1936 United States Senate election in Iowa

The 1936 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 3, 1936. Incumbent Republican Senator Lester J. Dickinson ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by Democratic Governor Clyde Herring. This was the first time since 1855 that Democrats held both of the state's senate seats.

1936 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1930 November 3, 1936 1942 →

Nominee Clyde Herring L. J. Dickinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 539,554 504,535 Percentage 50.26% 47.34%

County results Herring:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Dickinson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Lester J. Dickinson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Clyde Herring Democratic

Republican primary

Candidates

• Norman G. Baker, radio broadcaster
• Smith W. Brookhart, former U.S. Senator (1922–26, 1927–33)
• George Chaney
• Lester J. Dickinson, incumbent Senator since 1931
• Guy Linville
• Edwin Manning

Results

1936 Republican U.S. Senate primary^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lester J. Dickinson (incumbent)	105,416	40.51%
	Republican	Smith W. Brookhart	58,129	22.34%
	Republican	Edwin Manning	30,709	11.80%
	Republican	Norman G. Baker	28,162	10.82%
	Republican	Guy Linville	27,794	10.68%
	Republican	George Chaney	9,994	3.84%
Total votes			260,204	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Clyde Herring, Governor of Iowa
• Hubert Utterback, U.S. Representative from Des Moines
• Samuel D. Whiting

Results

1936 Democratic U.S. Senate primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clyde Herring	75,826	53.64%
	Democratic	Hubert Utterback	49,341	34.90%
	Democratic	Samuel D. Whiting	16,205	11.46%
Total votes			141,372	100.00%

Farmer-Labor primary

Candidates

• George F. Buresh
• Francis G. Cutler

Results

1936 Farmer-Labor U.S. Senate primary^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Farmer–Labor	George F. Buresh	1,199	71.80%
	Farmer–Labor	Francis G. Cutler	471	28.20%
Total votes			1,670	100.00%

General election

Results

1936 U.S. Senate election in Iowa^[4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Clyde Herring	539,555	50.35%	7.32
	Republican	Lester J. Dickinson (incumbent)	503,635	46.99%	9.30
	Farmer–Labor	George F. Buresh	25,567	2.39%	1.90
	Prohibition	John B. Hammond	1,726	0.16%	N/A
	Socialist	Lacticia M. Conrad	1,233	0.12%	N/A
Total votes			1,071,716	100.00%

^[6]

See also

• 1936 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - R Primary". www.ourcampaigns.com.
2. "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - D Primary". www.ourcampaigns.com.
3. "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - F-L Primary". www.ourcampaigns.com.
4. "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1936". www.ourcampaigns.com.
5. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1937). "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential Election of November 3, 1936" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
6. "Archived Election Results and Statistics - 1936 General Canvass Summary". sos.iowa.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2023.