1938 United States Senate elections

California election
← 1932 1944 →
U.S. senator before election; William Gibbs McAdoo; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Sheridan Downey; Democratic

Arizona election
← 1932 1944 →
U.S. senator before election; Carl Hayden; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Carl Hayden; Democratic

1938 United States Senate elections
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate; 49 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic hold; Republican gain Republican hold; No election
Majority Leader before election; Alben Barkley; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Alben Barkley; Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1938 occurred in the middle of Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term. The Republicans gained eight seats from the Democrats, though this occurred after multiple Democratic gains since the 1932 election, leading to the Democrats retaining a commanding lead over the Republicans with more than two-thirds of the legislative chamber.

Background[]

A contemporary account^[1] cited a number of reasons for the losses suffered by the Democrats.

The Recession of 1937 had continued into the first half of 1938, and had arguably weakened public confidence in the administration's New Deal economic policies, along with controversy over the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 (Roosevelt's "court-packing" plan).

There were, in addition, strains between the more liberal New Deal supporters and the conservative wing of the Democratic party centered in the Southern states, which were exacerbated by an effort led by President Roosevelt to target certain conservative senators for defeat in Democratic primaries, including Walter George of Georgia, Millard Tydings of Maryland and Ellison Smith of South Carolina. While a number of New Deal supporters won primary elections, such as Alben Barkley in Kentucky, who defeated Happy Chandler, James P. Pope of Idaho, a prominent New Deal supporter, lost his bid for re-nomination, as did California's William McAdoo — though McAdoo's Democratic opponent, Sheridan Downey, had campaigned as a liberal New Dealer who would also do more to improve pension plans.^[2]

Given the high levels of Democratic success in the 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1936 elections, the Democrats were in a difficult position in defending a large number of seats, even without these pressures. This was the first of five consecutive elections where the GOP made gains in the Senate.

Gains and losses[]

Overall, the Democrats lost 7 seats to the Republicans:

Augustine Lonergan (D-CT)
George McGill (D-KS), the last Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas as of 2021.
Fred H. Brown (D-NH)
John Gerald Milton (D-NJ), who had been appointed to replace A. Harry Moore (D), did not run in the special election to finish the current term (ending in 1941).
Robert J. Bulkley (D-OH)
Herbert Hitchcock (D-SD), who had been appointed to replace the deceased Peter Norbeck (R), lost the Democratic primary both to finish the current term (ending in 1939) and for the new term (ending in 1945).
F. Ryan Duffy (D-WI)

Change in composition[]

Before the elections[]

		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	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉
D₃₉	D₄₀	D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄	D₄₅	D₄₆ Ala. (reg) Ala. (sp) Ran^[a]	D₄₇ Ariz. Ran	D₄₈ Ark. Ran
Majority →									D₄₉ Calif. Ran
D₅₈ Kan. Ran	D₅₇ Iowa Ran	D₅₆ Ind. Ran	D₅₅ Ill. Retired	D₅₄ Idaho Ran	D₅₃ Ga. Ran	D₅₂ Fla. Ran	D₅₁ Conn. Ran	D₅₀ Colo. Ran	D₄₉ Calif. Ran
D₅₉ Ky. Ran	D₆₀ La. Ran	D₆₁ Md. Ran	D₆₂ Mo. Ran	D₆₃ Nev. Ran	D₆₄ N.H. Ran	D₆₅ N.J. (sp) Retired	D₆₆ N.Y. (reg) Ran	D₆₇ N.Y. (sp) Died	D₆₈ N.C. Ran
FL₂	D₇₇ Wisc. Ran	D₇₆ Wash. Ran	D₇₅ Utah Ran	D₇₄ Tenn. (sp) Ran	D₇₃ S.D. (reg) S.D. (sp) Ran	D₇₂ S.C. Ran	D₇₁ Ore. (reg) Ore. (sp) Retired	D₇₀ Okla. Ran	D₆₉ Ohio Ran
FL₁	I₁	P₁	R₁₅ Vt. Ran	R₁₄ Pa. Ran	R₁₃ N.D. Ran	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉
		R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈

Result of the elections[]

