# 1936 Washington gubernatorial election

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The 1936 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Democrat Clarence D. Martin defeated Republican nominee Roland H. Hartley with 69.36% of the vote.
Martin's popular vote share is the largest achieved by any gubernatorial candidate in Washington. This is the most recent gubernatorial election in which a candidate swept every county in the state. As of 2020, this is also the most recent election in which a Democrat has carried Adams County and Columbia County. Additionally, Chelan County, Garfield County, Lincoln County, San Juan County, Walla Walla County, and Whitman County would not vote Democratic again until 1988.

## Primary election

The primary election was held on September 8, 1936. Washington adopted a blanket primary starting with the 1936 elections. All candidates appeared on the same ballot, with the highest candidate for each party becoming that party's nominee. This system was eventually ruled unconstitutional in the early 2000s.

### Candidates

* Erle J. Barnes (R)
* James W. Bryan (R)
* Otto A. Case (D), Washington State Treasurer
* Frank W. Harris (R)
* Roland H. Hartley (R), former Governor
* Ralph Horr (R), former U.S. Representative
* A. E. Judd (D)
* Eugene J. A. Lord (D)
* Clarence D. Martin (D), incumbent Governor
* Walter F. Meier (R)
* John Calvin Richards (R)
* Roscoe A. Seeds (D)
* H. G. Stevenson (D)
* John C. Stevenson (D), radio announcer and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1934

### Results

Blanket primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Clarence D. Martin (incumbent) | 166,313 | 33.05% |
| | Democratic | John C. Stevenson | 129,388 | 25.71% |
| | Democratic | Otto A. Case | 86,752 | 17.24% |
| | Republican | Roland H. Hartley | 59,371 | 11.80% |
| | Republican | Walter F. Meier | 23,892 | 4.75% |
| | Democratic | H. G. Stevenson | 13,556 | 2.69% |
| | Republican | Ralph Horr | 13,023 | 2.59% |
| | Democratic | A. E. Judd | 3,582 | 0.71% |
| | Democratic | Eugene J. A. Lord | 2,356 | 0.47% |
| | Republican | John Calvin Richards | 1,588 | 0.32% |
| | Republican | Erle J. Barnes | 1,052 | 0.21% |
| | Republican | Frank W. Harris | 888 | 0.18% |
| | Democratic | Roscoe A. Seeds | 752 | 0.15% |
| | Democratic | James W. Bryan | 684 | 0.14% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 503,197 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

Major party candidates
* Clarence D. Martin, Democratic
* Roland H. Hartley, Republican
Other candidates
* Ove M. Nelson, Union
* John F. McKay, Socialist
* William Morley Bouck, Farmer–Labor
* Malcolm M. Moore, Christian
* Harold P. Brockway, Communist
* Eugene V. Solie, Socialist Labor

### Results

1936 Washington gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Clarence D. Martin (incumbent) | 466,550 | 69.36% | +12.07% |
| | Republican | Roland H. Hartley | 189,141 | 28.12% | −5.63% |
| | Union | Ove M. Nelson | 6,349 | 0.94% | |
| | Socialist | John F. McKay | 4,221 | 0.63% | −1.00% |
| | Farmer–Labor | William Morley Bouck | 1,994 | 0.30% | |
| | Christian | Malcolm M. Moore | 1,947 | 0.29% | |
| | Communist | Harold P. Brockway | 1,939 | 0.29% | −0.12% |
| | Socialist Labor | Eugene V. Solie | 466 | 0.07% | +0.00% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 277,409 | 41.24% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 672,607 | 100.00% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | +17.70% | |

