1936 United States Senate election in Michigan

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

Elections in Michigan
Federal government U.S. President 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 Dem 2008 Dem GOP 2012 Dem GOP 2016 Dem 2020 Dem GOP 2024 Dem GOP U.S. Senate 1835 1840 (sp) 1841 1847 1849 (sp) 1853 1857 1858 1862 (sp) 1863 1865 1869 1871 1874 1877 1879 (sp) 1881 1881 (sp) 1887 1889 1893 1895 1895 (sp) 1899 1901 1903 (sp) 1905 1907 1907 (sp) 1911 1913 1916 1918 1922 1924 1924 (sp) 1928 1928 (sp) 1930 1934 1936 1940 1942 1946 1948 1952 1952 (sp) 1954 1958 1960 1964 1966 1970 1972 1976 1978 1982 1984 1988 1990 1994 1996 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018 2020 2024 2026 U.S. House 1835 1837 1838 1840 1843 1844 1846 1847 1st sp 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1871 4th sp 1872 1873 5th sp 1874 1876 1878 1880 1881 7th sp 1882 1884 1886 1888 11th sp 1890 1891 5th sp 1892 1893 1st sp 1894 1895 3rd sp 1896 1898 1900 1901 10th sp 1902 1904 1906 1907 5th sp 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1917 2nd sp 1918 1920 13th sp 1921 3rd sp 1922 1923 3rd sp 1924 1925 3rd sp 1926 1928 1930 1931 8th sp 1932 1934 1935 3rd sp 1936 1938 1940 5th sp 1942 1944 1946 1947 11th sp 1948 1950 1952 1954 1955 15th sp 1956 1958 1960 1961 1st sp 1962 14th sp 1964 1968 1970 1972 1974 5th sp 8th sp 1976 1978 1980 13th sp 1981 4th sp 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1993 3rd sp 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 11th 11th sp 2014 2016 2018 13th sp 2020 2022 2024 2026
State government State elections 2010 2014 2016 2018 2020 2021 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Attorney General elections 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Auditor General elections 1962 State Senate elections 2002 2006 2010 2014 2016 4th sp 2018 2021 (sp) 2022 State House elections 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot proposals 1996 Proposal E 2004 Proposal 04-2 2006 Proposal 06-2 2008 Proposal 1 2012 Proposal 1 Proposal 2 Proposal 3 Proposal 4 Proposal 5 Proposal 6 2015 Proposal 1 2018 Proposal 1 Proposal 2 Proposal 3 2020 Proposal 1 Proposal 2 2022 Proposal 1 Proposal 2 Proposal 3
Detroit Mayoral elections 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1834 (sp) 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1901 1903 1905 1907 1909 1911 1913 1915 1917 1919 1921 1923 1925 1927 1929 1930 (recall) 1930 (sp) 1931 1933 1935 1937 1939 1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1950 (sp) 1951 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 (sp) 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Flint Mayoral elections 2015 2017 (recall) 2019 2022
Grand Rapids Mayoral elections 2015 2019 2024
Lansing Mayoral elections 2017 2021
v t e

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.

• Wilber M. Brucker, Governor of Michigan
• James J. Couzens, incumbent Senator since 1922

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%

• Prentiss M. Brown, U.S. Representative from St. Ignace
• Ralph W. Liddy
• John Muyskens
• Louis B. Ward, editor of Social Justice and aide to Father Charles Coughlin

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.

1936 U.S. Senate election in Michigan^[4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Prentiss M. Brown	910,937	53.29%	32.38
	Republican	Wilber M. Brucker	714,602	41.80%	36.35
	Third	Louis B. Ward	75,680	4.43%	N/A
	Socialist	Roy E. Mathews	4,994	0.29%	0.01
	Communist	Lawrence Emery	2,145	0.13%	0.31
	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

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

• 1936 United States Senate elections