1938 United States Senate election in Kentucky

none March 2026 September 2023 1938 United States Senate election in Kentucky Kentucky presidential no 1932 United States Senate election in Kentucky 1932 1944 United States Senate election in Kentucky 1944 November 6, 1938 x140px File:Alben W Barkley.jpg Alben Barkley Democratic Party (United States) 346,735 62.0% File:3x4.svg John P. Haswell Republican Party (United States) 212,266 38.0% 1938 United States Senate election in Kentucky results map by county.svg 300px County resultsBarkley: #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%Haswell: #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% U.S. Senator Alben Barkley Democratic Party (United States) Alben Barkley Democratic Party (United States) The 1938 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 8, 1938. Democratic incumbent Alben Barkley, who also served as Senate majority leader, was re-elected to a third term in office over Republican judge John P. Haswell after defeating a primary challenge from Kentucky governor Happy Chandler. Primary elections were held on August 8. In the Democratic primary, Barkley faced a stiff challenge from Chandler, reflecting national divisions between supporters and opponents of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs. Chandler struggled to define his platform, which sought to appeal to Roosevelt supporters while taking multiple positions on the New Deal. Instead, the campaign was marked by personal accusations of corruption on both sides and Chandler's claim that members of the Barkley campaigned had poisoned him. Barkley, who was backed by Roosevelt, ultimately defeated Chandler by over 70,000 votes. Due in part to the conduct of Roosevelt administration officials on behalf of Barkley during the primary, Congress passed the Hatch Act to restrict public officials from using their office to engage in political activities. In the Republican primary, Haswell won easily with a majority of the vote. Democratic primary Candidates Alben W. Barkley, incumbent U.S. senator since 1927 and Senate majority leader Happy Chandler, governor of Kentucky since 1935 Background thumb|left|upright|alt=A man with dark, slicked-back hair wearing a pinstriped black jacket, patterned tie, and white shirt|Happy Chandler unsuccessfully challenged Barkley for his U.S. Senate seat. Barkley faced a primary challenge in his 1938 re-election bid from Happy Chandler, Kentucky's popular governor who had a strong political organization throughout the state.Harrison Klotter 1997 369 According to historian James C. Klotter, Chandler was confident of his ascension to the presidency and saw the Senate as a stepping stone.Klotter 1996 312Harrison 1992 368 Chandler twice asked President Franklin Roosevelt to appoint Kentucky's junior senator, M. M. Logan, to a federal judgeship so he could arrange his own appointment to Logan's seat.Finch 1971 291 The retirement of Supreme Court justice George Sutherland in January 1938 gave Roosevelt the opportunity to accommodate Chandler's wishes, but Roosevelt preferred a younger option, and Barkley recommended solicitor general Stanley Forman Reed for the appointment.Klotter 1996 312Hixson 1982 312 Chandler's mentor, Virginia senator Harry F. Byrd, and the bloc of Democrats who opposed Roosevelt's New Deal then encouraged Chandler to announce his candidacy for Barkley's seat.Finch 1971 291Hixson 1982 313 Chandler's candidacy would serve as a counterbalance to Roosevelt's 1938 efforts to purge the party of opponents in the Senate. Eager to augment his power and angered by the refusal of Roosevelt and Barkley to accept his suggestion of appointing Logan to the Supreme Court, Chandler did not attend a long-planned dinner in Barkley's honor on January 22, 1938. Instead, he held an event of his own at Louisville's exclusive Pendennis Club and alluded to his plans to challenge Barkley in the upcoming primary. Barkley officially announced his re-election bid on the following day, January 23. The death of another federal judge on January 26 provided a second opportunity for Roosevelt to appoint Logan to a judgeship and appease Chandler, but Logan refused to consider the appointment. Following a January 31 meeting in Washington, D.C. between Roosevelt and Chandler, in which Roosevelt urged Chandler to put his senatorial ambitions on hold, Byrd encouraged Chandler to challenge Barkley. Chandler officially announced his candidacy on February 23 in Newport.Hixson 1982 31214 Campaign The New York Times framed the primary, one of