1948 United States Senate elections

1948 United States Senate elections

← 1946 November 2, 1948 1950 →
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley (retired) Ken Wherry Party Democratic Republican Leader since July 22, 1937 January 3, 1949 Leader's seat Kentucky Nebraska Seats before 45 51 Seats after 54 42 Seat change 9 9 Popular vote 13,056,944 9,764,384 Percentage 56.5% 42.3% Swing 14.5% 11.7% Seats up 15 18 Races won 24 9
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Wallace White Republican Elected Majority Leader Scott Lucas Democratic

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.^[1][2]

Results summary[]

↓

54	42
Democratic	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Last elections (1946) Before these elections		45	51	0	96
Not up		30	33	0	63
Up		15	18	0	33
	Class 2 (1942→1948)	14	18	0	32
	Special: Class 3	1	0	—	1
Incumbent retired		3	5	—	8
	Held by same party	3	4	—	7
	Replaced by other party	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat		—	1
	Result	4	4	0	8
Incumbent ran		12	13	—	25
	Won re-election	10	5	—	17
	Lost re-election	8 Republicans replaced by 8 Democrats		—	8
	Lost renomination but held by same party	2	0	—	2
	Result	20	5	0	25
Total elected		24	9	0	33
Net change		9	9		9
Nationwide vote		13,056,944	9,764,384	269,669	23,090,997
	Share	56.55%	42.29%	1.17%	100%
Result		54	42	0	96

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[3]

Gains and losses[]

In addition to gaining an open seat in Oklahoma, the Democrats defeated eight Republican incumbents:

1. C. Douglass Buck (R-DE)
2. Henry Dworshak (R-ID)
3. Charles W. Brooks (R-IL)
4. George A. Wilson (R-IA)
5. John Sherman Cooper (R-KY)
6. Joseph H. Ball (R-MN)
7. Chapman Revercomb (R-WV)
8. Edward V. Robertson (R-WY)

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 Mont. Ran	D37 Miss. Ran	D36 La. (sp) Retired	D35 La. (reg) Ran	D34 Ga. Ran	D33 Colo. Ran	D32 Ark. Ran	D31 Ala. Ran	D30	D29
D39 N.M. Retired	D40 N.C. (sp) N.C. (reg) Ran	D41 R.I. Ran	D42 S.C. Ran	D43 Tenn. Ran	D44 Texas Retired	D45 Va. Ran	R51 Wyo. Ran	R50 W.Va. Ran	R49 S.D. Retired
Majority →
R39 Ky. Ran	R40 Maine Retired	R41 Mass. Ran	R42 Mich. Ran	R43 Minn. Ran	R44 Neb. Ran	R45 N.H. Ran	R46 N.J. Retired	R47 Okla. Retired	R48 Ore. Ran
R38 Kan. Retired	R37 Iowa Ran	R36 Ill. Ran	R35 Idaho Ran	R34 Del. Ran	R33	R32	R31	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

Election results[]

		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 Mont. Re-elected	D37 Miss. Re-elected	D36 La. (sp) Hold	D35 La. (reg) Re-elected	D34 Ga. Re-elected	D33 Colo. Re-elected	D32 Ark. Re-elected	D31 Ala. Re-elected	D30	D29
D39 N.M. Hold	D40 N.C. (sp) N.C. (reg) Hold	D41 R.I. Re-elected	D42 S.C. Re-elected	D43 Tenn. Hold	D44 Texas Hold	D45 Va. Re-elected	D46 Del. Gain	D47 Idaho Gain	D48 Ill. Gain
Majority →									D49 Iowa Gain
R39 N.H. Re-elected	R40 N.J. Hold	R41 Ore. Re-elected	R42 S.D. Hold	D54 Wyo. Gain	D53 W.Va. Gain	D52 Okla. Gain	D51 Minn. Gain	D50 Ky. Gain
R38 Neb. Re-elected	R37 Mich. Re-elected	R36 Mass. Re-elected	R35 Maine Hold	R34 Kan. Hold	R33	R32	R31	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:	D# Democratic R# Republican

Race summaries[]

Special elections during the 80th Congress[]

