1952 United States Senate elections

September 8[lower-alpha 1] & November 4, 1952
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Styles Bridges[lower-alpha 2] Ernest McFarland (Lost re-election) Party Republican Democratic Leader since January 8, 1952 January 3, 1951 Leader's seat New Hampshire Arizona Seats before 47 49 Seats after 49 47 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 24,665,569 21,236,793 Percentage 52.0% 44.8% Seats up 21 14 Races won 23 12
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Conn. & Neb.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Ernest McFarland Democratic Elected Majority Leader Robert A. Taft Republican

The 1952 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower to the presidency by a large margin. The 32 Senate seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. The Republicans took control of the Senate by managing to make a net gain of two seats. However, Wayne Morse (R-OR) became an independent forcing Republicans to rely on Vice President Richard Nixon's tie-breaking vote, although Republicans maintained a 48–47–1 plurality. Throughout the next Congress, Republicans were able to restore their 49–46–1 majority. This was the third time, as well as second consecutive, in which a sitting Senate leader lost his seat.

This was the last time the Senate changed hands in a presidential election year until 1980 and the last time the Republicans won control of the Senate until 1980. As of 2020, this is the last time both houses simultaneously changed hands in a presidential year.^[1]

Results summary

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Last elections (1950) Before these elections		49	47	0	96
Not up		35	26	0	61
Up		14	21	—	35
	Class 1 (1946→1952)	13	19	—	32
	Special: Class 2	1	1	—	2
	Special: Class 3	0	1	—	1
Incumbent retired		2	2	—	4
	Held by same party	1	2	—	3
	Replaced by other party	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	1
	Result	1	3	0	4
Incumbent ran		12	19	—	31
	Won re-election	6	14	—	20
	Lost re-election	4 Republicans replaced by 4 Democrats 5 Democrats replaced by 5 Republicans		—	9
	Lost renomination but held by same party	1	1	—	2
	Result	11	20	0	31
Total elected		12	23	0	35
Net change		2	2		2
Nationwide vote		21,236,793	24,665,569	1,534,837	47,437,199
	Share	44.77%	52.00%	3.24%	100%
Result		47	49	0	96

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[2]

Gains, losses and holds

Change in composition

Race summaries

Closest races

Twenty races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Arizona

Arizona election

Turnout	82.28% (registered voters)[5]
Nominee Barry Goldwater Ernest McFarland Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 132,063 125,338 Percentage 51.31% 48.69%
Red denotes those won by Goldwater. Blue denotes counties won by McFarland.   McFarland—50-60%   McFarland—60-70%   McFarland—70-80%   Goldwater—50-60%
U.S. senator before election Ernest McFarland Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater Republican

California

California election

Nominee William F. Knowland Reuben W. Borough Party Republican Progressive Alliance Democratic Popular vote 3,982,448 542,270 Percentage 87.79% 11.95%

County Results Knowland:      80–90%      >90%

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

Connecticut

There were two elections on the same day due to the July 28, 1952 death of two-term Democrat Brien McMahon.

Republican businessman William Purtell was appointed August 29, 1952 to continue the class 3 term, pending a special election in which he was not a candidate. Purtell was already the Republican nominee in the regular election for the class 1 seat, a race he then won.

Connecticut (special)

Connecticut special election

Turnout	54.47%
Nominee Prescott Bush Abraham A. Ribicoff Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 559,465 530,505 Percentage 51.17% 48.52%
U.S. senator before election William A. Purtell Republican Elected U.S. senator Prescott Bush Republican

Main article: 1952 United States Senate special election in Connecticut

Connecticut special election^[2][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Prescott Bush	559,465	51.17
	Democratic	Abraham A. Ribicoff	530,505	48.52
	Socialist	William J. Taft	3,298	0.30
Majority			28,960	2.65
Turnout			1,093,268	54.47
	Republican hold

Connecticut (regular)

Connecticut regular election

Nominee William A. Purtell William Benton Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 573,854 485,066 Percentage 52.48% 44.36%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes those won by Purtell. Blue denotes counties won by Benton.   Benton—40-50%   Purtell—50-60%   Purtell—60-70%

