1920 United States Senate election in Connecticut
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| Elections in Connecticut |
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The 1920 United States Senate election in Connecticut was held on November 2, 1920.
Incumbent Senator Frank B. Brandegee was re-elected to a second term in office over Democratic U.S. Representative Augustine Lonergan.
Democratic nomination
Candidates
- Augustine Lonergan, U.S. Representative from Hartford
Declined
- Homer Stille Cummings, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, former mayor of Stamford, and nominee for Senate in 1916
Campaign
For much of the campaign into September, Homer Stille Cummings appeared to be the likely Democratic nominee. He had the backing of President Woodrow Wilson and Democratic presidential nominee James M. Cox. However, following the Republican landslide in Maine on September 13, Cummings demurred.[1]
Convention
At the convention, Cummings openly declared that he would decline to be a candidate, citing health reasons. Instead, the party turned to two-term U.S. Representative Augustine Lonergan.[1] The party platform endorsed the Wilson administration, women's suffrage, health insurance reform, state civil service reform, and agricultural aid in the state.[2]
General election
Candidates
- Charles J. Backofen (Socialist Labor)
- Josephine B. Bennett (Farmer-Labor)
- Frank B. Brandegee, incumbent Senator since 1905 (Republican)
- Emil L. G. Hohenthal (Prohibition)
- Augustine Lonergan, U.S. Representative from Hartford (Democratic)
- Martin F. Plunkett (Socialist)
Campaign
In advance of the campaign, Brandegee, worried about losing the new woman's vote, reversed his longtime opposition to women's suffrage. He argued for expedient ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, in order to forestall bitterness by women.[3] Nevertheless, he was opposed by the Connecticut Women's Suffrage Association,[4] who mounted an active and well-funded campaign against him.[5] Brandegee countered this campaign by stressing loyalty to the Republican Party and attributing his past votes as grounded in constitutionalism.[6]
Before and during the campaign, Brandegee was an "irreconcilable" opponent of the
Brandegee also praised state's rights, condemned Bolshevism and radicalism, and warned of the need for continued military preparedness.[10]
Prohibition was not made an issue in the campaign, as both candidates opposed the Eighteenth Amendment.[9] Union support for Lonergan did not materialize, in part due to ongoing factionalism within the state's labor movement.[9]
Endorsements
Fellow Senators
Lonergan received support from Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Democratic nominee for Vice President, who visited the state on September 17.[12]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
Frank B. Brandegee (incumbent) | 216,792 | 59.36% |  9.61
| |
Democratic
|
Augustine Lonergan | 131,824 | 36.10% |  5.98
| |
Socialist
|
Martin F. Plunkett | 10,118 | 2.77% | 0.49
| |
Prohibition
|
Emil L. G. Hohenthal | 2,892 | 0.79% | 0.04
| |
Farmer–Labor
|
Josephine B. Bennett | 2,076 | 0.57% | N/A | |
Socialist Labor
|
Charles L. Backofen | 1,486 | 0.41% | 0.05
| |
| Total votes | 365,188 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold
|
Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ a b Janick 1973, p. 448.
- ^ "LONERGAN TO RUN AGAINST BRANDEGEE". The New York Times. September 17, 1920. p. 11. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 442.
- ^ a b Janick 1973, p. 443.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 445.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 446.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 437.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 438.
- ^ a b c Janick 1973, p. 449.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 440.
- ^ Janick 1973, p. 447.
- ^ "ROOSEVELT CALLS FOR INDEPENDENCE". The New York Times. September 18, 1920. p. 7. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- U.S. Government Printing Office.
Bibliography
- Janick, Herbert (May 1973). "Senator Frank B. Brandegee and the Election of 1920". The Historian. 35 (3): 434–451. .