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1948 or before January 3, 1949; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Louisiana (Class 3)	William C. Feazel	Democratic	1948 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 2, 1948. Democratic hold.	▌Y Russell B. Long (Democratic) 74.9% ▌Clem S. Clarke (Republican) 25.1%
North Carolina (Class 2)	William B. Umstead	Democratic	1946 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost re-nomination. Winner elected November 2, 1948. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to the next full term.	▌Y J. Melville Broughton (Democratic) 70.7% ▌John A. Wilkinson (Republican) 28.8% ▌William T. Brown (Progressive) 0.5%

Elections leading to the next Congress[]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1949; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	John Sparkman	Democratic	1946 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Sparkman (Democratic) 84.0% ▌ (Republican) 16.0%
Arkansas	John L. McClellan	Democratic	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John L. McClellan (Democratic) 93.3% ▌ (Independent) 6.7%
Colorado	Edwin C. Johnson	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Edwin C. Johnson (Democratic) 66.8% ▌Will Nicholson (Republican) 32.4%
Delaware	C. Douglass Buck	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y J. Allen Frear Jr. (Democratic) 50.9% ▌C. Douglass Buck (Republican) 48.3%
Georgia	Richard Russell Jr.	Democratic	1932 (Special) 1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Richard Russell Jr. (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Henry Dworshak	Republican	1946 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Bert H. Miller (Democratic) 50.0% ▌Henry Dworshak (Republican) 48.5%
Illinois	Charles W. Brooks	Republican	1940 (Special) 1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Paul Douglas (Democratic) 55.1% ▌Charles W. Brooks (Republican) 44.6%
Iowa	George A. Wilson	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Guy Gillette (Democratic) 57.8% ▌George A. Wilson (Republican) 41.6%
Kansas	Arthur Capper	Republican	1918 1924 1930 1936 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Andrew Frank Schoeppel (Republican) 54.9% ▌George McGill (Democratic) 42.7%
Kentucky	John Sherman Cooper	Republican	1946 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Virgil Chapman (Democratic) 51.4% ▌John Sherman Cooper (Republican) 48.3%
Louisiana	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Allen J. Ellender (Democratic) Unopposed
Maine	Wallace H. White Jr.	Republican	1930 1936 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Margaret Chase Smith (Republican) 71.3% ▌ (Democratic) 28.7%
Massachusetts	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican	1944 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Leverett Saltonstall (Republican) 53.0% ▌John I. Fitzgerald (Democratic) 46.4%
Michigan	Homer S. Ferguson	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Homer S. Ferguson (Republican) 50.7% ▌Frank Eugene Hook (Democratic) 48.5%
Minnesota	Joseph H. Ball	Republican	1940 (Appointed) 1942 (Retired) 1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic–Farmer–Labor gain.	▌Y Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 59.9% ▌Joseph H. Ball (Republican) 39.7%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1941 (Appointed) 1941 (Retired) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James Eastland (Democratic) Unopposed
Montana	James E. Murray	Democratic	1934 (Special) 1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James E. Murray (Democratic) 56.7% ▌ (Republican) 42.7%
Nebraska	Kenneth S. Wherry	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Kenneth S. Wherry (Republican) 56.7% ▌Terry Carpenter (Democratic) 43.3%
New Hampshire	Styles Bridges	Republican	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Styles Bridges (Republican) 58.1% ▌ (Democratic) 41.2%
New Jersey	Albert W. Hawkes	Republican	1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Robert C. Hendrickson (Republican) 50.0% ▌Archibald S. Alexander (Democratic) 47.3%
New Mexico	Carl Hatch	Democratic	1933 (Appointed) 1934 (Special) 1936 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Clinton Anderson (Democratic) 57.2% ▌Patrick J. Hurley (Republican) 42.4%
North Carolina	William B. Umstead	Democratic	1946 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost re-nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to finish the term, see above.	▌Y J. Melville Broughton (Democratic) 70.7% ▌ (Republican) 28.8%
Oklahoma	Edward H. Moore	Republican	1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Robert S. Kerr (Democratic) 62.3% ▌Ross Rizley (Republican) 37.4%
Oregon	Guy Cordon	Republican	1944 (Appointed) 1944 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Guy Cordon (Republican) 60.0% ▌ (Democratic) 40.0%
Rhode Island	Theodore F. Green	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Theodore F. Green (Democratic) 59.3% ▌ (Republican) 40.7%
South Carolina	Burnet R. Maybank	Democratic	1941 (Special) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Burnet R. Maybank (Democratic) Unopposed
South Dakota	Vera C. Bushfield	Republican	1948 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 26, 1948 and winner appointed December 31, 1948 to finish the term.	▌Y Karl E. Mundt (Republican) 59.3% ▌ (Democratic) 40.7%
Tennessee	Tom Stewart	Democratic	1938 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Estes Kefauver (Democratic) 65.3% ▌B. Carroll Reece (Republican) 33.5%
Texas	W. Lee O'Daniel	Democratic	1941 (Special) 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) 66.2% ▌Homa J. Porter (Republican) 32.9% ▌ (Prohibition) 0.8%
Virginia	Absalom Willis Robertson	Democratic	1946 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Absalom Willis Robertson (Democratic) 65.6% ▌ (Republican) 30.8%
West Virginia	Chapman Revercomb	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Matthew M. Neely (Democratic) 57.0% ▌Chapman Revercomb (Republican) 43.0%
Wyoming	Edward V. Robertson	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Lester C. Hunt (Democratic) 57.1% ▌Edward V. Robertson (Republican) 42.9%

