1954 United States Senate elections

1954 United States Senate elections

← 1952 September 13[a] & November 2, 1954 1956 →
38 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lyndon Johnson Bill Knowland Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1953 August 4, 1953 Leader's seat Texas California Seats before 46 49 Seats after 48 47 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 15,137,069[1] 12,585,368[1] Percentage 53.9% 44.8% Swing 9.1% 7.2% Seats up 22 16 Races won 24 14   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats after 1 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Bill Knowland Republican Elected Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson Democratic

The 1954 United States Senate elections was a midterm election in the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. Eisenhower's Republican party lost a net of two seats to the Democratic opposition. This small change was just enough to give Democrats control of the chamber with the support of an Independent (Wayne Morse of Oregon) who caucused with them.

The elections resulted in a divided government that continued to the end of Eisenhower's presidency and a Democratic majority that would last until 1981.

As of 2021, this is the last Senate election cycle in which a state had to hold three elections for both seats (two special elections and one regular election) due to the near-simultaneous deaths of both incumbent Senators.

Results summary[]

↓

48	1	47
Democratic	I	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties						Total
		Democratic	Republican	Independent	Other
Last elections (1952)		47	49	0	0	96
Before these elections		46	49	1	0	96
Not up		24	33	0	1	58
Up		22	16	0	—	38
	Class 2 (1948→1954)	20	12	—	—	32
	Special: Class 1	0	1	—	—	1
	Special: Class 3	2	3	—	—	5
Incumbent retired		2	4	—	—	6
	Held by same party	1	3	—	—	4
	Replaced by other party	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	2
	Result	2	4	0	0	6
Incumbent ran		20	12	—	—	32
	Won re-election	17	7	—	—	24
	Lost re-election	4 Republicans replaced by 4 Democrats 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	6
	Lost renomination but held by same party	1	1	—	—	2
	Result	22	10	0	0	32
Total elected		24	14	0	0	38
Net change		2	2			2
Nationwide vote		15,137,069	12,585,368	35,661	323,147	28,081,245
	Share	53.90%	44.82%	0.13%	1.15%	100%
Result		48	47	1	0	96

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[1]

Incumbents defeated[]

In renomination[]

Democratic hold[]

1. North Carolina (Class 2, special and regular): Appointee Alton Lennon lost to W. Kerr Scott, who won both general elections.

Republican hold[]

1. New Hampshire (Special): Appointee Robert W. Upton lost to Norris Cotton, who won the general election.

In re-election[]

Republicans who lost to Democrats[]

1. Kentucky: John S. Cooper lost to Alben W. Barkley.
2. Michigan: Homer Ferguson lost to Patrick V. McNamara.
3. Nevada (Special): Appointee Ernest S. Brown lost to Alan Bible.
4. Oregon: Guy Cordon lost to Richard L. Neuberger.

Democrats who lost to Republicans[]

1. Iowa: Guy M. Gillette lost to Thomas E. Martin.
2. Ohio: Appointee Thomas A. Burke lost to George H. Bender.

Retirements[]

Republicans made a net gain of two seats from retirements.

Democratic hold[]

1. South Carolina: Appointee Charles E. Daniel was replaced by Strom Thurmond.

Republican holds[]

1. Nebraska (Special, Class 1): Appointee Samuel W. Reynolds was replaced by Roman Hruska.
2. Nebraska (Class 2, special and regular): Appointee Eva Bowring was replaced by Hazel Abel to complete the term and Carl Curtis to serve the following term.
3. New Jersey: Robert C. Hendrickson was replaced by Clifford P. Case.

Republican who was replaced by a Democrat[]

1. Wyoming: Appointee Edward D. Crippa was replaced by Joseph C. O'Mahoney.

Democrat who was replaced by a Republican[]