U.S. senator before election William Benton Democratic Elected U.S. Senator William A. Purtell Republican

Main article: 1952 United States Senate election in Connecticut

Connecticut general election^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William A. Purtell	573,854	52.48
	Democratic	William Benton (Incumbent)	485,066	44.36
	Independent Republican	Vivien Kellems	22,268	2.04
	Socialist	Jasper McLevy	12,279	1.12
Majority			88,788	8.12
Turnout			1,093,467
	Republican gain from Democratic

Delaware

Delaware election

Nominee John J. Williams Alexis I. du Pont Bayard Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 93,020 77,685 Percentage 54.49% 45.51%

County results

U.S. senator before election John J. Williams Republican Elected U.S. Senator John J. Williams Republican

Florida

1952 United States Senate election in Florida

November 4, 1952

Nominee Spessard Holland Write-ins Party Democratic Popular vote 616,665 1,135 Percentage 99.82% 0.18%

County Results Holland:      >90%

U.S. senator before election Spessard Holland Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Spessard Holland Democratic

Indiana

Indiana election

Nominee William E. Jenner Henry F. Schricker Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,020,605 911,169 Percentage 52.44% 46.82%

U.S. senator before election William E. Jenner Republican Elected U.S. Senator William E. Jenner Republican

Kentucky (special)

Kentucky special election

November 4, 1952

Nominee John Sherman Cooper Thomas R. Underwood Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 494,576 465,652 Percentage 51.5% 48.5%

County results Cooper:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Underwood:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Thomas R. Underwood Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sherman Cooper Republican

Maine

Maine election

September 8, 1952

Nominee Frederick G. Payne Roger P. Dube Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 139,205 82,665 Percentage 58.70% 34.86%   Nominee Earl S. Grant Party Independent Democratic Popular vote 15,294 Percentage 6.45%

U.S. senator before election Owen Brewster Republican Elected U.S. Senator Frederick G. Payne Republican

Maryland

Maryland election

Nominee J. Glenn Beall George P. Mahoney Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 449,823 406,370 Percentage 52.54% 47.46%

County results

U.S. senator before election Herbert O'Conor Democratic Elected U.S. Senator J. Glenn Beall Republican

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

Nominee John F. Kennedy Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,211,984 1,141,247 Percentage 51.34% 48.35%

Municipal results

U.S. senator before election Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy Democratic

Michigan

Michigan election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Charles E. Potter Blair Moody Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,428,352 1,383,416 Percentage 50.63% 49.04%

County results Potter:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Moody:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Blair Moody Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Charles E. Potter Republican

There were two elections to the same seat on the same day due to the April 18, 1951 death of five-term Republican Arthur Vandenberg. Democratic journalist Blair Moody was appointed April 23, 1951 to continue the term pending a special election. The primary elections were held August 5, 1952.^[8] Moody lost both the special and the regular elections to Republican congressman Charles E. Potter.

Minnesota

Minnesota election

Nominee Edward J. Thye Bill Carlson Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 785,649 590,011 Percentage 56.63% 42.53%

County results

U.S. senator before election Edward J. Thye Republican Elected U.S. Senator Edward J. Thye Republican

Mississippi

Missouri

Missouri election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Stuart Symington James P. Kem Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,008,521 858,170 Percentage 53.99% 45.94%

County results Symington:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kem:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election James P. Kem Republican Elected U.S. Senator Stuart Symington Democratic

Montana

Montana election

Nominee Mike Mansfield Zales Ecton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 133,109 127,360 Percentage 50.75% 48.56%

U.S. senator before election Zales Ecton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield Democratic

Nebraska

Nebraska election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Hugh A. Butler Stanley D. Long Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 408,971 164,660 Percentage 69.11% 27.83%

County results Butler:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Hugh A. Butler Republican Elected U.S. Senator Hugh A. Butler Republican

Nebraska special election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Dwight Griswold William Ritchie Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 369,841 211,898 Percentage 63.57% 36.42%