several within the Democratic Party that year, as "the Gettysburg of the party's internecine strife" over control of the Democratic National Convention in 1940.Hixson 1982 316 Early on, Chandler portrayed himself as a supporter of Roosevelt personally–since Roosevelt was popular in Kentucky–but opponent of the New Deal.Hixson 1982 314 He pointed to his fiscal conservatism as governor, including reorganizing and downsizing the executive branch and reducing the state's debt.Klotter 1996 312 In April, polls showed Barkley ahead of Chandler by a 2-to-1 margin. The May 3 primary victory of Florida senator Claude Pepper, who supported the New Deal, finally persuaded Chandler to abandon his attacks of the program.Hixson 1982 316 He criticized Barkley as "a stranger to the state" and obliquely referred to "fat, sleek senators who go to Europe and have forgotten the people of Kentucky except when they run for election."Hixson 1982 314 Chandler, who was 20 years younger than Barkley, referred to the incumbent as "Old Alben" to highlight his age.Libbey 1979 78 Early in the contest, Barkley could only campaign on weekends and enlisted allies including Fred M. Vinson to speak on his behalf.Hixson 1982 315Klotter 1996 313 Chandler's enemies, such as former governor Ruby Laffoon and former U.S. representative John Y. Brown, also supported Barkley.Klotter 1996 313 Although labor leaders had backed Chandler's gubernatorial bid, they endorsed Barkley because of Roosevelt's support for labor unions.Hixson 1982 327 WPA involvement and influence on Hatch Act In late May 1938, Chandler's campaign manager publicly claimed that federal relief agencies, especially the Works Progress Administration (WPA), were openly working for Barkley's re-election.Klotter 1996 313Klotter 1996 316 Although Barkley and George H. Goodman, director of the WPA in Kentucky, denied the charges, veteran reporter Thomas Lunsford Stokes launched an investigation of the agency's activities in the state and eventually raised 22 charges of political corruption and pressure on federal employees in a series of eight articles covering the primary campaign.Klotter 1996 317 A United States committee investigated his findings; WPA administrator Harry Hopkins claimed the committee report refuted all but two of Stokes's charges.Klotter 1996 317 Stokes later won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for Reporting for his work on federal employees Kentucky and Pennsylvania.Klotter 1996 314Hixson 1982 317 In the wake of the Senate committee's investigation, Congress passed the Hatch Act of 1939 to limit the WPA's involvement in future elections.Klotter 1996 315Harrison 1992 369 The negative effects of the investigation on Barkley's campaign were minimal, because of Chandler's own use of his gubernatorial power and patronage on behalf of his own campaign. As nearly every twentieth century Kentucky governor had done, Chandler printed campaign materials with state funds, solicited campaign funds from state employees, and promised new government jobs in exchange for votes.Klotter 1996 313 Dan Talbott, one of Chandler's chief political advisors, encouraged supervisors to take punitive action against employees who made "pessimistic expressions" about Chandler's chances in the primary, and Chandler initiated a rural road-building project in the state, employing loyal supporters to construct and maintain the new roads. State workers who supported Chandler were employed to deliver pension checks to the state's elderly citizens, and Talbott did not deny charges that the workers threatened to withhold the checks if the recipients did not pledge their support to Chandler.Klotter 1996 31819 A later investigation determined that Chandler had raised at least $10,000 in campaign funds from state employees.Klotter 1996 315 Recognizing that the defeat of his hand-picked floor leader would be a repudiation of his agenda, Roosevelt began a personal tour of the state in Covington on July 8.Libbey 1979 80 As governor, Chandler was on hand to greet Roosevelt on his arrival in Covington and sat between Roosevelt and Barkley in the back seat of the open-topped vehicle that transported them to Latonia Race Track, the site of Roosevelt's first speech. Throughout his tour of the state, Roosevelt praised Barkley but remained friendly with Chandler.Hixson 1982 32123 Although clearly campaigning for Barkley, Roosevelt made courteous remarks about Chandler in the spirit of party unity, but in Bowling Green, he chastised Chandler for "dragging federal judgeships into