Landon was elected
Governor of Kansas in the general election, where he defeated both the incumbent Democrat Woodring and independent challenger
John R. Brinkley in a closely contested race. He was re-elected governor in 1934, over Democrat Omar B. Ketchum (whose campaign was directed by
Clyde Short);
Gov. Frank Merriam of
California and Landon were the only Republican governors in the nation to be re-elected that year. As governor, Landon gained a reputation for reducing taxes and balancing the budget. Landon is often described as a fiscal conservative who nevertheless believed that government must also address certain social issues. He supported parts of the
New Deal and labor unions. Later in life, Landon would come out against
Right-to-Work laws. Landon was opposed to segregation. When newly elected black party officials asked where their office space would be, Landon responded with "Right here with the rest of us." During the 1932 presidential campaign, a degree of animosity developed between Landon and then
U.S. President Herbert Hoover.
Osro Cobb of
Arkansas, a friend of both men, tried to bring about a reconciliation, as he explains in his memoirs: During his gubernatorial years, Landon attempted to address the needs of his
Depression-battered state while still advancing the Republican Party. After his speech at the Cleveland convention in 1936, Landon stated, "My chief concern in this crisis is to see the Republican Party name its strongest possible candidate and a man that would be a good president." During the election year, Landon called for a "special session of the Legislature to enact measures to bring Kansas within the requirements of the federal social security program."
1936 presidential election , May 18, 1936|left In 1936, Landon sought the Republican presidential nomination opposing the re-election of Roosevelt. At the
1936 Republican National Convention, Landon's campaign manager
John Hamilton mobilized the younger elements of the party against the faction led by
Herbert Hoover. Landon won the nomination on the first ballot; the convention selected Chicago newspaper publisher (and Roosevelt's future
Secretary of the Navy)
Frank Knox as his running mate. Landon proved to be an ineffective campaigner who rarely traveled. Most of the attacks on Roosevelt and
Social Security were developed by Republican campaigners rather than Landon himself. In the two months after his nomination he made no campaign appearances. As columnist
Westbrook Pegler lampooned, "Considerable mystery surrounds the disappearance of Alfred M. Landon of Topeka, Kansas ... The Missing Persons Bureau has sent out an alarm bulletin bearing Mr. Landon's photograph and other particulars, and anyone having information of his whereabouts is asked to communicate direct with the Republican National Committee."
The Literary Digest conducted a large mail poll that incorrectly predicted Landon would defeat Roosevelt. The survey, based on responses from magazine subscribers, automobile owners, and telephone users, disproportionately represented wealthier Americans who tended to favor Landon, resulting in severe sampling bias. The poll’s publication created a false sense of momentum for Landon’s campaign and briefly boosted Republican morale, though it had little real effect on the election’s outcome, as Roosevelt went on to win in a landslide. Landon respected and admired Roosevelt and accepted much of the New Deal but objected that it was hostile to business and involved too much waste and inefficiency. Late in the campaign, Landon accused Roosevelt of corruption – that is, of acquiring so much power that he was subverting the Constitution. Landon said: The 1936 presidential election was extraordinarily lopsided. Although Landon accrued nearly seventeen million votes and obtained the endorsement of track star
Jesse Owens, he lost the popular vote by more than 10 million votes. He lost his home state of Kansas and carried only
Maine and
Vermont for a total of eight electoral votes to Roosevelt's 523. On the same day, Republicans lost control of the Kansas governorship, as Democrat Walter A. Huxman was elected as his successor as governor. FDR's win was the most lopsided electoral victory since the
1820 election. The overwhelming Roosevelt victory prompted
Democratic National Committee chair
James Farley to jokingly update the political maxim "
As Maine goes, so goes the nation" to "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont". ==Later life==