		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	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉
D₃₉	D₄₀	D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄	D₄₅	D₄₆ Ala. (sp) Elected^[b]^[a] Ala. (reg) Re-elected^[a]	D₄₇ Ariz. Re-elected	D₄₈ Ark. Re-elected
Majority →									D₄₉ Calif. Hold
D₅₈ La. Re-elected	D₅₇ Ky. Re-elected	D₅₆ Iowa Re-elected	D₅₅ Ind. Re-elected	D₅₄ Ill. Hold	D₅₃ Idaho Hold	D₅₂ Ga. Re-elected	D₅₁ Fla. Re-elected	D₅₀ Colo. Re-elected	D₄₉ Calif. Hold
D₅₉ Md. Re-elected	D₆₀ Mo. Re-elected	D₆₁ Nev. Re-elected	D₆₂ N.Y. (reg) Re-elected	D₆₃ N.Y. (sp) Hold	D₆₄ N.C. Re-elected	D₆₅ Okla. Re-elected	D₆₆ S.C. Re-elected	D₆₇ Tenn. (sp) Hold	D₆₈ Utah Re-elected
R₁₉ N.J. (sp) Gain	R₂₀ Ohio Gain	R₂₁ Ore. (reg) Ore. (sp) Gain	R₂₂ S.D. (reg) S.D. (sp) Gain	R₂₃ Wisc. Gain	P₁	I₁	FL₁	FL₂	D₆₉ Wash. Re-elected
R₁₈ N.H. Gain	R₁₇ Kan. Gain	R₁₆ Conn. Gain	R₁₅ Vt. Re-elected	R₁₄ Pa. Re-elected	R₁₃ N.D. Re-elected	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉
		R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈

Key:

D_#	Democratic
FL_#	Farmer–Labor
I_#	Independent
P_#	Progressive
R_#	Republican

Race summaries[]

Special elections during the 75th Congress[]

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1938 or before January 3, 1939; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama (Class 3)	J. Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected April 26, 1938.	▌Y J. Lister Hill (Democratic) [data unknown/missing]
New Jersey (Class 1)	John Gerald Milton	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain.	▌Y William Warren Barbour (Republican) 53.0% ▌William H. J. Ely (Democratic) 45.7%
New York (Class 1)	Royal S. Copeland	Democratic	1922 1928 1934	Incumbent died June 17, 1938. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Democratic hold.	▌Y James M. Mead (Democratic) 53.6% ▌ (Republican) 45.8%
Oregon (Class 3)	Alfred E. Reames	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, however; see below.	▌Y Alexander G. Barry (Republican) [data unknown/missing]
South Dakota (Class 3)	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Democratic	1936 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, however; see below.	▌Y Gladys Pyle (Republican) 58.1% ▌John T. McCullen (Democratic) 41.9%
Tennessee (Class 2)	George L. Berry	Democratic	1937 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Democratic hold.	▌Y Tom Stewart (Democratic)^[c] 70.5% ▌ (Republican) 26.2%

