# 1932 United States House of Representatives election in Minnesota

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The 1932 United States House of Representatives election in Minnesota was held on November 8, 1932, to elect nine members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state's at-large seats.

## Background

Minnesota's representation in the United States House of Representatives fell from ten to nine seats after the Reapportionment Act of 1929. The Minnesota Legislature, controlled by the Republican Party, passed legislation redistricting these seats in April 1931. However, Governor Floyd B. Olson, a member of the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party, vetoed it on April 20, stating that it was a gerrymander. The 7th congressional district stretched over 175 miles across the state and Henepin County was divided between three districts.
The legislature was unable to overturn Olson's veto. Proponents of the legislation argued that the Constitution of the United States gives redistricting power solely to the legislature and Olson, as governor, had no power over it. The Minnesota Secretary of State started accepting nominations from the new districts and rejected at-large nominations.
W. Yale Smiley filed a writ of mandamus to force the secretary of state to accept his at-large nomination. He was rejected and appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Smiley's favor on April 11, 1932. Minnesota had to use an at-large district as the legislature was not set to convene until January 1933, and Olson refused to call a special session. Minnesota previously used an at-large seat during the 1912 election, which was won by James Manahan.

## Primary

88 candidates were on the primary ballots for the Democrats, Farmer–Laborers, and Republicans. This long ballot resulted in long lines at polling locations and slow counting. This was the first time in Minnesota history that women ran for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with Laura Emelia Naplin and Susie Stageberg seeking the Farmer–Labor nomination and Anna Dickie Olesen and Mary Brainerd seeking the Democratic nomination.

### Farmer–Labor

Farmer–Labor vice chair Albert G. Bastis, state senator Lynn Thompson, and Andrew Olaf Devold reached an agreement with the Socialist Party of Minnesota. It agreed to not run candidates in all but one statewide race and endorsed the Farmer–Labor campaign under the condition that it would not do fusion with the Democrats.

### Republican

Representative Frank Clague declined to seek reelection. Milo B. Price initially filed to run against Victor Christgau in the 1st congressional district.
Representatives Melvin Maas and Christgau, liberal Republicans who had conflicts with Herbert Hoover, announced that they would seek reelection, but not seek the endorsement of their district conventions. The Republican Party of Minnesota voted to endorse August H. Andresen, Harold Knutson, William Alvin Pittenger, Conrad Selvig, J.V. Weber, and Theodore Christianson at its state convention, but not Maas and Christgau.

#### Endorsements

Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota
Organizations
* Woman's Christian Temperance Union
Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota
Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota
Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota
Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota
Organizations
* Republican Party of Minnesota

#### Results

Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Theodore Christianson | 139,680 | 8.08% |
| | Republican | Ray P. Chase | 123,376 | 7.14% |
| | Republican | William I. Nolan (incumbent) | 103,902 | 6.01% |
| | Republican | Joseph A. A. Burnquist | 95,719 | 5.54% |
| | Republican | Harold Knutson (incumbent) | 94,553 | 5.47% |
| | Republican | N. J. Holmberg | 77,619 | 4.49% |
| | Republican | William Alvin Pittenger (incumbent) | 76,665 | 4.43% |
| | Republican | Conrad Selvig (incumbent) | 73,083 | 4.23% |
| | Republican | August H. Andresen (incumbent) | 71,766 | 4.15% |
| | Republican | Henry Rines | 70,203 | 4.06% |
| | Republican | Victor Christgau (incumbent) | 68,583 | 3.97% |
| | Republican | Melvin Maas (incumbent) | 68,121 | 3.94% |
| | Republican | Godfrey G. Goodwin (incumbent) | 63,846 | 3.69% |
| | Republican | Elmer Adams | 57,782 | 3.34% |
| | Republican | Milo B. Price | 52,644 | 3.04% |
| | Republican | John H. Hougen | 51,727 | 2.99% |
| | Republican | Charles A. Lund | 47,618 | 2.75% |
| | Republican | Knute Knutson | 44,684 | 2.58% |
| | Republican | J.V. Weber | 43,168 | 2.50% |
| | Republican | Samuel A. Rask | 39,121 | 2.26% |
| | Republican | Martin F. Falk | 33,918 | 1.96% |
| | Republican | Louis P. Johnson | 32,682 | 1.89% |
| | Republican | Hilding Alfred Swanson | 32,046 | 1.85% |
| | Republican | E.F. Jacobson | 30,666 | 1.77% |
| | Republican | Ed C. Cole | 26,325 | 1.52% |
| | Republican | John W. Johnson | 26,282 | 1.52% |
| | Republican | Orville Nelson | 24,289 | 1.40% |
| | Republican | Charles J. Andre | 24,040 | 1.39% |
| | Republican | Hans Yugve | 22,283 | 1.29% |
| | Republican | George Reimers | 17,691 | 1.02% |
| | Republican | Roy Dalfred Modeen | 14,123 | 0.82% |
| | Republican | Kleve J. Flake | 12,807 | 0.74% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,728,976 | 100.00% |