1. Colorado: Edwin C. Johnson was replaced by Gordon Allott.

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 Ala. Ran	D26 Ark. Ran	D27 Colo. Retired	D28 Del. Ran
D38 N.C. (sp 3) Ran	D37 N.C. (reg) N.C. (sp 2) Ran	D36 N.M. Ran	D35 Mont. Ran	D34 Miss. Ran	D33 Minn. Ran	D32 La. Ran	D31 Iowa Ran	D30 Ill. Ran	D29 Ga. Ran
D39 Ohio (sp) Ran	D40 Okla. Ran	D41 R.I. Ran	D42 S.C. Retired	D43 Tenn. Ran	D44 Texas Ran	D45 Va. Ran	D46 W.Va. Ran	I1	R49 Wyo. (reg) Wyo. (sp) Retired
Majority →
R39 Mass. Ran	R40 Mich. Ran	R41 Neb. (reg) Neb. (sp 2) Retired	R42 Neb. (sp 1) Retired	R43 Nev. (sp) Ran	R44 N.H. (reg) Ran	R45 N.H. (sp) Ran	R46 N.J. Retired	R47 Ore. Ran	R48 S.D. Ran
R38 Me. Ran	R37 Ky. Ran	R36 Kan. Ran	R35 Idaho Ran	R34 Calif. (sp) 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

Results 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 Ala. Re-elected	D26 Ark. Re-elected	D27 Del. Re-elected	D28 Ga. Re-elected
D38 R.I. Re-elected	D37 Okla. Re-elected	D36 N.C. (sp 3) Elected[b]	D35 N.C. (reg) N.C. (sp 2) Hold	D34 N.M. Re-elected	D33 Mont. Re-elected	D32 Miss. Re-elected	D31 Minn. Re-elected	D30 La. Re-elected	D29 Ill. Re-elected
D39 S.C. Hold	D40 Tenn. Re-elected	D41 Texas Re-elected	D42 Va. Re-elected	D43 W.Va. Re-elected	D44 Ky. Gain	D45 Mich. Gain	D46 Nev. (sp) Gain	D47 Ore. Gain	D48 Wyo. (reg) Wyo. (sp) Gain
Majority with Independent in caucus ↑									I1
R39 Neb. (reg) Neb. (sp 2) Hold	R40 Neb. (sp 1) Hold	R41 N.H. (reg) Re-elected	R42 N.H. (sp) Hold	R43 N.J. Hold	R44 S.D. Re-elected	R45 Colo. Gain	R46 Iowa Gain	R47 Ohio (sp) Gain
R38 Mass. Re-elected	R37 Me. Re-elected	R36 Kan. Re-elected	R35 Idaho Re-elected	R34 Calif. (sp) Elected[b]	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 I# Independent R# Republican

Race summaries[]

Special elections during the 83rd Congress[]

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1954 or before January 3, 1955; ordered by election date, then state, then class.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
California (Class 3)	Thomas Kuchel	Republican	1953 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 2, 1954.	▌Y Thomas Kuchel (Republican) 53.2% ▌Sam Yorty (Democratic) 45.5% ▌ (Progressive) 1.3%
Nebraska (Class 1)	Samuel W. Reynolds	Republican	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Republican hold.	▌Y Roman Hruska (Republican) 60.9% ▌ (Democratic) 39.1%
Nebraska (Class 2)	Eva Bowring	Republican	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Republican hold. Winner was not elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Hazel Abel (Republican) 57.8% ▌ (Democratic) 42.2%
Nevada (Class 3)	Ernest S. Brown	Republican	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Democratic gain.	▌Y Alan Bible (Democratic) 58.1% ▌Ernest S. Brown (Republican) 41.9%
New Hampshire (Class 3)	Robert W. Upton	Republican	1953 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Republican hold.	▌Y Norris Cotton (Republican) 60.2% ▌ (Democratic) 39.8%
North Carolina (Class 2)	Alton Lennon	Democratic	1953 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to next term; see below.	▌Y W. Kerr Scott (Democratic) 65.9% ▌ (Republican) 34.1%
North Carolina (Class 3)	Sam Ervin	Democratic	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 2, 1954.	▌Y Sam Ervin (Democratic) Unopposed
Ohio (Class 3)	Thomas A. Burke	Democratic	1953 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Republican gain.	▌Y George H. Bender (Republican) 50.1% ▌Thomas A. Burke (Democratic) 49.9%
Wyoming (Class 2)	Edward D. Crippa	Republican	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 2, 1954. Democratic gain. Winner also elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Democratic) 51.6% ▌William Henry Harrison III (Republican) 48.4%[2]

Races leading to the 84th Congress[]

