The events leading up to this situation centered on the deaths of Senator Philander Knox on 12 October 1921 and Boies Penrose on 31 December 1921. William Crow was Seated on 24 October 1921 to succeed Knox for the remaining year of his term. Penrose was replaced on 9 January 1922 by George Wharton Pepper for the term ending at the beginning of 1927.

Crow served for less than 10 months and died on 4 August 1922. He was hastily replaced by David Reed, who was seated on 16 August, less than two months before the expiration of the term. Apparently the leadership of the Pennsylvania Republican Party decided to give Reed a seniority advantage over other senators newly elected in November by having him run twice - once for the full term beginning in March 1923 and once for the few months remaining in Knox's term.

The short term election was largely ignored. The Democrats concentrated their efforts on beating Reed in the full-term election, an exercise in futility at a time when the Republicans had virtually total control of Pennsylvania politics. Reed was opposed for the short term only by third-party candidates and garnered slightly more than 86 percent of the total vote.

There was little notice given of the short term results. A county by county breakdown of the vote was not reported in the newspapers, nor did it appear in the Pennsylvania Manual. The Manual did publish state totals as follows:

David A. Reed - Republican - 860,483
Rachel C. Robinson - Prohibition - 60,390
William J. van Essen - Socialist - 55, 703
Thomas J. Davis - Single Tax - 21,997
Scattered - 287

Pennsylvania Senatorial Election Returns 1922 (Full Term)

