United States Senate elections, 1926

November 2, 1926
34 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   148px Leader Charles Curtis Joseph Robinson Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Kansas Arkansas Last election 54 seats 41 seats Seats before 55 40 Seats won 20 14 Seats after 48 47 Seat change 7 7   Third party   Party Farmer–Labor Last election 1 seat Seats before 1 Seats won 0 Seats after 1 Seat change
Democratic gain   Democratic hold   Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Charles Curtis Republican Elected Majority Leader Charles Curtis Republican

The U.S. Senate election, 1926 was an election for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of Republican President Calvin Coolidge's second term. The Republican majority was reduced by seven seats.

Gains and losses

Seven Republican incumbents lost re-election to Democrats:

1. Arizona: Republican incumbent Ralph H. Cameron lost to Democrat Carl Hayden.
2. Kentucky: Republican incumbent Richard P. Ernst lost to Democrat Alben W. Barkley.
3. Maryland: Republican incumbent Ovington E. Weller lost to Democrat Millard E. Tydings.
4. Massachusetts: Republican incumbent appointee William M. Butler lost to Democrat David I. Walsh.
5. Missouri: Republican incumbent appointee George H. Williams lost to Democrat Harry B. Hawes both to finish the term and to the next term.
6. New York: Republican incumbent James W. Wadsworth, Jr. lost to Democrat Robert F. Wagner.
7. Oklahoma: Republican incumbent John W. Harreld lost to Democrat Elmer Thomas.

Five Republican incumbents lost renomination, but their seats were held by Republicans:

1. Colorado: Republican incumbent Rice W. Means lost renomination to Republican challenger Charles W. Waterman, who then won the general election.
2. Illinois: Republican incumbent William B. McKinley lost renomination to Republican challenger Republican challenger Frank L. Smith, who then won the general election.
3. Oregon: Republican incumbent Robert N. Stanfield lost renomination to Republican challenger Frederick Steiwer, who then won the general election.
4. Pennsylvania: Republican incumbent George W. Pepper lost renomination to Republican challenger William S. Vare, who then won the general election.
5. Wisconsin: Republican incumbent Irvine L. Lenroot lost renomination to Republican challenger John J. Blaine, who then won the general election.

No Democratic incumbents lost re-election or renomination. The only change in a Democratic seat was in Alabama, where Democrat Oscar Underwood retired and was replaced by Democrat Hugo L. Black.

No third party candidates won these elections. The sole third party incumbent (from the Farmer–Labor Party) was not up for election this year.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D18 D17 D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D19 D20 D21 D22 D23 D24 D25 D26 D27 D28 D38 D37 D36 D35 D34 D33 D32 D31 D30 D29 D39 D40 FL1 R55 R54 R53 R52 R51 R50 R49 Majority → R48 R39 R40 R41 R42 R43 R44 R45 R46 R47 R38 R37 R36 R35 R34 R33 R32 R31 R30 R29 R19 R20 R21 R22 R23 R24 R25 R26 R27 R28* R18 R17 R16 R15 R14 R13 R12 R11 R10 R9 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8

Notes: R28 (Maine class 2): Republican Bert M. Fernald had died August 23, 1926. Republican Arthur J. Gould was elected to finish the term on September 13, 1926, but he wasn't seated until November 30, 1926.

Beginning of the next Congress

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D18 D17 D16 D15 D14 D13 D12 D11 D10 D9 D19 D20 D21 D22 D23 D24 D25 D26 D27 D28 D38 √ D37 √ D36 √ D35 √ D34 √ D33 D32 D31 D30 D29 D39 √ D40 O D41 + D42 + D43 + D44 + D45 + D46 + D47 + FL1 Majority → R48 O* R39 √ R40 √ R41 √ R42 √ R43 O R44 O R45 O R46 O R47 O* R38 √ R37 √ R36 √ R35 √ R34 √ R33 √ R32 √ R31 √ R30 √ R29 √ R19 R20 R21 R22 R23 R24 R25 R26 R27 R28 R18 R17 R16 R15 R14 R13 R12 R11 R10 R9 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8

Notes: R47 O (Pennsylvania class 3): Republican incumbent George W. Pepper lost renomination to William S. Vare. Vare was then elected for the term starting March 4, 1927. The Senate refused to qualify him due to charges of corruption and fraud concerning this election. The Senate would later unseat Vare on December 9, 1929, declaring the seat vacant. R48 O (Illinois class 3): Republican incumbent William B. McKinley lost renomination to Frank L. Smith. Smith was then elected for the term starting March 4, 1927. McKinley died December 7, 1926, before the end of the Congress. Smith was appointed to finish McKinley's term, but the Senate refused his credentials. At the beginning of the next term, the Senate again refused his credentials. Smith would later resign the seat on February 9, 1928.