In these general elections, the winner was seated on January 3, 1955; 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) 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Sparkman (Democratic) 82.5% ▌Junius Foy Guin Jr. (Republican) 17.5%
Arkansas	John L. McClellan	Democratic	1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John L. McClellan (Democratic) Unopposed
Colorado	Edwin C. Johnson	Democratic	1936 1942 1948	Incumbent retired to run for Governor. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Gordon Allott (Republican) 51.3% ▌John A. Carroll (Democratic) 48.7%
Delaware	J. Allen Frear Jr.	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. Allen Frear Jr. (Democratic) 56.9% ▌Herbert Warburton (Republican) 43.1%
Georgia	Richard Russell Jr.	Democratic	1932 (Special) 1936 1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Richard Russell Jr. (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Henry Dworshak	Republican	1946 (Special) 1948 (Lost) 1949 (Appointed) 1950 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Henry Dworshak (Republican) 62.8% ▌Glen H. Taylor (Democratic) 37.2%
Illinois	Paul Douglas	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Paul Douglas (Democratic) 53.6% ▌ (Republican) 46.4%
Iowa	Guy Gillette	Democratic	1936 (Special) 1938 1944 (Lost) 1948	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Thomas E. Martin (Republican) 52.2% ▌Guy Gillette (Democratic) 47.5% ▌ (Republicsons) 0.3%
Kansas	Andrew Frank Schoeppel	Republican	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Andrew Frank Schoeppel (Republican) 56.3% ▌George McGill (Democratic) 41.8% ▌David C. White (Prohibition) 1.8%
Kentucky	John Sherman Cooper	Republican	1946 (Special) 1948 (Lost) 1952 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 54.5% ▌John Sherman Cooper (Republican) 45.5%
Louisiana	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	1936 1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Allen J. Ellender (Democratic) Unopposed
Maine	Margaret Chase Smith	Republican	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Margaret Chase Smith (Republican) 58.6% ▌ (Democratic) 41.4%
Massachusetts	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican	1944 (Special) 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Leverett Saltonstall (Republican) 50.5% ▌Foster Furcolo (Democratic) 49.0%
Michigan	Homer S. Ferguson	Republican	1942 1948	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Patrick V. McNamara (Democratic) 50.8% ▌Homer S. Ferguson (Republican) 48.9%
Minnesota	Hubert Humphrey	DFL	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 56.4% ▌Val Bjornson (Republican) 42.1%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James Eastland (Democratic) Unopposed
Montana	James E. Murray	Democratic	1934 (Special) 1936 1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James E. Murray (Democratic) 50.4% ▌Wesley A. D'Ewart (Republican) 49.6%
Nebraska	Eva Bowring	Republican	1954 (Special)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Winner was not elected to finish the term; see above.	▌Y Carl Curtis (Republican) 61.1% ▌Keith Neville (Democratic) 38.9%
New Hampshire	Styles Bridges	Republican	1936 1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Styles Bridges (Republican) 60.2% ▌ (Democratic) 39.8%
New Jersey	Robert C. Hendrickson	Republican	1948	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y Clifford P. Case (Republican) 48.7% ▌Charles R. Howell (Democratic) 48.5%
New Mexico	Clinton Anderson	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Clinton Anderson (Democratic) 57.3% ▌Edwin L. Mechem (Republican) 42.7%
North Carolina	Alton Lennon	Democratic	1953 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to finish the term; see above.	▌Y W. Kerr Scott (Democratic) 65.90% ▌ (Republican) 34.10%
Oklahoma	Robert S. Kerr	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert S. Kerr (Democratic) 55.8% ▌ (Republican) 43.7% ▌ (Independent) 0.3% ▌ (Independent) 0.2%
Oregon	Guy Cordon	Republican	1944 (Appointed) 1944 (Special) 1948	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Richard L. Neuberger (Democratic) 50.2% ▌Guy Cordon (Republican) 49.8%
Rhode Island	Theodore F. Green	Democratic	1936 1942 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Theodore F. Green (Democratic) 59.3% ▌ (Republican) 40.7%
South Carolina	Charles E. Daniel	Democratic	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent then resigned December 23, 1954 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed December 24, 1954 to finish the term.	▌Y Strom Thurmond (Democratic) 63.1% ▌Edgar Allan Brown (Democratic) 36.8%
South Dakota	Karl E. Mundt	Republican	1948 1948 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Karl E. Mundt (Republican) 57.3% ▌ (Democratic) 42.7%
Tennessee	Estes Kefauver	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Estes Kefauver (Democratic) 70.0% ▌Tom Wall (Republican) 30.0%
Texas	Lyndon B. Johnson	Democratic	1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) 84.6% ▌ (Republican) 14.9% ▌ (Constitution) 0.5%
Virginia	Absalom Willis Robertson	Democratic	1946 (Special) 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Absalom Willis Robertson (Democratic) 79.9% ▌ (Ind. Democratic) 10.7% ▌ (Social Democratic) 9.4%
West Virginia	Matthew M. Neely	Democratic	1922 1928 (Lost) 1930 1936 1941 (Resigned) 1948	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Matthew M. Neely (Democratic) 54.8% ▌Thomas Sweeney (Republican) 45.2%
Wyoming	Edward D. Crippa	Republican	1954 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain. Winner also elected to finish the term; see above.	▌Y Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Democratic) 51.5% ▌William Henry Harrison III (Republican) 48.5%[2]

