WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Glad to be here. If 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:06.960 you're joining us today, you are, well, you're 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:08.980 probably someone who loves to learn. Oh, absolutely. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.939 But you also fiercely protect your time. Yeah. 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:13.939 I mean, you want that deep understanding, right? 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:17.359 The rich historical context, the underlying mechanics 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:19.620 of how things actually work. The real substance. 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:22.920 Exactly. But you absolutely do not want to wade 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:27.379 through some... Some giant textbook of dry dates 00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:29.500 and disconnected data points. Nobody has time 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:32.159 for that. No one. Well, you are in the exact 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:35.539 right place today. We are analyzing what might 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:37.920 look at first glance anyway, like the driest 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:39.939 document imaginable. It really does look dry. 00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:42.259 It's literally a comprehensive Wikipedia roster 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:44.340 of United States senators from the state of Iowa. 00:00:44.460 --> 00:00:48.560 Which sounds less than thrilling. Right. A list 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:50.479 of names and dates might not sound thrilling 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:53.479 on the surface, but stick with us here. our mission 00:00:53.479 --> 00:00:56.399 today is to look far beyond the basic party affiliations 00:00:56.399 --> 00:00:58.399 and the election years we're digging into the 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.920 good stuff we are going to decode this document 00:01:01.229 --> 00:01:04.909 We want to uncover these hidden stories of, well, 00:01:05.030 --> 00:01:08.969 structural dysfunction, intense procedural vengeance. 00:01:09.189 --> 00:01:11.189 Well, the vengeance is my favorite part. It's 00:01:11.189 --> 00:01:13.890 so good. And just the fascinating evolution of 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.709 political power in the Hawkeye State. This simple 00:01:16.709 --> 00:01:20.569 chronological list is actually a roadmap of how 00:01:20.569 --> 00:01:22.849 American political behavior has fundamentally 00:01:22.849 --> 00:01:25.620 transformed. OK, let's unpack this. It genuinely 00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:27.859 is a revealing document when you start to analyze 00:01:27.859 --> 00:01:30.340 the patterns rather than just reading the names. 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:33.500 Right. But before we get to the procedural anomalies, 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:35.599 we should probably establish the baseline. Yeah. 00:01:35.700 --> 00:01:37.459 Lay the groundwork for everyone. According to 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:40.219 the text, Iowa officially became a state. You 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:42.599 know, it was admitted to the union on December 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:47.920 28, 1846. 1846. Right. Now, contextually, 1846 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:50.900 is a highly combustible period in American history. 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:53.540 The national debate over the expansion. of slavery 00:01:53.540 --> 00:01:56.239 was just intensifying. Carrying the country apart. 00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:58.719 Exactly. And every single seat added to the United 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.239 States Senate carried massive implications for 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:03.439 the national balance of power. So it wasn't just 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.219 a formality. Not at all. The admission of a new 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.939 state wasn't just administrative paperwork. It 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:11.520 was a high stakes political event. And as part 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:14.479 of that admission, Iowa gets two Senate seats. 00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:17.199 Two seats like every state. The document notes 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:19.849 these are class two and class three seats. And 00:02:19.849 --> 00:02:21.729 for anyone who hasn't brushed up on congressional 00:02:21.729 --> 00:02:24.349 rules recently, which is probably most of us. 00:02:24.409 --> 00:02:26.909 Fair enough. The framers divided the Senate into 00:02:26.909 --> 00:02:30.240 three distinct classes. This design ensures that 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:32.719 only about one -third of the chamber is up for 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:34.819 election every two years. It's a structural safeguard. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.740 Right. Meant to prevent a single populist wave 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:39.900 from completely wiping out the institutional 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:42.699 memory of the legislative branch in one fell 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:45.780 swoop. It keeps things stable. Exactly. And looking 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:48.319 at the current era on this roster, Iowa's Senate 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:51.280 delegation provides a very stable modern baseline. 