Races leading to the 76th Congress[]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1939; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	J. Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed) 1938 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. Lister Hill (Democratic) 86.4% ▌ (Republican) 13.6%
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Carl Hayden (Democratic) 76.5% ▌ (Republican) 23.5%
Arkansas	Hattie Wyatt Caraway	Democratic	1931 (Appointed) 1932 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Hattie Wyatt Caraway (Democratic) 89.6% ▌ (Republican) 10.4%
California	William Gibbs McAdoo	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent then resigned and Thomas M. Storke (D) was appointed to finish the term.	▌Y Sheridan Downey (Democratic) 54.4% ▌ (Republican) 44.7% ▌ (Socialist) 0.9%
Colorado	Alva B. Adams	Democratic	1923 (Appointed) 1924 (Retired) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alva B. Adams (Democratic) 58.2% ▌ (Republican) 40.2%
Connecticut	Augustine Lonergan	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y John A. Danaher (Republican) 42.9% ▌Augustine Lonergan (Democratic) 40.0% ▌ (Socialist) 15.8%
Florida	Claude Pepper	Democratic	1936 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Claude Pepper (Democratic) 82.5% ▌ (Republican) 17.6%
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (Special) 1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Walter F. George (Democratic) 95.1% ▌ (Independent) 4.9%
Idaho	James P. Pope	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y David Worth Clark (Democratic) 54.7% ▌Donald A. Callahan (Republican) 44.9%
Illinois	William H. Dieterich	Democratic	1932	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Scott W. Lucas (Democratic) 51.3% ▌Richard J. Lyons (Republican) 48.3%
Indiana	Frederick Van Nuys	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Frederick Van Nuys (Democratic) 49.8% ▌Raymond E. Willis (Republican) 49.5% ▌Herman L. Seeger (Prohibition) 0.4% ▌Louis E. Roebuck (Socialist) 0.1% ▌Miles Blansett (Communist) 0.1%
Iowa	Guy Gillette	Democratic	1936 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Guy Gillette (Democratic) 49.7% ▌Lester J. Dickinson (Republican) 49.4%
Kansas	George McGill	Democratic	1930 (Special) 1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Clyde M. Reed (Republican) 56.2% ▌George McGill (Democratic) 43.8%
Kentucky	Alben W. Barkley	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 62.0% ▌ (Republican) 38.0%
Louisiana	John H. Overton	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John H. Overton (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Millard Tydings	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Millard Tydings (Democratic) 68.3% ▌ (Republican) 29.3%
Missouri	Bennett Champ Clark	Democratic	1932 1933 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bennett Champ Clark (Democratic) 60.7% ▌Henry S. Caulfield (Republican) 39.2%
Nevada	Pat McCarran	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Pat McCarran (Democratic) 59.0% ▌Tasker Oddie (Republican) 41.0%
New Hampshire	Fred H. Brown	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Charles W. Tobey (Republican) 54.2% ▌Fred H. Brown (Democratic) 45.8%
New York	Robert F. Wagner	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert F. Wagner (Democratic) 54.5% ▌John Lord O'Brian (Republican) 45.0%
North Carolina	Robert R. Reynolds	Democratic	1932 (Special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert R. Reynolds (Democratic) 63.8% ▌Charles A. Jonas (Republican) 36.2%
North Dakota	Gerald Nye	Republican	1925 (Appointed) 1926 (Special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Gerald Nye (Republican) 50.1% ▌William Langer (Independent) 42.6% ▌ (Democratic) 7.3%
Ohio	Robert J. Bulkley	Democratic	1930 (Special) 1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Robert A. Taft (Republican) 53.6% ▌Robert J. Bulkley (Democratic) 46.4%
Oklahoma	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Elmer Thomas (Democratic) 65.4% ▌ (Republican) 33.9%
Oregon	Alfred E. Reames	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Rufus C. Holman (Republican) 54.9% ▌Willis Mahoney (Democratic) 45.1%
Pennsylvania	James J. Davis	Republican	1930 (Special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James J. Davis (Republican) 54.7% ▌George Howard Earle III (Democratic) 44.4%
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	1909 1914 1920 1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ellison D. Smith (Democratic) Unopposed
South Dakota	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Democratic	1936 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to next term. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y John Chandler Gurney (Republican) 52.5% ▌Tom Berry (Democratic) 47.5%
Utah	Elbert D. Thomas	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Elbert D. Thomas (Democratic) 55.8% ▌Franklin S. Harris (Republican) 44.2%
Vermont	Ernest Willard Gibson	Republican	1933 (Appointed) 1934 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ernest Willard Gibson (Republican) 65.7% ▌ (Democratic) 34.3%
Washington	Homer Bone	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Homer Bone (Democratic) 62.6% ▌ (Republican) 37.1% ▌ (Socialist Labor) 0.3%
Wisconsin	F. Ryan Duffy	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Alexander Wiley (Republican) 47.7% ▌Herman Ekern (Progressive) 26.6% ▌F. Ryan Duffy (Democratic) 24.7%

Alabama[]

Senator J. Lister Hill

There were 2 elections due to the August 19, 1937 resignation of two-term Democrat Hugo Black. Democrat Dixie Bibb Graves was appointed August 20, 1937 (by her husband, the governor) to finish Black's term.

Alabama (Special)[]

Alabama special Democratic primary, January 4, 1938^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill	90,601	61.81%
	Democratic	James Thomas Heflin	50,189	34.24%
	Democratic	Charles W. Williams	5,783	3.95%
Turnout				1.87%
	Democratic hold
Majority			40,412	27.57%

After congressman J. Lister Hill won the January 4, 1938 Democratic primary, Gibbs resigned and Hill was appointed to continue the term until the April 26, 1938 special election, which he won unoppposed.

