The 1928 United States Senate special election in Illinois took place on November 6, 1928.[1] The election was held due to the U.S. Senate's refusal to seat 1926 election winner, RepublicanFrank L. Smith, due to allegations of election fraud.[2][3][4] The election saw the election of Republican Otis F. Glenn.
The primaries and general election coincided with those for federal elections (president and House) and those for state elections.[1] Primaries were held April 10, 1928.[1]
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
Anton Cermak, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
James O. Monroe, attorney and perennial candidate[5]
Frank L. Smith, unseated winner of 1926 U.S. Senate election
Campaign[]
The Illinois Republican primaries of 1928 were plagued with electoral violence, and were dubbed the "Pineapple Primary".
Chicago mayor William Hale Thompson backed Smith for Senate, while Charles S. Deneen, who held Illinois' other U.S. Senate seat, backed Glenn. Thomspon and Deneen controlled rival factions of the state's Republican Party.[6][7] Thomspson's faction was vastly dominant at the time.[8]
^Frank Lloyd Wright LibraryArchived September 17, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Frank L. Smith photographs, US Senate campaign brochure, accessed September 16, 2017