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:54.740 It is entirely Republican, currently held by 00:02:54.740 --> 00:02:57.780 Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. So we have our 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:01.360 starting point. Statehood in late 1846 and a 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.099 modern era characterized by an unbroken political 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:06.699 alignment. A solid baseline. But the data showing 00:03:06.699 --> 00:03:09.960 the journey from 1846 today reveals a system 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:13.199 that was anything but stable. It was chaos. Complete 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:16.639 chaos. What's fascinating here is the very first 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:19.360 entry on this entire chronological list. This 00:03:19.360 --> 00:03:21.840 blew my mind. Remember, Iowa officially became 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.860 a state at the very end of 1846. They are admitted 00:03:25.860 --> 00:03:28.530 to the Union. They finally have a voice. in this 00:03:28.530 --> 00:03:32.009 incredibly tense national landscape. Right. The 00:03:32.009 --> 00:03:34.330 logical assumption is that the state would immediately 00:03:34.330 --> 00:03:36.949 dispatch its newly minted senators to Washington 00:03:36.949 --> 00:03:39.830 to start asserting influence. I mean, that would 00:03:39.830 --> 00:03:41.509 be the entire point of fighting for statehood. 00:03:41.729 --> 00:03:44.229 You'd think so. You'd finally secure a seat at 00:03:44.229 --> 00:03:46.430 the table where federal policy is being decided, 00:03:46.610 --> 00:03:49.449 especially back then, in an era where federal 00:03:49.449 --> 00:03:51.830 land grants and railroad roads were vital to 00:03:51.830 --> 00:03:53.909 a new state's survival. It was make or break. 00:03:54.169 --> 00:03:56.129 It's like fighting for a seat at the cool kid's 00:03:56.129 --> 00:03:58.210 table and then just... not showing up. That's 00:03:58.210 --> 00:04:00.129 exactly what they did. According to the roster, 00:04:00.270 --> 00:04:01.710 they just leave the chairs completely empty. 00:04:01.830 --> 00:04:04.729 Iowa didn't send a single senator to Washington 00:04:04.729 --> 00:04:08.229 until almost two full years later. December of 00:04:08.229 --> 00:04:11.330 1848. Both the class two and class three seats 00:04:11.330 --> 00:04:14.490 sat totally vacant. And the official reason listed 00:04:14.490 --> 00:04:17.129 in the document. Failed to elect. That the state 00:04:17.129 --> 00:04:20.230 legislature failed to elect. It is a striking 00:04:20.230 --> 00:04:22.970 failure of governance. How does that even happen? 00:04:23.370 --> 00:04:26.310 Well, to understand how a state fumbles its federal 00:04:26.310 --> 00:04:28.990 representation so completely, we have to look 00:04:28.990 --> 00:04:31.209 at the mechanics of the era. The rules of the 00:04:31.209 --> 00:04:33.829 game back then. Right. Prior to the ratification 00:04:33.829 --> 00:04:37.149 of the 17th Amendment in 1913, United States 00:04:37.149 --> 00:04:39.610 senators were not chosen by the general public. 00:04:39.910 --> 00:04:42.430 You and I couldn't vote for them. No. They were 00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:44.930 elected by the state legislatures. Okay. This 00:04:44.930 --> 00:04:48.370 meant the process was entirely an inside game. 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:52.029 deeply vulnerable to local partisan standoffs. 00:04:52.389 --> 00:04:55.889 The Iowa legislature was so bitterly divided 00:04:55.889 --> 00:04:58.209 between different factions that they simply could 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:00.730 not secure a majority vote for any candidate. 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:02.629 They just bickered themselves into a corner. 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:05.250 They deadlocked. And as a result, the entire 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:07.730 state went unrepresented in the Senate for its 00:05:07.730 --> 00:05:10.550 first two years of existence. That implies a 00:05:10.550 --> 00:05:13.069 level of bureaucratic stubbornness that is honestly 00:05:13.069 --> 00:05:15.529 hard to fathom. They really dug their heels in. 00:05:15.629 --> 00:05:17.670 The legislators in Des Moines were essentially 00:05:17.670 --> 00:05:20.250 willing to hamstring their own state's national 00:05:20.250 --> 00:05:23.350 influence rather than compromise with their political 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:26.329 rivals. That's exactly what happened. It paints 00:05:26.329 --> 00:05:28.790 a picture of early American politics that is 00:05:28.790 --> 00:05:32.660 incredibly messy, just totally uncored. And this 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:34.699 wasn't just initial growing pains either. No, 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:37.180 it happens again. The document shows that this 00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:40.240 exact type of vulnerability caused another massive 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:42.699 disruption just a few years later. With James 00:05:42.699 --> 00:05:46.180 Harlan. Yes, the Harlan situation in 1855 takes 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:48.660 the dysfunction to a completely different level. 