Alabama special election, April 26, 1938^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	49,429	100.0%
Turnout				1.87%
	Democratic hold

Hill was then easily re-elected in November to the next term.

Alabama (Regular)[]

Alabama election^[5]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	113,413	86.38%
	Republican	J. M. Pennington	17,885	13.62%
	None	Scattering	1	0.00%
Majority			95,528	72.76%
Turnout			131,299	4.96%
	Democratic hold

Arizona[]

Incumbent Democrat Carl Hayden was re-elected to a third term, defeating Republican nominee Burt H. Clingan, chairman of the Arizona Industrial Commission, in the general election.

In contrast to previous elections, Hayden was easily reelected, receiving only token opposition from a relatively unknown Republican challenger.

Arizona Democratic primary^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (Incumbent)	68,328	65.48%
	Democratic	Robert E. Miller	22,154	21.23%
	Democratic	Whit I. Hughes	13,867	13.29%
Total votes			104,349	100.00

Arizona general election^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (Incumbent)	82,714	76.52%
	Republican	Burt H. Clingan	25,378	23.48%
Majority			57,336	53.04%
Turnout			108,092
	Democratic gain from Republican

Arkansas[]

Arkansas election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hattie Wyatt Caraway (Incumbent)	122,883	89.58%
	Republican	C. T. Atkinson	14,290	10.42%
Majority			108,593	79.16%
Turnout			137,173
	Democratic hold

California[]

California election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sheridan Downey	1,372,314	54.41%
	Republican	Philip Bancroft	1,126,240	44.65%
	Socialist	Lillian Symes Clements	22,569	0.89%
	None	Scattering	1,019	0.04%
Majority			246,074	9.76%
Turnout			2,522,142
	Democratic hold

Colorado[]

Colorado election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alva B. Adams (Incumbent)	262,786	58.24%
	Republican	Archibald A. Lee	181,297	40.18%
	Socialist	Carle Whitehead	3,604	0.80%
	Independent Progressive	James Allander	3,522	0.78%
Majority			81,489	18.06%
Turnout			451,209
	Democratic hold

Connecticut[]

Connecticut election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John A. Danaher	270,413	42.89%
	Democratic	Augustine Lonergan (Incumbent)	252,426	40.04%
	Socialist	Bellani Trombley	99,282	15.75%
	Socialist Labor	Joseph Mackey	6,931	1.10%
	American Labor	Philip Brainard	766	0.12%
	Communist	Michael A. Russo	615	0.10%
Majority			17,987	2.85%
Turnout			630,433
	Republican gain from Democratic

Florida[]

Florida election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claude Pepper (Incumbent)	145,757	82.45%
	Republican	Thomas E. Swanson	31,035	17.55%
Majority			114,722	64.90%
Turnout			176,792
	Democratic hold

Georgia[]

Georgia election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter F. George (Incumbent)	66,987	95.09%
	Independent	Charles A. Jiles	3,442	4.89%
	Independent	Eugene Talmadge	14	0.02%
Majority			63,545	90.20%
Turnout			70,443
	Democratic hold

Idaho[]

Idaho election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Worth Clark	99,801	54.66%
	Republican	Donald A. Callahan	81,939	44.88%
	Progressive	V. A. Verhei	845	0.46%
Majority			17,862	9.78%
Turnout			182,585
	Democratic hold

Illinois[]

Incumbent Democrat William H. Dieterich retired, making this an open-seat.

Illinois election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas	1,638,162	51.32%
	Republican	Richard J. Lyons	1,542,574	48.33%
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	10,707	0.34%
	None	Scattering	569	0.02%
Majority			95,588	2.99%
Turnout			3,192,012
	Democratic hold

Indiana[]

Indiana election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frederick Van Nuys (Incumbent)	788,386	49.85%
	Republican	Raymond E. Willis	783,189	49.52%
	Prohibition	Herman L. Seeger	6,905	0.44%
	Socialist	Louis E. Roebuck	2,026	0.13%
	Communist	Miles Blansett	984	0.06%
Majority			5,197	0.33%
Turnout			1,581,490
	Democratic hold

Iowa[]