Alabama[]

Alabama election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee John Sparkman Junius Foy Guin Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 259,348 55,110 Percentage 82.48% 17.53%

County results Sparkman:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

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

Alabama election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (Incumbent)	259,348	82.47
	Republican	J. Foy Guin Jr.	55,110	17.53
Majority			204,438	64.96
Turnout			314,458
	Democratic hold

Arkansas[]

Arkansas election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John L. McClellan (Incumbent)	291,058	100.00
	Democratic hold

California (special)[]

Following the resignation of Richard Nixon to assume the vice presidency, Governor Earl Warren appointed Thomas Kuchel to Nixon's seat; Kuchel assumed the office on January 2, 1953.^[3]

California election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thomas Kuchel (Incumbent)	2,090,836	53.2
	Democratic	Sam Yorty	1,788,071	45.5
	Independent–Progressive	Isobel M. Cerney	50,506	1.3
	None	Scattering	255	0.00
Majority			302,765	7.7
Turnout			3,929,668
	Republican hold

Colorado[]

Colorado election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Gordon Allott John A. Carroll Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 248,502 235,686 Percentage 51.32% 48.68%

County results Allott:      50–60%      60–70% Carroll:      50–60%      60–70%

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

Colorado election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gordon Allott	248,502	51.32
	Democratic	John A. Carroll	235,686	48.68
Majority			12,816	2.64
Turnout			484,188
	Republican gain from Democratic

Delaware[]

Delaware election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Allen Frear (Incumbent)	82,511	56.94
	Republican	Herbert B. Warburton	62,389	43.06
Majority			20,122	13.88
Turnout			144,900
	Democratic hold

Georgia[]

Georgia election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard B. Russell (Incumbent)	333,917	99.99
	None	Scattering	19	0.01
Majority			333,898	99.98
Turnout			333,936
	Democratic hold

Idaho[]

Idaho election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henry Dworshak (Incumbent)	142,269	62.84
	Democratic	Glen H. Taylor	84,139	37.16
Majority			58,130	25.68
Turnout			226,408
	Republican hold

Illinois[]

Illinois election

← 1948 1960 →
Turnout	63.69%
Nominee Paul Douglas Joseph T. Meek Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,804,338 1,563,683 Percentage 53.57% 46.43%
U.S. senator before election Paul Douglas Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Paul Douglas Democratic

Illinois election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul H. Douglas (Incumbent)	1,804,338	53.57
	Republican	Joseph T. Meek	1,563,683	46.43
Majority			240,655	7.14
Turnout			3,368,021
	Democratic hold

Iowa[]

Iowa election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thomas E. Martin	442,409	52.21
	Democratic	Guy Gillette (Incumbent)	402,712	47.53
	Republicsons	Ernest Seeman	2,234	0.26
Majority			39,697	4.68
Turnout			847,355
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kansas[]

Kansas election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Andrew Schoeppel (Incumbent)	348,144	56.33
	Democratic	George McGill	258,575	41.84
	Prohibition	David C. White	11,344	1.84
Majority			89,569	14.49
Turnout			618,063
	Republican hold

Kentucky[]

Kentucky election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alben Barkley	434,109	54.46
	Republican	John Sherman Cooper (Incumbent)	362,948	45.54
Majority			71,161	8.92
Turnout			797,057
	Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana[]

