1948 United States Senate elections

November 2, 1948
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley 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 elections which coincided 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 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 1946–1947 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.

Results summary

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, losses, and holds

Change in composition

Race summaries

Closest races

Six races had a margin of victory under 10%:

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

Alabama

Alabama election

November 2, 1948

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

Arkansas

Senator John L. McClellan

Colorado

Colorado election

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

Delaware

Delaware election

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

Georgia

1948 U.S. Senate Democratic primary in Georgia

September 8, 1948

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

U.S. senator before election Richard Russell Jr. Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Richard Russell Jr. Democratic

Idaho

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.

Illinois

Illinois election

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

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Louisiana (regular)

Senator Allen J. Ellender

Main article: 1948 United States Senate election in Louisiana

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

Maine

Maine election

September 13, 1948

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

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

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

Michigan

Minnesota

Minnesota election

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)

Mississippi

Montana

Montana election

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.

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Jersey election

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

New Mexico

North Carolina

Senator J. Melville Broughton

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.

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Senator Burnet R. Maybank

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.

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 Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Texas election

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

Virginia election

November 2, 1948

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

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.

West Virginia

Wyoming

1948 United States Senate election in Wyoming

November 2, 1948

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

U.S. senator before election Edward V. Robertson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Lester C. Hunt Democratic

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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)