### Results by county

| County | Clarence D. Martin Democratic | Clarence D. Martin Democratic | Roland H. Hartley Republican | Roland H. Hartley Republican | Ove M. Nelson Union | Ove M. Nelson Union | John F. McKay Socialist | John F. McKay Socialist | All Others Various | All Others Various | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Adams | 2,008 | 76.18% | 611 | 23.18% | 8 | 0.30% | 4 | 0.15% | 5 | 0.19% | 1,397 | 53.00% | 2,636 |
| Asotin | 2,178 | 66.30% | 1,009 | 30.72% | 74 | 2.25% | 15 | 0.46% | 9 | 0.27% | 1,169 | 35.59% | 3,285 |
| Benton | 2,470 | 56.82% | 1,716 | 39.48% | 131 | 3.01% | 13 | 0.30% | 17 | 0.39% | 754 | 17.35% | 4,347 |
| Chelan | 8,624 | 65.21% | 4,441 | 33.58% | 70 | 0.53% | 29 | 0.22% | 60 | 0.45% | 4,183 | 31.63% | 13,224 |
| Clallam | 5,521 | 66.95% | 2,335 | 28.32% | 289 | 3.50% | 18 | 0.22% | 83 | 1.01% | 3,186 | 38.64% | 8,246 |
| Clark | 13,360 | 74.93% | 3,950 | 22.15% | 273 | 1.53% | 128 | 0.72% | 120 | 0.67% | 9,410 | 52.77% | 17,831 |
| Columbia | 1,267 | 54.26% | 970 | 41.54% | 79 | 3.38% | 7 | 0.30% | 12 | 0.51% | 297 | 12.72% | 2,335 |
| Cowlitz | 10,393 | 75.21% | 2,995 | 21.67% | 224 | 1.62% | 105 | 0.76% | 101 | 0.73% | 7,398 | 53.54% | 13,818 |
| Douglas | 2,303 | 68.62% | 988 | 29.44% | 28 | 0.83% | 25 | 0.74% | 12 | 0.36% | 1,315 | 39.18% | 3,356 |
| Ferry | 1,090 | 73.60% | 366 | 24.71% | 13 | 0.88% | 10 | 0.68% | 2 | 0.14% | 724 | 48.89% | 1,481 |
| Franklin | 1,780 | 70.08% | 670 | 26.38% | 54 | 2.13% | 15 | 0.59% | 21 | 0.83% | 1,110 | 43.70% | 2,540 |
| Garfield | 926 | 57.48% | 674 | 41.84% | 10 | 0.62% | 0 | 0.00% | 1 | 0.06% | 252 | 15.64% | 1,611 |
| Grant | 4,158 | 84.12% | 735 | 14.87% | 16 | 0.32% | 22 | 0.45% | 12 | 0.24% | 3,423 | 69.25% | 4,943 |
| Grays Harbor | 17,053 | 81.08% | 3,430 | 16.31% | 368 | 1.75% | 51 | 0.24% | 130 | 0.62% | 13,623 | 64.77% | 21,032 |
| Island | 1,814 | 66.40% | 798 | 29.21% | 36 | 1.32% | 14 | 0.51% | 70 | 2.56% | 1,016 | 37.19% | 2,732 |
| Jefferson | 2,307 | 68.42% | 1,013 | 30.04% | 18 | 0.53% | 10 | 0.30% | 24 | 0.71% | 1,294 | 38.37% | 3,372 |
| King | 135,740 | 66.75% | 63,857 | 31.40% | 659 | 0.32% | 1,350 | 0.66% | 1,746 | 0.86% | 71,883 | 35.35% | 203,352 |
| Kitsap | 12,389 | 76.96% | 3,255 | 20.22% | 105 | 0.65% | 41 | 0.25% | 308 | 1.91% | 9,134 | 56.74% | 16,098 |
| Kittitas | 4,654 | 65.84% | 2,314 | 32.73% | 66 | 0.93% | 25 | 0.35% | 10 | 0.14% | 2,340 | 33.10% | 7,069 |