Alabama[]

Alabama election

← 1946 (special) November 2, 1948 1954 →

Nominee John Sparkman Paul G. Parsons Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 185,534 35,341 Percentage 84.00% 16.00%

U.S. senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sparkman Democratic

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Alabama election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (Incumbent)	185,534	84.00%
	Republican	Paul G. Parsons	35,341	16.00%
Majority			150,193	68.00%
Turnout			220,875
	Democratic hold

Arkansas[]

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Arkansas election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John L. McClellan (Incumbent)	216,401	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Colorado[]

Colorado election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Ed Johnson Will Nicholson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 340,719 165,059 Percentage 66.79% 32.36%

U.S. senator before election Edwin C. Johnson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Edwin C. Johnson Democratic

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Colorado election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edwin C. Johnson (Incumbent)	340,719	66.79%
	Republican	Will Nicholson	165,069	32.36%
	Progressive	Joe Gurule	2,981	0.58%
	Socialist	Carle Whithead	1,352	0.27%
Majority			175,650	34.43%
Turnout			510,121
	Democratic hold

Delaware[]

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Delaware election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Allen Frear Jr.	71,888	50.85%
	Republican	C. Douglass Buck (incumbent)	68,246	48.28%
Majority			3,642	2.57%
Turnout			141,362
	Democratic gain from Republican

Georgia[]

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Georgia election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Russell Jr. (Incumbent)	362,104	99.89%
	Write-In	Larkin Marshall	388	0.11%
	Write-In	Ellis Arnall	9	0.00%
	Write-In	Roy Harris	2	0.00%
	Write-In	Harry Sommers	1	0.00%
Majority			361,716	99.78%
Turnout			362,504
	Democratic hold

Idaho[]

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Idaho election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bert H. Miller	107,000	49.96%
	Republican	Henry Dworshak (Incumbent)	103,868	48.49%
	Progressive	John Derr	3,154	1.47%
	Socialist	Paul Wengert	166	0.08%
Majority			3,132	1.47%
Turnout			214,188
	Democratic gain from Republican

Illinois[]

Illinois election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Paul Douglas Charles W. Brooks Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,147,754 1,740,026 Percentage 55.07% 44.61%

County Results Douglas:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:       Brooks:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Charles W. Brooks Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Douglas Democratic

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Illinois election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Douglas	2,147,754	55.07%
	Republican	Charles W. Brooks (Incumbent)	1,740,026	44.61%
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	9,784	0.25%
	Socialist Labor	Frank Schnur	2,693	0.07%
	None	Write-In	28	0.00%
Majority			407,728	10.46%
Turnout			3,900,285
	Democratic gain from Republican

Iowa[]