a political campaign."Harrison Klotter 1997 369Hixson 1982 322 After Roosevelt's departure, Chandler played up Roosevelt's complimentary remarks about him but downplayed or ignored the critical remarks.Hixson 1982 32123 After the congressional session ended, Barkley made between 8 and 15 speeches each day and traveled 4500 mi km per week.Libbey 1979 79Klotter 1996 313 This barnstorming tour countered Chandler's criticisms of Barkley's age, a charge that was further blunted when Chandler fell ill in July, temporarily halting his campaign.Klotter 1996 313 Chandler described his malady as "intestinal poisoning."Hixson 1982 324 His doctor claimed that Chandler, Talbott, and a state police officer had all been poisoned by water that had been provided to Chandler for a radio address.Hixson 1982 324 Chandler insinuated that the Barkley campaign was responsible, but the charge never gained credence with the press or the electorate.Harrison Klotter 1997 370 Barkley frequently mocked it on the campaign trail by first accepting a glass of water offered to him and then shuddering and rejecting it.Harrison Klotter 1997 370 Polling Poll sourceDate publishedAlben BarkleyHappy ChandlerAmerican Institute of Public OpinionAugust 5, 1938 BARKLEY IN LEAD, SURVEY REVEALS: Dr. Gallup Finds the Senator Rated at 59%, Against 41 for Chandler Chandler Has Gained Survey Might Be Upset https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/08/05/98174279.html?pageNumber=2 August 9, 2025 The New York Times en 0362-4331March 193869%31%American Institute of Public Opinion April 193867%33%American Institute of Public OpinionMay 193865%35%American Institute of Public OpinionJuly 8, 1938 64%36%American Institute of Public OpinionJuly 24, 193861%39%American Institute of Public OpinionAugust 5, 193859%41% Results thumb|center|250px|Primary results by county #7996E2 Barkley #A5B0FF 40%–50% #7996E2 50%–60% #6674DE 60%–70% #584CDE 70%–80% #51C2C2 Chandler #7DDDDD 40%–50% #51C2C2 50%–60% #2AACAC 60%–70% Barkley won the August 6 election by a vote of 294,562 to 223,690, carrying 74 of Kentucky's 120 counties, with large majorities in western Kentucky, the city of Louisville, and rural areas.Harrison Klotter 1997 370Hixson 1982 315 It was the first loss of Chandler's political career, and the worst suffered by a primary candidate in Kentucky's history to that time.Hixson 1982 326 1938 U.S. Senate Democratic primaryhttps://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015022695301?urlappend=%3Bseq=40%3Bownerid=13510798885882498-44 Kentucky Votes 1 30–31 Jewell Malcolm E. 1963 University Press of Kentucky 2025-05-04 Alben W. Barkley (inc.) Democratic Party (United States) 294562 56.05 Happy Chandler Democratic Party (United States) 223690 42.56 Hugh K. Bullitt Democratic Party (United States) 2636 0.50 G. A. Hendon, Jr. Democratic Party (United States) 854 0.16 Munnell Wilson Democratic Party (United States) 759 0.14 Frank Coyle Democratic Party (United States) 702 0.13 John H. Dougherty Democratic Party (United States) 586 0.11 Edward L. Macky Democratic Party (United States) 424 0.08 J. Ward Lehigh Democratic Party (United States) 411 0.08 Stuart Lampe Democratic Party (United States) 397 0.08 W. T. McNally Democratic Party (United States) 195 0.04 John L. Sullivan Democratic Party (United States) 175 0.03 John E. Trager Democratic Party (United States) 163 0.03 525554 100.00 Aftermath Encouraged by Barkley's success, Roosevelt campaigned against conservative Democratic incumbents in southern states, but all of these candidates won, which damaged Roosevelt's image.Hixson 1982 329 When Senator Logan died on October 9, 1939, Chandler resigned as Governor so that Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson could appoint him to the vacant seat. He won the special election to complete the term and a regular election to a full term in 1942, each time winning competitive Democratic primary races. At the 1944 Democratic National Convention, he unsuccessfully angled to have himself nominated as Roosevelt's running mate. His bid collapsed when the Kentucky delegation chose to support Barkley over him. Barkley served out his term and was re-elected in 1944. When Harry S. Truman, who had defeated Chandler for the vice presidential nomination, succeeded to the presidency, he selected Barkley as his own running mate for the 1948 presidential election. The Truman-Barkley ticket won despite opposition from Chandler and some other Southern Democrats. Republican primary Candidates Roscoe Conklin Douglas John P. Haswell, Louisville