1956 United States Senate elections

The 1956 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the re-election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained back two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber remained unchanged.

Gains and losses

Democrats defeated incumbents Herman Welker (R-ID), George H. Bender (R-OH), and James H. Duff (R-PA), as well as winning a Republican-held seat in Colorado. Republicans defeated incumbent Earle C. Clements (D-KY) as well as winning Democratic-held seats in Kentucky, New York, and West Virginia.

Thus, this election caused Kentucky's Senate delegation to flip from two Democrats to two Republicans.

Subsequent changes

During the next Congress, Republican John D. Hoblitzell Jr. was appointed to the seat of deceased Senator Matthew M. Neely (D-WV), and Democrat William Proxmire won a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (R-WI). Also, Price Daniel (D-TX) left the Senate to become governor of Texas, and Democrat Ralph Yarborough won a special election for that Senate seat. The net result was to leave the party balance unchanged.

Results summary

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties				Total
		Democratic	Republican
Before these elections		49	47	96
Not up		31	30	61
	Class 1 (1952)	11	20	31
	Class 2 (1954)	20	10	30
Up		18	17	35
	General: Class 3	15	17	33
	Special: Class 1	1	0	1
	Special: Class 2	2	0	2
General election ONLY
Incumbent retired		2	1	3
	Held by same party	1	0	1
	Replaced by other party	1 Republicans replaced by 1 Democrats 1 Democrats replaced by 1 Republicans		2
	Result	2	1	3
Incumbent ran		13	16	29
	Won re-election	12	13	25
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		4
	Lost renomination but held by same party	0	0	0
	Result	15	14	29
Total elected		17	15	32
Net change		2	2
Result		49	47	96

Change in Senate composition

Before the general 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 Ran	D37 Ran	D36 Ran	D35 Ran	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39 Ran	D40 Ran	D41 Ran	D42 Ran	D43 Ran	D44 Ran	D45 Ran	D46 Ran	D47 Ran	D48 Retired
Majority →									D49 Retired
R39 Ran	R40 Ran	R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Ran	R44 Ran	R45 Ran	R46 Ran	R47 Retired
R38 Ran	R37 Ran	R36 Ran	R35 Ran	R34 Ran	R33 Ran	R32 Ran	R31 Ran	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

After the general 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 Re-elected	D37 Re-elected	D36 Re-elected	D35 Re-elected	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39 Re-elected	D40 Re-elected	D41 Re-elected	D42 Re-elected	D43 Re-elected	D44 Re-elected	D45 Re-elected	D46 Re-elected	D47 Hold	D48 Gain
Majority →									D49 Gain
R39 Re-elected	R40 Re-elected	R41 Re-elected	R42 Re-elected	R43 Re-elected	R44 Gain	R45 Gain	D51 Gain	D50 Gain
R38 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R36 Re-elected	R35 Re-elected	R34 Re-elected	R33 Re-elected	R32 Re-elected	R31 Re-elected	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

After the special 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	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39	D40	D41	D42	D43	D44	D45	D46	D47	D48
Majority →									D49 Hold
R39	R40	R41	R42	R43	R44	R45	R46 Gain	R47 Gain
R38	R37	R36	R35	R34	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 84th Congress

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1956 or in 1957 before January 3; ordered by election date, then state.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Kentucky (Class 2)	Robert Humphreys	Democratic	1956 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 6, 1956. Republican gain.	Y John S. Cooper (Republican) 53.2% Lawrence W. Wetherby (Democratic) 46.8%
South Carolina (Class 2)	Thomas A. Wofford	Democratic	1956 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 6, 1956. Democratic hold.	Y Strom Thurmond (Democratic) Unopposed
West Virginia (Class 1)	William R. Laird III	Democratic	1956 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 6, 1956. Republican gain.	Y Chapman Revercomb (Republican) 53.7% William C. Marland (Democratic) 46.3%