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:51.220 It's wild. The text notes that James Harlan was 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:54.720 a free soil candidate. Contextually, the Free 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:57.060 Soil Party was built around a single, highly 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:00.160 polarizing issue. Opposing the expansion of slavery 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.800 into the Western Territories. Right. By 1855, 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.899 this was the defining crisis of the nation. So 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:07.759 Harlan runs for the class three Senate seat. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.560 The state legislature holds the election and 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.259 Harlan wins. He wins the vote. He travels to 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:15.720 Washington to take his oath and begin serving. 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:19.259 But then his election is entirely invalidated. 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:21.939 Tossed out completely. The document states the 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:24.560 election was thrown out because the Iowa State 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:27.620 Senate, the upper chamber of the very legislature 00:06:27.620 --> 00:06:29.060 that was supposed to be running the election, 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:32.160 hadn't even participated in the vote. They boycotted 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:35.639 it. How does an election even proceed if half 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.680 of the electoral body just boycotts the process? 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.800 It was a calculated procedural maneuver. A loophole. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.560 A huge loophole. The factions opposing Harlan's 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.180 free soil platform knew they might not have the 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:50.899 votes to defeat him outright in a joint session 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:52.800 of the legislature. So they just didn't show 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:56.740 up. They simply refused to convene. They boycotted 00:06:56.740 --> 00:06:59.180 the joint session. arguing that without their 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.540 official presence, any vote taken by the lower 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.680 house was unconstitutional. That is so sneaky. 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:07.480 Harlan was seated initially, but his opponents 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:09.720 took the challenge all the way to the U .S. Senate 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:11.720 floor. And the U .S. Senate agreed with him. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.240 The U .S. Senate eventually agreed with the procedural 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.819 argument. Harlan's mandate was revoked and he 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:19.100 was ousted. Think about the logistics of that 00:07:19.100 --> 00:07:22.579 in the 1850s. Oh, the travel alone. Harlan endures 00:07:22.579 --> 00:07:24.860 the grueling travel from Iowa to Washington, 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:28.189 D .C., unpacks his office. starts doing the job 00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:30.610 of a senator, and is then told his hiring committee 00:07:30.610 --> 00:07:33.490 was legally invalid. Pack your bags. He is sent 00:07:33.490 --> 00:07:37.149 packing. And the data shows that Class 3 seat 00:07:37.149 --> 00:07:41.089 plunges right back into a vacant status starting 00:07:41.089 --> 00:07:45.310 in March of 1855. Vacant again. Harlan then sits 00:07:45.310 --> 00:07:48.089 in political limbo for nearly two years. Two 00:07:48.089 --> 00:07:50.329 years of waiting. Until the state legislature 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:53.310 finally gets its act together, resolves the standoff, 00:07:53.410 --> 00:07:56.569 and officially re -elects him in January of 1857, 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:59.699 just so he can finish his own vacant turn. It 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:02.139 perfectly illustrates how fragile the democratic 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:05.420 machinery was in those early decades. A tactical 00:08:05.420 --> 00:08:07.959 boycott in a local statehouse in the Midwest 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:11.279 literally dictated the ideological makeup of 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:13.300 the federal government in the years immediately 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:16.120 preceding the Civil War. It's staggering when 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:18.379 you think about it. It was an era where procedural 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:20.339 loopholes were weapons. Here's where it gets 00:08:20.339 --> 00:08:22.680 really interesting, though. Oh, the 1920s. Yes. 