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| Turnout | 79.80% 1.80[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Ayers: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hazelbaker: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The1936 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1936. IncumbentGovernor of MontanaElmer Holt, who became governor in 1935 upon the death ofFrank Henry Cooney, ran for re-election. He was challenged in theDemocratic primary by a number of challengers, and was narrowly defeated for renomination byUnited States CongressmanRoy E. Ayers ofMontana's 2nd congressional district. Ayers advanced to the general election, where he facedFrank A. Hazelbaker, the formerLieutenant Governor of Montana and theRepublican nominee. Following a close election, Ayers narrowly defeated Hazelbaker to win what would be his first and only term as governor.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy E. Ayers | 43,822 | 37.85 | |
| Democratic | Elmer Holt (incumbent) | 39,397 | 34.02 | |
| Democratic | Miles Romney, Sr. | 21,679 | 18.72 | |
| Democratic | H. L. Maury | 9,086 | 7.85 | |
| Democratic | Frank F. Hayes | 1,808 | 1.56 | |
| Total votes | 115,792 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank A. Hazelbaker | 28,970 | 72.44 | |
| Republican | Robert Pauline | 11,019 | 27.56 | |
| Total votes | 39,989 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roy E. Ayers | 115,310 | 50.94% | +2.44% | |
| Republican | Frank A. Hazelbaker | 108,914 | 48.12% | +1.39% | |
| Socialist | J. P. Cavanaugh | 917 | 0.41% | −2.51% | |
| Union | David J. Ryan | 838 | 0.37% | +0.53% | |
| Communist | Arvo Fredrickson | 374 | 0.17% | −0.76% | |
| Majority | 6,396 | 2.83% | +1.05% | ||
| Turnout | 226,353 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