Key:	D# Democratic FL# Farmer–Labor R# Republican		√ Incumbent re-elected or appointee elected to finish term O Party hold: New senator elected from same party + Party gain: New senator elected from different party

Race summary

Separate election

Date	State	Incumbent	Party	Result	Candidates
September 13, 1926	Maine (Class 2)	Vacant	Vacant	Incumbent Bert M. Fernald (R) had died August 23, 1926. Winner elected to finish term ending March 4, 1931. Republican gain	√ Arthur J. Gould (Republican), 71.8% Fulton J. Redman (Democratic) 28.2%

November elections

All races are for the Class 3 term (1927 to 1933), unless otherwise indicated. Bold state indicates link to individual state's election article. Bold candidate indicates winner.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Oscar Underwood	Democratic	1914 1920	Incumbent retired Democratic hold	√ Hugo L. Black (Democratic) 80.9% E. H. Dryer (Republican) 19.1%
Arizona	Ralph H. Cameron	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain	√ Carl Hayden (Democratic) 58.3% Ralph H. Cameron (Republican) 41.7%
Arkansas	Thaddeus H. Caraway	Democratic	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Thaddeus H. Caraway (Democratic) 82.8% R. A. Jones (Republican) 17.2%
California	Samuel M. Shortridge	Republican	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Samuel M. Shortridge (Republican) 63.1% John B. Elliott (Democratic) 36.9%
Colorado	Rice W. Means	Republican	1924 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination Republican hold	√ Charles W. Waterman (Republican) 50.3% William E. Sweet (Democratic) 46.4%
Connecticut	Hiram Bingham III	Republican	1924 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected	√ Hiram Bingham III (Republican) 63.3% Rollin U. Tyler (Democratic) 35.6%
Florida	Duncan U. Fletcher	Democratic	1908 1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Duncan U. Fletcher (Democratic) 77.9% John M. Lindsay (Independent) 12.8%
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected	√ Walter F. George (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Frank R. Gooding	Republican	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Frank R. Gooding (Republican) 45.4% H. F. Samuels (Progressive) 29.6% John F. Nugent (Democratic) 25.0%
Illinois	William B. McKinley	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost renomination, then died. Winner appointed to finish term, but was not seated for either appointment or for next term. Republican hold, although the Senate did not consider the winner to be a Senator.	√ Frank L. Smith (Republican) 46.9% George E. Brennan (Democratic) 43.1% Hugh S. Magill (Independent) 8.7%
Indiana Special: Class 1	Arthur Raymond Robinson	Republican	1925 (Appointed)	Incumbent appointee elected to finish term ending March 4, 1929. Incumbent appointee elected	√ Arthur Raymond Robinson (Republican) 50.6% Evans Woollen (Democratic) 48.4% Albert Stanley (Prohibitionist) 0.5% William O. Fogleson (Socialist) 0.5%
Indiana	James E. Watson	Republican	1916 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ James E. Watson (Republican) 50.0% Albert Stump (Democratic) 48.9% William H. Harris (Prohibitionist) 0.5% Forrest Wallace (Socialist) 0.5%
Iowa Class 3: Special	David W. Stewart	Republican	1926 (Appointed)	Incumbent appointee elected to finish term ending March 4, 1927, but did not seek election to the next term. Republican hold	√ David W. Stewart (Republican) Unopposed
Iowa Class 3: General					√ Smith W. Brookhart (Republican) 56.6% Claude R. Porter (Democratic) 43.4%
Kansas	Charles Curtis	Republican	1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Charles Curtis (Republican), 63.6% Charles Stephens (Democratic) 34.7% M.L. Phillips (Socialist) 1.7%
Kentucky	Richard P. Ernst	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain	√ Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 51.8% Richard P. Ernst (Republican) 48.2%
