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1948 United States Senate elections - Wikipedia

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1948 United States Senate elections

← 1946

November 2, 1948

1950 →

← 1947 (MS)

1949 (NY) →

33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate
49 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Leader	Alben Barkley (resigned after being elected vice president)	Wallace White (retired)
Party	Democratic	Republican
Leader since	July 22, 1937	February 25, 1944
Leader's seat	Kentucky	Maine
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%
Seats up	15	18
Races won	24	9

Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican hold
     No election

Rectangular inset (Louisiana): both seats up for election

Majority Leader before election

Wallace White
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Scott Lucas
Democratic

The 1948 United States Senate elections were held concurrently with the election of Democratic President Harry S. Truman for a full term. The 32 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections, and one special election was held to fill a vacancy. Truman campaigned against an "obstructionist" Congress that had blocked many of his initiatives, and additionally, the U.S. economy recovered from the postwar recession of 1946–1947 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] This was the last time until 2020 that Democrats flipped a chamber of Congress in a presidential election cycle.

↓

54	42
Democratic	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Democratic	Republican	Other
Parties				Total
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, losses, and holds

[edit]

Five Republicans and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

Eight Republicans and two Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

Post election changes

[edit]

Change in composition

[edit]

Before the elections

[edit]

	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

	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

Special elections during the 80th Congress

[edit]

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.	▌ 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 nomination. Winner elected November 2, 1948. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to the next full term.	▌ J. Melville Broughton (Democratic) Unopposed

Elections leading to the next Congress

[edit]

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.	▌ John Sparkman (Democratic) 84.0% ▌Paul G. Parsons (Republican) 16.0%
Arkansas	John L. McClellan	Democratic	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ John L. McClellan (Democratic) 93.3% ▌R. Walter Tucker (Independent) 6.7%
Colorado	Edwin C. Johnson	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ 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.	▌ 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.	▌ Richard Russell Jr. (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Henry Dworshak	Republican	1946 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Bert H. Miller (Democratic) 50.0% ▌Henry Dworshak (Republican) 48.5%
Illinois	C. Wayland Brooks	Republican	1940 (special) 1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Paul Douglas (Democratic) 55.1% ▌C. Wayland Brooks (Republican) 44.6%
Iowa	George A. Wilson	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ 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.	▌ 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.	▌ Virgil Chapman (Democratic) 51.4% ▌John Sherman Cooper (Republican) 48.3%
Louisiana	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Allen J. Ellender (Democratic) Unopposed
Maine	Wallace H. White	Republican	1930 1936 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Margaret Chase Smith (Republican) 71.3% ▌Adrian H. Scolten (Democratic) 28.7%
Massachusetts	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican	1944 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Leverett Saltonstall (Republican) 53.0% ▌John I. Fitzgerald (Democratic) 46.4%
Michigan	Homer S. Ferguson	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ 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.	▌ Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 59.9% ▌Joseph H. Ball (Republican) 39.7%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1941 (Appointed) 1941 (Retired) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ James Eastland (Democratic) Unopposed
Montana	James E. Murray	Democratic	1934 (special) 1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ James E. Murray (Democratic) 56.7% ▌Tom J. Davis (Republican) 42.7%
Nebraska	Kenneth S. Wherry	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Kenneth S. Wherry (Republican) 56.7% ▌Terry Carpenter (Democratic) 43.3%
New Hampshire	Styles Bridges	Republican	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Styles Bridges (Republican) 58.1% ▌Alfred E. Fortin (Democratic) 41.2%
New Jersey	Albert W. Hawkes	Republican	1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ 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.	▌ Clinton Anderson (Democratic) 57.2% ▌Patrick J. Hurley (Republican) 42.4%
North Carolina	William B. Umstead	Democratic	1946 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to finish the term, see above.	▌ J. Melville Broughton (Democratic) 70.7% ▌John A. Wilkinson (Republican) 28.8%
Oklahoma	Edward H. Moore	Republican	1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Robert S. Kerr (Democratic) 62.3% ▌Ross Rizley (Republican) 37.4%
Oregon	Guy Cordon	Republican	1944 (Appointed) 1944 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Guy Cordon (Republican) 60.0% ▌Manley J. Wilson (Democratic) 40.0%
Rhode Island	Theodore F. Green	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Theodore F. Green (Democratic) 59.3% ▌Thomas P. Hazard (Republican) 40.7%
South Carolina	Burnet R. Maybank	Democratic	1941 (special) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ 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.	▌ Karl Mundt (Republican) 59.3% ▌John A. Engel (Democratic) 40.7%
Tennessee	Tom Stewart	Democratic	1938 (special)	Incumbent lost re-nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ 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.	▌ Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic) 66.2% ▌Homa J. Porter (Republican) 32.9% ▌Samuel N. Morris (Prohibition) 0.8%
Virginia	A. Willis Robertson	Democratic	1946 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ A. Willis Robertson (Democratic) 65.6% ▌Robert H. Woods (Republican) 30.8%
West Virginia	Chapman Revercomb	Republican	1942	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ 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.	▌ Lester C. Hunt (Democratic) 57.1% ▌Edward V. Robertson (Republican) 42.9%