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Iowa election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Guy Gillette	578,226	57.80%
	Republican	George A. Wilson (Incumbent)	415,778	41.56%
	Progressive	Seymour Pitcher	3,387	0.34%
	Prohibition	Z. Everett Kellum	2,580	0.26%
	Socialist	Hugo Bockewitz	441	0.04%
Majority			162,448	16.24%
Turnout			1,000,412
	Democratic gain from Republican

Kansas[]

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Kansas election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Andrew Frank Schoeppel	393,412	54.92%
	Democratic	George McGill	305,987	42.72%
	Prohibition	C. Floyd Hester	16,943	2.37%
Majority			87,425	12.20%
Turnout			716,342
	Republican hold

Kentucky[]

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Kentucky election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Virgil Chapman	408,256	51.39%
	Republican	John Sherman Cooper (Incumbent)	383,776	48.31%
	Socialist	W. A. Standefur	1,232	0.16%
	Progressive	H. G. Stanfield	924	0.12%
	Socialist Labor	David R. Cox	254	0.03%
	Write-In	John Y. Brown	26	0.00%
	Write-In	O. G. Gaines	1	0.00%
Majority			24,480	3.08%
Turnout			794,469
	Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana[]

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Louisiana (Regular)[]

Louisiana election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Allen J. Ellender (Incumbent)	330,115	100.00%
	Independent	Maurice Eugene Clark	9	0.00%
Majority			330,106	100.00%
Turnout			330,124
	Democratic hold

Louisiana (Special)[]

1948 United States Senate special election in Louisiana^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell B. Long	306,336	74.96%
	Republican	Clem S. Clarke	102,331	25.04%
Majority			204,005	49.92%
Turnout			408,667
	Democratic hold

Maine[]

Maine election

← 1942 September 13, 1948 1954 →

Nominee Margaret Chase Smith Adrian Scolten Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 159,182 64,074 Percentage 71.30% 28.70%

U.S. senator before election Wallace H. White Jr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Republican

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Maine election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Margaret Chase Smith	159,182	71.30%
	Democratic	Adrian H. Scolten	64,074	28.70%
Majority			95,108	42.60%
Turnout			223,256
	Republican hold

Massachusetts[]

Massachusetts election

← 1944 (Special) 1954 →

Nominee Leverett Saltonstall John I. Fitzgerald Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,088,475 954,398 Percentage 52.95% 46.43%

Senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican

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General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall (Incumbent)	1,088,475	52.95%
	Democratic	John I. Fitzgerald	954,398	46.42%
	Socialist Labor	Henning A. Blomen	9,266	0.45%
	Prohibition	E. Tallmadge Root	3,652	0.18%
	None	Scattering	7	0.00%
Majority			134,077	6.53%
Turnout			2,055,798
	Republican hold

Michigan[]

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Michigan election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Homer S. Ferguson (Incumbent)	1,045,156	50.68%
	Democratic	Frank E. Hook	1,000,329	48.51%
	Prohibition	Harold A. Lindahl	12,146	0.59%
	Socialist	Michael Magee	2,160	0.10%
	Socialist Labor	Theos S. Grove	1,418	0.07%
	Socialist Workers	Genora Dollinger	882	0.04%
	None	Scattering	2.57%	0.00%
Majority			44,827	2.17%
Turnout			2,062,093
	Republican hold

Minnesota[]

Minnesota election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Hubert H. Humphrey Joseph H. Ball Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 729,494 485,801 Percentage 59.78% 39.81%

County results Humphrey:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ball:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Joseph H. Ball Republican Elected U.S. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey Democratic (DFL)

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Minnesota election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert Humphrey	729,494	59.78%
	Republican	Joseph H. Ball (Incumbent)	485,801	39.81%
	Socialist Workers	Vincent R. Dunne	4,951	0.41%
	None	Scattering	41.56%	0.00%
Majority			243,693	19.97%
Turnout			1,220,250
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

Mississippi[]

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Mississippi election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Eastland (Incumbent)	151,478	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Montana[]

Montana election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee James E. Murray Tom J. Davis Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 125,193 94,458 Percentage 56.65% 42.74%

U.S. senator before election James E. Murray Democratic Elected U.S. Senator James E. Murray Democratic

Incumbent United States Senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936 and 1942, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he faced Tom J. Davis, an attorney and the Republican nominee, in the general election. Following a narrow re-election in 1936, Murray significantly expanded his margin of victory and comfortably won re-election over Davis, winning his fourth term and his third full term in the Senate.

