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32 [1] of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results including special elections Democratic gains Democratic holds Republican holds Republican gains | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections of 1950 occurred in the middle of Harry S. Truman's second term as President. As with most 20th-century second-term mid-terms, the party out of the Presidency made significant gains. The Republican opposition made a net gain of five seats, taking advantage of the Democratic administration's declining popularity during the Cold War and the aftermath of the Recession of 1949. The Democrats held a narrow 49 to 47 seat majority after the election. This became the first time since 1932 that the Senate Majority Leader lost his seat and the only instance where the majority leader lost his seat while his party retained the majority.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after serving as vice president. He implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, and established the Truman Doctrine and NATO.
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party.
The Republicans defeated four incumbent Democrats:
Republicans also won two open seats:
Democrats defeated one incumbent Republican:
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | ||
D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 |
D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 |
D38 Ran | D37 Ran | D36 Ran | D35 Ran | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | D29 |
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D39 Ran | D40 Ran | D41 Ran | D42 Ran | D43 Ran | D44 Ran | D45 Ran | D46 Ran | D47 Ran | D48 Ran |
Majority → | D49 Ran | ||||||||
R39 Ran | R40 Ran | R41 Ran | R42 Retired | D54 Retired | D53 Retired | D52 Ran | D51 Ran | D50 Ran | |
R38 Ran | R37 Ran | R36 Ran | R35 Ran | R34 Ran | R33 Ran | R32 Ran | R31 Ran | R30 | R29 |
R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 | R25 | R26 | R27 | R28 |
R18 | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 |
D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | D6 | D7 | D8 | ||
D18 | D17 | D16 | D15 | D14 | D13 | D12 | D11 | D10 | D9 |
D19 | D20 | D21 | D22 | D23 | D24 | D25 | D26 | D27 | D28 |
D38 Re-elected | D37 Re-elected | D36 Re-elected | D35 Re-elected | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | D29 |
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D39 Re-elected | D40 Re-elected | D41 Re-elected | D42 Re-elected | D43 Re-elected | D44 Re-elected | D45 Re-elected | D46 Hold | D47 Hold | D48 Hold |
Majority → | D49 Gain | ||||||||
R39 Re-elected | R40 Re-elected | R41 Hold | R42 Hold | R43 Gain | R44 Gain | R45 Gain | R46 Gain | R47 Gain | |
R38 Re-elected | R37 Re-elected | R36 Re-elected | R35 Re-elected | R34 Re-elected | R33 Re-elected | R32 Re-elected | R31 Re-elected | R30 | R29 |
R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 | R25 | R26 | R27 | R28 |
R18 | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 |
Key: |
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In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1950 or before January 3, 1951; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Connecticut (Class 1) | William Benton | Democratic | 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected November 7, 1950. | √ William Benton (Democratic) 49.2% Prescott S. Bush (Republican) 49.1% |
Idaho (Class 2) | Henry C. Dworshak | Republican | 1946 (Special) 1948 (Lost) 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee elected November 7, 1950. | √ Henry C. Dworshak (Republican) 51.9% Claude J. Burtenshaw (Democratic) 48.1% |
Kansas (Class 3) | Harry Darby | Republican | 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired November 28, 1950 when successor's election was certified. Successor elected November 7, 1950. Republican hold. Winner was also elected to finish the term, see below. | √ Frank Carlson (Republican) 55.2% Paul Aiken (Democratic) 44.8% |
Kentucky (Class 3) | Garrett L. Withers | Democratic | 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee resigned to trigger special election. Successor elected November 7, 1950. Democratic hold. Winner was also elected to finish the term, see below. | √ Earle C. Clements (Democratic) 54.4% Charles I. Dawson (Republican) 45.6% |
North Carolina (Class 2) | Frank Porter Graham | Democratic | 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee lost nomination to finish term. Winner elected November 7, 1950. Democratic hold. | √ Willis Smith (Democratic) 67.0% E. L. Gavin (Republican) 32.6% |
Rhode Island (Class 1) | Edward L. Leahy | Democratic | 1949 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 7, 1950. Democratic hold. | √ John O. Pastore (Democratic) 61.6% Austin T. Levy (Republican) 38.4% |
In these general elections, the winner was seated on January 3, 1951; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
Alabama | Lister Hill | Democratic | 1938 (Appointed) 1938 (Special) 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Lister Hill (Democratic) 76.5% John G. Crommelin, Jr. (Independent) 23.5% |
Arizona | Carl Hayden | Democratic | 1926 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Carl Hayden (Democratic) 62.8% Bruce Brockett (Republican) 37.2% |
Arkansas | J. William Fulbright | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ J. William Fulbright (Democratic) Unopposed |
