1936 United States Senate election in South Dakota
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The 1936 United States Senate election in South Dakota took place on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Democratic Senator William J. Bulow ran for re-election to a second term. He was challenged by businessman Chan Gurney, who defeated former Congressman Charles A. Christopherson in the Republican primary. Bulow, likely aided by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide victory in South Dakota, narrowly defeated Gurney to win his second term, though he significantly underperformed Roosevelt.
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November 3, 1936
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 County results Bulow: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% Gurney: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Senator Bulow was the only Democratic candidate to file for the Senate; accordingly, no election occurred and the race did not appear on the primary election ballot.[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Chan Gurney, businessman[2]
- Charles A. Christopherson, former U.S. Congressman from South Dakota's 1st congressional district
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chan Gurney | 61,528 | 64.60% | |
| Republican | C. A. Christopherson | 33,720 | 35.40% | |
| Total votes | 95,248 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William J. Bulow (inc.) | 141,509 | 48.83% | â2.80% | |
| Republican | Chan Gurney | 135,461 | 46.75% | â1.62% | |
| Independent | Arthur Bennett | 12,816 | 4.42% | â | |
| Majority | 6,048 | 2.09% | â1.18% | ||
| Turnout | 289,786 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||