McAlister, who had warned of the impending crisis, was reappointed state treasurer, and sought the party's nomination for governor again in 1932. Although Horton had survived impeachment, he did not seek further reelection, and McAlister's main competitors were Pope and former governor Malcolm R. Patterson. Crump's support, which gave McAlister a 25,000-vote advantage in Shelby County, proved to be the deciding factor, as McAlister won the nomination, 117,400 votes to 108,400 for Pope, and 60,520 for Patterson. Pope accused Crump of voter fraud, and ran against McAlister in the general election as an independent. On election day, McAlister won easily, with 169,075 votes to 117,797 for the Republican candidate, John E. McCall, and 106,990 for Pope.