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1926 United States Senate election in Kentucky

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1926 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1920 November 6, 1926 1932 →
 
Nominee Alben Barkley Richard P. Ernst
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 286,997 266,657
Percentage 51.8% 48.2%

County results
Barkley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Ernst:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election

Richard P. Ernst
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Alben Barkley
Democratic

The 1926 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 1926. Republican Senator Richard P. Ernst ran for re-election to a second term in office but was defeated by Democratic U.S. Representative Alben W. Barkley, who would go on to serve for twenty-two years before ascending to become Vice President of the United States.

General election

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Candidates

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Campaign

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Barkley announced his campaign on April 26 with the support of organized labor in the state; because of his role in crafting the Railway Labor Act, the Associated Railway Labor Organizations endorsed him in advance.[1] Since his failed 1923 gubernatorial campaign, he had distanced himself from political boss Percy Haly and promised that he would not push a national ban on parimutuel betting if elected.[2] Consequently, he had no opposition in the primary.[3] Congressman (and future Chief Justice of the United States) Fred M. Vinson managed his general election campaign.[2]

President Calvin Coolidge supported Ernst, and Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover campaigned in the state on his behalf.[4] Ernst had opposed a bonus for veterans of World War I, an unpopular position in Kentucky, and at 68 years old, his age worked against him.[2][5] Barkley contrasted his impoverished upbringing with Ernst's affluent lifestyle as a corporate attorney and attacked him for supporting Michigan senator Truman Handy Newberry, who had resigned due to allegations of election fraud.[4] Republican voters were angered that Ernst did not support Republican Congressman John W. Langley when Langley was charged with illegally aiding a large bootlegging operation in Louisville.[5] Ernst tried to resurrect the issues of Barkley's support for the coal tax and opposition to parimutuel betting.[2]

Results

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1926 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Alben W. Barkley 286,997 51.84%
Republican Richard P. Ernst (incumbent) 266,657 48.16%
Majority 20,340 3.68%
Total votes 553,654 100.00%
Democratic gain from Republican

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Libbey 1979, p. 46.
  2. ^ a b c d Klotter 1996, p. 284.
  3. ^ Libbey 1992, p. 53.
  4. ^ a b Finch 1971, p. 288.
  5. ^ a b Harrison & Klotter 1997, p. 355.
  6. ^ Clerk of the House of Representatives (1927). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1926" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved March 11, 2024.

Bibliography

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