Races leading to the 85th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1956; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed) 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Lister Hill (Democratic) Unopposed
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Carl Hayden (Democratic) 61.4% Ross F. Jones (Republican) 38.6%
Arkansas	J. William Fulbright	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y J. William Fulbright (Democratic) 83.0% Ben C. Henley (Republican) 17.0%
California	Thomas H. Kuchel	Republican	1953 (Appointed) 1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Thomas H. Kuchel (Republican) 54.0% Richard Richards (Democratic) 45.6% Ray Gourley (Prohibition) 0.4%
Colorado	Eugene D. Millikin	Republican	1941 (Appointed) 1942 (Special) 1944 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y John A. Carroll (Democratic) 50.2% Dan Thornton (Republican) 49.8%
Connecticut	Prescott S. Bush	Republican	1952 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Prescott S. Bush (Republican) 54.8% Thomas J. Dodd (Democratic) 43.1%
Florida	George A. Smathers	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George A. Smathers (Democratic) Unopposed
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (Special) 1926 1932 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Herman E. Talmadge (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Herman Welker	Republican	1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Frank Church (Democratic) 56.2% Herman Welker (Republican) 38.7%
Illinois	Everett M. Dirksen	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Everett M. Dirksen (Republican) 54.1% W. Richard Stengel[1] (Democratic) 45.7%
Indiana	Homer E. Capehart	Republican	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Homer E. Capehart (Republican) 55.2% Claude R. Wickard (Democratic) 44.4%
Iowa	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Republican	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bourke B. Hickenlooper (Republican) 53.9% R. M. Evans (Democratic) 46.1%
Kansas	Frank Carlson	Republican	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Frank Carlson (Republican) 57.9% George Hart (Democratic) 40.5%
Kentucky	Earle C. Clements	Democratic	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Thruston Morton (Republican) 50.4% Earle C. Clements (Democratic) 49.7%
Louisiana	Russell B. Long	Democratic	1948 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Russell B. Long (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	John M. Butler	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y John M. Butler (Republican) 53.0% George P. Mahoney (Democratic) 47.0%
Missouri	Thomas C. Hennings Jr.	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Thomas C. Hennings Jr. (Democratic) 56.4% Herbert Douglas (Republican) 43.6%
Nevada	Alan Bible	Democratic	1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Alan Bible (Democratic) 52.6% Cliff Young (Republican) 47.4%
New Hampshire	Norris Cotton	Republican	1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Norris Cotton (Republican) 64.1% Laurence M. Pickett (Democratic) 35.9%
New York	Herbert H. Lehman	Democratic	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Jacob K. Javits (Republican) 53.3% Robert F. Wagner Jr. (Democratic) 46.7%
North Carolina	Sam J. Ervin Jr.	Democratic	1954 (Appointed) 1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Sam J. Ervin Jr. (Democratic) 66.6% Joel A. Johnson (Republican) 33.4%
North Dakota	Milton R. Young	Republican	1945 (Appointed) 1946 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Milton R. Young (Republican) 63.6% Quentin N. Burdick (Democratic) 36.0%
Ohio	George H. Bender	Republican	1954 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Frank J. Lausche (Democratic) 52.9% George H. Bender (Republican) 47.1%
Oklahoma	Mike Monroney	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mike Monroney (Democratic) 55.4% Douglas McKeever (Republican) 44.7%
Oregon	Wayne Morse	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Wayne Morse (Democratic) 54.2% Douglas McKay (Republican) 45.8%
Pennsylvania	James H. Duff	Republican	1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Joseph S. Clark (Democratic) 50.1% James H. Duff (Republican) 49.7%
South Carolina	Olin B. Johnston	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Olin B. Johnston (Democratic) Unopposed
South Dakota	Francis Case	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Francis Case (Republican) 50.8% Kenneth Holum (Democratic) 49.2%
Utah	Wallace F. Bennett	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Wallace F. Bennett (Republican) 54.0% Alonzo F. Hopkin (Democratic) 46.0%
Vermont	George D. Aiken	Republican	1940 (Special) 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George D. Aiken (Republican) 66.4% Bernard G. O'Shea (Democratic) 33.6%
Washington	Warren G. Magnuson	Democratic	1944 (Appointed) 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Warren G. Magnuson (Democratic) 61.1% Arthur B. Langlie (Republican) 38.9%
Wisconsin	Alexander Wiley	Republican	1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Alexander Wiley (Republican) 58.6% Henry W. Maier (Democratic) 41.2%