1948 United States Senate election in Montana^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James E. Murray (Incumbent)	125,193	56.65%
	Republican	Tom J. Davis	94,458	42.74%
	Prohibition	C. S. Hanna	1,352	0.61%
Majority			30,735	13.91%
Turnout			221,003
	Democratic hold

Nebraska[]

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Nebraska election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kenneth S. Wherry (Incumbent)	267,575	56.67%
	Democratic	Terry Carpenter	204,320	43.27%
	N/A	Scattering	261	0.06%
Majority			63,255	13.40%
Turnout			472,156
	Republican hold

New Hampshire[]

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New Hampshire election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Styles Bridges (Incumbent)	129,600	58.14%
	Democratic	Alfred E. Fortin	91,760	41.17%
	Progressive	John G. Rideout	1,538	0.69%
Majority			37,840	16.97%
Turnout			222,898
	Republican hold

New Jersey[]

New Jersey election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Robert C. Hendrickson Archibald S. Alexander Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 934,720 884,414 Percentage 49.99% 47.30%

County Results Hendrickson:      40–50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Alexander:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Albert Hawkes Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert C. Hendrickson Republican

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New Jersey election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert C. Hendrickson	934,720	49.99%
	Democratic	Archibald S. Alexander	884,414	47.30%
	Progressive	James Imbrie	22,658	1.21%
	Socialist	Rubye Smith	11,450	0.61%
	Socialist Workers	George Breitman	8,076	0.43%
	Prohibition	George W. Rideout	4,656	0.25%
	Socialist Labor	George E. Bopp	3,908	0.21%
Majority			50,306	2.69%
Turnout			1,869,882
	Republican hold

New Mexico[]

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New Mexico election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clinton Presba Anderson (Incumbent)	108,269	57.44%
	Republican	Patrick J. Hurley	80,226	42.56%
Majority			28,043	13.88%
Turnout			188,495
	Democratic hold

North Carolina[]

There were 2 elections to the same seat, due to the December 15, 1946 death of three-term Democrat Josiah Bailey. Democratic former congressman William B. Umstead was appointed December 18, 1946 to continue Bailey's term, pending a special election.

Umstead supported the conservative Taft-Hartley Act. The Democratic former Governor of North Carolina J. Melville Broughton was seen as a "rather liberal alternative" to Umstead. Broughton beat Umstead in the Democratic primaries and then won the general elections.

North Carolina (Special)[]

North Carolina special Democratic primary election, May 29, 1948^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	206,673	52.30%
	Democratic	William B. Umstead (Incumbent)	188,477	47.70%
Majority			18,196	4.60%
Turnout				11.06%

North Carolina special election, November 2, 1948^[3][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	534,917	100.00%
Turnout				14.98%
	Democratic hold

North Carolina (Regular)[]

North Carolina regular Democratic primary election, May 29, 1948^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	207,907	53.05%
	Democratic	William B. Umstead (Incumbent)	184,013	46.95%
Majority			23,894	6.10%
Turnout				10.97%

North Carolina regular election, November 2, 1948^[3][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	540,762	70.73%
	Republican	John A. Wilkinson	220,307	28.81%
	Progressive	William T. Brown	3,490	0.46%
Majority			320,455	41.91%
Turnout			764,559	21.41%
	Democratic hold

Broughton was seated December 31, 1948 to finish the current term but died March 6, 1949, just after the new term began. His death lead to another appointment (Democrat Frank Graham) in 1949 and another special election in 1950 of Democrat Willis Smith. Smith also died during the term, leading to yet another appointment (Democrat Alton A. Lennon) and 1954 special election (of Democrat W. Kerr Scott). In all, five senators held the seat during the 1949–1955 term.

