th ballot. Long would run as an independent in response. With the backing of Republican party leaders, Landon defeated progressive Senator William Borah at the 1936 Republican National Convention to win his party's presidential nomination.

The election took place as the Great Depression entered its eighth year. The incumbent president, Herbert Hoover had narrowly won the contingent election in 1932 and his second term saw little success in improving the economy and Hoover's attempts to end the Great Depression were seen as a failure. Alf Landon called for moderate government intervention and criticized the Share Our Wealth program as wasteful and inefficient. Henry Breckinridge called for a similar policy to Alf Landon and the two agreed on most issues. Landon and Breckinridge's agreement would only boost Huey Long's campaign. Long called for a policy of wealth distribution, a wealth tax, and heavily increased government intervention. Long used the radio to broadcast his speeches nationally, he also would use local Share Our Wealth Clubs to spread his message.

Long would go on to narrowly win the election, gaining 269 electoral votes, only 3 more than the necessary 266. Long would take 37.7% of the popular vote, with Breckinridge gaining 35.3% and Landon winning 27.0%. This election was the first time an independent won a presidential election since George Washington in 1792. Long's election ended the era of Republican dominance in presidential politics that lasted from the beginning of the Civil War in 1860 to the middle of the Great Depression in 1936.