1924 United States Senate election in Iowa

American Election Results March 2026 September 2023 1924 United States Senate election in Iowa Iowa Flag of Iowa (xrmap collection).svg presidential no 1922 United States Senate special election in Iowa 1922 (special) 1930 United States Senate election in Iowa 1930 November 4, 1924 File:Smith Wildman Brookhart.jpg 150x150px Smith W. Brookhart Republican Party (United States) Progressive 447,706 49.95% STECK, DANIEL F. HONORABLE LCCN2016862447 (cropped).jpg Daniel F. Steck Democratic Party (United States) 446,951 49.87% 240px County results 240px Congressional district results 230px Brookhart: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Steck: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% U.S. Senator Smith W. Brookhart Republican Party (United States) Smith W. Brookhart* Republican Party (United States) thumb|230px|Republican primary results by county #e27f7f Brookhart #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #f9d440 Sweet #f9d440 50–60% #f4c200 60–70% #daae00 70–80% #be9600 80–90% The 1924 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 4, 1924. Incumbent Republican Senator Smith W. Brookhart ran for re-election to a full term in office against Democrat Daniel F. Steck. In the initial vote, Brookhart was certified as the victor over Steck. However, Steck became the first person to successfully challenge a popular election to the Senate in 1926, when the Senate voted to remove Brookhart from office and seat Steck in his place. Republican primary Candidates Smith W. Brookhart, incumbent senator since 1922 Burton E. Sweet, former U.S. representative from Waverly and candidate for Senate in 1922 Results 1924 Republican U.S. Senate primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=574355 Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - R Primary www.ourcampaigns.com Republican Party (United States) Smith W. Brookhart (incumbent) 199,828 55.01% Republican Party (United States) Burton E. Sweet 163,413 44.99% 363,241 100.00% Democratic primary Candidates John D. Denison, candidate for U.S. representative in 1910 Charles Rollin Keyes, geologist, ornithologist, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1918 Daniel F. Steck, commander of the Iowa American Legion Results 1924 Democratic U.S. Senate primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=574455 Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - D Primary www.ourcampaigns.com Democratic Party (United States) Daniel F. Steck 21,318 38.98% Democratic Party (United States) John D. Denison 19,738 36.09% Democratic Party (United States) Charles R. Keyes 13,639 24.94% 54,695 100.00% General election Campaign Brookhart, though nominally a Republican, had alienated most of the national and state party establishment by 1924. As early as 1920, he had rankled senior Republicans with his courting of blue-collar union voters and his primary challenge to senior Senator Albert B. Cummins.Cummins Seems Choice of Black Hawk Co. Voters Waterloo Evening Courier 4 June 1920 1 In 1924, he demanded the withdrawal of vice presidential nominee Charles DawesMarch 2021 and declined to support President Calvin Coolidge for re-election, though he did not outright endorse Progressive Robert M. La Follette.https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/contested_elections/105Steck_Brookhart.htm 11 Mar 2021 The Election Case of Daniel F. Steck v. Smith W. Brookhart of Iowa (1926) During the campaign, the Republican State Central Committee withdrew support from Brookhart and one Republican organization went so far as to distribute sample ballots showing a 'x' in the Republican column with another 'x' next to Steck's name. By October, all but one of the state's Republican daily newspapers had endorsed Steck.Day's Editorials The Des Moines Capital 19 Oct 1924 4, reprinted from Marshalltown Times-Republican. Results On the day of the election, some newspapers reported that Steck had won.Steck Defeats Brookhart by Margin of 5,000 Waterloo Evening Courier 5 Nov 1924 1 However, two days later, rural districts gave Brookhart a small lead.Brookhart Takes Lead on Recheck of Ballots Waterloo Evening Courier 6 Nov 1924 1 His victory was certified and he was seated for a full term as senator. 