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All three carried significant political backings, typically regional; Coughlin had powerful support from Irish and German Catholics in the Midwest and Northeast; Townsend was appealing in the West; Smith's bolstering came from the South and lower Midwest.<ref name=encyclopedia.com/>
All three carried significant political backings, typically regional; Coughlin had powerful support from Irish and German Catholics in the Midwest and Northeast; Townsend was appealing in the West; Smith's bolstering came from the South and lower Midwest.<ref name=encyclopedia.com/>
Coughlin initially was a vocal and unwavering supporter of Roosevelt, using radio to increase public enthusiasm and bolstering his landslide victory in 1932.<ref>Parsons, Michael H. (July 1965). [https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6035&context=masters_theses ''Father Charles E. Coughlin and the Formation of the Union Party 1936''], p. 10. ''Western Michigan University''. Retrieved November 30, 2022.</ref> Although Roosevelt did not express personal admiration for the priest in return, he welcomed the public backing, which was also rife with anti-capitalist sentiment scapegoating banks, particularly ones in his home city of [[Detroit]].<ref>''Father Charles E. Coughlin and the Formation of the Union Party 1936'', pp. 11-13.</ref> From 1933 onward, he criticized New Deal programs from the left, viewing them as a failure; he instead proposed abrupt inflation and free coinage of silver, excoriating the policies of New Deal administrators and completely breaking support for the president.<ref>''Father Charles E. Coughlin and the Formation of the Union Party 1936'', pp. 21-22.</ref>
==Campaign==
==Campaign==