| Elections in Indiana |
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The 1932 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 8, 1932. Incumbent Republican Senator and Senate Majority Leader James E. Watson ran for a third term in office, but was defeated by Frederick Van Nuys in a landslide.
This marked the first time in history that a Senate leader lost re-election, and the only time they were a Republican.
General election
Candidates
- Evartt E. Bailey (Socialist Labor)
- Ralph Green (National)
- William Townsend (Communist)
- Frederick Van Nuys, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Indiana and State Senator (Democratic)
- Forrest Wallace (Socialist)
- James E. Watson, incumbent Senator since 1916 and Senate Majority Leader (Republican)
- Alson E. Wrentmore (Prohibition)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Frederick Van Nuys | 870,053 | 55.57% |  6.62
| |
| Republican | James E. Watson (incumbent) | 783,189 | 42.26% |  7.78
| |
| Socialist | Forrest Wallace | 18,724 | 1.20% | 0.71
| |
| Prohibition | Alson E. Wrentmore | 9,406 | 0.60% | 0.08
| |
| Communist | William Townsend | 2,123 | 0.14% | N/A | |
| National | Miles Blansett | 1,869 | 0.12% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Evartt E. Bailey | 1,825 | 0.12% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,687,189 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||