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A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Wakefield on 10 December 1938. This was triggered by the death of United Australia MP Charles Hawker.
The election was won by Labor candidate Sydney McHugh from a massive 20 percent two-party swing.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Australia | Richard Layton Butler | 19,591 | 39.3 | -24.1 | |
| Labor | Sydney McHugh | 18,870 | 37.9 | +1.3 | |
| Independent | Percy Quirke | 11,343 | 22.8 | +22.8 | |
| Total formal votes | 49,804 | 97.8 | +1.7 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,114 | 2.2 | −1.7 | ||
| Turnout | 50,918 | 93.6 | −2.9 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Sydney McHugh | 28,255 | 56.7 | +20.1 | |
| United Australia | Richard Layton Butler | 21,549 | 43.3 | -20.1 | |
| Labor gain from United Australia | Swing | +20.1 | |||
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