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 County results Barkley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Cooper: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Kentucky |
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The 1954 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 1954. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper, who won a 1952 special election to fill the vacant seat of Virgil Chapman, ran for a full term in office but was defeated by Democratic former Senator and Vice President of the United States Alben Barkley.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alben Barkley | 434,109 | 54.46% | |
| Republican | John Sherman Cooper (incumbent) | 362,948 | 45.54% | |
| Total votes | 797,057 | 100.00% | ||
Following his victory, Barkley served a little over a year before dying of a heart attack on April 30, 1956. Cooper won the November special election to succeed him and returned to the Senate.
Alben William Barkley was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th vice president of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under President Harry S. Truman. After 1905, he was elected to local offices and in 1912 U.S. representative. In Congress he was a liberal Democrat, supporting President Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom domestic agenda and foreign policy.
John Sherman Cooper was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elected to two full terms in 1960 and 1966. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to India from 1955 to 1956 and U.S. Ambassador to East Germany from 1974 to 1976. He was the first Republican to be popularly elected to more than one term as a senator from Kentucky and, in both 1960 and 1966, he set records for the largest victory margin for a Kentucky senatorial candidate from either party.
Kenneth Douglas McKellar was an American politician from Tennessee who served as a United States Representative from 1911 until 1917 and as a United States Senator from 1917 until 1953. A Democrat, he served longer in both houses of Congress than anyone else in Tennessee history.
The 1972 United States Senate elections coincided with the landslide re-election of Republican President Richard Nixon. Despite Nixon's landslide victory, Democrats increased their majority by two seats. After the elections, Democrats held 56 seats, and Republicans held 42 seats, with 1 Conservative and 1 independent senator. These were the first elections in which all citizens at least 18 years of age could vote, due to the 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment.
The 1964 United States Senate elections coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority, to a full term. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2022, this was the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which would have hypothetically allowed the Senate Democrats to override a veto, propose constitutional amendments, convict and expel certain officials, or invoke cloture without any votes from Senate Republicans. In practice, however, internal divisions effectively prevented the Democrats from doing so. The Senate election coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.
The 1960 United States Senate elections coincided with the election of John F. Kennedy as president on November 8, 1960. A special election was held on June 28, 1960, for a mid-term vacancy in North Dakota. The Republicans gained two seats at the expense of the Democrats. The Democrats nonetheless retained a commanding lead in the Senate with 64 seats to 36. As Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson was elected Vice President, Mike Mansfield became the new Majority Leader.
The 1956 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the re-election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber unchanged.
The 1954 United States Senate elections was a midterm election in the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. Eisenhower's Republican party lost a net of two seats to the Democratic opposition. This small change was just enough to give Democrats control of the chamber with the support of an Independent who caucused with them.
The 1952 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency by a large margin. The Republicans took control of the senate by managing to make a net gain of two seats, which was reduced to one when Wayne Morse (R-OR) became an independent. The Republicans still held a majority after Morse's switch. This election was the second time in history that the party in power lost their majority and the Senate Majority Leader lost his own re-election bid. In addition, this was the third time, as well as second consecutive, in which a sitting Senate leader lost his seat.
The 1948 United States Senate elections were elections which coincided with the election of Democratic President Harry S. Truman for a full term. Truman had campaigned against an "obstructionist" Congress that had blocked many of his initiatives, and in addition the U.S. economy recovered from the postwar recession of 1946–47 by election day. Thus Truman was rewarded with a Democratic gain of nine seats in the Senate, enough to give them control of the chamber. This was the last time until 2020 that Democrats flipped a chamber of Congress in a Presidential election cycle.
The 83rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1953, until January 3, 1955, during the last two weeks of the Truman administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of Dwight Eisenhower's presidency. It was composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The apportionment of seats in the House was based on the 1950 U.S. Census.
Lawrence Winchester Wetherby was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first of only two governors in state history born in Jefferson County, despite the fact that Louisville is the state's most populous city. The second governor born in Jefferson County is the incumbent governor, Andy Beshear.
Wilson Watkins Wyatt was an American politician who served as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1941 to 1945 and as the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky from 1959 to 1963. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Electoral history of Harry S. Truman, who served as the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), the 34th vice president (1945), and as a United States senator from Missouri (1935–1945)
The 1948 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 2, 1948. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper, who won a 1946 special election to fill the vacant seat of Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler, ran for a full term in office but was defeated by Democratic U.S. Representative Virgil Chapman.
The 1952 United States Senate special election in Kentucky was held on November 4, 1952, to complete the unexpired term of the late Senator Virgil Chapman. Interim Senator Thomas R. Underwood ran to complete the term but was defeated by Republican former Senator John Sherman Cooper.
The 1956 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 6, 1956 to fill the vacant seat left by Alben Barkley. Former Senator John Sherman Cooper was elected to complete the term ending in 1961, defeating Democratic former Governor Lawrence Wetherby.
The 1954 United States Senate special election in California was held on November 2, 1954, to elect a U.S. Senator to complete the unexpired term of Senator Richard Nixon, who resigned on becoming Vice President of the United States following the 1952 presidential election. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel, who had been appointed by Governor Earl Warren, won election to the remainder of the term, defeating Democratic nominee Sam Yorty.
The 1960 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 6, 1960. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper, who won a 1956 special election to fill the vacant seat of Alben Barkley, was elected to a full term in office, defeating Democratic former Governor and Undersecretary of Labor Keen Johnson.
The 1966 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper was elected to a second consecutive term in office, defeating Democrat John Y. Brown Sr. in a rematch of the 1946 special election.
