1946 United States Senate elections in Connecticut

1946 United States Senate election in Connecticut

←  1940 November 5, 1946 1950 (special)  →

Nominee Raymond E. Baldwin Joseph M. Tone Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 381,328 276,424 Percentage 55.84% 40.48%

County results Municipality results Baldwin:      50-60%     60-70%     70-80%     80-90%     >90% Tone:      50–60%     60-70%

U.S. senator before election Thomas C. Hart Republican Elected U.S. Senator Raymond E. Baldwin Republican

Two United States Senate elections in Connecticut were held on November 5, 1946, to determine the next United States senator from Connecticut. One election determined who would complete the remainder of deceased Senator Francis T. Maloney's term and the other was for the regularly scheduled term from 1947 to 1953.

Republican governor of Connecticut Raymond E. Baldwin won both elections. In the special election, he defeated former governor Wilbur Cross. In the regularly scheduled election, Baldwin defeated Democratic Assistant Secretary of Labor Joseph Tone.

Background

Senator Maloney died on January 16, 1945. Former Admiral Thomas C. Hart was appointed to serve in his place as Senator until a duly elected successor could be named.

Special election

Candidates

• Raymond Baldwin, Governor of Connecticut (Republican)
• Frederic C. Smedley (Socialist)
• Wilbur L. Cross, former governor of Connecticut (Democratic)

Results

1946 U.S. Senate special election in Connecticut ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Raymond E. Baldwin	378,707	55.77%
	Democratic	Wilbur L. Cross	278,188	40.97%
	Socialist	Frederick C. Smedley	22,164	3.26%
Total votes			679,059	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• John W. Aiken (Socialist Labor)
• Raymond Baldwin, Governor of Connecticut (Republican)
• Frederic C. Smedley (Socialist)
• Joseph Tone, former Assistant Secretary of Labor (Democratic)

Results

1946 U.S. Senate election in Connecticut ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Raymond E. Baldwin	381,328	55.84%
	Democratic	Joseph M. Tone	276,424	40.48%
	Socialist	Frederick C. Smedley	22,012	3.22%
	Socialist Labor	John W. Aiken	3.156	0.46%
Total votes			682,920	100.00%

Aftermath

Senator Hart resigned his seat that day, and Baldwin assumed the seat on December 27. Baldwin himself resigned in December 1949 to join the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors.

References

1. "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate - Special Race - Nov 05, 1946".
2. "1946 Senatorial General Election Results - Connecticut". US Election Atlas. David Leip's Election Atlas. Retrieved April 23, 2022.