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:25.139 If you assume that these procedural loopholes 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:26.800 were closed and everything became standardized 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:29.500 as the country matured, well... The roster from 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:31.720 the 1920s proves otherwise. It definitely does. 00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:34.360 The document outlines one of the most bizarre 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:37.600 sequences of events in the entire timeline. It 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.980 centers on a Republican incumbent named Smith 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:43.139 W. Brookhart and his Democratic challenger, Daniel 00:08:43.139 --> 00:08:46.779 F. Steck. The Brookhart -Steck saga is an absolute 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:49.480 masterclass in political maneuvering. By this 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:51.980 point in the 1920s, the 17th Amendment is in 00:08:51.980 --> 00:08:54.799 place. So no more state legislature voting. Right. 00:08:55.149 --> 00:08:57.490 Senators are now elected directly by the people. 00:08:57.690 --> 00:09:01.269 So in 1924, Smith W. Brookhart runs for reelection 00:09:01.269 --> 00:09:04.409 to his class two seat. OK. The initial returns 00:09:04.409 --> 00:09:07.629 show him winning. He is certified as the winner. 00:09:07.769 --> 00:09:10.009 He takes the oath and he resumes his career in 00:09:10.009 --> 00:09:12.990 the Senate. But Daniel F. Steck refuses to concede. 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:15.409 He fights it. He files a formal challenge against 00:09:15.409 --> 00:09:17.750 the election results. Now, challenging a statewide 00:09:17.750 --> 00:09:20.529 election today involves. Rapid legal filings, 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:23.169 digital voter rolls, immediate media scrutiny. 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:26.769 It's fast now. But in 1924, challenging an election 00:09:26.769 --> 00:09:29.769 meant a slow, agonizing process. You're transporting 00:09:29.769 --> 00:09:32.389 physical paper ballots, convening special Senate 00:09:32.389 --> 00:09:35.250 subcommittees and arguing over voter intent precinct 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:37.529 by precinct. It was a massive undertaking. The 00:09:37.529 --> 00:09:41.210 timeline here is what is truly staggering. The 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:43.629 document notes that Steck's challenge isn't resolved 00:09:43.629 --> 00:09:49.289 until April 12th, 1926. 1926. That is nearly 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:51.629 a year and a half into the six -year term. And 00:09:51.629 --> 00:09:53.629 the culmination of that year and a half investigation 00:09:53.629 --> 00:09:56.990 is that Steck successfully proves his case. He 00:09:56.990 --> 00:10:00.809 wins. He wins. The Senate votes to unseat Burkhart. 00:10:01.070 --> 00:10:03.769 and seats Steck in his place. It is a massive 00:10:03.769 --> 00:10:06.210 upheaval. I can't even imagine. Brookhart had 00:10:06.210 --> 00:10:09.110 been actively legislating, voting on bills, and 00:10:09.110 --> 00:10:11.570 functioning as a U .S. senator for over a year, 00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:14.389 only to be retroactively told he actually lost 00:10:14.389 --> 00:10:16.710 the election. He's ousted in the middle of the 00:10:16.710 --> 00:10:19.450 term. And Steck literally takes over his desk. 00:10:19.870 --> 00:10:22.429 Most politicians who suffer a retroactive defeat 00:10:22.429 --> 00:10:25.090 of that magnitude would likely retreat from public 00:10:25.090 --> 00:10:27.549 life. You'd hide out for a while. It's humiliating. 00:10:27.590 --> 00:10:29.350 Yeah. You'd expect them to join a private law 00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:31.710 practice or at least sit out an election cycle 00:10:31.710 --> 00:10:33.929 to rebuild their reputation. But not Burkhart. 00:10:34.009 --> 00:10:35.669 Not Burkhart. He takes a completely different 00:10:35.669 --> 00:10:38.529 route. He is ousted from the Class 2 seat in 00:10:38.529 --> 00:10:42.090 April of 1926. According to the timeline, he 00:10:42.090 --> 00:10:44.009 turns around and runs for Iowa's other Senate 00:10:44.009 --> 00:10:47.110 seat, the Class 3 seat. In the exact same year. 00:10:47.250 --> 00:10:49.169 In the general election that takes place in November 00:10:49.169 --> 00:10:52.809 of 1926. He channels his ouster into immediate 00:10:52.809 --> 00:10:55.889 electoral momentum. It's pure revenge. It really 00:10:55.889 --> 00:10:58.529 is. He challenges the establishment, wins the 00:10:58.529 --> 00:11:01.309 primary, wins the general election, and officially 00:11:01.309 --> 00:11:05.240 takes the Class 3 seat in March of 1927. The 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:07.379 psychological dynamics of that return are just 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:09.960 fascinating. Picture the physical environment 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:12.879 of the United States Senate chamber in 1927. 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:16.019 Just visualize it. Daniel F. Steck, the Democrat 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:18.200 who spent two years grinding through a recount 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:21.179 to prove Brookhart was illegitimate, is finally 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:23.259 settling into his hard -won seat. He's finally 00:11:23.259 --> 00:11:27.019 comfortable. And then, mere months later, Brookhart 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:28.820 walks right back through the mahogany doors, 00:11:29.059 --> 00:11:32.279 having secured the state's other seat, and sits 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:34.679 down across the aisle. Hello, Em. For the next 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:37.279 several years, Stack and Brookhart are forced 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:40.019 to represent the state of Iowa together. The 00:11:40.019 --> 00:11:42.259 animosity must have been palpable. It reveals 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:45.039 a profound level of political resilience, but 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:47.059 it also highlights how personalized and localized 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.019 these political battles were. It was personal. 