County results Griswold:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Fred A. Seaton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dwight Griswold Republican

Nevada

Nevada election

November 4, 1952

Nominee George W. Malone Thomas B. Mechling Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 41,906 39,184 Percentage 51.68% 48.32%

U.S. senator before election George W. Malone Republican Elected U.S. Senator George W. Malone Republican

New Jersey

New Jersey election

Nominee Howard Smith Archibald S. Alexander Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,286,782 1,011,187 Percentage 55.51% 43.62%

County Results Smith:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Alexander:      50–60%

Senator before election Howard Smith Republican Elected Senator Howard Smith Republican

As of 2020, this was the last time that Republicans have won the Class 1 U.S. Senate seat from New Jersey.

New Mexico

New York

New York election

Nominee Irving Ives John Cashmore Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 3,853,934 2,521,736 Percentage 55.21% 36.13%   Nominee George S. Counts Party Liberal Popular vote 489,775 Percentage 7.02%

County results

U.S. senator before election Irving M. Ives Republican Elected U.S. Senator Irving M. Ives Republican

In New York, the Liberal State Committee met on August 28, and nominated Dr. George S. Counts, Professor of Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, for the U.S. Senate.^[11] The Republican State Committee re-nominated the incumbent U.S. senator Irving M. Ives. The Democratic State Committee met on August 28, and nominated Brooklyn Borough President John Cashmore for the U.S. Senate.^[12]

The Republican incumbent Ives was re-elected with the then largest plurality^{[lower-alpha 5]} in state history.

North Dakota

North Dakota election

Nominee William Langer Harold Morrison Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 157,907 55,347 Percentage 66.35% 23.26%   Nominee Fred G. Aandahl Party Independent Popular vote 24,741 Percentage 10.40%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes those won by Langer.   Langer—50-60%   Langer—60-70%   Langer—70-80%   Langer—80-90%

Senator before election William Langer Republican Elected Senator William Langer Republican

Ohio

Ohio election

November 4, 1952

Nominee John W. Bricker Michael DiSalle Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,878,971 1,563,330 Percentage 54.59% 45.42%

U.S. senator before election John W. Bricker Republican Elected U.S. Senator John W. Bricker Republican

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

Nominee Edward Martin Guy K. Bard Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,331,034 2,168,546 Percentage 51.6% 48.0%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes those won by Martin. Blue denotes counties won by Bard.   Bard—40-50%   Bard—50-60%   Bard—60-70%   Martin—40-50%   Martin—50-60%   Martin—60-70%   Martin—70-80%

U.S. senator before election Edward Martin Republican Elected U.S. Senator Edward Martin Republican

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

November 4, 1952

Nominee John Pastore Bayard Ewing Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 225,128 185,850 Percentage 54.78% 45.22%

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

Tennessee

Tennessee election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Albert Gore Sr. Hobart F. Atkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 545,432 153,479 Percentage 74.19% 20.88%

U.S. senator before election Kenneth McKellar Democratic Elected U.S. senator Albert Gore Sr. Democratic

Texas

Texas election

November 4, 1952

Nominee Price Daniel Party Democratic Alliance Republican Popular vote 1,895,192 Percentage 100.00%

County results by ticket Daniel:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Daniel:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Price Daniel Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Price Daniel Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Tom Connally did not run for re-election to a fifth term.

Attorney General Price Daniel won the open race to succeed him, defeating U.S. Representative Lindley Beckworth in the Democratic primary on July 26. Daniel was unopposed in the general election, as the Texas Republican Party chose to endorse the Democratic ticket for all but one statewide offices to maximize votes for their presidential nominee Dwight Eisenhower.^[16][17]

1952 United States Senate election in Texas^[18][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Price Daniel	1,425,007	75.19%	13.32
	Republican	Price Daniel	469,594	24.78%	13.29
	Independent	Price Daniel	591	0.03%	N/A
	Democratic + Republican + Independent	Price Daniel	1,895,192	100.00%	N/A
Total votes			1,895,192	100.00%
	Democratic hold