1922 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

1922 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

November 7, 1922

Nominee Robert M. La Follette Jessie Jack Hooper Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 379,494 78,029 Percentage 80.60% 16.57%

County results La Follette:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Robert M. La Follette Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette Republican

The 1922 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 7, 1922.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Robert M. La Follette was re-elected to a fourth term in office over Democrat Jessie Jack Hooper. Off the strength of his landslide victory, La Follette launched a second campaign for President of the United States in 1924.

La Follette's opponent, the suffragette Jessie Jack Hooper, was among the first American women to ever run a campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Republican primary

Candidates

• William A. Ganfield
• Robert M. La Follette, incumbent Senator since 1906

Campaign

La Follette spent much of the primary defending his opposition to American involvement in World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. He attacked President Warren Harding's administration and its proposed Four-Power Treaty as equally objectionable as the Versailles negotiations.^[1]

Results

1922 Republican U.S. Senate primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert M. La Follette (incumbent)	362,445	72.23%
	Republican	William Ganfield	139,327	27.77%
Total votes			484,135	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Jessie Jack Hooper, suffragette and anti-war activist

Results

1922 Democratic U.S. Senate primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jessie Jack Hooper	16,663	100.00%
Total votes			16,663	100.00%

Prohibition primary

Candidates

• Adolph R. Bucknam

Results

1922 Prohibition U.S. Senate primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Prohibition	Adolph R. Bucknam	1,282	100.00%
Total votes			1,282	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Adolph R. Bucknam (Prohibition)
• Jessie Jack Hooper, suffragette and anti-war activist (Democratic)
• Robert M. La Follette, incumbent Senator since 1906 (Republican)
• Richard Koeppel (Socialist Labor)

Campaign

Hooper's campaign was run by two women, Livia Peshkova and Gertrude Watkins, bolstered by women in the press, and often hosted in family living rooms. The campaign rallying cry was "Whoop for Hooper." Her election platform championed the League of Nations, veterans compensation, and world peace. Her husband was one of only two men who donated any money to her campaign.^[3]

Results

1922 U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin^[4]^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Robert M. La Follette (incumbent)	379,494	80.60%	21.37
	Democratic	Jessie Jack Hooper	78,029	16.57%	15.33
	Prohibition	Adolph R. Bucknam	11,254	2.39%	0.37
	Socialist Labor	Richard Koeppel	1,656	0.35%	0.18
	Write-in		386	0.08%
Total votes			470,819	100.00%
	Republican hold

See also

• 1922 United States Senate elections

References

1. "LA FOLLETTE LEADS IN WISCONSIN RACE". The New York Times. September 6, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
2. "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1923" (PDF). p. 500. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
3. Smith, James Howell (Winter 1962–1963). "Mrs. Ben Hooper of Oshkosh: Peace Worker and Politician". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 46 (2). Wisconsin Historical Society: 124–135. JSTOR 4633823.
4. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1922" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
5. "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1923" (PDF). p. 564. Retrieved June 17, 2021.