1932 United States Senate election in Iowa
The 1932 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 8, 1932. Incumbent Republican Senator Smith Brookhart, a controversial progressive figure within the conservative Iowa Republican Party, was defeated in the June Republican primary by Henry A. Field. Field was in turn defeated in the general election by Democrat Richard L. Murphy. Brookhart also entered the general election as the candidate of the Progressive Party but finished a distant third.
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| Elections in Iowa |
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Primary elections were held on June 6. Field defeated Brookhart in the Republican primary, and Murphy defeated a four-man Democratic field including former Senator Daniel F. Steck and future Governor Nelson G. Kraschel.
Murphy's victory made him just the second Democratic Senator from Iowa elected since 1858 and the first to win election directly.[lower-alpha 1]
Background
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Senator Smith W. Brookhart was first elected to the Senate in 1922, winning a special election to succeed William S. Kenyon.[1] After joining the Senate, Brookhart's "pugnacious cowhide radicalism nettled patrician Senators."[2] His indifference to President Calvin Coolidge in the 1924 presidential election also upset conservatives.[3]
In 1924, he attempted to win re-election to a full term, and it initially appeared he had narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Daniel Steck despite the defection of many conservative Republicans. However, Steck challenged the result in the U.S. Senate and, during a lengthy process, the Iowa Republican Party sided with Steck. Brookhart was removed from office on April 12, 1926 and replaced with Steck by a vote of 45–41. A dozen Senate Republicans voted with Democrats to unseat Brookhart.[3]
Immediately upon his ouster from the Senate, Brookhart returned to Iowa and challenged the incumbent Republican Senator for Iowa's other Senate seat, Albert B. Cummins, a respected veteran of the Senate. Brookhart defeated Cummins in a landslide, despite having little time or resources to mount a campaign, and was returned to the Senate in the fall in another landslide victory.[4]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Smith W. Brookhart, incumbent Senator since 1926[lower-alpha 2]
- Louis Cook
- George Cosson
- L.E. Eickelberg
- Henry Ames Field, Shenandoah nurseryman
- Glenn C. Haynes
Campaign
In addition to traditional conservative opposition to Brookhart, Field attacked him for missing sessions while on vacation and for the number of his relatives who held federal positions.[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Ames Field | 197,263 | 45.19% | |
| Republican | Smith W. Brookhart (incumbent) | 145,902 | 33.42% | |
| Republican | Glenn C. Haynes | 43,050 | 9.86% | |
| Republican | George Cosson | 29,687 | 6.80% | |
| Republican | Louis Cook | 12,103 | 2.77% | |
| Republican | L.E. Eickelberg | 8,513 | 1.95% | |
| Write-in | 44 | 0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 436,562 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Fred P. Hagemann, nominee for Governor in 1930
- Nelson G. Kraschel, livestock farmer and auctioneer
- Charles F. Lytle
- Richard L. Murphy, editor of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald
- Daniel Steck, former U.S. Senator (1926–31)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard L. Murphy | 51,537 | 38.72% | |
| Democratic | Daniel F. Steck | 32,439 | 24.37% | |
| Democratic | Nelson G. Kraschel | 18,208 | 13.68% | |
| Democratic | Charles F. Lytle | 17,876 | 13.43% | |
| Democratic | Fred P. Hagemann | 13,046 | 9.80% | |
| Total votes | 133,106 | 100.00% | ||
After losing the primary, Kraschel was nominated to run for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.
General election
Candidates
- Smith W. Brookhart, incumbent Senator since 1926 (Progressive)[lower-alpha 2]
- Henry Ames Field, Shenandoah nurseryman (Republican)
- Roy M. Harrop (Farmer-Labor)
- Peter Hunter (Communist)
- T.S. McCrill (Socialist)
- Richard L. Murphy, editor of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald (Democratic)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard Louis Murphy | 538,422 | 54.15% |  10.84 | |
| Republican | Henry Ames Field | 399,929 | 40.22% |  16.39 | |
| Progressive | Smith W. Brookhart (incumbent) | 43,174 | 4.34% | N/A | |
| Socialist | T.S. McCrill | 11,076 | 1.11% | N/A | |
| Farmer–Labor | Roy M. Harrop | 1,228 | 0.12% | N/A | |
| Communist | Peter Hunter | 467 | 0.05% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 831,839 | 100.00% | |||
See also
Notes
- Daniel Steck, the earlier Senator, was elected following a lengthy challenge to the certified 1924 results in the U.S. Senate. He was seated by a vote of the Senate.
- Brookhart previously served a separate term in the Senate from 1922–26.
References
- "Brookhart Sworn as Junior Senator," Waterloo Evening Courier, 1922-12-02, at p. 3.
- "Again, Brookhart," Time, April 20, 1936.
- "Official Count Indicates Steck is Winner," Cedar Rapids Republican, February 4, 1926 at 4.
- "Washington Sees Corn Belt Revolt in Brookhart Win," Waterloo Evening Courier, June 8, 1926 at 2.
- "Senate Met While Brookhart was on Chautauqua," Boyden Reporter, May 19, 1932 at 6.
- Des Moines Register. 22 June 1932. p. 15 https://www.newspapers.com/image/127784065/?terms=murphy%2Bsteck%2Bkraschel%2Blytle. Retrieved 28 Jan 2022.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Iowa Official Register, 1933–34. p. 146–47.
- "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1932". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1933). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1932" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.