1936 Colorado gubernatorial election
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 County results Ammons: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Armstrong: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1936 Colorado gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1936. Democratic nominee Teller Ammons defeated Republican nominee Charles M. Armstrong with 54.57% of the vote.
Primary elections
Primary elections were held on September 8, 1936.[1]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Teller Ammons, State Senator
- Moses E. Smith, State Representative
- Ray Herbert Talbot, incumbent Lieutenant Governor
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 70–80%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 70–80%
Results
As popular outgoing Governor Ed Johnson sought election to the U.S. Senate, the Democratic primary became an all-out brawl between Lt. Governor Ray Talbot (Pueblo), State Senator and Denver City's Attorney Teller Ammons (Denver), and State Rep. Moses E. Smith (Ault). Alva Swain of the Wray Gazette summarized the race, writing:
"With Ammons, Talbot, and Smith contesting for the governorship, there will be another determined struggle. The latter fight divides the democrats of the state three ways: the City of Denver with its powerful democratic machine will be for Tell Ammons; Laboring people, on the whole, will be for Ray Talbot; while the agriculturalists and the small businessmen will be for Smith. It is a beautiful division almost equal in strength."[2]
In the end, Ammons was able to decisively win the primary through overwhelming support in Denver and its surrounding areas and moderate support throughout the rest of the state. In Denver alone, he netted nearly 20,000 votes over his nearest rival.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Teller Ammons | 58,048 | 42.7% | |
| Democratic | Moses E. Smith | 39,620 | 29.1% | |
| Democratic | Ray Herbert Talbot | 38,378 | 28.2% | |
| Total votes | 136,046 | |||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Charles M. Armstrong, Colorado State Treasurer
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles M. Armstrong | 77,323 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 77,323 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Candidates
Major party candidates
- Teller Ammons, Democratic
- Charles M. Armstrong, Republican
Other candidates
- Huston Hugh Marrs, Farmer–Labor
- Paul S. McCormick, Socialist
- James Allander, Communist
- Claude C. Buhrman, National Union for Social Justice
- Harvey L. Mayfield, Independent
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Teller Ammons | 263,311 | 54.57% | −3.54% | |
| Republican | Charles M. Armstrong | 210,614 | 43.65% | +3.74% | |
| Farmer–Labor | Huston Hugh Marrs | 5,162 | 1.07% | ||
| Socialist | Paul S. McCormick | 1,498 | 0.31% | −1.00% | |
| Communist | James Allander | 948 | 0.20% | −0.12% | |
| Union | Claude C. Buhrman | 825 | 0.17% | N/A | |
| Independent | Harvey L. Mayfield | 177 | 0.04% | N/A | |
| Majority | 52,697 | 10.92% | |||
| Turnout | 482,535 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
References
- ^ a b c d "State of Colorado Abstract of Votes Cast 1936" (PDF). Secretary of State of Colorado. 1936. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- ^ "The Wray Gazette July 30, 1936 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection". www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ "1936 Sep 8 • Democratic Primary • Governor • State of Colorado | State of Colorado". State of Colorado Elections Database. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
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