1953 United States elections

1953 United States elections

← 1951          1952         1953         1954          1955 → Off-year elections
Election day	November 3
Congressional special elections
Seats contested	8
Net seat change	Democratic +2
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	2
Net seat change	Democratic +1
1953 gubernatorial election results map
Legend
Democratic gain   Democratic hold

Elections were held on November 3, 1953. This off-year election involved local, state, and congressional elections.

Congressional Elections

Eight special elections were held to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives. The Democrats gained two seats.

District	Incumbent			This race
	Member	Party	First elected	Results	Candidates
Georgia 2	Edward E. Cox	Democratic	1924	Incumbent member-elect died December 24, 1952. New member elected February 4, 1953. Democratic hold.	▌Y J. L. Pilcher (Democratic) 35.50% ▌ H. Grady Rawls (Democratic) 31.66% ▌ Harry L. Wingate (Democratic) 19.71% ▌ John E. Sheffield Jr. (Democratic) 10.16% [1] Others ▌J. Cheney Robinson (Democratic) 1.17% ▌Lonnie Brookard (Democratic) 1.13%
Virginia 5	Thomas B. Stanley	Democratic	1946	Incumbent resigned February 3, 1953, to run for Governor of Virginia. New member elected April 14, 1953. Democratic hold.	▌Y William M. Tuck (Democratic) 57.81% ▌ Lorne R. Campbell (Republican) 42.19% [2]
South Carolina 4	Joseph R. Bryson	Democratic	1938	Incumbent died March 10, 1953. New member elected June 2, 1953. Democratic hold.	▌Y Robert T. Ashmore (Democratic) 44.15% ▌ Charles C. Moore (Democratic) 36.93% ▌ Robert C. Wasson (Democratic) 10.80% ▌ Francis M. Easterling (Democratic) 5.40% ▌ John F. Barry (Democratic) 1.73% [3]
Illinois 7	Adolph J. Sabath	Democratic	1906	Incumbent member-elect died November 6, 1952. New member elected July 7, 1953. Democratic hold.	▌Y James Bowler (Democratic) 83.50% ▌ Philip J. Boffa (Republican) 16.49% [4]
Kentucky 2	Garrett Withers	Democratic	1952	Incumbent died April 30, 1953. New member elected August 1, 1953. Democratic hold.	▌Y William Natcher (Democratic) Unopposed [5]
Wisconsin 9	Merlin Hull	Republican	1928 1930 (lost) 1934	Incumbent died May 17, 1953. New member elected October 13, 1953. Democratic gain.	▌Y Lester Johnson (Democratic) 56.87% ▌ Arthur L. Padrutt (Republican) 43.13% [6]
New Jersey 6	Clifford P. Case	Republican	1944	Incumbent resigned August 16, 1953 to run for Governor of New Jersey. New member elected November 3, 1953. Democratic gain.	▌Y Harrison A. Williams (Democratic) 50.76% ▌ George F. Hetfield (Republican) 49.24% [7]
California 24	Norris Poulson	Republican	1942 1944 (lost) 1946	Incumbent resigned June 11, 1953, after being elected Mayor of Los Angeles. New member elected November 10, 1953. Republican hold.	▌Y Glenard P. Lipscomb (Republican) 52.28% ▌ George L. Arnold (Democratic) 41.93% ▌ Bud Collier (Republican) 4.40% ▌ Irving Markheim (Democratic) 1.40% [8]

Gubernatorial Elections

Two states, New Jersey and Virginia, held gubernatorial elections in 1953.

State	Incumbent	First elected	Result	Candidates
New Jersey	Alfred E. Driscoll (Republican)	1949	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic gain.	Y Robert B. Meyner (Democratic) 53.2% Paul L. Troast (Republican) 44.7% [9]
Virginia	John S. Battle (Democratic)	1949	Incumbent term-limited. New governor elected. Democratic hold.	Y Thomas B. Stanley (Democratic) 54.8% Ted Dalton (Republican) 44.3% [10]

Local elections

Alongside state and congressional elections, local elections were also held.

• New York City : Robert F. Wagner Jr. was elected mayor with 46.3% of the vote. ^[11]
• Los Angeles : Norris Poulson was elected mayor with 53.23% in the second round vote. ^[12]

References

1. "Our Campaigns - GA District 2 - Special Election Race - Feb 04, 1953". Our Campaigns.
2. "Our Campaigns - VA - District 05 - Special Election Race - Apr 14, 1953". Our Campaigns.
3. "Our Campaigns - SC District 4 - Special Election Race - Jun 02, 1953". Our Campaigns.
4. "Our Campaigns - IL District 7-Special Race - Jul 07, 1953". Our Campaigns.
5. "Our Campaigns - KY District 2 - Special Election Race - Aug 01, 1953". Our Campaigns.
6. "Our Campaigns - WI District 9 - Special Election Race - Oct 13, 1953". Our Campaigns.
7. "Our Campaigns - NJ District 6 - Special Election Race - Nov 03, 1953". Our Campaigns.
8. "Our Campaigns - CA District 24 - Special Election Race - Nov 10, 1953". Our Campaigns.
9. "NJ Governor, 1953". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
10. "VA Governor, 1953". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
11. "New York City Mayoral Election 1953". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
12. "Los Angeles Mayor". Our Campaigns.