Louisiana election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Allen J. Ellender (Incumbent)	207,115	100.00
	Democratic hold

Maine[]

Maine election

← 1948 September 13, 1954 1960 →

Nominee Margaret Chase Smith Paul Fullam Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 144,530 102,075 Percentage 58.61% 41.39%

U.S. senator before election Margaret Chase Smith Republican Elected U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Republican

Maine election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Margaret Chase Smith (Incumbent)	144,530	58.61
	Democratic	Paul A. Fullam	102,075	41.39
Majority			42,455	17.22
Turnout			246,605
	Republican hold

Massachusetts[]

Massachusetts election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Leverett Saltonstall Foster Furcolo Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 956,605 927,899 Percentage 50.54% 49.03%

Senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican

In Massachusetts, Republican Incumbent Leverett Saltonstall defeated his challengers.

Democrat Foster Furcolo (Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts since 1952 and member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district from 1949-1952) beat John I. Fitzgerald (former member of the Boston City Council and Democratic candidate for Senate in 1948) and Joseph L. Murphy (former member of the Massachusetts Senate).

Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall (United States senator since 1945 and Governor of Massachusetts from 1939-1945) was renominated. Other nominees included Socialist Workers (ran for Senate in 1952.^[4]) and Prohibition (candidate for Treasurer and Receiver-General in 1948 and 1952).

Democratic primary ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Foster Furcolo	207,232	59.13
	Democratic	Joseph L. Murphy	79,463	22.68
	Democratic	John I. Fitzgerald	63,752	18.19

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall (Incumbent)	956,605	50.54	-2.41%
	Democratic	Foster Furcolo	927,899	49.03	+2.60%
	Socialist Labor		5,353	0.28	-0.17%
	Prohibition		2,832	0.15	-0.03%
	None	Scattering	21	0.00
Majority			28,706	1.52
Turnout			1,892,710
	Republican hold		Swing

Michigan[]

Michigan election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Patrick V. McNamara Homer S. Ferguson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,088,550 1,049,420 Percentage 50.75% 48.93%

U.S. senator before election Homer S. Ferguson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Patrick V. McNamara Democratic

Michigan election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patrick V. McNamara	1,088,550	50.75
	Republican	Homer S. Ferguson (Incumbent)	1,049,420	48.93
	Prohibition	Leroy M. Lowell	4,841	0.23
	Socialist Labor	James Sim	1,126	0.05
	Socialist Workers	Rita Shaw	902	0.04
	None	Scattering	1	0.00
Majority			39,130	1.82
Turnout			2,144,840
	Democratic gain from Republican

Minnesota[]

1954 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Hubert H. Humphrey Val Bjornson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 642,193 479,619 Percentage 56.39% 42.11%

County results Humphrey:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Bjornson:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

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

Minnesota election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert Humphrey (Incumbent)	642,193	56.38
	Republican	Val Bjornson	479,619	42.11
	Liberal Independent	Francis Patrick Ryan	12,457	1.09
	Socialist Workers	Vincent R. Dunne	4,683	0.41
Majority			162,574	14.27
Turnout			1,138,952
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Mississippi[]

Mississippi election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee James Eastland James A. White Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 100,848 4,678 Percentage 95.6% 4.43%

County results Eastland:      80-90%      90-100%

U.S. senator before election James Eastland Democratic Elected U.S. senator James Eastland Democratic

Mississippi election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Eastland (Incumbent)	100,848	95.57
	Republican	James A. White	4,678	4.43
Majority			96,070	91.14
Turnout			105,526
	Democratic hold

Montana[]

In Montana incumbent senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936, 1942, and 1948, ran for re-election.

Murray won the Democratic primary against trivial opponents (farmer Ray E. Gulick and Sam G. Feezell).

Democratic Party primary results^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James E. Murray (Incumbent)	65,896	86.94
	Democratic	Ray E. Gulick	4,961	6.55
	Democratic	Sam G. Feezell	4,941	6.52
Total votes			75,798	100.00

Republican Wesley A. D'Ewart United States Congressman from Montana's 2nd congressional district beat Robert Yellowtail, former Superintendent of the Crow Indian Reservation, for the GOP nomination.