Iowa election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Guy Gillette (Incumbent)	413,788	49.74%
	Republican	Lester J. Dickinson	410,983	49.41%
	Farmer–Labor	George F. Buresch	4,723	0.57%
	Progressive	Raymond E. Hanke	1,525	0.18%
	Prohibition	G. W. Bauseman	820	0.10%
Majority			2,805	0.33%
Turnout			831,839
	Democratic hold

Kansas[]

Kansas election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clyde M. Reed	419,532	56.21%
	Democratic	George McGill (Incumbent)	326,774	43.78%
	None	Joe Corpstein	99	0.01%
Majority			92,758	12.43%
Turnout			746,405
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kentucky[]

Kentucky election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alben W. Barkley (Incumbent)	346,735	62.03%
	Republican	John P. Haswell	212,266	37.97%
	Democratic	Happy Chandler (write-in)	20	0.00%
Majority			134,469	22.06%
Turnout			559,021
	Democratic hold

Louisiana[]

Louisiana election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (Incumbent)	151,582	99.84%
	Independent	Maurice E. Clark	250	0.16%
Majority			151,332	99.68%
Turnout			151,832
	Democratic hold

Maryland[]

Maryland election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Millard Tydings (Incumbent)	357,245	68.28%
	Republican	Oscar Lesser	153,253	29.29%
	Union	George W. Hunt	5,784	1.11%
	Socialist	Elisabeth Gilman	3,311	0.63%
	American Labor	Frank N. H. Lang	2,330	0.45%
	Communist	Harry Straw	1,301	0.25%
Majority			203,992	38.99%
Turnout			523,238
	Democratic hold

Missouri[]

Missouri election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bennett Champ Clark (Incumbent)	757,587	60.69%
	Republican	Henry S. Caulfield	488,687	39.15%
	Socialist	J. G. Hodges	1,712	0.14%
	Socialist Labor	Karl L. Oberhue	292	0.02%
Majority			268,900	21.54%
Turnout			1,248,278
	Democratic hold

Nevada[]

Nevada election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pat McCarran (Incumbent)	27,406	58.96%
	Republican	Tasker Oddie	19,078	41.04%
Majority			8,328	17.92%
Turnout			46,484
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire[]

New Hampshire election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles W. Tobey	100,633	54.23%
	Democratic	Fred H. Brown (Incumbent)	84,920	45.77%
Majority			15,713	8.46%
Turnout			185,553
	Republican gain from Democratic

New Jersey (Special)[]

New Jersey special election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Warren Barbour	816,667	52.98%
	Democratic	William H. J. Ely	704,159	45.68%
	Prohibition	Louis H. Kelley	8,201	0.53%
	Socialist	John Palangio	3,671	0.24%
	Townsend	Fred Turner	3,521	0.23%
	Communist	William Norman	3,515	0.23%
	Socialist Labor	John C. Butterworth	1,873	0.12%
Majority			112,508	7.30%
Turnout			1,541,607
	Republican gain from Democratic

New York[]

There were 2 elections due to the June 17, 1938 death of three-term Democrat Royal S. Copeland.

New York (Regular)[]

New York regular election

�� 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Robert F. Wagner	John Lord O'Brian
Party	Democratic	Republican
Alliance	American Labor	Independent Progressive
Popular vote	2,497,029	2,058,615
Percentage	54.48%	44.92%

U.S. senator before election

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

New York Republicans nominated John Lord O'Brian for the U.S. Senate.^[9] Democrats re-nominated the incumbent Wagner.^[10] The American Labor party endorsed Wagner.^[11]

1938 United States Senate election in New York^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	2,098,919	45.80%
	American Labor	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	398,410	8.69%
	Total	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	2,497,029	54.48%
	Republican	John Lord O'Brian	2,046,794	44.66%
	Independent Progressive	John Lord O'Brian	11,821	0.26%
	'Total'	John Lord O'Brian	2,058,615	44.92%
	Socialist	Herman J. Hahn^[d]	23,553	0.51%
	Socialist Labor	O. Martin Olson^[e]	3,851	0.08%
Total votes			4,583,048	100.00%

New York (Special)[]

Senator James M. Mead

New York Republicans nominated Edward Corsi for the short term to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Royal S. Copeland.^[9] Democrats nominated James M. Mead.^[10] The American Labor party endorsed Mead.^[11]

Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		American Labor ticket		Socialist ticket
James M. Mead	2,060,876	Edward F. Corsi	2,083,666	James M. Mead	378,028	Harry W. Laidler	27,161

North Carolina[]

North Carolina election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Rice Reynolds (Incumbent)	316,685	63.80%
	Republican	Charles A. Jonas	179,650	36.20%
Majority			137,035	27.60%
Turnout			496,335
	Democratic hold

North Dakota[]

North Dakota election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gerald Nye (Incumbent)	131,907	50.12%
	Independent	William Langer	112,007	42.56%
	Democratic	J. J. Nygard	19,244	7.31%
Majority			19,900	7.56%
Turnout			263,158
	Republican hold

Ohio[]

Ohio election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert A. Taft	1,255,414	53.62%
	Democratic	Robert J. Bulkley (Incumbent)	1,085,792	46.38%
Majority			169,622	7.24%
Turnout			2,341,206
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oklahoma[]

Oklahoma election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elmer Thomas (Incumbent)	307,936	65.37%
	Republican	Harry G. Glasser	159,734	33.91%
	Prohibition	P. C. Nelson	2,220	0.47%
	Independent	Raymond B. Clark	603	0.13%
	Independent	Herndon J. Thompson	573	0.12%
Majority			148,202	31.46%
Turnout			471,066
	Democratic hold

Oregon[]

There were 2 elections for the same seat, due to the January 31, 1938 resignation of two-term Republican Frederick Steiwer. Democratic businessman Alfred E. Reames was appointed February 11, 1938 to continue the term, pending a special election, but he did not run in either the special or the general elections.

Oregon (Special)[]

Senator Alexander G. Barry

Republican Alexander G. Barry was elected to finish the term, but was not a candidate for the next term.

Oregon special election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander G. Barry	180,815	54.20%
	Democratic	Robert A. Miller	152,773	45.80%
	None	Scattering	3	0.00%
Majority			28,042	8.40%
Turnout			333,591
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oregon (Regular)[]

Senator Rufus C. Holman

Oregon general election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rufus C. Holman	203,120	54.86%
	Democratic	Willis Mahoney	167,135	45.14%
	None	Scattering	6	0.00%
Majority			35,985	9.72%
Turnout			370,261
	Republican gain from Democratic

Pennsylvania[]

Pennsylvania election

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	James J. Davis	George Howard Earle III
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	2,086,931	1,694,367
Percentage	54.7%	44.4%

U.S. senator before election

James J. Davis
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

James J. Davis
Republican

General election results^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James J. Davis (incumbent)	2,086,931	54.70%
	Democratic	George H. Earle	1,694,367	44.41%
	Socialist	David H. H. Felix	20,155	0.53%
	Prohibition	Forest S. Van Valin	9,327	0.24%
	Pathfinders	Reginald B. Naugle	2,508	0.07%
	Communist	Pat Toohey	1,530	0.04%
	None	Scattering	104	0.00%
Majority			392,564	10.29%
Turnout			3,814,922
	Republican hold

South Carolina[]

South Carolina election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ellison D. Smith (Incumbent)	45,351	98.89%
	Republican	J. D. E. Meyer	508	1.11%
	None	Scattering	2	0.00%
Majority			44,843	97.78%
Turnout			45,861
	Democratic hold

South Dakota[]

There were 2 elections for the same seat due to the December 20, 1936 death of three-term Republican Peter Norbeck. Democrat Herbert Hitchcock was appointed December 29, 1936 to continue the term, pending a special election.

South Dakota (Special)[]

Senator Gladys Pyle

South Dakota election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gladys Pyle	155,292	58.06%
	Democratic	John T. McCullen	112,177	41.94%
Majority			43,115	16.12%
Turnout			267,469
	Republican gain from Democratic

South Dakota (Regular)[]

Senator John Chandler Gurney

Hitchcock lost the Democratic May 3, 1938 primary for the next term to Governor of South Dakota Tom Berry.^[13]

South Dakota general election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Chandler Gurney^[14]	146,813	52.46%
	Democratic	Tom Berry	133,064	47.54%
Majority			13,749	4.92%
Turnout			279,877
	Republican gain from Democratic

Tennessee (Special)[]