County	Total Vote	Republican	Democratic	Plurality	Winner	Socialist	Prohibition	Progressive	Single Tax	Pct Rep	Pct Dem	Pct Other
		David A. Reed	Samuel E. Shull			Charles Sehl	Rachel C. Robinson	William J. Burke	Charles J. Schoales
Pennsylvania	1431444	802146	423583	378563	R	33004	41935	127180	3596	56.04	29.59	14.37
Adams	8527	3583	4690	-1107	D	43	126	75	10	42.02	55.00	2.98
Allegheny	128503	72843	19391	53452	D	5555	5656	24568	490	56.69	15.09	28.22
Armstrong	8883	5084	2690	2394	R	144	437	513	15	57.23	30.28	12.48
Beaver	12342	6655	3447	3208	D	495	696	987	62	53.92	27.93	18.15
Bedford	8231	4404	3171	1233	R	127	157	363	9	53.51	38.53	7.97
Berks	39189	13917	19789	-5872	D	3939	497	986	61	35.51	50.50	13.99
Blair	18433	9113	4630	4483	R	206	628	3756	100	49.44	25.12	25.44
Bradford	11291	6514	1922	4592	R	54	1023	1742	36	57.69	17.02	25.29
Bucks	17268	9883	6591	3292	R	175	295	307	17	57.23	38.17	4.60
Butler	11407	6387	2956	3431	R	126	908	1001	29	55.99	25.91	18.09
Cambria	27149	13846	9128	4718	D	752	855	2396	172	51.00	33.62	15.38
Cameron	1512	841	375	466	R	7	81	204	4	55.62	24.80	19.58
Carbon	13354	5214	5921	-707	D	262	109	1832	16	39.04	44.34	16.62
Centre	11037	5290	4988	302	R	92	428	229	10	47.93	45.19	6.88
Chester	22603	13378	7984	5394	R	126	535	537	43	59.19	35.32	5.49
Clarion	7239	2847	3587	-740	D	86	352	356	11	39.33	49.55	11.12
Clearfield	14431	6324	5318	1006	D	394	986	1364	45	43.82	36.85	19.33
Clinton	6005	2290	1852	438	R	95	272	1480	16	38.13	30.84	31.02
Columbia	10227	3547	5727	-2180	D	42	581	305	25	34.68	56.00	9.32
Crawford	12178	6130	3935	2195	R	214	1053	816	30	50.34	32.31	17.35
Cumberland	18294	7059	9997	-2938	R	83	429	709	17	38.59	54.65	6.77
Dauphin	35123	17325	12994	4331	R	527	712	3517	48	49.33	37.00	13.68
Delaware	26513	19276	5402	13874	R	304	648	802	81	72.70	20.37	6.92
Elk	5974	3872	1148	2724	R	91	299	543	21	64.81	19.22	15.97
Erie	19550	11854	3846	8008	D	771	1206	1784	89	60.63	19.67	19.69
Fayette	24234	11027	8169	2858	D	1336	696	2975	31	45.50	33.71	20.79
Forest	1372	720	353	367	R	38	215	44	2	52.48	25.73	21.79
Franklin	13057	6237	6146	91	R	75	302	282	15	47.77	47.07	5.16
Fulton	2890	1082	1770	-688	D	6	24	5	3	37.44	61.25	1.31
Greene	7163	2553	4386	-1833	D	25	130	60	9	35.64	61.23	3.13
Huntingdon	6335	3613	1849	1764	R	71	205	579	18	57.03	29.19	13.78
Indiana	8917	4899	2121	2778	R	234	1012	621	30	54.94	23.79	21.27
Jefferson	9712	4801	2955	1846	R	269	424	1245	18	49.43	30.43	20.14
Juniata	3310	1504	1639	-135	D	17	54	92	4	45.44	49.52	5.05
Lackawanna	45743	22116	12130	9986	D	406	804	10131	156	48.35	26.52	25.13
Lancaster	60573	33950	24221	9729	R	219	496	1626	61	56.05	39.99	3.97
Lawrence	10030	5463	1728	3735	D	300	1082	1428	29	54.47	17.23	28.31
Lebanon	8939	5219	3090	2129	R	157	207	243	23	58.38	34.57	7.05
Lehigh	24750	12092	10501	1591	D	536	303	1269	49	48.86	42.43	8.72
Luzerne	64477	27746	19001	8745	R	1020	1117	15180	413	43.03	29.47	27.50
Lycoming	13953	5786	5200	586	R	404	1197	1324	42	41.47	37.27	21.26
McKean	7827	4242	1801	2441	R	146	918	701	19	54.20	23.01	22.79
Mercer	13743	6933	3821	3112	R	386	1433	1148	22	50.45	27.80	21.75
Mifflin	4256	2125	1821	304	R	90	105	108	7	49.93	42.79	7.28
Monroe	7057	1679	4977	-3298	D	25	116	249	11	23.79	70.53	5.68
Montgomery	34751	22519	10568	11951	R	532	403	644	85	64.80	30.41	4.79
Montour	3404	1375	1789	-414	D	20	127	82	11	40.39	52.56	7.05
Northampton	23172	9714	11540	-1826	D	295	426	1136	61	41.92	49.80	8.28
Northumberland	21239	8596	9227	-631	D	623	829	1913	51	40.47	43.44	16.08
Perry	6688	3277	3099	178	R	15	69	215	13	49.00	46.34	4.67
Philadelphia	317580	240068	52917	187151	R	5659	2401	16019	516	75.59	16.66	7.74
Pike	2600	952	1485	-533	D	22	36	102	3	36.62	57.12	6.27
Potter	4767	2346	1610	736	R	90	216	495	10	49.21	33.77	17.01
Schuylkill	42781	18766	15044	3722	R	859	753	7277	82	43.87	35.17	20.97
Snyder	3509	2126	1207	919	R	36	76	47	17	60.59	34.40	5.02
Somerset	9339	5456	2171	3285	R	239	500	949	24	58.42	23.25	18.33
Sullivan	2742	1360	1128	232	R	12	140	99	3	49.60	41.14	9.26
Susquehanna	6219	3824	1023	2801	R	67	291	1009	5	61.49	16.45	22.06
Tioga	5145	3584	749	2835	R	40	587	168	17	69.66	14.56	15.78
Union	3906	2316	1285	1031	R	20	129	148	8	59.29	32.90	7.81
Venango	7966	4372	1949	2423	R	119	789	720	17	54.88	24.47	20.65
Warren	7683	4352	2224	2128	R	123	787	178	19	56.64	28.95	14.41
Washington	19103	10129	5931	4198	D	687	776	1524	56	53.02	31.05	15.93
Wayne	6354	3566	2216	1350	R	71	287	192	22	56.12	34.88	9.00
Westmoreland	32343	15809	9312	6497	D	2269	1609	3231	113	48.88	28.79	22.33
Wyoming	3709	2090	1318	772	R	20	189	82	10	56.35	35.54	8.12
York	32843	14286	16633	-2347	D	716	706	468	34	43.50	50.64	5.86

Source: The Pennsylvania Manual, 1923-1924, p. 548.
41 "scattering" votes also reported with no county breakdown.