1950 United States Senate election in Illinois

1950 United States Senate election in Illinois

←  1944 November 7, 1950 1956  →

Nominee Everett M. Dirksen Scott W. Lucas Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,951,984 1,657,630 Percentage 53.88% 45.76%

County results Dirksen:     40–50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80% Lucas:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

Senator before election Scott W. Lucas Democratic Elected Senator Everett M. Dirksen Republican

The United States Senate election in Illinois of 1950 was held on November 7, 1950 ^[1] to elect one of Illinois's members to the United States Senate. Republican Everett Dirksen defeated incumbent Democratic Senator and Senate Majority Leader Scott W. Lucas, who had been seeking a third term.

Dirksen carried 82 of the state's 102 counties. ^[1] Among the 88 counties that Dirksen won was the state's most populous county, Cook County, in which Dirksen won with 50.01% to Lucas' 49.60%. ^[1] Despite losing in Cook County, Lucas performed better in the county than he did in the cumulative vote of the remaining 101 counties, ^[1] where Dirksen won 57.56% to Lucas' 42.13%. ^[1] 54.54% of the votes cast in the election were from Cook County. ^[1]

Lucas was the second-ever Senate leader to lose re-election, and the only one to do so while his party retained the majority. Coincidently, Dirksen himself later became the Republican Senate leader in 1959. This election was the only one where both candidates became Senate Party Leaders until the 2004 United States Senate election in South Dakota.

Background

The primaries and general election coincided with those for House and state elections.

Primaries were held on April 11. ^[1]

Primaries

Democratic primary

Democratic primary ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas (incumbent)	768,801	100
	Write-in	Others	7	0.00
Total votes			768,808	100

Republican primary

Republican primary ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Everett McKinley Dirksen	545,028	73.46
	Republican	William J. Baker	149,286	20.12
	Republican	Lar Daly	47,668	6.43
	Write-in	Others	2	0.00
Total votes			741,984	100

Results

General election ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Everett McKinley Dirksen	1,951,984	53.88
	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas (incumbent)	1,657,630	45.76
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	13,050	0.36
	Write-in	Others	9	0.00
Total votes			3,622,673	100

See also

• 1950 United States Senate elections

References

1. "OFFICIAL VOTE of the STATE OF ILLINOIS Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION, November 7, 1950 JUDICIAL ELECTION, 1950, PRIMARY ELECTION General Primary, April 11, 1950" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2020.