Tennessee special election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Stewart	194,028	70.50%
	Republican	Harley G. Fowler	72,098	26.20%
	Independent	John Randolph Neal, Jr.	9,106	3.31%
Majority			21,930	44.30%
Turnout			275,232
	Democratic hold

Utah[]

Utah election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elbert D. Thomas (Incumbent)	102,353	55.80%
	Republican	Franklin S. Harris	81,071	44.20%
Majority			21,282	11.60%
Turnout			183,424
	Democratic hold

Vermont[]

Vermont election

← 1934

November 8, 1938 (1938-11-08)

1940 →


Nominee	Ernest W. Gibson Sr.	John McGrath
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	73,990	38,673
Percentage	65.7%	34.3%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest W. Gibson Sr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Ernest W. Gibson Sr.
Republican

Vermont election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ernest Willard Gibson (Incumbent)	73,990	65.58%
	Democratic	John McGrath	38,673	34.28%
	None	Scattering	161	0.14%
Majority			35,317	31.30%
Turnout			112,824
	Republican hold

Washington[]

Washington election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Homer Bone (Incumbent)	371,535	62.62%
	Republican	Ewing D. Colvin	220,204	37.12%
	Socialist Labor	Eugene Solie	1,553	0.26%
Majority			151,331	25.50%
Turnout			593,292
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin[]

Wisconsin election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander Wiley	416,770	45.92%
	Progressive	Herman Ekern	249,209	27.46%
	Democratic	F. Ryan Duffy (Incumbent)	231,976	25.56%
	Townsend	John B. Chapple	7,251	0.80%
	Independent Communist	Fred Basset Blair	1,283	0.14%
	Independent Socialist Labor	Joseph Erhardt	1,014	0.11%
	None	Scattering	31	0.00%
Majority			167,561	18.46%
Turnout			907,534
	Republican gain from Democratic

Notes[]

^ ^a ^b ^c On the day of the special election, the interim appointee, Dixie Bibb Graves had resigned and been replaced by a new interim appointee — J. Lister Hill — who then won the special election ("Hold") and was re-elected in November ("Re-elected").
^ Appointee elected
^ Won special election in November 1938, but remained district attorney general until January 16, 1939, after the next Congress began.
^ Rev. Herman J. Hahn, of Buffalo, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1928 and 1936.
^ O. Martin Olson, of Jamestown, ran also for Comptroller in 1934

References[]

^ 1939 Britannica Book of the Year, "Democratic Party". pp. 205–206.
^ LIFE. Time Inc. 1994. p. 13. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
^ "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Jan 04, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
^ "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special Election Race - Apr 26, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1938" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
^ "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
^ "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
^ "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Hagerty, James A. (September 30, 1938). "DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS; ATTACKES TAMMANY; CHOICE BY ACCLAMATION Dewey Defends Decision to Run Points to Prosecuting Staff HAILED IN OVATION Prosecutor Promises to Rid State of 'Corruption' in 'Bigger Job' O'Brian and Corsi Nominated for Senate--A. V. McDermott for Attorney General DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS Republican Mayor Gets Bid to Inauguration Delay in Completing Ticket Criticizes Farm Legislation Politics the Biggest Racket". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Times, Warren Moscowspecial To the New York (October 1, 1938). "LEHMAN IS DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM; HE ATTACKS DEWEY; POLETTI ON TICKET Yielding to Pleas to Run, Governor Insists on Justice as Aide CALLS RIVAL UNQUALIFIED Rochester Platform Hits Republican's Crime Issue--Wagner, Mead Are Nominated Calls Dewey Inexperienced Dewey Crime Speech a Factor LEHMAN DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM Platform Strong for New Deal La Guardia a Meed Champion Farley Predicts a Big Victory Hailed as". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Hagerty, James A. (October 4, 1938). "LABORITES NAME LEHMAN WAGNER; ADOPT PLATFORM; OVATION FOR BOTH Governor, Accepting, Stresses Policy of Law Enforcement POLETTI ALSO NOMINATED Endorsement Efforts Fall Wagner Cites Record La Guardia is Acclaimed as He Urges Candidates Friendly to Roosevelt LABORITIES NAME LEHMAN, WAGNER Yields to Dubinsky Lehman Is Acclaimed Hillman Offers Wagner's Name Vladeck in Seconding Speech". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
^ "NY US Senate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
^ "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - D Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
^ "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - R Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

[Alabama_note-3] On the day of the special election, the interim appointee, Dixie Bibb Graves had resigned and been replaced by a new interim appointee — J. Lister Hill — who then won the special election ("Hold") and was re-elected in November ("Re-elected").