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:51.980 It wasn't just about party platforms. It was 00:11:51.980 --> 00:11:55.120 about individual vindication. You'd think after 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.360 seeing Brookhart claw his way back with such 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.179 ferocity, politicians of that era would treat 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:02.919 a United States Senate seat like the absolute 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:05.500 pinnacle of power. Something you guard with your 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:07.620 life. Something you rush to claim the second 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:09.960 you win it. But scrolling down the document to 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.639 the 1930s and 40s, there is a recurring anomaly 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:15.740 that suggests otherwise. The governor's? It involves 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:18.740 two different men. Clyde L. Herring elected in 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:23.240 1936, and George A. Wilson elected in 1942. Both 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.720 of these men won their Senate campaigns while 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:27.440 they were actively serving as the governor of 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:30.659 Iowa. Which isn't that unusual on its own. The 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:32.759 governor to senator pipeline is structurally 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:35.600 very common. Sure. The executive experience often 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.019 translates well to a statewide federal campaign. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:40.559 But the specific footnotes attached to Herring 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:43.539 and Wilson's entries are highly unusual. The 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:45.440 U .S. Constitution mandates that congressional 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:48.580 terms begin in early January, traditionally January 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.679 3rd, following the passage of the 20th Amendment. 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.460 Right. But the text explicitly notes that both 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:56.149 Herring and Wilson. purposely delayed taking 00:12:56.149 --> 00:12:58.669 their oaths of office in Washington. They just 00:12:58.669 --> 00:13:01.330 didn't go. Herring waited until January 15th, 00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:05.649 1937, and Wilson waited until January 14th, 1943. 00:13:06.509 --> 00:13:08.970 They allowed their newly won federal Senate seats 00:13:08.970 --> 00:13:11.769 to sit empty for nearly two weeks. And their 00:13:11.769 --> 00:13:14.190 reason for this? The stated reason is that they 00:13:14.190 --> 00:13:16.570 wanted to remain governor of Iowa for a few extra 00:13:16.570 --> 00:13:19.450 days to finish out their gubernatorial terms 00:13:19.450 --> 00:13:22.789 to the absolute final hour. If we connect this 00:13:22.789 --> 00:13:25.809 to the bigger picture. It tells us volumes about 00:13:25.809 --> 00:13:28.230 the shifting landscape of American federalism 00:13:28.230 --> 00:13:30.590 and where politicians perceive true power to 00:13:30.590 --> 00:13:33.230 reside. Where the real clout was. Exactly. In 00:13:33.230 --> 00:13:35.370 the modern era, we tend to view the United States 00:13:35.370 --> 00:13:37.669 Senate as the ultimate destination. The top of 00:13:37.669 --> 00:13:39.370 the mountain. It comes with national media visibility, 00:13:39.769 --> 00:13:42.269 massive fundraising networks, and influence over 00:13:42.269 --> 00:13:44.429 trillion -dollar federal budgets. But in the 00:13:44.429 --> 00:13:47.110 1930s and 40s, the balance of power felt very 00:13:47.110 --> 00:13:49.169 different at the local level. Right. As the governor 00:13:49.169 --> 00:13:51.789 of Iowa, you are the undisputed chief executive. 00:13:51.870 --> 00:13:54.590 You are the boss. You command the state's National 00:13:54.590 --> 00:13:57.990 Guard, you have direct appointment power over 00:13:57.990 --> 00:14:00.870 state agencies, you sign or veto legislation, 00:14:01.169 --> 00:14:04.590 and you are the singular focal point of state 00:14:04.590 --> 00:14:07.860 politics. You are running the machine. Precisely. 