### Democratic

The Democratic Party faced internal division between the Catholic and conservative Al Smith supporters and Protestant and liberal Franklin D. Roosevelt supporters. The liberal faction supported electoral fusion with the Farmer–Laborers while the conservatives opposed it.
Einar Hoidale, Joseph Wolf, J. J. Farrell, Adolph Bremer, and Z. H. Austin led the liberal faction. John E. Regan, Ruth Haynes Carpenter, and Ray Moonan led the conservative faction.
Two state conventions were held. The conservatives held a rival convention on April 14. They opposed any fusion between the Democrats and Farmer–Laborers. This faction controlled all of the party's activities except for the delegates to the 1932 Democratic National Convention, which the liberal faction controlled.

## General

Supporters of Christgau sought to draft him as a write-in candidate after losing in the Republican primary. He formally announced his write-in candidacy on September 28, and his supporters requested one million ballot stickers. He was accused of being a spoiler candidate and causing Republicans to lose.
Eight incumbents sought reelection, eight Republicans and one Farmer-Laborer. The Farmer-Laborer won reelection, but only one Republican did so. The Farmer-Labor Party won a majority of the seats and the top four recipients of vote were Farmer-Laborers.
Franklin D. Roosevelt won the state in the concurrent presidential election, the first Democrat to do so. Olson won reelection in the concurrent gubernatorial election with more votes than his party received in the U.S. House elections.

### Endorsements

Individuals
* William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor

### Results

1932 United States House of Representatives election in Minnesota :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Farmer–Labor | Magnus Johnson | 388,616 | 5.00% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Paul J. Kvale (incumbent) | 380,444 | 4.90% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Henry M. Arens | 361,724 | 4.65% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Ernest Lundeen | 350,455 | 4.51% |
| | Republican | Theodore Christianson | 337,110 | 4.34% |
| | Democratic | Einar Hoidale | 321,949 | 4.14% |
| | Republican | Ray P. Chase | 321,102 | 4.13% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Francis Shoemaker | 317,109 | 4.08% |
| | Republican | Harold Knutson (incumbent) | 313,221 | 4.03% |
| | Republican | August H. Andresen (incumbent) | 312,198 | 4.02% |
| | Republican | William I. Nolan (incumbent) | 306,266 | 3.94% |
| | Republican | Conrad Selvig (incumbent) | 304,846 | 3.92% |
| | Republican | Joseph A. A. Burnquist | 302,356 | 3.89% |
| | Farmer–Labor | J. L. Peterson | 298,331 | 3.84% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Henry Teigan | 291,837 | 3.75% |
| | Farmer–Labor | C.F. Gaarenstroom | 291,687 | 3.75% |
| | Republican | William Alvin Pittenger (incumbent) | 291,478 | 3.75% |
| | Republican | N. J. Holmberg | 287,381 | 3.70% |
| | Farmer–Labor | Arthur C. Townley | 261,120 | 3.36% |
| | Democratic | Robert C. Bell | 237,881 | 3.06% |
| | Democratic | John P. Coughlin | 214,462 | 2.76% |
| | Democratic | Silas M. Bryan | 207,419 | 2.67% |
| | Democratic | Emil E. Holmes | 205,673 | 2.65% |
| | Democratic | James R. Bennett | 198,421 | 2.55% |
| | Democratic | Donald A. Chapman | 190,530 | 2.45% |
| | Democratic | Hugh T. Kennedy | 186,466 | 2.40% |
| | Democratic | John Bowe | 184,587 | 2.37% |
| | Write-In | Victor Christgau (incumbent) | 82,826 | 1.07% |
| | Communist | J.W. Anderson | 16,299 | 0.21% |
| | Communist | M. Karson | 9,573 | 0.12% |
| | Communist | Fred Lequier | 8,927 | 0.11% |
| | Write-In | Melvin Maas (incumbent) | 784 | 0.01% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,783,078 | 100.00% |