judge G. Tom Hawkins Andrew O. Ritchie Elmer C. Roberts Results thumb|center|250px|Primary results by county #E27F7F Haswell #FFC8CD 30%–40% #FFB2B2 40%–50% #E27F7F 50%–60% #D75D5D 60%–70% #D72F30 70%–80% #C21B18 80%–90% #A80000 90%–100% #FFB380 Ritchie #FEE5D5 30%–40% #FFCCAA 40%–50% #FFB380 50%–60% #51C2C2 Hawkins #D0F9F9 20%–30% #ACF2F2 30%–40% #BDBDBD Other #E6E6E6 30%–40% #D9D9D9 40%–50% #BDBDBD 50%–60% #737373 70%–80% #AE8BB1 Tie #DECDE6 30%–40% 1938 U.S. Senate Republican primaryhttps://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015022695301?urlappend=%3Bseq=42%3Bownerid=13510798885882498-46 Kentucky Votes 1 32–33 Jewell Malcolm E. 1963 University Press of Kentucky 2025-05-04 John P. Haswell Republican Party (United States) 34971 58.81 Andrew O. Ritchie Republican Party (United States) 8267 13.90 G. Tom Hawkins Republican Party (United States) 6219 10.46 Roscoe Conklin Douglas Republican Party (United States) 5157 8.67 Elmer C. Roberts Republican Party (United States) 4854 8.16 59468 100.00 General election Candidates Alben W. Barkley, incumbent U.S. senator since 1927 and Senate majority leader (Democratic) John P. Haswell, Louisville judge (Republican) Results Barkley defeated his Republican opponent, Louisville judge John P. Haswell, securing 62 percent of the general election vote.Libbey 1979 81 1938 U.S. Senate election in Kentuckyhttp://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1938election.pdf Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1938 1939 11 March 2024 Clerk of the House of Representatives U.S. Government Printing Office Democratic Party (US) Alben W. Barkley (incumbent) 346,735 62.03% Republican Party (US) John P. Haswell 212,266 37.97% Democratic Party (United States) Happy Chandler (write-in) 20 0.00% 83,628 9.88% 559,021 100.00% Democratic Party (US) See also 1938 United States Senate elections Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, first and second terms References Bibliography Congressional Elections, 1946-1996 1998 Washington, D.C. Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998 1-56802-248-4 Congressional Quarterly 1998 Finch Glenn The Election of United States Senators in Kentucky: The Barkley Period Filson Club History Quarterly 45 3 July 1971 Harrison Lowell H. Lowell H. Harrison Chandler, Albert Benjamin John E. Kleber Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter The Kentucky Encyclopedia 1992 The University Press of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 0-8131-1772-0 http://www.kyenc.org/entry/c/CHAND01.html 2010-12-20 April 15, 2013 https://archive.today/20130415052436/http://www.kyenc.org/entry/c/CHAND01.html dead Harrison Lowell H. Lowell H. Harrison James C. Klotter Klotter James C. A New History of Kentucky The University Press of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1997 0-8131-2008-X https://books.google.com/books?id=63GqvIN3l3wC March 22, 2022 March 8, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210308071654/https://books.google.com/books?id=63GqvIN3l3wC live Hixson Walter L. The 1938 Kentucky Senate Election: Alben W. Barkley, "Happy" Chandler, and the New Deal https://www.jstor.org/stable/23379498 Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 80 Summer 1982 309–329 JSTOR Jewell Malcolm E. 1963 Kentucky Votes https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015022695301 1 University of Kentucky Press Kentucky Votes 1963 James C. Klotter Klotter James C. Kentucky: Portraits in Paradox, 1900–1950 The University Press of Kentucky 1996 Lexington, Kentucky 0-916968-24-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=o58mJavC4msC 2009-06-26 Libbey James K. Dear Alben: Mr. Barkley of Kentucky The University Press of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1979 0-8131-0238-3 https://books.google.com/books?id=wUPn0OX-U40C March 22, 2022 December 2, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211202164426/https://books.google.com/books?id=wUPn0OX-U40C live Libbey James K. Barkley, Alben William John E. Kleber Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter The Kentucky Encyclopedia 1992 The University Press of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 0-8131-1772-0 http://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/146/ August 28, 2012 July 26, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200726205126/https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/146/ live 1938 Kentucky United States Senate Category:Alben W. Barkley Category:November 1938 in the United States