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:11.080 But the moment you transition to the U .S. Senate, 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.679 especially as a freshman, your direct executive 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:16.500 authority drops to zero. You're just the new 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:19.539 guy. You become one out of 100. You are placed 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.039 at the absolute bottom of the seniority list, 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.500 which dictates your committee assignments, your 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.019 office space, and your ability to bring legislation 00:14:27.019 --> 00:14:29.809 to the floor. It's like going from CEO to the 00:14:29.809 --> 00:14:32.590 mailroom. It really is. By delaying their Senate 00:14:32.590 --> 00:14:35.110 oaths, Herring and Wilson were making a calculated 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:38.570 choice. They prioritized clinging to tangible, 00:14:38.870 --> 00:14:41.549 immediate executive power at the state level 00:14:41.549 --> 00:14:43.990 over the prestige of joining the federal legislative 00:14:43.990 --> 00:14:46.750 branch a few days early. They wanted those last 00:14:46.750 --> 00:14:48.929 two weeks of being in charge. They wanted to 00:14:48.929 --> 00:14:51.769 exercise every last drop of authority as chief 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:53.710 executive before submitting to the institutional 00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:56.059 hierarchy of the Senate. So what does this all 00:14:56.059 --> 00:14:58.340 mean? We have examined states so deadlocked, 00:14:58.340 --> 00:15:01.960 they leave seats vacant for years, legislatures 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.360 boycotting their own elections. Bitter recount 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.879 rivalries. Right, the awkward seat swapping and 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:09.259 governors dragging their feet just to keep their 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:12.539 executive authority. When you step back and look 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:15.100 at the macro level timeline of this Wikipedia 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:17.960 roster, it really tells the story of two entirely 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:20.440 different political ecosystems. A tale of two 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:22.679 eras. There's the era of the revolving door. 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:25.379 and there is the modern era of the iron seat. 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:28.580 The contrast is mathematically stark. When you 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:31.299 analyze the 19th and early 20th century entries, 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.379 the landscape is defined by constant, unpredictable 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:37.389 turnover. Nobody stayed very long. The Senate 00:15:37.389 --> 00:15:40.309 was rarely a terminal career destination. Careers 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:42.350 ended abruptly due to shifting local political 00:15:42.350 --> 00:15:45.210 winds, health crises, or simply better opportunities 00:15:45.210 --> 00:15:47.669 elsewhere. The sheer volume of attrition in those 00:15:47.669 --> 00:15:50.029 early decades is remarkable. You have senators 00:15:50.029 --> 00:15:52.269 who died in office creating sudden vacancies 00:15:52.269 --> 00:15:55.210 figures like John H. Gere in 1900, Jonathan P. 00:15:55.269 --> 00:15:58.629 Dolliver in 1910, and Lewis Murphy in 1936. Just 00:15:58.629 --> 00:16:01.730 sudden stops. You have James W. Grimes resigning 00:16:01.730 --> 00:16:05.870 due to failing health in 1869. But perhaps most 00:16:05.870 --> 00:16:08.690 surprisingly, you have a significant number of 00:16:08.690 --> 00:16:11.409 men who simply resigned because they viewed other 00:16:11.409 --> 00:16:13.549 government roles as more appealing or prestigious 00:16:13.549 --> 00:16:17.009 than the U .S. Senate. They voluntarily left. 00:16:17.870 --> 00:16:20.429 Augustus C. Dodge resigned to accept an appointment 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:22.909 as the U .S. Minister to Spain. Not a bad gig. 00:16:23.809 --> 00:16:26.529 James Harlan, the same man who fought for two 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:28.850 years to get his seat, eventually resigned to 00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:31.250 become the U .S. Secretary of the Interior. A 00:16:31.250 --> 00:16:33.950 path also taken by Samuel J. Kirkwood. Right. 00:16:34.409 --> 00:16:36.710 William S. Kenyon left his Senate seat to become 00:16:36.710 --> 00:16:39.450 a judge on the U .S. Court of Appeals. The Senate 00:16:39.450 --> 00:16:41.970 was frequently treated as a stepping stone. Contrast 00:16:41.970 --> 00:16:44.149 that constant churn with the modern era entries. 00:16:44.409 --> 00:16:46.649 And we are looking at this purely through an 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:49.090 objective statistical lens, setting aside any 00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:51.269 partisan analysis of the state's shift between 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:53.710 Democrats and Republican control over the centuries. 00:16:53.990 --> 00:16:56.250 Just looking at the data. Exactly. The defining 00:16:56.250 --> 00:16:58.470 characteristic of the modern data is incredible 00:16:58.470 --> 00:17:01.129 longevity. People just stay. The prime statistical 00:17:01.129 --> 00:17:04.029 example on this list is Chuck Grassley. The data 00:17:04.029 --> 00:17:06.130 shows he has been serving continuously in his 00:17:06.130 --> 00:17:10.410 class three seat since 1981. Since 1981. Making 00:17:10.410 --> 00:17:12.789 him the longest serving senator in Iowa's history. 00:17:13.009 --> 00:17:15.049 It is a fundamental transformation of the institution. 00:17:15.430 --> 00:17:19.130 In the 1800s, local political machines, sudden 00:17:19.130 --> 00:17:21.789 illnesses, and presidential cabinet appointments 00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:24.509 constantly shuffled the deck of federal representation. 