1948 United States Senate elections

1948 United States Senate elections

← 1946 November 2, 1948 1950 →
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley (retired) Ken Wherry Party Democratic Republican Leader since July 22, 1937 January 3, 1949 Leader's seat Kentucky Nebraska Seats before 45 51 Seats after 54 42 Seat change 9 9 Popular vote 13,056,944 9,764,384 Percentage 56.5% 42.3% Swing 14.5% 11.7% Seats up 15 18 Races won 24 9
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Wallace White Republican Elected Majority Leader Scott Lucas Democratic

The 1948 United States Senate elections were elections which coincided with the election of Democratic President Harry S. Truman for a full term. Truman had campaigned against an "obstructionist" Congress that had blocked many of his initiatives, and in addition the U.S. economy recovered from the postwar recession of 1946–47 by election day. Thus Truman was rewarded with a Democratic gain of nine seats in the Senate, enough to give them control of the chamber.^[1][2]

Results summary[edit]

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Last elections (1946) Before these elections		45	51	0	96
Not up		30	33	0	63
Up		15	18	0	33
	Class 2 (1942→1948)	14	18	0	32
	Special: Class 3	1	0	—	1
Incumbent retired		3	5	—	8
	Held by same party	3	4	—	7
	Replaced by other party	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat		—	1
	Result	4	4	0	8
Incumbent ran		12	13	—	25
	Won re-election	10	5	—	17
	Lost re-election	8 Republicans replaced by 8 Democrats		—	8
	Lost renomination but held by same party	2	0	—	2
	Result	20	5	0	25
Total elected		24	9	0	33
Net change		9	9		9
Nationwide vote		13,056,944	9,764,384	269,669	23,090,997
	Share	56.55%	42.29%	1.17%	100%
Result		54	42	0	96

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[3]

Gains and losses[edit]

In addition to gaining an open seat in Oklahoma, the Democrats defeated eight Republican incumbents:

1. C. Douglass Buck (R-DE)
2. Henry Dworshak (R-ID)
3. Charles W. Brooks (R-IL)
4. George A. Wilson (R-IA)
5. John Sherman Cooper (R-KY)
6. Joseph H. Ball (R-MN)
7. Chapman Revercomb (R-WV)
8. Edward V. Robertson (R-WY)

Change in composition[edit]

Before the elections[edit]

Election results[edit]

Race summaries[edit]

Special elections during the 80th Congress[edit]

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1948 or before January 3, 1949; ordered by election date.

Elections leading to the next Congress[edit]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1949; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Alabama[edit]

Alabama election

← 1946 (special) November 2, 1948 1954 →

Nominee John Sparkman Paul G. Parsons Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 185,534 35,341 Percentage 84.00% 16.00%

U.S. senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sparkman Democratic

Arkansas[edit]

Colorado[edit]

Colorado election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Ed Johnson Will Nicholson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 340,719 165,059 Percentage 66.79% 32.36%

U.S. senator before election Edwin C. Johnson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson Democratic

Delaware[edit]

Georgia[edit]

Idaho[edit]

Illinois[edit]

Illinois election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Paul Douglas Charles W. Brooks Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,147,754 1,740,026 Percentage 55.07% 44.61%

County Results Douglas:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:       Brooks:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Charles W. Brooks Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Douglas Democratic

Iowa[edit]

Kansas[edit]

Kentucky[edit]

Louisiana[edit]

Louisiana (Regular)[edit]

Louisiana (Special)[edit]

Maine[edit]

Maine election

← 1942 September 13, 1948 1954 →

Nominee Margaret Chase Smith Adrian Scolten Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 159,182 64,074 Percentage 71.30% 28.70%

U.S. senator before election Wallace H. White Jr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Republican

Massachusetts[edit]

Massachusetts election

← 1944 (Special) 1954 →

Nominee Leverett Saltonstall John I. Fitzgerald Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,088,475 954,398 Percentage 52.95% 46.43%

Senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican

Michigan[edit]

Minnesota[edit]

Minnesota election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Hubert H. Humphrey Joseph H. Ball Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 729,494 485,801 Percentage 59.78% 39.81%

County results Humphrey:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ball:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Joseph H. Ball Republican Elected U.S. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey Democratic (DFL)

Mississippi[edit]

Montana[edit]

Montana election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee James E. Murray Tom J. Davis Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 125,193 94,458 Percentage 56.65% 42.74%

U.S. senator before election James E. Murray Democratic Elected U.S. Senator James E. Murray Democratic

Incumbent United States Senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936 and 1942, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he faced Tom J. Davis, an attorney and the Republican nominee, in the general election. Following a narrow re-election in 1936, Murray significantly expanded his margin of victory and comfortably won re-election over Davis, winning his fourth term and his third full term in the Senate.

Nebraska[edit]

New Hampshire[edit]

New Jersey[edit]

New Jersey election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Robert C. Hendrickson Archibald S. Alexander Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 934,720 884,414 Percentage 49.99% 47.30%

County Results Hendrickson:      40–50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Alexander:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Albert Hawkes Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert C. Hendrickson Republican

New Mexico[edit]

North Carolina[edit]

There were 2 elections to the same seat, due to the December 15, 1946 death of three-term Democrat Josiah Bailey. Democratic former congressman William B. Umstead was appointed December 18, 1946 to continue Bailey's term, pending a special election.

Umstead supported the conservative Taft-Hartley Act. The Democratic former Governor of North Carolina J. Melville Broughton was seen as a "rather liberal alternative" to Umstead. Broughton beat Umstead in the Democratic primaries and then won the general elections.

North Carolina (Special)[edit]

North Carolina (Regular)[edit]

Broughton was seated December 31, 1948 to finish the current term but died March 6, 1949, just after the new term began. His death lead to another appointment (Democrat Frank Graham) in 1949 and another special election in 1950 of Democrat Willis Smith. Smith also died during the term, leading to yet another appointment (Democrat Alton A. Lennon) and 1954 special election (of Democrat W. Kerr Scott). In all, five senators held the seat during the 1949–1955 term.

Oklahoma[edit]

Oregon[edit]

Rhode Island[edit]

South Carolina[edit]

Senator Burnet R. Maybank was opposed in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan Dorn and three other candidates. Maybank obtained over 50% in the primary election on August 10 to avoid a runoff election.

Since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the Democratic Party dominated the politics of South Carolina and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Maybank did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.

South Dakota[edit]

Tennessee[edit]

Texas[edit]

Texas election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Lyndon B. Johnson Jack Porter Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 702,985 349,665 Percentage 66.22% 32.94%

U.S. senator before election W. Lee O'Daniel Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic

Virginia[edit]

Virginia election

← 1946 November 2, 1948 1954 →

Nominee Absalom Willis Robertson Robert H. Woods Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 253,865 118,546 Percentage 65.7% 30.7%

U.S. senator before election Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Absalom Willis Robertson defeated Republican Robert H. Woods and was re-elected to his first full term in office.

West Virginia[edit]

Wyoming[edit]

See also[edit]

• 1948 United States elections
  • 1948 United States presidential election
  • 1948 United States House of Representatives elections
• 80th United States Congress
• 81st United States Congress

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Hartley, Robert E. Battleground 1948: Truman, Stevenson, Douglas, and the Most Surprising Election in Illinois History (Southern Illinois University Press; 2013)