1924 U.S. Senate election in Iowahttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=262137 Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 04, 1924 www.ourcampaigns.com http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1924election.pdf Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential Election of November 4, 1924 Clerk of the United States House of Representatives U.S. Government Printing Office 1925 Republican Party (United States) Smith W. Brookhart (incumbent) 447,706 49.95% 13.16 Democratic Party (United States) Daniel F. Steck 446,951 49.87% 12.98 Independent Republican (United States) Luther Brewer 1,124 0.13% N/A Independent (politician) L.E. Eickelberg 535 0.06% N/A 896,316 100.00% Aftermath and reversal After the election, the Senate Republicans retaliated by stripping Brookhart, LaFollette, and two other progressive Republicans of their committee appointments and excluding them from the party conference. Challenges In January, Steck served notice of his intention to challenge Brookhart's inauguration for the new term on the grounds of election fraud. The Iowa Republican Party also challenged Brookhart's election on the grounds that he was not a Republican. Brookhart was sworn into office on March 4, 1925, without incident.Control of the Senate in the 70th Congress http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1926072400 CQ Researcher 18 September 2018 On March 10, the Senate referred both challenges to the Committee on Privileges and Elections. Steck's challenge alleged that thousands of ballots were unlawfully counted for Brookhart while many of his own were discarded or altered. The Iowa Republican challenge alleged that Brookhart had fraudulently represented himself as a party member until the filing deadline, and then toured the state supporting the principles and candidates of the Progressive Party. The state committee argued that Republicans had in good faith voted for a person they assumed to be a regular party member, and that Brookhart had therefore committed election fraud. Investigation and recount A subcommittee of two Republicans and two Democrats commenced the investigation of the case on July 20, 1925. By agreement of Brookhart and Steck, all of the more than 900,000 ballots were transported from Iowa to Washington for a recount. A number of disputed ballots had evidently attempted to replicate local newspaper endorsements for Steck by drawing an arrow pointing to the box marked for Steck; these ballots had been excluded from the original count under an Iowa law banning extraneous markings but were counted by the subcommittee on the grounds that it was clear what the voter had meant. Some ballots arrived in Washington with broken seals, and there were discrepancies between the voter rolls and the number of ballots received. On March 29, 1926, the committee issued its report finding that Steck had received a plurality of 1,420 votes and should be seated. In a minority report, Senator Hubert D. Stephens protested that some ballots had not been properly examined and secured, that 3,500 fewer ballots were received than cast, and that the majority did not count 1,300 properly marked straight Republican ballots for Brookhart. Senate debate and vote In the debate before the whole Senate, speeches focused on the conflict between Iowa state election law and the federal recount. Brookhart's supporters maintained that there was no precedent for overruling state election laws in reviewing contested elections. On April 12, the Senate voted 45 to 41 to unseat Brookhart and seat Steck. Vote to adopt the majority reportSenate Debate on the Brookhart-Steck Contest https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-CRECB-1926-pt7-v67/ LXVII 7 Congressional Record 7301 April 12, 1926 Party Total votes Democratic Farmer-Labor Republican Yea 29 00 16 45 Nay 09 01 31 41 Not voting 01 00 09 10 Roll call vote on the report Senator Party State Vote Henry F. Ashurst D Arizona Nay Thomas Bayard Thomas F. Bayard Jr. D Delaware Yea Hiram Bingham III R Connecticut Nay Cole Blease Coleman Livingston Blease D South Carolina Nay William Borah R Idaho Nay Sam G. Bratton D New Mexico Yea Smith W. Brookhart R Iowa Not voting Edwin S. Broussard D Louisiana Yea William Cabell Bruce D Maryland Yea William M. Butler R Massachusetts Yea Ralph H. Cameron R Arizona Nay Arthur Capper R Kansas Nay Thaddeus H. Caraway D Arkansas