Elections during the 85th Congress

In these elections, the winners were elected in 1957 after January 3; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Texas (Class 1)	William A. Blakley	Democratic	1957 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired when successor elected. Winner elected April 28, 1957. Democratic hold.	Y Ralph Yarborough (Democratic) [Data unknown/missing.]
Wisconsin (Class 1)	Joseph McCarthy	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent died May 2, 1957. Winner elected August 28, 1957. Democratic gain.	Y William Proxmire (Democratic) 56.4% Walter J. Kohler Jr. (Republican) 40.5%[2]

Alabama

1956 United States Senate election in Alabama^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lister Hill (Incumbent)	330,182	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Arizona

1956 United States Senate election in Arizona^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl Hayden (Incumbent)	170,816	61.39%
	Republican	Ross F. Jones	107,447	38.61%
Majority			63,369	22.78%
Turnout			278,263
	Democratic hold

Arkansas

1956 United States Senate election in Arkansas^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. William Fulbright (Incumbent)	331,689	82.98%
	Republican	Ben C. Henley	68,016	17.02%
Majority			263,673	65.96%
Turnout			399,705
	Democratic hold

California

1956 United States Senate election in California^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thomas Kuchel (Incumbent)	2,892,918	53.96%
	Democratic	Richard Richards	2,445,816	45.62%
	Prohibition	Ray Gourley	22,410	0.42%
	None	Scattering	323	0.01%
Majority			447,102	8.34%
Turnout			5,361,467
	Republican hold

Colorado

1956 United States Senate election in Colorado^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John A. Carroll	319,872	50.22%
	Republican	Dan Thornton	317,102	49.78%
Majority			2,770	0.44%
Turnout			636,974
	Democratic gain from Republican

Connecticut

1956 United States Senate election in Connecticut^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Prescott Bush (Incumbent)	610,829	54.84%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Dodd	479,460	43.05%
	Independent Republican	Suzanne S. Stevenson	10,199	0.92%
	Socialist	Jasper McLevy	7,079	0.64%
	Write-In	Vivien Kellems	6,219	0.56%
	None	Scattering	33	0.00%
Majority			131,369	11.79%
Turnout			1,113,819
	Republican hold

Florida

1956 United States Senate election in Florida^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George A. Smathers	655,418	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Georgia

1956 United States Senate election in Georgia^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herman Talmadge	541,094	99.97%
	None	Scattering	173	0.03%
Majority			540,921	99.94%
Turnout			541,267
	Democratic hold

Idaho

1956 United States Senate election in Idaho^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Church	149,096	56.20%
	Republican	Herman Welker (Incumbent)	102,781	38.74%
	None	Glen Taylor	13,415	5.06%
Majority			46,315	17.46%
Turnout			265,292
	Democratic gain from Republican

Illinois

1956 United States Senate election in Illinois^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Everett Dirksen (Incumbent)	2,307,352	54.10%
	Democratic	Richard Stengel	1,949,883	45.72%
	Socialist Labor	Louis Fisher	7,587	0.18%
	None	Scattering	8	0.00%
Majority			357,469	8.38%
Turnout			4,264,830
	Republican hold

Indiana

1956 United States Senate election in Indiana^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Homer Capehart (Incumbent)	1,084,262	55.20%
	Democratic	Claude R. Wickard	871,781	44.39%
	Prohibition	Carl W. Thompson	6,685	0.34%
	Socialist Labor	Gordon A. Long	1,258	0.06%
Majority			212,481	10.81%
Turnout			1,963,986
	Republican hold

Iowa

1956 United States Senate election in Iowa^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bourke B. Hickenlooper (Incumbent)	635,499	53.92%
	Democratic	R. M. Evans	543,156	46.08%
Majority			92,343	7.84%
Turnout			1,178,655
	Republican hold

Kansas

1956 United States Senate election in Kansas^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank Carlson (Incumbent)	477,822	57.90%
	Democratic	George Hart	333,939	40.46%
	Prohibition	C. Floyd Hester	13,519	1.64%
Majority			143,883	17.44%
Turnout			825,280
	Republican hold

Kentucky

1956 United States Senate election in Kentucky^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John S. Cooper	538,505	53.23%
	Democratic	Lawrence W. Wetherby	473,140	46.77%
Majority			65,365	6.46%
Turnout			1,011,645
	Republican hold

Kentucky (Special)

