1916, President Woodrow Wilson narrowly won re-election against Charles E. Hughes of New York. Meanwhile, much to the West, Key Pittman himself narrowly wins a second term (and full first one) against Republican Samuel Platt and Socialist Ashley Grant Miller. Miller himself was a former minister and an attorney. He ran in 1910 as Representative (garnering a little under 12% of the vote as a Socialist) and 1914 as Senator (where he garnered just over 25% vote, again as a Socialist). Before and after his tryst with the Socialist Party, he was a Republican. He ran in two Republican Primaries in 1920 and 1922, winning the later nomination but then losing the general election.
Nevada was still a tiny western state at this time, by 1920 it would still have less then 80'000 people, less then even Wyoming (194,402) and Delaware (223,003). It's voting populace, of course, was also very tiny. Only 32,890 people cast ballots for the Senate race in 1916, slightly less then the 33,316 cast for President. Both Democrats Wilson and Pitman won Nevada, but by different margins. To compare
Presidential Vote share and percentages in 1916 Nevada:
Wilson: 17,776 - (53.36%)
Hughes: 12,127 - (36.40%)
Benson: 3,065 - (9.20%) (Allan Benson was the Socialist Party's Presidential nominee, as Eugene Debs was not running that year)
Senatorial Vote share and percentages in 1916 Nevada:
Key Pittman: 12,765 (38.81%)
Samuel Platt: 10,618 (32.28%)
Ashley Grant Miller: 9,507 (28.91%)
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As the above shows, Miller gained more three times the amount of votes as did Benson, and was 9.91% away from victory. That might sound like a lot, but consider that difference between third place and first place is 3,258 votes here and now. If a little over a thousand men from either major party voted for Miller, he would be the first Socialist Senator ever elected in the United States.
So what of it? What would happen if a Socialist won Nevada's Class 1 Senate seat? They had already won mayorships, a House seat (the first being Victor L. Berger in 1910, WI-5), and now they won a Senate seat. Would the Senate try to deny him his seat? Arrest him during the war? Would this change how the Socialist Party functioned with the surprise election of a single man in the upper house? Could this mean a better performance after the Red Scare? Would the Red Scare function, without regard of one western radical in the Senate?
Nevada was still a tiny western state at this time, by 1920 it would still have less then 80'000 people, less then even Wyoming (194,402) and Delaware (223,003). It's voting populace, of course, was also very tiny. Only 32,890 people cast ballots for the Senate race in 1916, slightly less then the 33,316 cast for President. Both Democrats Wilson and Pitman won Nevada, but by different margins. To compare
Presidential Vote share and percentages in 1916 Nevada:
Wilson: 17,776 - (53.36%)
Hughes: 12,127 - (36.40%)
Benson: 3,065 - (9.20%) (Allan Benson was the Socialist Party's Presidential nominee, as Eugene Debs was not running that year)
Senatorial Vote share and percentages in 1916 Nevada:
Key Pittman: 12,765 (38.81%)
Samuel Platt: 10,618 (32.28%)
Ashley Grant Miller: 9,507 (28.91%)
---
As the above shows, Miller gained more three times the amount of votes as did Benson, and was 9.91% away from victory. That might sound like a lot, but consider that difference between third place and first place is 3,258 votes here and now. If a little over a thousand men from either major party voted for Miller, he would be the first Socialist Senator ever elected in the United States.
So what of it? What would happen if a Socialist won Nevada's Class 1 Senate seat? They had already won mayorships, a House seat (the first being Victor L. Berger in 1910, WI-5), and now they won a Senate seat. Would the Senate try to deny him his seat? Arrest him during the war? Would this change how the Socialist Party functioned with the surprise election of a single man in the upper house? Could this mean a better performance after the Red Scare? Would the Red Scare function, without regard of one western radical in the Senate?
(SUPERFAIL) But still, the point stands as Wisconsin is one of the bigger states (over 2 million people) while Nevada is still the least populated at the time.