[Appointee_elected-4] Appointee elected

[5] Won special election in November 1938, but remained district attorney general until January 16, 1939, after the next Congress began.

[16] Rev. Herman J. Hahn, of Buffalo, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1928 and 1936.

[17] O. Martin Olson, of Jamestown, ran also for Comptroller in 1934

[1] 1939 Britannica Book of the Year, "Democratic Party". pp. 205–206.

[google-2] LIFE. Time Inc. 1994. p. 13. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved October 5, 2014.

[6] "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Jan 04, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

[Alabama_special-7] "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special Election Race - Apr 26, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

[Clerk-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1938" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2019.

[9] "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

[10] "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.

[11] "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

[NY1-12] Hagerty, James A. (September 30, 1938). "DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS; ATTACKES TAMMANY; CHOICE BY ACCLAMATION Dewey Defends Decision to Run Points to Prosecuting Staff HAILED IN OVATION Prosecutor Promises to Rid State of 'Corruption' in 'Bigger Job' O'Brian and Corsi Nominated for Senate--A. V. McDermott for Attorney General DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS Republican Mayor Gets Bid to Inauguration Delay in Completing Ticket Criticizes Farm Legislation Politics the Biggest Racket". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2019.

[NY2-13] Times, Warren Moscowspecial To the New York (October 1, 1938). "LEHMAN IS DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM; HE ATTACKS DEWEY; POLETTI ON TICKET Yielding to Pleas to Run, Governor Insists on Justice as Aide CALLS RIVAL UNQUALIFIED Rochester Platform Hits Republican's Crime Issue--Wagner, Mead Are Nominated Calls Dewey Inexperienced Dewey Crime Speech a Factor LEHMAN DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM Platform Strong for New Deal La Guardia a Meed Champion Farley Predicts a Big Victory Hailed as". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.

[NY3-14] Hagerty, James A. (October 4, 1938). "LABORITES NAME LEHMAN WAGNER; ADOPT PLATFORM; OVATION FOR BOTH Governor, Accepting, Stresses Policy of Law Enforcement POLETTI ALSO NOMINATED Endorsement Efforts Fall Wagner Cites Record La Guardia is Acclaimed as He Urges Candidates Friendly to Roosevelt LABORITIES NAME LEHMAN, WAGNER Yields to Dubinsky Lehman Is Acclaimed Hillman Offers Wagner's Name Vladeck in Seconding Speech". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.

[15] "NY US Senate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 11, 2020.

[18] "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - D Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

[19] "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - R Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.

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[3]

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v t () 1938 United States elections ()
U.S. Senate	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey (special) New York New York (special) North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Oregon (special) Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota South Dakota (special) Tennessee (special) Utah Vermont Washington Wisconsin
U.S. House	Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
State governors	Alabama Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Georgia Idaho Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Lt. Gov Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
State legislatures	Iowa Senate
Mayors	Los Angeles

1938 United States Senate elections

Background[]

Gains and losses[]

Change in composition[]

Before the elections[]

Result of the elections[]

Race summaries[]

Special elections during the 75th Congress[]

Races leading to the 76th Congress[]

Alabama[]

Alabama (Special)[]

Alabama (Regular)[]

Arizona[]

Arkansas[]

California[]

Colorado[]

Connecticut[]

Florida[]

Georgia[]

Idaho[]

Illinois[]

Indiana[]

Iowa[]

Kansas[]

Kentucky[]

Louisiana[]

Maryland[]

Missouri[]

Nevada[]

New Hampshire[]

New Jersey (Special)[]

New York[]

New York (Regular)[]

New York (Special)[]

North Carolina[]

North Dakota[]

Ohio[]

Oklahoma[]

Oregon[]

Oregon (Special)[]

Oregon (Regular)[]

Pennsylvania[]

South Carolina[]

South Dakota[]

South Dakota (Special)[]

South Dakota (Regular)[]

Tennessee (Special)[]

Utah[]

Vermont[]

Washington[]

Wisconsin[]

Further reading[]

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]