Republican Primary results^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wesley A. D'Ewart	49,964	82.36
	Republican	Robert Yellowtail	10,705	17.64
Total votes			60,669	100.00

A contentious and close election ensued, but ultimately, Murray was able to narrowly win re-election over D'Ewart to a final term in the Senate.

Montana election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	James E. Murray (Incumbent)	114,591	50.38	-6.27%
	Republican	Wesley A. D'Ewart	112,863	49.62	+6.88%
Majority			1,728	0.76	-13.15%
Turnout			227,454
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska[]

Nebraska had three Senate elections on the ballot. Both incumbents had died in the span of three months, leading to appointments and special elections.

Nebraska (special, Class 1)[]

Incumbent Republican Hugh A. Butler died July 1, 1954 and Republican Samuel W. Reynolds was appointed July 3, 1954 to continue the term. Reynolds did not run to finish the term, and Republican Roman Hruska won the seat in November to finish the term ending in 1959.

Nebraska class 1 special election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roman Hruska	250,341	60.88
	Democratic		160,881	39.12
	None	Scattering	3	0.00
Majority			89,460	21.76
Turnout			411,225
	Republican hold

Nebraska (special, Class 2)[]

Incumbent Republican Dwight P. Griswold died April 12, 1954, and Republican Eva Bowring was appointed April 16 to continue the term. In November, Republican Hazel Abel was elected to finish the term.

Nebraska class 2 special election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mrs. George P. Abel	233,589	57.76
	Democratic		170,828	42.24
	None	Scattering	5	0.00
Majority			62,761	15.52
Turnout			404,422
	Republican hold

Nebraska (regular)[]

Although elected to finish the class 2 term, Abel did not run for the next term, and Republican Carl Curtis was elected in November to the next term.

Nebraska general election (class 2)^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Carl T. Curtis	255,695	61.07
	Democratic	Keith Neville	162,990	38.93
	None	Scattering	6	0.00
Majority			92,705	22.14
Turnout			418,691
	Republican hold

On December 31, 1954 Abel resigned and Curtis was appointed January 1, 1955, two days ahead of his elected term.

Nevada (special)[]

Nevada election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Bible	45,043	58.11
	Republican	Ernest S. Brown (Incumbent)	32,470	41.89
Majority			12,573	16.22
Turnout			77,513
	Democratic gain from Republican

New Hampshire[]

New Hampshire (regular)[]

New Hampshire election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Styles Bridges (Incumbent)	117,150	60.22
	Democratic	Gerard L. Morin	77,386	39.78
Majority			39,764	20.44
Turnout			194,536
	Republican hold

New Hampshire (special)[]

New Hampshire election^[1]

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

New Jersey[]

New Jersey election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Clifford P. Case Charles R. Howell Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 861,528 858,158 Percentage 48.66% 48.47%

County Results Case:      40–50%      50-60%      60-70% Howell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Robert C. Hendrickson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case Republican

New Jersey election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clifford Case (Incumbent)	861,528	48.66
	Democratic	Charles R. Howell	858,158	48.47
	American Third	Henry Krajewski	35,421	2.00
	Write-In	Fred A. Hartley	7,025	0.40
	Socialist Labor	Albert Ronis	4,832	0.27
	Socialist Workers	George Breitman	3,590	0.20
Majority			3,370	0.19
Turnout			1,770,554
	Republican hold

New Mexico[]

New Mexico election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clinton P. Anderson (Incumbent)	111,351	57.10
	Republican	Edwin L. Mechem	83,671	42.90
Majority			27,680	14.20
Turnout			195,022
	Democratic hold

North Carolina[]

Like Nebraska, North Carolina had three elections on the ballot. Both senators had died during the 83rd Congress, leading to appointments and special elections.

North Carolina (special, Class 2)[]

Democrat Willis Smith died June 26, 1953 and Democrat Alton A. Lennon was appointed July 10, 1953 to continue the term. In November, Lennon lost the nomination to Democrat W. Kerr Scott to finish the term.^[7] Scott took office November 29, 1954.

North Carolina class 2 special election^[1][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	W. Kerr Scott	420,268	100.00
	Democratic hold

North Carolina (regular)[]

Democrat W. Kerr Scott was also elected to the next term, which would begin January 3, 1955.^[9]

North Carolina (class 2) general election^[1][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	W. Kerr Scott	408,312	65.90
	Republican	Paul C. West	211,322	34.10
Majority			196,990	31.80
Turnout			619,634
	Democratic hold

North Carolina (special, Class 3)[]

Democrat Clyde R. Hoey died May 12, 1954 and Democrat Sam Ervin was appointed June 5, 1954 to continue the term. In November, Ervin was elected to finish the term.