Six races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Idaho	Democratic (flip)	1.5%
Michigan	Republican	2.2%
Delaware	Democratic (flip)	2.6%
New Jersey	Republican	2.7%
Kentucky	Democratic (flip)	3.1%
Massachusetts	Republican	6.6%

Wyoming is the tipping point state with a margin of 14.2%.

1948 United States Senate election in Alabama

← 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%

County results
Sparkman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%
Parsons: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

John Sparkman
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Sparkman
Democratic

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

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

1948 United States Senate election in Colorado

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


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

County results
Johnson:

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Edwin C. Johnson
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Edwin C. Johnson
Democratic

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

1948 United States Senate election in Delaware

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	J. Allen Frear Jr.	C. Douglass Buck
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	71,888	68,246
Percentage	50.85%	48.28%

County Results
Frear: 50–60%
Buck: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

C. Douglass Buck
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

J. Allen Frear Jr.
Democratic

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

1948 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Georgia

← 1942

September 8, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Richard Russell Jr.
Party	Democratic
Electoral vote	410
Popular vote	703,048
Percentage	99.98%

County results
Russell: >90%

U.S. senator before election

Richard Russell Jr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Richard Russell Jr.
Democratic

1948 United States Senate election in Idaho

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1950 (special) →


Nominee	Bert H. Miller	Henry Dworshak
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	107,000	103,868
Percentage	49.96%	48.49%

County results
Miller: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Dworshak: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

Henry Dworshak
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Bert H. Miller
Democratic

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

Democrat Bert H. Miller defeated incumbent Republican Henry Dworshak. As of 2024, this remains the only time that a Democrat would win Idaho's Class 2 Senate seat. Dworshak was appointed back to this seat in October 1949 after Miller died earlier that month and served until he himself died in 1962.

1948 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1942

November 2, 1948

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:      40–50%
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

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

1948 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Guy Gillette	George A. Wilson
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	578,226	415,778
Percentage	57.80%	41.56%

County results
Gillette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Wilson: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

George A. Wilson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Guy Gillette
Democratic

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

1948 United States Senate election in Kansas

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Andrew Frank Schoeppel	George McGill
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	393,412	305,987
Percentage	54.92%	42.72%

County results
Schoeppel: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
McGill: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Arthur Capper
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Andrew Frank Schoeppel
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1946 (special)

November 2, 1948

1952 (special) →


Nominee	Virgil Chapman	John Sherman Cooper
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	408,256	383,776
Percentage	51.39%	48.31%

County results
Chapman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Cooper: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

John Sherman Cooper
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Virgil Chapman
Democratic

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

Louisiana (regular)

[edit]

1948 Democratic Senate primary election in Louisiana

← 1942

August 31, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Allen Ellender	James Domengeaux	Charles S. Gerth
Party	Democratic	Democratic	Democratic
Popular vote	284,293	119,459	57,047
Percentage	61.70%	25.92%	12.38%

Parish results
Ellender: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90%

U.S. senator before election

Allen Ellender
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Allen Ellender
Democratic

Louisiana (special)

[edit]

1948 United States Senate special election in Louisiana

← 1944

November 2, 1948

1950 →


Nominee	Russell B. Long	Clem S. Clarke
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	306,336	102,331
Percentage	74.96%	25.04%

Parish results
Long: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%
Jenkins: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

William C. Feazel
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Russell B. Long
Democratic

1948 United States Senate election in Maine

← 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%

County Results
Smith: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%

U.S. senator before election

Wallace H. White Jr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Margaret Chase Smith
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

← 1944 (special)

November 2, 1948

1954 →


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

Saltonstall: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%
Fitzgerald: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Senator before election

Leverett Saltonstall
Republican

Elected Senator

Leverett Saltonstall
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in Michigan

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Homer S. Ferguson	Frank E. Hook
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,045,156	1,000,329
Percentage	50.68%	48.51%

County results
Ferguson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Hook: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Homer S. Ferguson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Homer S. Ferguson
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1942

November 2, 1948

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)

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

1948 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


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

County results
Murray: 50–60% 60–70%
Davis: 50–60% 60–70%

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 Nebraska

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1952 (special) →


Nominee	Kenneth S. Wherry	Terry Carpenter
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	267,575	204,320
Percentage	56.67%	43.27%

