# 1934 Iowa Senate election

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The 1934 Iowa State Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 1934 United States elections. Iowa voters elected state senators in 22 of the state senate's 50 districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the 1934 elections is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.
The primary election on June 4, 1934, determined which candidates appeared on the November 6, 1934 general election ballot.
Following the previous election, Republicans and Democrats each held 25 seats. Lieutenant Governor Nelson Kraschel was a Democrat and wielded power as President of the Iowa Senate. Following a special election in 1933 in district 45, Republicans flipped the forty-fifth district to their party. Therefore, on election day in November 1934, Republicans held 26 seats to Democrats' 24.
To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 2 Senate seats.
Democrats gained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1934 general election with the balance of power shifting to Democrats holding 28 seats and Republicans having 22 seats (a net gain of 4 seats for Democrats).

## Summary of Results

* Note: The 28 holdover Senators not up for re-election are not listed on this table.
| State Senate District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party |
| 1st | Joseph R. Frailey | Rep | Timothy Francis Driscoll | Dem |
| 7th | Frank Iradelle Coykendall | Dem | Paul Lambert Millhone | Rep |
| 9th | Clyde Hamilton Topping | Rep | James M. Bell | Dem |
| 10th | William Carden | Rep | Arthur Claire Dewey | Rep |
| 12th | Frank M. Beatty | Rep | Eugene Irving Mason | Dem |
| 13th | Roy E. Stevens | Dem | Roy E. Stevens | Dem |
| 18th | Charles D. Booth | Rep | Charles E. Malone | Dem |
| 20th | Edwin R. Hicklin | Rep | Elmer Primer Corwin | Rep |
| 21st | David W. Kimberly | Rep | David W. Kimberly | Rep |
| 22nd | Harold L. Irwin | Dem | Harold L. Irwin | Dem |
| 29th | D. Myron Tripp | Dem | John W. Billingsley | Rep |
| 30th | George Allison Wilson | Rep | George Allison Wilson | Rep |
| 33rd | Warren F. Miller | Dem | George L. Parker | Rep |
| 34th | Oliver P. Bennett | Rep | Andrew Bell | Dem |
| 35th | Howard C. Baldwin | Dem | Howard C. Baldwin | Dem |
| 37th | Irving H. Knudson | Rep | Irving H. Knudson | Rep |
| 38th | Edward J. Wenner | Rep | John Peter Berg | Rep |
| 42nd | William Henry Klemme | Rep | Samuel D. Goetsch | Dem |
| 44th | Lafe Hill | Rep | Edward P. Donohue | Rep |
| 45th | Richard V. Leo | Rep | Henry Julius Grunewald | Dem |
| 48th | I. G. Chrystal | Dem | I. G. Chrystal | Dem |
| 50th | William Robert Ritchie | Rep | Albert Josiah Shaw | Rep |
Source:

## Detailed Results

* NOTE: The 28 districts that did not hold elections in 1934 are not listed here.
* Note: If a district does not list a primary, then that district did not have a competitive primary (i.e., there may have only been one candidate file for that district).

### District 1

Iowa Senate, District 1 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | T. F. Driscoll | 7,661 | 51.1 |
| | Republican | Joe R. Frailey (incumbent) | 7,336 | 48.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,997 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 7

Iowa Senate, District 7 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Paul L. Millhone | 7,446 | 50.7 |
| | Democratic | Frank I. Coykendall (incumbent) | 7,248 | 49.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,694 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 9

Iowa Senate, District 9 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Carl W. Setterberg | 1,468 | 50.3 |
| | Republican | Clyde Hamilton Topping (incumbent) | 1,451 | 49.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,919 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 9 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James M. Bell | 1,329 | 51.9 |
| | Democratic | Wells | 1,232 | 48.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,561 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 9 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James M. Bell | 6,823 | 57.0 |
| | Republican | Carl W. Setterberg | 5,150 | 43.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,973 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 10

Iowa Senate, District 10 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Claire Dewey | 3,265 | 53.5 |
| | Republican | Speidel | 2,839 | 46.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,104 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 10 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard A. Baxter | 997 | 56.2 |
| | Democratic | Miller | 778 | 43.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,775 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 10 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Claire Dewey | 7,188 | 55.6 |
| | Democratic | Howard A. Baxter | 5,744 | 44.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 12,932 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 12

Iowa Senate, District 12 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | James Scovel | 1,893 | 35.8 |
| | Republican | Hicks | 1,755 | 33.2 |
| | Republican | Talbott | 1,645 | 31.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,293 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 12 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | E. I. Mason | 1,059 | 57.8 |
| | Democratic | Adkins | 773 | 42.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,832 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 12 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | E. I. Mason | 7,432 | 51.1 |
| | Republican | James Scovel | 7,112 | 48.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,544 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 13

Iowa Senate, District 13 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Roy E. Stevens (incumbent) | 963 | 51.2 |
| | Democratic | Nevin | 918 | 48.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,881 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 13 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Roy E. Stevens (incumbent) | 7,605 | 57.3 |
| | Republican | Frank Shane | 5,677 | 42.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 13,282 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 18

Iowa Senate, District 18 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | C. E. Malone | 7,827 | 51.1 |
| | Republican | Frank Pelzer | 7,487 | 48.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 15,314 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 20