North Carolina class 3 special election^[1][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Samuel J. Ervin Jr. (Incumbent)	410,574	100.00
	Democratic hold

Ohio (special)[]

Ohio election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George H. Bender	1,257,874	50.06
	Democratic	Thomas A. Burke (Incumbent)	1,254,904	49.94
Majority			2,970	0.12
Turnout			2,512,778
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oklahoma[]

Oklahoma election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert S. Kerr (Incumbent)	335,127	55.84
	Republican	Fred M. Mock	262,013	43.66
	Independent	George V. Fried	1,563	0.26
	Independent	George H. Brasier	1,417	0.24
Majority			73,114	12.18
Turnout			600,120
	Democratic hold

Oregon[]

Oregon election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard L. Neuberger	285,775	50.22
	Republican	Guy Cordon (Incumbent)	283,313	49.78
Majority			2,462	0.44
Turnout			569,088
	Democratic gain from Republican

Rhode Island[]

Rhode Island election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Theodore Francis Green (Incumbent)	193,654	59.29
	Republican	Walter I. Sundlun	132,970	40.71
Majority			60,684	18.58
Turnout			326,624
	Democratic hold

South Carolina[]

South Carolina election

← 1948 1956 (Special) →

Nominee Strom Thurmond Edgar A. Brown Party Democratic Democratic Popular vote 143,444 83,525 Percentage 63.1% 36.8%

Thurmond:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      70–80% Brown:      50-60%      60-70%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Burnet R. Maybank Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond Democratic

In South Carolina, Senator Burnet R. Maybank did not face a primary challenge in the summer and was therefore renominated as the Democratic Party's nominee for the election in the fall. However, his death on September 1 left the Democratic Party without a nominee and the executive committee decided to nominate state Senator Edgar A. Brown as their candidate for the election. Many South Carolinians were outraged by the party's decision to forgo a primary election and former Governor Strom Thurmond entered the race as a write-in candidate. He easily won the election and became the first U.S. senator to be elected by a write-in vote (William Knowland of California in 1946 was technically the first, but the ballots in that election were blank with no candidates listed, so essentially every candidate was running a write-in campaign).^[12]

Sitting Senator Burnet R. Maybank entered the 1954 contest without a challenge in the Democratic primary nor in the general election. His unexpected death on September 1 caused panic and confusion within the hierarchy of the state Democratic party because the state law required that a party's nominee be certified by September 3. Hours after Maybank's funeral, the state Democratic executive committee met in secret and chose state Senator Edgar A. Brown of Barnwell County as the party's nominee for the general election. Not only was Brown a part of the "Barnwell Ring", but he was also a member of the executive committee.

The state Democratic Party's decision to choose a candidate without holding a special primary election drew widespread criticism across the state. On September 3, The Greenville News ran an editorial advocating that a primary election be called and several newspapers across the state followed suit. At least six county Democratic committees repudiated the action by the state committee and called for a primary election. Despite repeated calls for a primary, the state executive committee voted against holding a primary because they did not think that there was enough time before the general election to hold a primary election.

Immediately after the executive committee voted against holding a primary election, former Governor Strom Thurmond and lumberman Marcus Stone announced their intention to run as Democratic write-in candidates. Thurmond and his supporters stated that the executive committee had several legal alternatives as opposed to the outright appointment of state Senator Brown. In addition, Thurmond promised that if he were elected he would resign in 1956 so that the voters could choose a candidate in the regular primary for the remaining four years of the term.

Thurmond received support from Governor James F. Byrnes and from those who backed his Presidential bid as a Dixiecrat in the 1948 Presidential election. Thurmond framed the race as a "moral issue: democracy versus committee rule"^[13] and his write-in campaign was repeatedly assisted by every newspaper in the state, except for those in Anderson. For instance, The News and Courier devoted its front page on November 2 to show voters a sample ballot and it also provided detailed instructions on how to cast a write-in vote. Not only that, but the newspaper also printed an editorial on the front page giving precise reasons why voters should vote for Thurmond instead of Brown.

