I'm John Batchel with David Petrucia, 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 Lennon 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 Ritzie Dood 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 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.

He's not going to really tinker that much with the New Deal, and he had supported it

...