This article examines the campaign in the Ross and Cromarty by‐election of 1936. Although this election has received some attention by virtue of the prominent personalities – especially Randolph Churchill and Malcolm MacDonald but also Hector McNeil, later a minister in the 1945–51 Labour governments – who contested it, the issues discussed during the campaign have been neglected. By emphasizing the Scottish – and indeed highland Scottish – dimension of the campaign an opportunity is provided for examination of Scottish politics in the mid nineteen‐thirties. The appeal of the National Government by 1935 can be assessed, as can the extent to which Labour were recovering confidence and strength after the debacle of 1931. The struggles of the Liberal party to find a candidate in a seat which they had held since 1832, and the weakness of support for that candidate, provides more evidence for the extent of their marginalization in Scottish politics by the mid nineteen‐thirties. The discussion of these Scottish contexts is complemented by an attempt to assess the wider significance of the election, especially with reference to the foreign policy of the National Government and the position of Winston Churchill. Some comparisons with Randolph Churchill's earlier independent Unionist candidature at the Liverpool Wavertree by‐election are offered. The concluding section will also offer some comparisons with other Scottish by‐elections of the period.