Louisiana	Edwin S. Broussard	Democratic	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Edwin S. Broussard (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Ovington E. Weller	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain	√ Millard E. Tydings (Democratic) 57.5% Ovington E. Weller (Republican) 41.4% William A. Toole (Socialist) 1.1%
Massachusetts Special: Class 1	William M. Butler	Republican	1924 (Appointed)	Incumbent appointee lost election to finish term ending March 4, 1929. Democratic gain	√ David I. Walsh (Democratic) 52.0% William M. Butler (Republican) 46.5%
Missouri Class 3: Special	George H. Williams	Republican	1925 (Appointed)	Incumbent appointee lost election to finish term ending March 4, 1927 and lost election to the next term. Democratic gain	√ Harry B. Hawes (Democratic) 52.1% George H. Williams (Republican) 47.9%
Missouri Class 3: General					√ Harry B. Hawes (Democratic) 51.3% George H. Williams (Republican) 47.7%
Nevada	Tasker L. Oddie	Republican	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Tasker L. Oddie (Republican), 55.8% Raymond T. Baker (Democratic) 42.5%
New Hampshire	George H. Moses	Republican	1918 (Special) 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ George H. Moses (Republican), 62.3% Robert C. Murchie (Democratic) 37.7%
New York	James W. Wadsworth, Jr.	Republican	1914 1920	Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain	√ Robert F. Wagner (Democratic) 46.5% James W. Wadsworth, Jr. (Republican) 42.4% F. W. Cristman (Independent) 8.2%
North Carolina	Lee S. Overman	Democratic	1903 1909 1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Lee S. Overman (Democratic), 60.5% Johnson J. Hayes (Republican) 39.5%
North Dakota	Gerald P. Nye	Republican	1925 (Appointed) 1926 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected	√ Gerald P. Nye (Republican), 69.6% Norris H. Nelson (Independent) 12.2% F. F. Burchard (Democratic) 8.7% C. P. Stone (Independent) 6.3%
Ohio	Frank B. Willis	Republican	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Frank B. Willis (Republican), 53.2% Atlee Pomerene (Democratic) 46.6%
Oklahoma	John W. Harreld	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain	√ Elmer Thomas (Democratic) 54.8% John W. Harreld (Republican) 44.7%
Oregon	Robert N. Stanfield	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost renomination, then ran as an Independent but lost re-election. Republican hold	√ Frederick Steiwer (Republican) 39.8% Bert E. Haney (Democratic) 36.3% Robert N. Stanfield (Independent) 22.5%
Pennsylvania	George W. Pepper	Republican	1922 (Appointed) 1922 (Special)	Incumbent lost renomination Senate refused to qualify winner due to charges of corruption and fraud concerning the election. Republican hold, but the Senate would later unseat the winner and declare the seat vacant.	√ William S. Vare (Republican) 54.6% William B. Wilson (Democratic) 43.1%
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	1908 1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Ellison D. Smith (Democratic) Unopposed
South Dakota	Peter Norbeck	Republican	1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Peter Norbeck (Republican), 59.5% C. J. Gunderson (Democratic) 33.3% Howard Platt (Independent) 7.2%
Utah	Reed Smoot	Republican	1903 1909 1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Reed Smoot (Republican), 61.5% Ashby Snow (Democratic) 37.6%
Vermont	Porter H. Dale	Republican	1923 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected	√ Porter H. Dale (Republican), 73.4% James E. Kennedy (Democratic) 26.5%
Washington	Wesley L. Jones	Republican	1908 1914 1920	Incumbent re-elected	√ Wesley L. Jones (Republican), 51.3% A. Scott Bullitt (Democratic) 46.5%
Wisconsin	Irvine L. Lenroot	Republican	1920	Incumbent lost renomination Republican hold	√ John J. Blaine (Republican) 55.0% Charles D. Rosa (Independent) 20.3% Thomas M. Kearney (Democratic) 12.2% Leo Krzycki (Socialist) 5.7%
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Result	Candidates
	Incumbent

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1926