1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois

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1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois
Flag of Illinois (1915-1969).svg
  1936 November 5, 1940 1942  
  Charles W. Brooks (Illinois Blue Book Portrait 1941-1942) (cropped).png James M. Slattery (Illinois Blue Book Portrait 1939-1940) (cropped).png
Nominee Charles W. Brooks James M. Slattery
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote2,045,9242,025,097
Percentage50.07%49.56%

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois results map by county.svg
Results by county
Brooks:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Slattery:     50–60%

U.S. senator before election

James M. Slattery
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Charles W. Brooks
Republican

The 1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1940. [1] The election was triggered by the vacancy left by the death in office of Democrat J. Hamilton Lewis. After Lewis' death, James M. Slattery was appointed to fill the seat in the interim period until the individual elected in the special election would be sworn-in. Slattery was the Democratic Party's nominee in the special election. He was defeated by Republican nominee Charles W. Brooks. Brooks' father-in-law, Senator John Thomas of Idaho also won a special election that same day and the two would serve in the Senate together until Thomas' death in 1945.

Contents

Election information

The primaries and general election coincided with those for other federal elections (president and House) and those for state elections. [1]

Primaries were held April 9, 1940. [1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic James M. Slattery (incumbent) 796,036 60.89
Democratic Benjamin S. Adamowski 511,23139.11
Total votes1,307,267 100

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican C. Wayland Brooks 618,857 59.61
Republican Ralph E. Church 419,31540.39
Total votes1,038,172 100

General election

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican C. Wayland Brooks 2,045,924 50.07
Democratic James M. Slattery (incumbent)2,025,09749.56
Prohibition Enoch A. Holtwick 3,8440.21
Socialist Clarence H. Mayer2,2810.16
Write-in Others70.00
Majority20,8270.51
Turnout 4,086,179
Republican gain from Democratic

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "OFFICIAL VOTE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION, NOV. 5, 1940 JUDICIAL ELECTIONS, 1939-1940 PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, APRIL 9, 1940" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  2. "Statistics of the Congressional and Presidential election of November 5, 1940" (PDF). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House. Retrieved November 26, 2014.