00:17:24.990 --> 00:17:27.690 The timeline was inherently unstable. Today. 00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:31.029 The data clearly shows that once a senator establishes 00:17:31.029 --> 00:17:33.750 a foothold, the statistical likelihood of them 00:17:33.750 --> 00:17:36.890 remaining in that exact seat for decades increases 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:40.009 exponentially. The overwhelming advantage of 00:17:40.009 --> 00:17:42.769 incumbency replaces the chaotic turnover of the 00:17:42.769 --> 00:17:45.049 early centuries. It changes the entire nature 00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:47.390 of how a state interacts with the federal government. 00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:51.190 When turnover is high, a state relies on shifting 00:17:51.190 --> 00:17:55.269 alliances. But when tenure is measured in decades, 00:17:55.650 --> 00:17:58.789 a state relies on accumulated seniority to secure 00:17:58.789 --> 00:18:01.730 influence and federal resources. It completely 00:18:01.730 --> 00:18:04.589 reframes how you look at a simple table of names 00:18:04.589 --> 00:18:07.720 and dates. As we wrap up this analysis, I want 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:10.259 to ask you, the listener, what data points stood 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:12.319 out to you the most? There's a lot to choose 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:14.640 from. We journeyed from a newly admitted state 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:17.859 so paralyzed by factionalism that it couldn't 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:20.440 elect a senator for two years. To the grueling 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:23.319 procedural revenge of Smith W. Brookhart. Oh, 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:25.960 that was incredible. To the calculated delays 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:28.440 of mid -century governors holding onto power. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.079 We promised that looking past the dry dates would 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:33.720 reveal a roadmap of changing American political 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:36.640 behavior. And the turbulent history hidden inside 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:39.420 these Iowa Senate seats proves exactly that. 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:41.819 This raises an important question, though, and 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:43.440 it is a concept I want to leave you to ponder. 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:45.599 OK, well, it's here. If you review the middle 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.339 decades of this roster, particularly the late 00:18:48.339 --> 00:18:51.900 1800s and early 1900s, you will see a high volume 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:54.339 of entries terminating with the phrases lost 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:57.240 renomination or lost reelection. It's everywhere 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:59.720 in those middle years. Incumbents were routinely 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.380 ousted by their own party conventions or defeated 00:19:02.380 --> 00:19:05.359 in general elections. But as you trace the timeline 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:08.380 into the modern era, those phrases largely vanish 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:10.460 from the data. These are gone. Replaced by a 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:12.740 repetitive sequence of reelected, reelected, 00:19:12.740 --> 00:19:15.279 reelected. Right. It invites a provocative thought. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.039 Is the modern overwhelming advantage of political 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:20.759 incumbency making our representation more stable, 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:23.559 reliable, and equipped to navigate complex federal 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:27.359 bureaucracy? Or, by mathematically locking in 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:30.279 politicians for decades, is the modern system 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:33.019 preventing the exact kind of dynamic, unpredictable, 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:36.319 and perhaps necessary political turnover that 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:38.750 defined the first century of our history? That 00:19:38.750 --> 00:19:40.990 is a brilliant structural question to chew on. 00:19:41.069 --> 00:19:44.289 Is decades -long stability a feature of a maturing 00:19:44.289 --> 00:19:47.170 democracy, or is it a bug that stifles new voices? 00:19:47.470 --> 00:19:49.190 It's worth thinking about. That is absolutely 00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:50.970 something you can debate the next time politics 00:19:50.970 --> 00:19:53.289 comes up. Thank you so much for taking this deep 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:55.750 dive with us today. We hope we proved that there 00:19:55.750 --> 00:19:58.150 are incredible narratives of human ambition and 00:19:58.150 --> 00:20:00.809 structural vulnerability hiding in the driest 00:20:00.809 --> 00:20:03.619 of historical sources. If you simply know how 00:20:03.619 --> 00:20:06.940 to read the patterns. Exactly. Keep asking questions, 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.819 keep looking beyond the surface data, and we 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:11.259 will catch you on the next deep dive.