the race with 50.3% of the vote to Beckham's 49.7%. During his only term in the Senate, Beckham served alongside three other U.S. senators from Kentucky: Ollie M. James, George B. Martin, and Augustus O. Stanley. Later life After his term in the Senate ended, Beckham resumed his legal practice in Louisville. He sought another term as governor in 1927. This time, he had the support of the Louisville Courier-Journal, which had been purchased by his ally, Robert W. Bingham. He was opposed by a powerful political machine, known as the Jockey Club, whose main interest was securing legislation to allow parimutuel betting at the state's horse racetracks. The Jockey Club ran a candidate in both parties' primary elections. In the Democratic primary, Beckham defeated the Club's relatively-obscure candidate, Robert T. Crowe. Flem D. Sampson, the Club's nominee in the Republican primary, won his party's nomination. In the general election, Beckham could not secure the support of Democratic Governor William J. Fields, who had been elected with the help of the Jockey Club. Despite the Democrats winning every other contest on the ballot, including the race for lieutenant governor, Beckham lost to Sampson by more than 32,000 votes, with voting fraud suspected but never proved. It was estimated that the Club spent over $500,000 to defeat him. Beckham was expected to be the Democrats' nominee for governor in 1935, but the death of his son in late 1934 had left him distraught, and his wife was opposed to another campaign. The Democrats turned to A. B. "Happy" Chandler, of Henderson, who won the election. Beckham supported Chandler's bid, and in return, Chandler appointed him to the Kentucky Public Service Commission in 1936. Beckham also served on the Department of Business Regulations Commission and chaired the State Government Reorganization Commission. Beckham attempted to return to the Senate in 1936. The head of the Jockey Club, James B. Brown, had lost his fortune and influence when his banking empire crashed in 1930. In 1933, Beckham's ally, Bingham, had been appointed ambassador to the Court of St. James's, in London, increasing his prominence and his influence. Beckham also enjoyed the support of the United Mine Workers and Louisville Mayor Neville Miller. The race was complicated, however, by the entry of John Y. Brown, a U.S. Democratic Representative and former Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He had agreed to support Chandler's bid