With the Hoover administration widely blamed for the Great Depression, Republicans lost twelve seats and control of the chamber to the Democrats, who won 28 of the 34 contested races (two Democratic incumbents, Duncan U. Fletcher of Florida and John H. Overton of Louisiana, were re-elected unopposed). Democrats gained another seat through an appointment in Nebraska, bringing their total number of seats up to 60.
Among the Republican incumbents defeated in 1932 were Senate Majority Leader James Watson and five-term Senator Reed Smoot, an author of the controversial Smoot-Hawley tariff.[3] This was the first of four elections in which a Senate leader lost re-election, and the only time they were a Republican. This election marked the first time a woman was elected to the Senate, that being Hattie Caraway of Arkansas. As of 2024, this is the last time Democrats won a Senate election in Kansas.
This is also one of only five occasions where 10 or more Senate seats changed hands in an election, with the other occasions being in 1920, 1946, 1958, and 1980.
Gains, losses, and holds
Retirements
Three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.
Interim appointee lost election to finish the term. New senator elected November 8, 1932. Republican gain. Winner was not elected to the next term, see below.
Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. New senator elected November 8, 1932. Democratic hold. Winner was also elected to next term, see below.
Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain. Incumbent then died November 19, 1932, and Elijah S. Grammer (R) was appointed to finish the current term.
In May 1932, Caraway surprised Arkansas politicians by announcing that she would run for a full term in the upcoming election, joining a field already crowded with prominent candidates who had assumed she would step aside. She told reporters, "The time has passed when a woman should be placed in a position and kept there only while someone else is being groomed for the job."[11] When she was invited by Vice PresidentCharles Curtis to preside over the Senate she took advantage of the situation to announce that she would run for reelection. Populist former Governor and Senator Huey Long of neighboring Louisiana traveled to Arkansas on a seven-day campaign swing on her behalf. She was the first female senator to preside over the body as well as the first to chair a committee (Senate Committee on Enrolled Bills).[12] Lacking any significant political backing, Caraway accepted the offer of help from Long, whose efforts to limit incomes of the wealthy and increase aid to the poor she had supported. Long was also motivated by sympathy for the widow and his ambition to extend his influence into the home state of his party rival, Senator Joseph Robinson, who had been Al Smith's vice-presidential candidate in 1928. Bringing his colorful and flamboyant campaign style to Arkansas, Long stumped the state with Caraway for a week just before the Democratic primary. He helped her to amass nearly twice as many votes as her closest opponent.[13][page needed]
Long effectively used a method to quiet crying babies at campaign stops in Arkansas to encourage voter interest:
Mrs. Caraway would never forget nor cease to laugh over the plans we made for caring for obstreperous infants in the audience so that their mothers might listen to the speeches without the crowds being disturbed. I remember when I saw her notice one of our campaigners take charge of the first baby. The child began fretting and then began to cry. One of the young men accompanying us immediately gave it a drink of water. The child quieted for a bit and resumed a whimper, whereupon the same campaign worker handed the baby an all-day sucker, which it immediately grasped and soon fell asleep. Mrs. Caraway did not understand that it was a matter of design until it had been repeated several times.[14]
There were two elections on November 8, 1932 for the same seat, due to the death of one-term Republican Charles W. Waterman. The primaries were held on September 13, 1932.[15][16]
Colorado (special)
1932 United States Senate special election in Colorado
There were two elections due to the death of William J. Harris. It was only the second time that both of Georgia's Senate seats have been up for election at the same time, following double-barrel elections in 1914.
Russell then won the September 14, 1932 Democratic primary over Representative Charles R. Crisp (nicknamed by Russell as "kilowatt Charlie" due to his links to the unpopular Georgia Power Company[20]), 57.72% to 42.28%.[21] Russell was then unopposed in the November 8, 1932 special election.[6]
Democratic former-Governor of North CarolinaCameron A. Morrison was appointed on December 13, 1930 to continue Overman's term, pending a special election. Primaries for both parties were held on June 4, 1932.[27][28][29] Morrison lost the primary run-off election.
Primaries for both parties were held on June 4, 1932[30][31] and a Democratic run-off primary was held on July 2, 1932.[32] Interim appointee Cameron A. Morrison lost the primary run-off election.
^ The Democrats technically had 48 seats on election day, as Colorado's Democratic Governor Billy Adams had appointed Democrat Walter Walker at the end of September. But the Senate was not in session at any time before election day and therefore also not reorganized. Subsequently, the Republicans won the special election for the remainder of the term in the 72nd Congress.[1]
^ abKarl C. Schuyler (R) won the special election for the term ending in March 1933, but Alva B. Adams (D) won the general for the term beginning thereafter.
^Though Bone became senator-elect after the election, Jones's death left a vacancy which was filled by Elijah Sherman Grammer until Bone's term began in March.
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