1954 United States Senate special election in New Hampshire

1954 United States Senate special election in New Hampshire

←  1950 November 2, 1954 1956  →

Nominee Norris Cotton Stanley J. Betley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 114,068 75,490 Percentage 60.18% 39.82%

County results Cotton:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Betley:     50–60%

U.S. senator before election Robert W. Upton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Norris Cotton Republican

The 1954 United States Senate special election in New Hampshire took place on November 2, 1954, to elect a U.S. Senator to complete the unexpired term of Senator Charles W. Tobey, who died on July 24, 1953. Former President of the New Hampshire Bar Association Robert W. Upton was appointed on August 14, 1953 by Governor Hugh Gregg to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held.

Upton was defeated in the Republican primary by Congressman Norris Cotton, who went on to defeat Democratic nominee Stanley J. Betley.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on September 14, 1954.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Stanley J. Betley, State Representative ^[1]
• Laurence M. Pickett, Mayor of Keene ^[1]

Results

Democratic primary results ^{[2] [3]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stanley J. Betley	12,486	54.89
	Democratic	Laurence M. Pickett	10,262	45.11
Total votes			22,748	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Norris Cotton, incumbent U.S. Representative
• Wesley Powell, attorney, ^[1] independent candidate for U.S. Senator in 1950
• Robert W. Upton, incumbent U.S. Senator

Results

Republican primary results ^{[4] [5]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norris Cotton	29.761	40.63
	Republican	Robert W. Upton	23,778	32.47
	Republican	Wesley Powell	19,704	26.90
Total votes			73,243	100.00

General election

Results

1954 United States Senate special election in New Hampshire ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norris Cotton	114,068	60.18
	Democratic	Stanley J. Betley	75,490	39.82
Majority			38,578	20.36
Turnout			189,558
	Republican hold

See also

• 1954 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Cotton Beats Upton In New Hampshire Senatorial Race". Evening star. Washington, D.C. September 15, 1954. p. A-3. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
2. Manual for the General Court 1955, p. 305.
3. "NH US Senate, 1954 - Special D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
4. Manual for the General Court 1955, p. 304.
5. "NH US Senate, 1954 - Special R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
6. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 92.
7. "NH US Senate, 1954 - Special Election". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
8. Manual for the General Court 1955, p. 408.
9. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (October 15, 1955). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 1954" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.

Bibliography

• Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN   1-56802-248-4.
• Fuller, Enoch D., ed. (1955). Manual for the General Court of New Hampshire. Vol. 34. Concord, NH: Department of State, New Hampshire.