1926 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania
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 County results Vare: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Wilson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Pennsylvania |
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 Government |
The 1926 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1926. Incumbent Republican George W. Pepper, who was appointed following the death of Boies Penrose, was defeated for re-nomination by William Scott Vare.[1] Vare won the election, defeating Democratic opponent William Bauchop Wilson. He was not permitted to assume office, however, until an investigation was conducted into possible election fraud and corruption. Vare was ultimately unseated in December 1929 by the Senate, following charges of corruption.[2]
Despite Wilson's loss, this is the last time that the following counties have voted Democratic: Bradford, Cameron, Huntingdon, Lebanon, McKean, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming.
Republican primary
Candidates
- George W. Pepper, incumbent U.S. Senator[1]
- Gifford Pinchot, Governor of Pennsylvania and former Chief of the United States Forest Service
- William Scott Vare, U.S. Representative from Philadelphia
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Scott Vare | 596,928 | 41.12% | |
| Republican | George W. Pepper (incumbent) | 515,502 | 35.51% | |
| Republican | Gifford Pinchot | 339,127 | 23.36% | |
| Write-in | 20 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 1,451,577 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- William Bauchop Wilson, former U.S. Secretary of Labor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Bauchop Wilson | 153,750 | 98.03% | |
| Republican | Gifford Pinchot (write-in) | 1,382 | 0.88% | |
| Republican | William Scott Vare (write-in) | 781 | 0.50% | |
| Republican | George W. Pepper (write-in) | 329 | 0.21% | |
| Write-in | 592 | 0.38% | ||
| Total votes | 156,834 | 100.00% | ||
Prohibition primary
Candidates
- Elisha Kent Kane
- Gifford Pinchot, Governor of Pennsylvania and former Chief of the United States Forest Service
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | Elisha Kent Kane | 2,908 | 55.36% | |
| Prohibition | Gifford Pinchot | 2,036 | 38.76% | |
| Write-in | 309 | 5.88% | ||
| Total votes | 5,253 | 100.00% | ||
Socialist primary
Candidates
- Cora M. Bixler
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist | Cora Bixler | 1,761 | 86.03% | |
| Write-in | 286 | 13.97% | ||
| Total votes | 2,047 | 100.00% | ||
Labor primary
Candidates
- George W. Pepper, incumbent U.S. Senator[1]
- Gifford Pinchot, Governor of Pennsylvania and former Chief of the United States Forest Service
- William Scott Vare, U.S. Representative from Philadelphia
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Gifford Pinchot | 521 | 50.68% | |
| Labor | William Scott Vare | 348 | 33.85% | |
| Labor | George W. Pepper (incumbent) | 120 | 11.67% | |
| Write-in | 39 | 3.79% | ||
| Total votes | 1,028 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Scott Vare | 822,187 | 54.64% |  2.96
| |
| Democratic | William B. Wilson | 648,680 | 43.11% |  10.19
| |
| Prohibition | Elisha K. Kane | 19,523 | 1.30% | 1.10
| |
| Socialist | George W. Snyder | 9,869 | 0.66% | 2.03
| |
| Workers | A. J. Carey | 3,094 | 0.21% | N/A | |
| Commonwealth Land | Robert Colvin Macauley, Jr. | 1,053 | 0.07% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 290 | 0.02% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 1,504,696 | 100.00% | |||
Notes
- ^ Not seated
References
- ^ a b c "PEPPER, George Wharton, (1867 - 1961)". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ "VARE, William Scott, (1867 - 1934)". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Pennsylvania Manual". 1927. p. 441. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1926" (PDF). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Retrieved July 8, 2014.