1946 United States Senate elections in California

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1946 United States Senate election in California

← 1940 November 5, 1946 1952 →

Nominee William F. Knowland Will Rogers Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,428,067 1,167,161 Percentage 54.10% 44.22%

U.S. senator before election William F. Knowland Republican Elected U.S. Senator William F. Knowland Republican

Elections in California
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The 1946 United States Senate elections in California was held on November 5, 1946.

Republican Senator Hiram Johnson died in office in August 1945. Governor Earl Warren appointed U.S. Army Major and former State Senator William F. Knowland to finish Johnson's term until a successor could be duly elected. Knowland won the special election to complete Johnson's term and won the regularly scheduled 1946 election over U.S. Representative Will Rogers Jr., both held on November 5.

Republican primary[]

Candidates[]

• William F. Knowland, incumbent Senator since 1945

Results[]

Democratic primary[]

Candidates[]

• John S. Crowder
• Adam C. Derkum
• Wayne McFarland
• Ellis Patterson, U.S. Representative and former Lieutenant Governor of California
• Will Rogers Jr., former U.S. Representative from Culver City and son of humorist Will Rogers

Results[]

General election[]

Results[]

Special election[]

In a simultaneous special election for the remainder of Johnson's term, Knowland won easily. Notably, no candidates were listed on the ballot. Each vote was a write-in, making Knowland technically the first ever write-in candidate elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1954, Strom Thurmond became the first candidate to win a Senate election by write-in where another candidate was actually listed on the ballot.

Results[]

See also[]

• 1946 United States Senate elections

References[]