Oklahoma[]

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Oklahoma election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert S. Kerr	441,654	62.30%
	Republican	Ross Rizley	265,169	37.40%
	Independent	W. O. Pratt	2,108	0.30%
Majority			176,485	24.90%
Turnout			708,931
	Democratic gain from Republican

Oregon[]

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Oregon election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Guy Cordon (Incumbent)	299,295	60.03%
	Democratic	Manley J. Wilson	199,275	39.97%
Majority			100,020	20.06%
Turnout			498,570
	Republican hold

Rhode Island[]

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Rhode Island election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Theodore F. Green (Incumbent)	190,158	59.35%
	Republican	Thomas P. Hazard	130,262	40.65%
Majority			59,896	18.70%
Turnout			320,420
	Democratic hold

South Carolina[]

Senator Burnet R. Maybank was opposed in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan Dorn and three other candidates. Maybank obtained over 50% in the primary election on August 10 to avoid a runoff election.

Democratic Primary
Candidate	Votes	%
Burnet R. Maybank	161,608	51.5
W.J. Bryan Dorn	76,749	24.4
Neville Bennett	43,068	13.7
Alan Johnstone	17,689	5.6
Marcus A. Stone	14,904	4.8

Since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the Democratic Party dominated the politics of South Carolina and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Maybank did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1948

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Burnet R. Maybank (Incumbent)	135,998	96.45%
	Republican	J. Bates Gerald	5,008	3.55%
Majority			130,990	92.90
Turnout			141,006
	Democratic hold

South Dakota[]

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South Dakota election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Karl E. Mundt	144,084	59.33%
	Democratic	John A. Engel	98,749	40.67%
Majority			45,335	18.66%
Turnout			242,833
	Republican hold

Tennessee[]

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Tennessee election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Estes Kefauver	326,142	65.33%
	Republican	B. Carroll Reece	166,947	33.44%
	Independent	John Randolph Neal Jr.	6,103	1.22%
	None	Scattering	26	0.01%
Majority			159,195	31.89%
Turnout			499,218
	Democratic hold

Texas[]

Texas election

← 1942 1954 →

Nominee Lyndon B. Johnson Jack Porter Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 702,985 349,665 Percentage 66.22% 32.94%

U.S. senator before election W. Lee O'Daniel Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (March 2020)

Texas election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lyndon Johnson	702,985	66.22%
	Republican	Jack Porter	349,665	32.94%
	Prohibition	Samuel N. Morris	8,913	0.84%
Majority			353,320	33.28%
Turnout			1,061,563
	Democratic hold

Virginia[]

Virginia election

← 1946 November 2, 1948 1954 →

Nominee Absalom Willis Robertson Robert H. Woods Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 253,865 118,546 Percentage 65.7% 30.7%

U.S. senator before election Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Absalom Willis Robertson defeated Republican Robert H. Woods and was re-elected to his first full term in office.

1948 United States Senate election in Virginia^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Absalom Willis Robertson (Incumbent)	253,865	65.74%	-2.41%
	Republican	Robert H. Woods	118,546	30.70%	+1.68%
	Independent	Howard Carwile	6,788	1.76%
	Progressive	Virginia Foster Durr	5,347	1.38%	+1.38%
	Socialist	Clarke T. Robb	1,627	0.42%	-2.40%
	Write-ins		5	<0.01%
Majority			135,319	35.04%	-4.09%
Turnout			386,168
	Democratic hold		Swing

West Virginia[]

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West Virginia election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Matthew M. Neely	435,354	56.99%
	Republican	Chapman Revercomb (Incumbent)	328,534	43.01%
Majority			106,810	13.98%
Turnout			763,888
	Democratic gain from Republican

Wyoming[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (March 2020)

Wyoming election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lester C. Hunt	57,953	57.11%
	Republican	Edward V. Robertson (Incumbent)	43,527	42.89%
Majority			14,426	14.22%
Turnout			101,480
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also[]

• 1948 United States elections
  • 1948 United States presidential election
  • 1948 United States House of Representatives elections
• 80th United States Congress
• 81st United States Congress

References[]

Further reading[]

• Hartley, Robert E. Battleground 1948: Truman, Stevenson, Douglas, and the Most Surprising Election in Illinois History (Southern Illinois University Press; 2013)