California | Sheridan Downey | Democratic | 1938 1944 | Incumbent ran, but then retired due to ill health. New senator elected. Republican gain. Incumbent resigned November 30, 1950 due to ill health and the winner was appointed December 1, 1950 to finish the therm. | √ Richard M. Nixon (Republican) 59.2% Helen Gahagan Douglas (Democratic) 40.8% |
Colorado | Eugene D. Millikin | Republican | 1941 (Appointed) 1942 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Eugene D. Millikin (Republican) 53.3% John A. Carroll (Democratic) 46.8% |
Connecticut | Brien McMahon | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Brien McMahon (Democratic) 51.7% Joseph E. Talbot (Republican) 46.6% |
Florida | Claude Pepper | Democratic | 1936 (Special) 1938 1944 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. [2] | √ George A. Smathers (Democratic) 76.2% John P. Booth (Republican) 23.7% |
Georgia | Walter F. George | Democratic | 1922 (Special) 1926 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Walter F. George (Democratic) Unopposed |
Idaho | Glen H. Taylor | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican gain. | √ Herman Welker (Republican) 61.7% D. Worth Clark (Democratic) 38.3% |
Illinois | Scott W. Lucas | Democratic | 1938 1944 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain. | √ Everett M. Dirksen (Republican) 53.9% Scott W. Lucas (Democratic) 45.8% |
Indiana | Homer E. Capehart | Republican | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Homer E. Capehart (Republican) 52.8% Alex Campbell (Democratic) 46.4% |
Iowa | Bourke B. Hickenlooper | Republican | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Bourke B. Hickenlooper (Republican) 54.8% Albert J. Loveland (Democratic) 44.7% |
Kansas | Harry Darby | Republican | 1949 (Appointed) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above. | √ Frank Carlson (Republican) 54.3% Paul Aiken (Democratic) 43.8% |
Kentucky | Garrett L. Withers | Democratic | 1949 (Appointed) | Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent resigned to trigger special election and winner was also elected to finish the current term, see above. | √ Earle C. Clements (Democratic) 54.2% Charles I. Dawson (Republican) 45.1% |
Louisiana | Russell B. Long | Democratic | 1948 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Russell B. Long (Democratic) 87.7% Charles S. Gerth (Republican) 12.3% |
Maryland | Millard E. Tydings | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain. | √ John M. Butler (Republican) 53.0% Millard E. Tydings (Democratic) 46.0% |
Missouri | Forrest C. Donnell | Republican | 1944 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain. | √ Thomas C. Hennings, Jr. (Democratic) 53.6% Forrest C. Donnell (Republican) 46.4% |
Nevada | Patrick A. McCarran | Democratic | 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Patrick A. McCarran (Democratic) 58.0% George E. Marshall (Republican) 42.0% |
New Hampshire | Charles W. Tobey | Republican | 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Charles W. Tobey (Republican) 55.7% Emmet J. Kelley (Democratic) 38.0% Wesley Powell (Independent) 6.3% |
New York | Herbert H. Lehman | Democratic | 1926 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Herbert H. Lehman (Democratic) 50.3% Joe R. Hanley (Republican) 45.3% |
North Carolina | Clyde R. Hoey | Democratic | 1932 1932 (Special) 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Clyde R. Hoey (Democratic) 68.7% Halsey B. Leavitt (Republican) 31.3% |
North Dakota | Milton R. Young | Republican | 1945 (Appointed) 1946 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Milton R. Young (Republican) 67.6% Harry O'Brien (Democratic) 32.4% |
Ohio | Robert A. Taft | Republican | 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Robert A. Taft (Republican) 57.5% Joseph T. Ferguson (Democratic) 42.5% |
Oklahoma | Elmer Thomas | Democratic | 1926 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. | √ A. S. Mike Monroney (Democratic) 54.8% W. H. Bill Alexander (Republican) 45.2% |
Oregon | Wayne Morse | Republican | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Wayne Morse (Republican) 74.8% Howard Latourette (Democratic) 23.2% |
Pennsylvania | Francis J. Myers | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain. | √ James H. Duff (Republican) 51.3% Francis J. Myers (Democratic) 47.7% |
South Carolina | Olin B. Johnston | Democratic | 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Olin B. Johnston (Democratic) Unopposed |
South Dakota | Chandler Gurney | Republican | 1938 1944 | Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican hold. | √ Francis Case (Republican) 63.9% John A. Engel (Democratic) 36.1% |
Utah | Elbert D. Thomas | Democratic | 1932 1938 1944 | Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain. | √ Wallace F. Bennett (Republican) 53.9% Elbert D. Thomas (Democratic) 45.8% |
Vermont | George D. Aiken | Republican | 1940 (Special) 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ George D. Aiken (Republican) 78.0% James E. Bigelow (Democratic) 22.0% |
Washington | Warren G. Magnuson | Democratic | 1944 (Appointed) 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Warren G. Magnuson (Democratic) 53.4% Walter Williams (Republican) 46.0% |
Wisconsin | Alexander Wiley | Republican | 1938 1944 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Alexander Wiley (Republican) 53.3% Thomas E. Fairchild (Democratic) 46.2% Edwin Knappe (Socialist) 0.4% |
There were no elections in 1951 to the 82nd Congress.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Hayden ran for re-election to a fifth term, defeating Republican nominee Bruce Brockett in the general election. Brockett was formerly the Republican nominee for governor in both 1946 and 1948.
