The 1914 United States Senate elections were held on November 3, 1914. These were the first regularly scheduled elections held following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913, which required that all seats up for election be popularly elected, rather than chosen by their state legislatures. Thus, it was the first time that elections were generally scheduled on Election Day to coincide with the U.S. House elections. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections in 1914. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. These elections occurred in the middle of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson's first term.

Quick Facts 32 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

1914 United States Senate elections

← 1912 & 1913 November 3, 1914 1916 →
32 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader John W. Kern[lower-alpha 1] Jacob H. Gallinger[lower-alpha 2] Party Democratic Republican Leader since March 4, 1911 March 4, 1911 Leader's seat Indiana New Hampshire Seats before 53 42 Seats after 56 39 Seat change 3 3 Seats up 17 16 Races won 20 13   Third party   Party Progressive Seats before 1 Seats after 1 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority conference chairman before election John W. Kern Democratic Elected Majority conference chairman John W. Kern Democratic

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After a series of special elections, Democrats entered the election with a 53–42 majority, which they expanded to 56–39 after the elections.

This is one of five elections since 1914 in which the president's party gained Senate seats but lost House seats, something that would be repeated by Democrats in 1962 and 2022 and by Republicans in 1970 and 2018. This was the last time until 2022 that no incumbent senator lost reelection in a general election, although two lost in party primaries. This was also the first of three times in American history that the opposition party failed to flip any Senate seats, along with 1934 and 2022.^[1]

Nineteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Democrat Joseph F. Johnston died August 8, 1913. Democrat Henry D. Clayton was appointed August 12, 1913, but his appointment was challenged and withdrawn. Democrat Franklin P. Glass was appointed November 17, 1913, but the Senate refused to seat him.^[36]

Alabama (special)

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Alabama special election

← 1907 May 11, 1914 1914 →

Nominee Francis S. White Party Democratic Popular vote 102,326 Percentage 99.94%

U.S. senator before election Joseph F. Johnston Democratic Elected U.S. senator Francis S. White Democratic

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Democrat Francis S. White was elected May 11, 1914, to finish the current term that would end in 1915.

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Alabama special election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Francis S. White	102,326	99.94
		Others	58	0.06
Majority			102,268	99.89
Total votes			102,384	100.00
	Democratic hold

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Alabama (regular)

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Alabama election

← 1914 (special) 1920 →

Nominee Oscar Underwood Alex C. Birch Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 163,338 12,320 Percentage 90.20% 6.80%

County results Underwood:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Birch:      40–50%      60–70% Longshore:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Francis S. White Democratic Elected U.S. senator Oscar Underwood Democratic

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Main article: 1914 United States Senate election in Alabama

After White retired, House Majority Leader Oscar Underwood was elected to a new term.

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Alabama election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Oscar Underwood	163,338	90.20
	Republican	Alex C. Birch	12,320	6.80
	Progressive	Adolphus P. Longshore	4,263	2.35
	Socialist	S. F. Hinton	1,159	0.64
Majority			151,018	83.40
Total votes			181,080	100.00
	Democratic hold

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Arizona election

← 1912 1920 →

Nominee Marcus A. Smith Don Lorenzo Hubbell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 25,800 9,183 Percentage 53.23% 18.95%   Nominee Eugene W. Chafin Bert Davis Party Prohibition Socialist Popular vote 7,293 3,582 Percentage 15.05% 7.39%   Nominee J. Bernard Nelson Party Progressive Popular vote 2,608 Percentage 5.38%

County results Smith:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Marcus A. Smith Democratic Elected U.S. senator Marcus A. Smith Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Marcus A. Smith was elected in 1912 with 50% of the vote and sought re-election. Although he easily defeated his primary challenger, he faced a large field of candidates in the general election. State Senator and trader Don Lorenzo Hubbell was the Republican nominee. Third-party candidates included Eugene W. Chafin of the Prohibition Party, who ran for president under the party's nomination, as well as Socialist Bert Davis and Progressive J. Bernard Nelson.

Smith received over half of the vote, defeating each candidate by a wide margin. He was elected to his second term.

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California election

← 1909 1920 →

Nominee James Duval Phelan Francis J. Heney Party Democratic Progressive Popular vote 279,896 255,232 Percentage 31.59% 28.81%   Nominee Joseph R. Knowland Ernest Untermann Party Republican Socialist Popular vote 254,159 56,805 Percentage 28.69% 6.41%

County results Phelan:      <40%      40-50%      50-60% Heney:      <40% Knowland:      <40%      40-50%

U.S. senator before election George Clement Perkins Republican Elected U.S. senator James Duval Phelan Democratic

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Incumbent Republican George Clement Perkins was first elected in an 1895 special election and was re-elected for three more terms. He did not seek re-election.