On the other hand, Brown was supported by the Democratic party regulars and he also gained the endorsement of Senator Olin D. Johnston. Brown based his campaign entirely on the issue of party loyalty, stressing that Thurmond was a Republican ally because he had voted for President Eisenhower in 1952.

Marcus A. Stone, a lumberman in Florence and Dillon, was a candidate in previous Democratic primaries for governor and senator. He did very little campaigning for the general election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1954

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Strom Thurmond (Write-In)	143,444	63.13	+63.13
	Democratic	Edgar A. Brown	83,525	36.76	-59.64
	Democratic	Marcus Stone (Write-In)	240	0.11	+0.11
	No party	Write-Ins	23	0.00	0.00
Majority			59,919	26.37	-66.43
Turnout			227,232
	Democratic hold

South Dakota[]

South Dakota election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Karl Mundt (Incumbent)	135,071	57.30
	Democratic	Kenneth Holum	100,674	42.70
Majority			34,397	14.60
Turnout			235,745
	Republican hold

Tennessee[]

Tennessee election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Estes Kefauver (Incumbent)	249,121	69.96
	Republican	Thomas P. Wall Jr.	106,971
	None	Write-Ins	21.76%	0.00
Majority			142,150	39.92
Turnout			356,094
	Democratic hold

Texas[]

Texas election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lyndon Johnson (Incumbent)	538,417	84.59
	Republican	Carlos Watson	95,033	14.93
	Communist	Fred T. Spangler	3,025	0.48
Majority			443,384	69.66
Turnout			636,475
	Democratic hold

Virginia[]

Virginia election

← 1948 1960 →

Nominee Absalom Willis Robertson Charles W. Lewis Jr. Party Democratic Independent Democratic Popular vote 244,844 32,681 Percentage 79.9% 10.7%   Nominee Clarke T. Robb Party Social Democratic Popular vote 28,922 Percentage 9.4%

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

In Virginia, Democratic incumbent Senator Absalom Willis Robertson defeated Independent Democrat Charles Lewis and Social Democrat Clarke Robb and was re-elected to a second term in office.

Virginia election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Absalom Willis Robertson (Incumbent)	244,844	79.88	+14.14%
	Independent Democratic	Charles W. Lewis Jr.	32,681	10.66	+10.66%
	Social Democratic	Clarke T. Robb	28,922	9.44	+9.02%
	Write-ins		63	0.02	+0.02%
Majority			212,163	69.22	+34.18%
Turnout			306,510
	Democratic hold		Swing

West Virginia[]

West Virginia election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Matthew M. Neely (Incumbent)	325,263	54.82
	Republican	Thomas Sweeney	268,066	45.18
Majority			57,197	9.64
Turnout			593,329
	Democratic hold

Wyoming[]

There were two elections the same day to the same seat, due to the June 19, 1954 death of Democrat Lester C. Hunt. Both elections were won by Democratic former senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney.

Wyoming (special)[]

Republican Edward D. Crippa was appointed June 24, 1954 to continue the term, pending a November 2, 1954 special election.

Wyoming special election, November 2, 1954^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph C. O'Mahoney	57,163	51.56
	Republican	William Henry Harrison III	53,705	48.44
Majority			3,458	3.12
Turnout			110,868
	Democratic gain from Republican

Wyoming (regular)[]

Wyoming general election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph C. O'Mahoney	57,845	51.53
	Republican	William Henry Harrison III	54,407	48.47
Majority			3,438	3.06
Turnout			112,252
	Democratic gain from Republican

O'Mahoney would serve out this one term and then retire.

See also[]

• 1954 United States elections
  • 1954 United States House of Representatives elections
• 83rd United States Congress
• 84th United States Congress

Notes[]

References[]

Sources[]

• "A New Test For S.C. Voters". The News and Courier. November 2, 1954. p. 1A.
• "Brown Faces Thurmond In Write-In Race". The News and Courier. November 2, 1954. p. 1A.
• Lander Jr., Ernest McPherson (1970). A History of South Carolina, 1865-1960. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 182–184. ISBN 0-87249-169-2.
• "Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." Reports and Resolutions of South Carolina to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume I. Columbia, SC: 1955, pp. 4–5.
• U.S. Senate Biography of Strom Thurmond