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The1932 United States House of Representatives election in Minnesota was held on November 8, 1932, to elect nine members of theU.S. House of Representatives from the state'sat-large seats.
Minnesota's representation in theUnited States House of Representatives fell from ten to nine seats after theReapportionment Act of 1929. TheMinnesota Legislature, controlled by theRepublican Party, passed legislation redistricting these seats in April 1931. However, GovernorFloyd B. Olson, a member of theMinnesota Farmer–Labor Party, vetoed it on April 20, stating that it was agerrymander. The7th congressional district stretched over 175 miles across the state andHenepin County was divided between three districts.[1]
The legislature was unable to overturn Olson's veto. Proponents of the legislation argued that theConstitution of the United States gives redistricting power solely to the legislature and Olson, as governor, had no power over it. TheMinnesota Secretary of State started accepting nominations from the new districts and rejected at-large nominations.[2]
W. Yale Smiley filed a writ ofmandamus to force the secretary of state to accept his at-large nomination. He was rejected and appealed to theSupreme 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.[3][4] Minnesota previously used an at-large seat during the1912 election, which was won byJames Manahan.[5]
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.[6][7] This was the first time in Minnesota history that women ran for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, withLaura Emelia Naplin and Susie Stageberg seeking the Farmer–Labor nomination andAnna Dickie Olesen and Mary Brainerd seeking the Democratic nomination.[8]
Farmer–Labor vice chair Albert G. Bastis, state senator Lynn Thompson, andAndrew Olaf Devold reached an agreement with theSocialist 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.[9][10]
RepresentativeFrank Clague declined to seek reelection.[11] Milo B. Price initially filed to run againstVictor Christgau in the1st congressional district.[12]
RepresentativesMelvin Maas and Christgau, liberal Republicans who had conflicts withHerbert Hoover, announced that they would seek reelection, but not seek the endorsement of their district conventions.[13][14] TheRepublican Party of Minnesota voted to endorseAugust H. Andresen,Harold Knutson,William Alvin Pittenger,Conrad Selvig, J.V. Weber, andTheodore Christianson at its state convention, but not Maas and Christgau.[11]
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| 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 | 1,728,976 | 100.00% | |||
The Democratic Party faced internal division between the Catholic and conservativeAl Smith supporters and Protestant and liberalFranklin D. Roosevelt supporters. The liberal faction supportedelectoral fusion with the Farmer–Laborers while the conservatives opposed it.[17][18]
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.[17][18]
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 the1932 Democratic National Convention, which the liberal faction controlled.[18]
Supporters of Christgau sought todraft him as awrite-in candidate after losing in the Republican primary.[19][20] He formally announced his write-in candidacy on September 28,[21] and his supporters requested one million ballot stickers.[22] He was accused of being aspoiler candidate and causing Republicans to lose.[23]
Eight incumbents sought reelection, eight Republicans and one Farmer-Laborer. The Farmer-Laborer won reelection, but only one Republican did so.[24] The Farmer-Labor Party won a majority of the seats and the top four recipients of vote were Farmer-Laborers.[25]
Franklin D. Roosevelt won the state in theconcurrent presidential election, the first Democrat to do so.[1] Olson won reelection in theconcurrent gubernatorial election with more votes than his party received in the U.S. House elections.[26]
Individuals
| 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 | 7,783,078 | 100.00% | |||
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