U.S. Representative Joseph R. Knowland was the Republican nominee for this seat in 1914. He was challenged by the Democratic nominee, former mayor of San Francisco James Duval Phelan, and the Progressive nominee Francis J. Heney, the former attorney general of the Arizona Territory.

Phelan defeated Heney and Knowland by slim margins and less than a third of the vote.

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Florida election

← 1909 (special) 1920 →

Nominee Duncan U. Fletcher Party Democratic Popular vote 22,761 Percentage 100.00%

U.S. senator before election Duncan U. Fletcher Democratic Elected U.S. senator Duncan U. Fletcher Democratic

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Incumbent Democrat Duncan Fletcher was elected in a special election after being appointed when William Hall Milton retired after a year in office. He sought re-election to a full term, facing competition only in the primary.

There were two elections due to the February 14, 1914, death of Democrat Augustus Octavius Bacon. It was the first time that both of Georgia's Senate seats have been up for election at the same time.

Georgia (special)

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Georgia special election

← 1913 1918 →

Nominee Thomas W. Hardwick Rufe G. Hutchens Party Democratic Progressive Popular vote 62,589 28,169 Percentage 68.96% 31.04%

County results Hardwick:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Hutchens:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% No Vote:

U.S. senator before election William S. West Democratic Elected U.S. senator Thomas W. Hardwick Democratic

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Democrat William West was appointed to continue the term pending a special election, in which he was not a candidate.

Democrat Thomas W. Hardwick was elected November 3, 1914, to finish the term that would end in 1919 and served until losing renomination in 1918.

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Georgia election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas W. Hardwick	62,589	68.96
	Progressive	Rufe G. Hutchens	28,169	31.04
Majority			34,420	37.93
Total votes			90,758	100.00
	Democratic hold

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Georgia (regular)

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Georgia election

← 1911 (special) 1920 →

Nominee M. Hoke Smith C. W. McClure Party Democratic Progressive Popular vote 61,789 28,441 Percentage 68.48% 31.52%

County results Smith:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% McClure:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% No Vote:

U.S. senator before election M. Hoke Smith Democratic Elected U.S. senator M. Hoke Smith Democratic

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Democrat M. Hoke Smith, who had first won in a 1911 special election, was re-elected and would serve until his 1920 renomination loss.

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Georgia election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	M. Hoke Smith (incumbent)	61,789	68.48
	Progressive	C. W. McClure	28,441	31.52
Majority			33,348	36.96
Total votes			90,230	100.00
	Democratic hold

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There were 2 elections to the same seat due to the May 23, 1914, death of one-term Republican William O. Bradley.

Kentucky (special)

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Kentucky special election

← 1908 1914 →

Nominee Johnson N. Camden Jr. William Marshall Bullitt Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 177,797 133,139 Percentage 53.99% 40.43%

County results Camden:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Bullitt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Johnson N. Camden Jr. Democratic Elected U.S. senator Johnson N. Camden Jr. Democratic

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Democrat Johnson N. Camden was appointed June 16, 1914, to continue Bradley's term, pending a special election. He was challenged by U.S. Solicitor General William Marshall Bullitt.

Camden was elected in November to finish the term ending 1915.

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Kentucky special election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Johnson N. Camden Jr. (incumbent)	177,797	53.99
	Republican	William Marshall Bullitt	133,139	40.43
	Progressive	George Nicholas	13,641	4.14
	Socialist	Frank E. Seeds	4,770	1.45
Majority			44,658	13.56
Total votes			329,347	100.00
	Democratic hold

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Kentucky (regular)

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Kentucky election

← 1914 (special) 1920 →

Nominee John C. W. Beckham Augustus E. Willson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 176,605 144,758 Percentage 51.89% 42.53%

County results Beckham:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Willson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Johnson N. Camden Jr. Democratic Elected U.S. senator John C. W. Beckham Democratic

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Democratic appointee Johnson N. Camden was not a candidate for the next term, instead returning to agricultural activities on a farm.

In this race, two former governors of Kentucky fought for the seat. The Democratic nominee was John C. W. Beckham, who was sworn in after the assassination of William Goebel in 1900. The Republican nominee was Augustus E. Willson, who flipped the seat in 1907 after Beckham's term ended.

Beckham won the election, and would continue to serve until his re-election loss.

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Kentucky election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. C. W. Beckham	176,605	51.89
	Republican	Augustus E. Willson	144,758	42.53
	Progressive	Burton Vance	14,108	4.15
	Socialist	H. J. Robertson	4,890	1.44
Majority			31,847	9.36
Total votes			340,361	100.00
	Democratic hold

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Louisiana election

← 1910 (special) 1918 (special) →

Nominee Robert F. Broussard Party Democratic

U.S. senator before election John Thornton Democratic Elected U.S. senator Robert F. Broussard Democratic

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Senator Robert F. Broussard had already been elected on May 21, 1912, indirectly by the state legislature.