Carl Trumbull Hayden was an American politician and the first United States Senator to serve seven terms. Serving as Arizona's first Representative for eight terms before entering the Senate, Hayden set the record for longest-serving member of the United States Congress more than a decade before his retirement from politics. The longtime Dean of the United States Senate served as its president pro tempore and chairman of both its Rules and Administration and Appropriations committees. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Carl T. Hayden, incumbent U.S. Senator | 95,544 | 70.97% | |
Democratic | Cecil H. Miller, Arizona Farm Bureau | 24,340 | 18.08% | |
Democratic | Robert E. Miller, candidate for U.S. Senate in 1938, 1940 | 14,752 | 10.96% | |
Total votes | 134,636 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Carl T. Hayden | 116,246 | 62.80% | ||
Republican | Bruce Brockett, Republican nominee for governor in 1946, 1948 | 68,846 | 37.20% | ||
Majority | 47,400 | 25.60% | |||
Turnout | 185,092 | ||||
Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Democratic incumbent Senator Claude Pepper lost renomination May 2, 1950 to George A. Smathers, who easily won the general election. [2]
Claude Denson Pepper was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. He represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 to 1951 and the Miami area in the United States House of Representatives from 1963 until 1989.
The Socialist Workers state convention met on July 9, and nominated Joseph Hansen for the U.S. Senate. [5]
The Socialist Workers Party (SWP) is a communist party in the United States. Originally a group in the Communist Party USA that supported Leon Trotsky against Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, it places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba. The SWP publishes The Militant, a weekly newspaper that dates back to 1928. It also maintains Pathfinder Press.
The American Labor state convention met on September 6 and nominated W.E.B. DuBois for the U.S. Senate. [6]
The American Labor Party (ALP) was a political party in the United States established in 1936 which was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party of America who had established themselves as the Social Democratic Federation (SDF). The party was intended to parallel the role of the British Labour Party, serving as an umbrella organization to unite New York social democrats of the SDF with trade unionists who would otherwise support candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties.
The Republican state convention met on September 7 at Saratoga Springs, New York. They re-nominated Lieutenant Governor Joe R. Hanley for the U.S. Senate. [7]
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 200 years.
The Democratic state convention met on September 7 at Rochester, New York, and re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Herbert H. Lehman [8]
The Liberal state convention met on September 6 and 7 at the Statler Hotel in New York City, and endorsed Democratic nominee Lehman. [9]
Although almost the whole Republican statewide ticket was elected in a landslide, only the Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator, Ex-Governor Herbert H. Lehman, managed to stay in office.
Republican ticket | Democratic ticket | Liberal ticket | American Labor ticket | Socialist Workers ticket | Industrial Government ticket | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe R. Hanley | 2,367,353 | Herbert H. Lehman | 2,319,719 | Herbert H. Lehman | 312,594 | W. E. B. Du Bois | 205,729 | Joseph Hansen | 13,340 | Stephen Emery | 7,559 |
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 2019, this is 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, convict and expel certain officials, or invoke cloture without any votes from Republicans. The Senate election coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.
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 the Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained back two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber remained unchanged.
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.
The 1946 United States Senate elections were held November 5, 1946, in the middle of Democratic President Harry S. Truman's first term.
The United States Senate elections of 1944 coincided with the re-election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to his fourth term as President. The Democrats' large majority remained the same, but they lost one seat to the Republicans in a special election.
Although the 17th Amendment was not passed until 1913, some states elected their Senators directly before its passage. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.
The 1958 New York state election was held on November 4, 1958, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1974 New York state election was held on November 5, 1974, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, two judges of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1966 New York state election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General and the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. Besides, 15 delegates-at-large to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1967 were elected on the state ticket, and three delegates each in the 57 senatorial districts.
The 1962 New York state election was held on November 6, 1962, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1950 New York state election was held on November 7, 1950, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General and a U.S. Senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1946 New York state election was held on November 5, 1946, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, a U.S. Senator, the Chief Judge and an associate judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1942 New York state election was held on November 3, 1942, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General and two U.S. Representatives At-large, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1938 New York state election was held on November 8, 1938, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, two U.S. Senators and two U.S Representatives-at-large, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1936 New York state election was held on November 3, 1936, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and two U.S. Representatives-at-large, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1934 New York state election was held on November 6, 1934, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, a U.S. Senator, two U.S. Representatives-at-large, the Chief Judge and two associate judges of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1930 New York state election was held on November 4, 1930, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General and a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1932 New York state election was held on November 8, 1932, to elect the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the Chief Judge, a U.S. Senator and two U.S. Representatives-at-large, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1940 New York state election was held on November 5, 1940, to elect three judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a U.S. Senator and two U.S Representatives-at-large, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.
The 1944 New York state election was held on November 7, 1944, to elect a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and a U.S. senator, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate.