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The 1934 United States Senate election in New York was held on November 6, 1934, to elect a U.S. Senator. Incumbent Democratic Senator Royal Copeland was re-elected to a third term in office, though he would die in office in 1938.
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 County Results Copeland: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Cluett: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Democratic nomination
editCandidates
edit- Royal S. Copeland, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1923
Convention
editThe Democratic State Convention was held September 27 in Buffalo. With Copeland and the rest of the Democratic ticket unopposed, the convention was uneventful. Copeland's nomination was submitted by Abraham Kaplan of Tammany Hall.[1]
Republican nomination
editCandidates
edit- E. Harold Cluett, businessman
Withdrew
edit- William M. Chadbourne[2]
Declined
edit- Joseph R. Hanley, State Senator[2]
Convention
editIn marked contrast to the Democratic convention, the Republican convention in Rochester on September 28 was considered the most raucous for that party since 1910, when Theodore Roosevelt led a progressive revolt. The early focus of the convention was on the race for Governor, where Robert Moses won a hard-fought three-ballot struggle.[2] After this, several other nominations were completed without opposition. After a recess of ten minutes, the Senate contest began; it quickly devolved to a contest by the delegates to find a man willing to join Moses's ticket.[3]
First, Harold Riegelman nominated William M. Chadbourne for Senate; his nomination was seconded by William T. Simpson and Hamilton Fish III.[3] Then, William D. Thomas nominated E. Harold Cluett; his nomination was seconded by Philip Elling of Ulster County and Frank L. Wiswall of Albany.[3] Chadbourne ultimately declined to run, announcing his preference that another man should be nominated; Cluett was then nominated by acclamation, though some delegates attempted to humorously vote for candidates who were not in nomination.[2][3] Cluett made a brief acceptance speech, pledging to give all his time and effort to the campaign.[3]
General election
editCandidates
edit- Max Bedacht, revolutionary activist and journalist (Communist)
- Henry Skillman Breckinridge, attorney for Charles Lindbergh and former Assistant Secretary of War (Constitutional)
- William S. Chase (Law Preservation)
- E. Harold Cluett, businessman (Republican)
- Royal S. Copeland, incumbent Senator since 1923 (Democratic)
- Olive Johnson, newspaper editor and activist (Socialist Labor)
- Norman Thomas, Presbyterian minister and pacifist (Socialist)
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Royal S. Copeland (incumbent) | 2,046,377 | 55.21% |  6.13
| |
| Republican | E. Harold Cluett | 1,363,440 | 36.87% |  11.02
| |
| Socialist | Norman Thomas | 194,952 | 5.27% | 2.65
| |
| Communist | Max Bedacht | 45,396 | 1.23% | 0.95
| |
| Constitutional | Henry Skillman Breckinridge | 24,241 | 0.66% | N/A | |
| Prohibition | Michael Bartell | 16,769 | 0.45% | 0.45
| |
| Socialist Labor | Olive Johnson | 6,622 | 0.18% | 0.05
| |
| Total votes | 3,727,797 | 100.00% | |||
Notes
edit- ^ LEHMAN, COPELAND ARE RENOMINATED IN DRIVING SESSION in NYT on September 28, 1934 (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d REPUBLICANS NAME MOSES FOR GOVERNOR ON 3D BALLOT in NYT on September 29, 1934 (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e "ALL-DAY CONFLICT MARKS CONVENTION". September 30, 1934. p. 7. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
- ^ "NY US Senate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 12, 2020.