| Klickitat | 2,613 | 69.94% | 1,043 | 27.92% | 48 | 1.28% | 9 | 0.24% | 23 | 0.62% | 1,570 | 42.02% | 3,736 |
| Lewis | 10,663 | 65.45% | 4,957 | 30.43% | 298 | 1.83% | 57 | 0.35% | 317 | 1.95% | 5,706 | 35.02% | 16,292 |
| Lincoln | 3,582 | 71.80% | 1,355 | 27.16% | 25 | 0.50% | 11 | 0.22% | 16 | 0.32% | 2,227 | 44.64% | 4,989 |
| Mason | 3,110 | 73.25% | 925 | 21.79% | 129 | 3.04% | 19 | 0.45% | 63 | 1.48% | 2,185 | 51.46% | 4,246 |
| Okanogan | 5,447 | 65.05% | 2,598 | 31.02% | 272 | 3.25% | 20 | 0.24% | 37 | 0.44% | 2,849 | 34.02% | 8,374 |
| Pacific | 4,466 | 71.71% | 1,607 | 25.80% | 55 | 0.88% | 13 | 0.21% | 87 | 1.40% | 2,859 | 45.91% | 6,228 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,718 | 63.00% | 941 | 34.51% | 20 | 0.73% | 22 | 0.81% | 26 | 0.95% | 777 | 28.49% | 2,727 |
| Pierce | 51,299 | 76.32% | 13,853 | 20.61% | 557 | 0.83% | 334 | 0.50% | 1,170 | 1.74% | 37,446 | 55.71% | 67,213 |
| San Juan | 856 | 55.19% | 623 | 40.17% | 54 | 3.48% | 3 | 0.19% | 15 | 0.97% | 233 | 15.02% | 1,551 |
| Skagit | 10,313 | 67.15% | 4,669 | 30.40% | 127 | 0.83% | 24 | 0.16% | 225 | 1.47% | 5,644 | 36.75% | 15,358 |
| Skamania | 1,649 | 75.92% | 493 | 22.70% | 12 | 0.55% | 9 | 0.41% | 9 | 0.41% | 1,156 | 53.22% | 2,172 |
| Snohomish | 25,499 | 73.56% | 8,143 | 23.49% | 269 | 0.78% | 251 | 0.72% | 503 | 1.45% | 17,356 | 50.07% | 34,665 |
| Spokane | 48,823 | 70.95% | 17,939 | 26.07% | 476 | 0.69% | 973 | 1.41% | 605 | 0.88% | 30,884 | 44.88% | 68,816 |
| Stevens | 4,543 | 66.42% | 2,101 | 30.72% | 87 | 1.27% | 70 | 1.02% | 39 | 0.57% | 2,442 | 35.70% | 6,840 |
| Thurston | 11,629 | 75.56% | 3,333 | 21.66% | 227 | 1.47% | 62 | 0.40% | 140 | 0.91% | 8,296 | 53.90% | 15,391 |
| Wahkiakum | 1,083 | 70.32% | 425 | 27.60% | 22 | 1.43% | 4 | 0.26% | 6 | 0.39% | 658 | 42.73% | 1,540 |
| Walla Walla | 6,388 | 55.86% | 4,723 | 41.30% | 277 | 2.42% | 26 | 0.23% | 21 | 0.18% | 1,665 | 14.56% | 11,435 |
| Whatcom | 17,253 | 69.45% | 6,968 | 28.05% | 147 | 0.59% | 299 | 1.20% | 174 | 0.70% | 10,285 | 41.40% | 24,841 |
| Whitman | 7,794 | 66.23% | 3,854 | 32.75% | 58 | 0.49% | 44 | 0.37% | 18 | 0.15% | 3,940 | 33.48% | 11,768 |
| Yakima | 17,787 | 57.16% | 12,464 | 40.06% | 668 | 2.15% | 89 | 0.29% | 109 | 0.35% | 5,323 | 17.11% | 31,117 |
| Totals | 466,550 | 69.36% | 189,141 | 28.12% | 6,349 | 0.94% | 4,221 | 0.63% | 6,346 | 0.94% | 277,409 | 41.24% | 672,607 |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Chelan
* Skamania