1922 United States Senate election in Mississippi

none March 2026 September 2023 1922 U.S. Senate Democratic runoff in Mississippi Mississippi Flag of Mississippi (1894-1996).svg presidential no 1916 United States Senate election in Mississippi 1916 September 5, 1922 1928 United States Senate election in Mississippi 1928 x150px File:Sen. Hubert D. Stephens, 1923 (cropped).jpg Hubert D. Stephens Democratic Party (United States) 95,351 52.33% File:Senator J.K. Vardaman, 1910 (cropped).jpg James K. Vardaman Democratic Party (United States) 86,853 47.67% U.S. Senator John Sharp Williams Democratic Party (United States) Hubert D. Stephens Democratic Party (United States) The 1922 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 7, 1922. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Sharp Williams did not run for re-election to a third term in office. In the Democratic primary to succeed Williams, U.S. Representative Hubert D. Stephens defeated former Senator James K. Vardaman, who had held Mississippi's other Senate seat for one term. The race required a run-off, as neither candidate achieved a majority in the August primary with suffragette Belle Kearney in the race. Stephens's victory in the September 5 run-off was tantamount to election; he faced only nominal opposition from the Republican and Socialist candidates in the November general election. Democratic primary Candidates Belle Kearney, suffragette and temperance lecturer Hubert D. Stephens, former U.S. representative from New Albany James K. Vardaman, former U.S. senator (1913–19) and governor (1904–08) Declined Theodore G. Bilbo, former governor (1916–20)September 24, 1920 ANNOUNCES: Former Mississippi Governor Wants to Contest Vardaman Alone https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/612064870/ 5 December 2025 The Oklahoman 18 Former senator James Vardaman joined the race in June.VARDAMAN A CANDIDATE https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/06/13/99030734.html?pageNumber=8 8 13 Jun 1922 The New York Times 3 Aug 2022 subscription Former governor Theodore Bilbo intended to run but withdrew after his implication in the ongoing sex scandal surrounding Governor Lee M. Russell.September 24, 1920 ANNOUNCES: Former Mississippi Governor Wants to Contest Vardaman Alone https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/612064870/ 5 December 2025 The Oklahoman 18 Campaign Vardaman was condemned by former President Woodrow Wilson, who had engineered his defeat in 1918 over his opposition to American involvement in World War I. Wilson emphatically denounced Vardaman in a single sentence, stating, "I think he is thoroughly false and untrustworthy and that it would be a great detriment to Mississippi and the nation if he should be returned to the Senate."WILSON CONDEMNS VARDAMAN CANDIDACY 27 Jul 1922 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/07/27/99044588.html?pageNumber=3 3 Aug 2022 3 The New York Times subscription Vardaman responded with a lengthy statement attributing Wilson's opposition to their long-standing enmity.VARDAMAN HITS AT WILSON. 28 Jul 1922 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/07/28/99045170.html?pageNumber=4 4 The New York Times 3 Aug 2022 subscription Belle Kearney, among the first women to run for Senate anywhere in the country, encountered opposition from both men and women. One politician was quoted as saying, "When I cast my ballot for a woman, you can rest assured she is going to be a good-looking one and not so damn old as Miss Belle."Schuyler 2008 40 Other former suffragettes privately withheld support based on past experience with Kearney. Nellie Nugent Somerville told a friend that Kearney "would never get [her] vote" because she had "worried and hindered legislative work."Schuyler 2008 161 Nevertheless, she received a rare endorsement from the state League of Women Voters.Schuyler 2008 274 Results 1922 Democratic U.S. Senate primaryhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=377233 Our Campaigns - MS US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 15, 1922 Democratic Party (United States) James K. Vardaman 74,597 46.95% Democratic Party (United States) Hubert D. Stephens 65,980 41.53% Democratic Party (United States) Belle Kearney 18,303 11.52% 158,880 100.00% Runoff In the run-off, held September 5, both candidates vied for Kearney's primary voters, many of whom were women voting in a primary for the first time.NEW FIGHT ON VARDAMAN.; Both He and Stephens Seek Miss Kearney's Mississippi Vote. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/08/18/107068198.html?pageNumber=15 18 Aug 1922 The New York Times 15 3 Aug 2022 subscription Ultimately, Kearney threw her support behind Stephens, and her voters were credited with defeating the Vardaman machine in Mississippi.Schuyler 2008 105 1922 Democratic U.S. Senate runoffhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=377234 Our Campaigns - MS US Senate - D Runoff Race - Sep 05, 1922 Democratic Party (United States) Hubert D. Stephens 95,351 52.33% Democratic Party (United States) James K. Vardaman 86,853 47.67% 182,204 100.00% General election Results 1922 U.S. Senate election in Mississippihttp://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1922election.pdf Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1922 Clerk.house.gov 29 Dec 2020http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=100652 Our Campaigns - MS US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946 Democratic Party (United States) Hubert D. Stephens 63,636 93.21% 6.79 Republican Party (United States) John H. Cook 3,362 4.92% N/A Socialist Party (United States) Hubert D. Stephens 1,273 1.87% N/A 68,271 100.00% right|thumb|Map of the final results, shaded accordingly See also 1922 United States Senate elections References Further reading Schuyler Lorraine Gates The Weight of Their Votes: Southern Women and Political Leverage in the 1920s 2008 Univ. of North Carolina Press https://books.google.com/books?id=TkGUx9GCo5sC 1922 Mississippi Category:1922 Mississippi elections