Iowa Senate, District 20 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Edward M. Baker | 477 | 53.2 |
| | Democratic | Madden | 419 | 46.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 896 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 20 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Elmer P. Corwin | 7,049 | 54.0 |
| | Democratic | Edward M. Baker | 6,012 | 46.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 13,061 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 21

Iowa Senate, District 21 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | D. W. Kimberly (incumbent) | 3,285 | 63.4 |
| | Republican | Wissler | 1,895 | 36.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,180 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 21 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | D. W. Kimberly (incumbent) | 10,608 | 95.7 |
| | Farmer–Labor | Frank E. Gertz | 479 | 4.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 11,087 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 22

Iowa Senate, District 22 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Merritt L. Sutton | 2,758 | 59.3 |
| | Republican | Lee | 1,157 | 24.9 |
| | Republican | Rice | 738 | 15.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,653 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 22 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Harold L. Irwin (incumbent) | 9,348 | 54.8 |
| | Republican | Merritt L. Sutton | 7,715 | 45.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 17,063 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 29

Iowa Senate, District 29 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | J. W. Billingsley | 1,902 | 62.0 |
| | Republican | Morgan | 1,168 | 38.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,070 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 29 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | J. W. Billingsley | 5,616 | 51.9 |
| | Democratic | D. Myron Tripp (incumbent) | 5,197 | 48.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 10,813 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 30

Iowa Senate, District 30 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | George A. Wilson (incumbent) | 7,639 | 40.8 |
| | Republican | Connolly, Jr. | 6,486 | 34.6 |
| | Republican | Miller | 4,597 | 24.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,722 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 30 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | George A. Wilson (incumbent) | 26,559 | 53.8 |
| | Democratic | E. Oren Wallace | 22,780 | 46.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 49,339 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 33

Iowa Senate, District 33 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | George L. Parker | 3,963 | 74.8 |
| | Republican | Rigby | 1,338 | 25.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,301 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 33 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | George L. Parker | 7,640 | 52.7 |
| | Democratic | Dr. J. H. McGready | 6,868 | 47.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,508 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 34

Iowa Senate, District 34 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Andrew Bell | 3,929 | 63.0 |
| | Democratic | Rawlings | 2,312 | 37.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,241 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 34 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Andrew Bell | 12,509 | 51.6 |
| | Republican | Hugo P. Saggan | 9,548 | 39.4 |
| | Farmer–Labor | Charles Croghan | 2,169 | 9.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,226 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 35

Iowa Senate, District 35 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | H. C. Baldwin (incumbent) | 14,348 | 71.5 |
| | Republican | Charles W. Datisman | 5,729 | 28.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,077 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 37

Iowa Senate, District 37 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Irving H. Knudson (incumbent) | 4,109 | 42.6 |
| | Republican | Oscar Ulstad | 3,496 | 36.3 |
| | Republican | William Schmedika | 2,031 | 21.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,636 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 37 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Irving H. Knudson (incumbent) | 9,344 | 51.9 |
| | Democratic | Dewey Gilbert | 8,665 | 48.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,009 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 38

Iowa Senate, District 38 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John Berg | 4,788 | 51.6 |
| | Republican | Edward J. Wenner (incumbent) | 3,411 | 36.8 |
| | Republican | Aschenbrenner | 1,079 | 11.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,278 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 38 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John Berg | 13,581 | 52.6 |
| | Democratic | John G. Miller | 12,235 | 47.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 25,816 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 42

Iowa Senate, District 42 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Sam D. Goetsch | 1,785 | 56.6 |
| | Democratic | Peckham | 1,368 | 43.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,153 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 42 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Sam D. Goetsch | 8,386 | 53.0 |
| | Republican | C. C. Burgess | 7,430 | 47.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 15,816 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 44

Iowa Senate, District 44 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | E. P. Donohue | 2,662 | 50.2 |
| | Republican | Lafe Hill (incumbent) | 2,639 | 49.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,301 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 44 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | E. P. Donohue (incumbent) | 7,214 | 54.9 |
| | Democratic | H. M. Walleser | 5,924 | 45.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 13,138 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 45

Iowa Senate, District 45 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | H. J. Grunewald | 1,756 | 63.1 |
| | Democratic | Box | 1,028 | 36.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,784 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 45 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | H. J. Grunewald | 8,211 | 51.4 |
| | Republican | Richard V. Leo (incumbent) | 7,765 | 48.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 15,976 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 48

Iowa Senate, District 48 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Albert D. Wiese | 3,334 | 59.8 |
| | Republican | Akin | 2,244 | 40.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 5,578 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 48 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | I. G. Chrystal (incumbent) | 10,816 | 56.8 |
| | Republican | Albert D. Wiese | 8,215 | 43.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 19,031 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 50

Iowa Senate, District 50 Republican Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | A. J. Shaw | 4,433 | 63.5 |
| | Republican | William Robert Ritchie (incumbent) | 2,549 | 36.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,982 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 50 Democratic Primary Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | W. F. Hapsley | 1,029 | 56.3 |
| | Democratic | Davis | 798 | 43.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,827 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 50 General Election, 1934 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | A. J. Shaw | 8,322 | 55.6 |
| | Democratic | W. F. Hapsley | 6,637 | 44.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,959 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |
* 1 2 3 In district 45, Democratic Senator Harry Cook White was succeeded by Republican Richard V. Leo following a special election in 1933 (a gain of the district for the Republicans).