County results
Wherry: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Carpenter: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Kenneth S. Wherry
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Kenneth S. Wherry
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in New Hampshire

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Styles Bridges	Alfred E. Fortin
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	129,600	91,760
Percentage	58.14%	41.17%

County results
Bridges: 50–60% 60–70% 80–90%
Fortin: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Styles Bridges
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Styles Bridges
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in New Jersey

← 1942

November 2, 1948

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

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

1948 United States Senate election in New Mexico

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Clinton Anderson	Patrick J. Hurley
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	108,269	80,226
Percentage	57.44%	42.40%

County results
Anderson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Hurley: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Carl Hatch
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Clinton Anderson
Democratic

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

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)

[edit]

North Carolina (regular)

[edit]

1948 United States Senate election in North Carolina

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1950 (special) →


Nominee	J. Melville Broughton	John A. Wilkinson
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	540,762	220,307
Percentage	70.70%	28.80%

County results
Scott: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90-100%
West: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Senator before election

William B. Umstead
Democratic

Elected Senator

J. Melville Broughton
Democratic

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.

1948 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Robert S. Kerr	Ross Rizley
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	441,654	265,169
Percentage	62.30%	37.40%

County results
Kerr: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%
Rizley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Edward H. Moore
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Robert S. Kerr
Democratic

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

1948 United States Senate election in Oregon

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Guy Cordon	Manley J. Wilson
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	299,295	199,275
Percentage	60.03%	39.97%

County results
Cordon: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Wilson: 50–60%

Senator before election

Guy Cordon
Republican

Elected Senator

Guy Cordon
Republican

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

1948 Democratic Senate primary in South Carolina

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Burnet R. Maybank	W.J. Bryan Dorn
Party	Democratic	Democratic
Popular vote	161,608	76,749
Percentage	51.63%	24.85%


Nominee	Neville Bennett	Alan Johnstone
Party	Democratic	Democratic
Popular vote	43,068	17,689
Percentage	13.48%	5.44%

Results by county
Maybank:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Dorn:      30–40%      40–50%      50-60%      60–70%
Bennett:      80-90%

U.S. senator before election

Burnet R. Maybank
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Burnet R. Maybank
Democratic

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.

1948 United States Senate election in South Dakota

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Karl E. Mundt	John A. Engel
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	144,084	98,749
Percentage	59.33%	40.67%

County results
Mundt: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Engel: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Vera C. Bushfield
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Karl E. Mundt
Republican

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

1948 United States Senate election in Tennessee

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Estes Kefauver	B. Carroll Reece
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	326,142	166,947
Percentage	65.33%	33.44%

Results by county
Kefauver: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%
Reece: 40–50% 50-60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

Senator before election

Tom Stewart
Democratic

Elected Senator

Estes Kefauver
Democratic

1948 United States Senate election in Texas

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


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

County Results^[6]

Johnson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%

Porter: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

W. Lee O'Daniel
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat W. Lee O'Daniel decided to retire rather than seek a second full term. Congressman Lyndon Johnson won the highly contested Democratic primary against former governor Coke Stevenson. Johnson went on to win the general election against Republican Jack Porter, but by a closer margin than usual for Texas Democrats.

Virginia election

← 1946 (special)

November 2, 1948

1954 →


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

County and independent city results
Robertson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90-100%
Woods: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

A. Willis Robertson
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

A. Willis Robertson
Democratic

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

1948 United States Senate election in West Virginia

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Matthew M. Neely	Chapman Revercomb
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	435,354	328,534
Percentage	56.99%	43.01%

County results
Neely: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Revercomb: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Chapman Revercomb
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Matthew M. Neely
Democratic

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

1948 United States Senate election in Wyoming

← 1942

November 2, 1948

1954 →


Nominee	Lester C. Hunt	Edward V. Robertson
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	57,953	43,527
Percentage	57.11%	42.89%

County results
Hunt: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Robertson: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Edward V. Robertson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Lester C. Hunt
Democratic

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

^ William S. White (November 4, 1948). "SWEEP IN CONGRESS – Democrats Obtain 54-42 Margin in Senate by Winning 9 G.O.P. Seats". New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
^ "Truman Sweep". New York Times. November 7, 1948. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
^ ^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 Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (March 1, 1949). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1948" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 14–15, 50.
^ ^a ^b Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1524. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.
^ ^a ^b Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1458. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.
^ Heard, Alexander; Strong, Donald (1950). Southern Primaries and Elections 1920-1949. University of Alabama Press. pp. 184–186. ISBN 9780836955248.

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