1920 United States Senate election in Iowa

The 1920 United States Senate election in Iowa was held on November 2, 1920. Incumbent Senator Albert B. Cummins was re-elected to a third term in office, defeating challenges from Smith W. Brookhart in the Republican primary and Claude R. Porter in the general election.

1920 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1914 November 2, 1920 1926 →
 
Nominee Albert B. Cummins Claude R. Porter
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 528,499 322,015
Percentage 61.42% 37.42%

County results
Cummins:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Porter:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Albert B. Cummins
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Albert B. Cummins
Republican

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Campaign

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Albert B. Cummins was a progressive senator from an earlier generation who distrusted both corporate interests and trade unions. Brookhart campaigned against railroad regulations Cummins had co-authored, the Esch–Cummins Act, which Brookhart claimed did too little to wrest ownership and control of railroads away from Wall Street interests.[1] Brookhart attempted to register rank-and-file blue-collar workers as Republicans so that they could vote for him in the primary,[1] which prompted Cummins to associate Brookhart with radical workers movements such as "the Socialists, reds and Industrial Workers of the World."[2] Cummins was sidelined by illness in the weeks leading up to the primary but defeated Brookhart.[2][3]

Results

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1920 Republican U.S. Senate primary[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Albert B. Cummins (incumbent) 115,768 54.52%
Republican Smith W. Brookhart 96,563 45.48%
Total votes 212,331 100.00%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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1920 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Claude Porter 38,515 100.00%
Total votes 38,515 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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Results

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1920 U.S. Senate election in Iowa[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Albert B. Cummins (incumbent) 528,499 61.42%
Democratic Claude Porter 322,015 37.42%
Farmer–Labor H. W. Cowles 9020 1.05%
Socialist Labor Arthur S. Dowler 933 0.11%
Republican hold
Total votes 860,467 100.00%

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Cummins May Campaign Iowa Before Primary," Waterloo Evening Courier, March 23, 1920 at 7.
  2. ^ a b "Cummins Seems Choice of Black Hawk Co. Voters," Waterloo Evening Courier, June 4, 1920 at 1.
  3. ^ "Cummins' Lead over Brookhart is Over 20,000," Waterloo Evening Courier, June 9, 1920, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Iowa Official Register, 1921–22 (PDF). p. 425.
  5. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1920" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. 1921. Retrieved May 21, 2024.