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Alf Landon · 1936 · Republican nominee
Independent oil producer; Bull Moose Progressive in 1912; Governor of Kansas 1933–37 (the only Republican governor re-elected in 1934); Republican nominee 1936.
Nominated on the first ballot at Cleveland (June 11) after Borah's primary challenge collapsed; accepted at Topeka July 23. Toured the East in August, the farm belt in September, the Pacific coast and the East again in October. Carried only Maine and Vermont.
Positions (28)
| Issue | Position | Kind | Strength | Attribution | Ev. | First | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm prices and agricultural surplus | Cash benefits on the domestically consumed portion of export crops to make the tariff effective, limited to the family-type farm; no scarcity program, no processing tax | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Crop insurance and storage reserves | Give crop insurance 'the fullest attention' | pledge_forward | vague_gesture | candidate_direct | A | 1936-09-22 | not_applicable |
| Drought and disaster relief for farmers | Pay every outstanding AAA check and continue drought relief checks and seed loans | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-09-22 | not_applicable |
| On-farm storage, warehouse receipts and commodity credit | Amend the warehousing act so grain stored on the farm earns a federal warehouse receipt and bank credit | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-09-22 | not_applicable |
| Regulation of securities issuance and exchanges | Keep federal regulation of securities marketing and interstate utilities, vested in independent tribunals under definite standards subject to court review | pledge_forward | directional_stance | party_platform | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Balancing the federal budget | Balance the budget by cutting expenditures, not by raising taxes | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Equal rights and opportunity for Black Americans | Equal opportunity for colored citizens: protect their economic status and personal safety; further their employment | pledge_forward | directional_stance | party_platform | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Civil service and patronage | Restore, improve and extend the merit system 'virtually destroyed by New Deal spoilsmen' | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| European war debts and reparations | Use every effort to collect the war debts due from foreign countries | pledge_forward | directional_stance | party_platform | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Teachers' loyalty oaths and academic freedom | No loyalty oath for teachers that is not required of all citizens | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | reported | B | 1936-08-23 | not_applicable |
| Conservation of natural resources | Real soil conservation and a national land-use and flood-prevention program run with the States and 'out of politics' | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-07-23 | not_applicable |
| Overall role and scale of the federal government | Restore confidence by 'unshackling initiative': steady, open, non-partisan administration that stops 'fumbling with recovery' | pledge_forward | vague_gesture | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Reorganization of the executive branch | Cooperate with Congress to reorganize agencies, abolish unnecessary ones and eliminate duplication | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-07-23 | not_applicable |
| Amending the Constitution to enlarge (or restrain) federal power | Wages, hours and child labor by State law and interstate compact -- and a constitutional amendment giving the States power if the courts forbid | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Independence of the Supreme Court | An independent Supreme Court secure from executive or legislative invasion; maintain the balance between States and nation | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Antitrust and concentration of economic power | Use the full power of the federal government to break up private monopolies and enforce the antitrust laws 'without fear or favor' | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| National economic planning | End federal regimentation: no revival of NRA or AAA controls, no more emergency powers over production, wages and hours | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-07-23 | not_applicable |
| Flood control and river-basin development | Federal construction of head-water storage basins to prevent floods, with the consent of the States concerned | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | party_platform | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Right to organize and bargain collectively | Labor's right to organize in any union it prefers, free from coercion by employer, fellow employee or anyone else; organizers' lawful activity protected | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Right to organize and bargain collectively | Government as umpire and mediator; develop conciliation instead of rushing disputes to the President's doorstep | pledge_forward | vague_gesture | candidate_direct | A | 1936-07-23 | not_applicable |
| Gold standard and currency basis | Sound currency 'at all hazards'; no further devaluation; repeal the laws delegating the money power to the Executive | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Politics and patronage in relief administration | Relief will continue, but purged of politics, administered locally on merit, with economies taken from 'the political exploiters' | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| How to finance old-age and unemployment insurance (contributory reserve vs. pay-as-you-go) | Repeal the compulsory old-age insurance plan; pay every needy citizen over 65 a pension from a direct, widely distributed tax | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Unemployment insurance | Leave unemployment insurance to State experiment; no federal tax to compel it | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Federal youth work and education programs (CCC, NYA) | Continue the Civilian Conservation Corps, add education fitting enrollees for private jobs, and take the politicians out of its administration | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | A | 1936-10-20 | not_applicable |
| Executive reciprocal trade agreements (1934 Act) | Repeal the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act; return treaty power to the Senate and tariff-making to Congress | pledge_forward | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | B | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Tariff levels | Protect the farmer against imports of livestock, dairy and farm products; keep non-competing goods on the free list | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |
| Neutrality, arms embargoes and staying out of foreign wars | Promote peace by all honorable means; no League, no World Court, no plan that could involve the U.S. in a war it had no part in beginning | pledge_forward | directional_stance | candidate_direct | A | 1936-06-11 | not_applicable |