Yea Royal S. Copeland D New York Yea James J. Couzens R Michigan Nay Albert B. Cummins R Iowa Not voting Charles Curtis R Kansas Nay Porter H. Dale R Vermont Yea Charles S. Deneen R Illinois Yea Clarence Dill D Washington Nay T. Coleman du Pont R Delaware Not votingSupported seating Steck. Paired with Shortridge. Walter Evans Edge R New Jersey Nay Edward I. Edwards D New Jersey Yea Richard P. Ernst R Kentucky Yea Bert Fernald R Maine Nay Woodbridge N. Ferris D Michigan Nay Simeon D. Fess R Ohio Not votingOpposed seating Steck. Paired with McKinley. Duncan U. Fletcher D Florida Yea Lynn Frazier R North Dakota Nay Walter F. George D Georgia Yea Peter G. Gerry D Rhode Island Yea Carter Glass D Virginia Yea Guy D. Goff R West Virginia Yea Frank R. Gooding R Idaho Nay Frank L. Greene R Vermont Yea Frederick Hale Frederick Hale (U.S. senator) R Maine Nay John W. Harreld R Oklahoma Yea William J. Harris D Georgia Yea Pat Harrison D Mississippi Yea J. Thomas Heflin D Alabama Yea Robert B. Howell R Nebraska Nay Hiram Johnson R California Nay Andrieus A. Jones D New Mexico Yea Wesley L. Jones R Washington Nay John B. Kendrick D Wyoming Yea Henry W. Keyes R New Hampshire Yea William H. King D Utah Yea Irvine Lenroot R Wisconsin Nay Earle B. Mayfield D Texas Yea Kenneth McKellar Kenneth McKellar (politician) D Tennessee Yea William B. McKinley R Illinois Not votingSupported seating Steck. Paired with Fess. George P. McLean R Connecticut Yea William H. McMaster R South Dakota Nay Charles L. McNary R Oregon Yea Rice W. Means R Colorado Not votingSupported seating Steck. Paired with Schall. Jesse H. Metcalf R Rhode Island Nay George H. Moses R New Hampshire Nay Matthew M. Neely D West Virginia Yea Peter Norbeck R South Dakota Nay George W. Norris R Nebraska Nay Gerald Nye R North Dakota Nay Tasker Oddie R Nevada Nay Lee S. Overman D North Carolina Yea George W. Pepper R Pennsylvania Nay Lawrence C. Phipps R Colorado Yea William B. Pine R Oklahoma Nay Key Pittman D Nevada Yea Joseph E. Ransdell D Louisiana Nay David A. Reed R Pennsylvania Nay James A. Reed politician D Missouri Nay Joseph T. Robinson D Arkansas Yea Arthur R. Robinson Arthur Raymond Robinson R Indiana Yea Frederic M. Sackett R Kentucky Yea Thomas D. Schall R Minnesota Not votingOpposed seating Steck. Paired with Means. Morris Sheppard D Texas Yea Henrik Shipstead F-L Minnesota Nay Samuel M. Shortridge R California Not votingOpposed seating Steck. Paired with du Pont. Furnifold M. Simmons D North Carolina Yea Ellison D. Smith D South Carolina Yea Reed Smoot R Utah Nay Robert N. Stanfield R Oregon Nay Hubert D. Stephens D Mississippi Nay Claude A. Swanson D Virginia Yea Park Trammell D Florida Yea Lawrence Tyson D Tennessee Yea Oscar Underwood D Alabama Not votingFavored seating Steck. Paired with Wadsworth. James W. Wadsworth James Wolcott Wadsworth Jr. R New York Not votingOpposed seating Steck. Paired with Underwood. Thomas J. Walsh D Montana Nay Francis E. Warren R Wyoming Yea James E. Watson R Indiana Yea Ovington Weller R Maryland Yea Burton K. Wheeler D Montana Nay George Howard Williams R Missouri Nay Frank B. Willis R Ohio Nay Aftermath Steck became the first Democrat to represent Iowa in the Senate since 1859. He served out the remainder of that term which ultimately became his. He was soundly defeated for re-election in 1930, the only incumbent Democrat in the country to lose in that cycle. Though they gained eight seats nationwide, Steck's loss cost Democrats control of the Senate.March 2021 Brookhart ran for Senate again in 1926 and unseated Senator Cummins, who died shortly after the primary. He served until 1933, when he was defeated by Henry Field in the Republican primary. Brookhart ran in the 1932 general election as a Progressive, but finished a distant third behind Field and the Democratic victor, Richard L. Murphy.March 2021 See also 1924 United States Senate elections References Further reading Senate Debate on the Brookhart-Steck Contest https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1926-pt7-v67/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1926-pt7-v67-5-1.pdf LXVII 7 Congressional Record 7241–53 The Republican Party in Iowa and the Defeat of Smith Wildman Brookhart, 1924-1926 George William McDaniel 48 7 Winter 1987 The Annals of Iowa 413–34 10.17077/0003-4827.9195 free 1924 Iowa United States Senate