1936 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts United States Senate election of 1936 coincided with the landslide re-election of Democratic incumbent U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt over Republican candidate Alf Landon (who won just two states against Roosevelt's 46).
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| Elections in Massachusetts |
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The same year Democrats won six United States Senate seats from the Republicans, which gave them one of the largest Senate majorities ever. The Republicans retained just 16 seats. The Massachusetts election was notable because this was the only state in which Republicans won a seat from Democrats in this election.
Democratic one-term incumbent Marcus A. Coolidge decided not to seek re-election, which left the contest open.
Republican primary
Declared
- Alonzo B. Cook, former Massachusetts Auditor
- Guy M. Gray, State Representative
- Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., State Representative and grandson of former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
- Thomas C. O'Brien, former Suffolk County District Attorney (also running as Democrat)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | 356,756 | 83.99% | |
| Republican | Alonzo B. Cook | 42,261 | 9.95% | |
| Republican | Guy M. Gray | 18,076 | 4.26% | |
| Republican | Thomas C. O'Brien | 6,834 | 1.61% | |
| Write-in | 821 | 0.19% | ||
| Total votes | 424,748 | 100.00 | ||
Democratic
Declared
- James Michael Curley, Governor of Massachusetts and former Mayor of Boston and U.S. Representative
- Robert E. Greenwood, Mayor of Fitchburg
- Thomas C. O'Brien, former Suffolk County District Attorney (also running as Republican)
Declined
- Marcus A. Coolidge, incumbent Senator
Results
The Democratic nominee was Governor and former (and future) Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley. President Franklin Roosevelt declined to endorse Curley, which may have affected the final results.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Michael Curley | 245,606 | 62.97% | |
| Democratic | Robert E. Greenwood | 104,615 | 26.81% | |
| Democratic | Thomas C. O'Brien | 39,035 | 10.01% | |
| Write-in | 806 | 0.21% | ||
| Total votes | 390,062 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | 875,160 | 48.53% |  3.86 | |
| Democratic | James Michael Curley | 739,751 | 41.02% |  12.99 | |
| Union | Thomas C. O'Brien | 134,245 | 7.44% | 7.44 | |
| Economy | Alonzo B. Cook | 11,519 | 0.64% | 0.64 | |
| Social Justice | Guy M. Gray | 9,906 | 0.55% | 0.55 | |
| Socialist | Albert Sprague Coolidge | 9,763 | 0.54% | 0.06 | |
| Townsend | Moses H. Gulesian | 7,408 | 0.41% | 0.41 | |
| Socialist Labor | Ernest L. Dodge | 7,091 | 0.39% | 0.01 | |
| Communist | Charles Flaherty | 4,821 | 0.27% | 0.06 | |
| Prohibition | Wilbur D. Moon | 3,677 | 0.20% | 0.20 | |
| Write-in | All others | 16 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,803,357 | 100.00% | |||