I'm John Bachelor with David Petruche, the historian and author of the new book Roosevelt Sweeps Nation.

It's campaign time.

Alf Landon and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the nominees of the major parties.

And we begin with the Landon campaign because there's not a great deal to say except for why there isn't a great deal to say.

David Landon does not attend the convention that nominates him. What happens

afterwards to remember? Thank you. Well he makes up for not being there by not being there, by going on vacation for two weeks at a Ritzy-Dooge

Ranch, essentially, in Colorado and then not doing anything for another few weeks while

his campaign staff goes out there but he doesn't but when he finally does go out there he's more energetic

he's still a bad speaker but he gives a series of speeches at the end of the

campaign or towards the end on the tariffs on agriculture and most horribly

on Social Security already the third rail of American politics and proceeds to just lose chunk after chunk of electoral support.

We should mention there are polling results from this summer of 1936 that are striking.

I have from your reporting David in July of 1936 the the Gallup poll, George Gallup poll, records

272 electoral votes for Landon, 259 for Roosevelt, giving Landon the presidency.

However, a month later, late August,

we have 274 for Roosevelt and 257 for Landon.

So the momentum suddenly switches somewhere between July and August.

Does the Republican Party react, David?

The Republican Party continues to pour money and speakers and

organization into the race, but absent a compelling candidate and actually absent a compelling message because

Landon continues to be this sort of progressive Republican and he's

promising just to be more efficient.

...