1956 United States Senate special election in Kentucky^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thruston B. Morton	506,903	50.35%
	Democratic	Earle Clements (Incumbent)	499,922	49.65%
Majority			6,981	0.70%
Turnout			1,011,645
	Republican gain from Democratic

Louisiana

1956 United States Senate election in Louisiana^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell Long (Incumbent)	335,564	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Maryland

1956 United States Senate election in Maryland^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Marshall Butler (Incumbent)	473,059	52.96%
	Democratic	George P. Mahoney	420,108	47.04%
Majority			52,951	5.92%
Turnout			893,167
	Republican hold

Missouri

1956 United States Senate election in Missouri^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas C. Hennings Jr. (Incumbent)	1,015,936	56.41%
	Republican	Herbert Douglas	785,048	43.59%
Majority			230,888	12.82%
Turnout			1,800,984
	Democratic hold

Nevada

1956 United States Senate election in Nevada^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Bible (Incumbent)	50,677	52.58%
	Republican	Cliff Young	45,712	47.42%
Majority			4,965	5.16%
Turnout			96,389
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire

1956 United States Senate election in New Hampshire^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norris Cotton (Incumbent)	161,424	64.07%
	Democratic	Laurence M. Pickett	90,519	35.93%
Majority			70,905	28.14%
Turnout			251,943
	Republican hold

New York

In New York, the Republican state convention met on September 10 at Albany, New York, and nominated New York State Attorney General Jacob K. Javits.^[4] The Democratic state convention met on September 10 at Albany, New York, and nominated Mayor of New York City Robert F. Wagner Jr., for the U.S. Senate.^[5] The Liberal Party endorsed the Democratic nominee, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., for the U.S. Senate.^[6] On October 1, a movement was launched to vote for General of the Army Douglas MacArthur as a write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate.^[7] On October 2, MacArthur disavowed the campaign, and stated that he was not a candidate.^[8]

The Republican candidate was elected.

1956 United States Senate election in New York^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jacob Javits	3,723,933	53.26%
	Democratic	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	3,265,159	46.70%
	None	Scattering	1,390	0.02%
	None	Miscellaneous	654	0.01%
Majority			458,774	6.56%
Turnout			6,991,136
	Republican gain from Democratic

North Carolina

1956 United States Senate election in North Carolina^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Samuel J. Ervin Jr. (Incumbent)	731,433	66.56%
	Republican	Joel A. Johnson	367,475	33.44%
Majority			363,958	33.12%
Turnout			1,098,908
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

In North Dakota, the incumbent, Republican Milton Young, sought and received re-election to his third term, defeating North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party candidate Quentin N. Burdick, son of North Dakota congressman Usher L. Burdick.^[9]

Only Young filed as a Republican, and the endorsed Democratic candidate was Quentin Burdick, the son of well-known politician Usher Burdick, and former candidate for Governor of North Dakota. Young and Burdick won the primary elections for their respective parties.

One independent candidate, Arthur C. Townley, also filed before the deadline. Townley would later seek the state's other senate seat in 1958 (see election), and was known for creating the National Non-Partisan League.

1956 United States Senate election in North Dakota]]^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Milton R. Young	155,305	63.61%
	Democratic	Quentin N. Burdick	87,919	36.01%
	Independent	Arthur C. Townley	937	0.38%
Majority			67,386	27.60%
Turnout			244,161
	Republican hold

Ohio

1956 United States Senate election in Ohio^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank J. Lausche	1,864,589	52.89%
	Republican	George H. Bender (Incumbent)	1,660,910	47.11%
Majority			203,679	5.78%
Turnout			3,525,499
	Democratic gain from Republican

Oklahoma

1956 United States Senate election in Oklahoma^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Moroney (Incumbent)	459,996	55.35%
	Republican	Douglas McKeever	371,146	44.65%
Majority			88,850	10.70%
Turnout			831,142
	Democratic hold

Oregon

In Oregon, Republican-turned-Independent-turned Democrat Wayne Morse decided to seek re-election for his first full term as a Democrat. Morse defeated Republican candidate Douglas McKay in the hotly contested general election.^[10]

1956 Oregon United States Senate election^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wayne Morse, incumbent Senator since 1945; member of the Democratic party since 1955	396,849	54.20%
	Republican	Douglas McKay, former Governor of Oregon (1949–1952) and United States Secretary of the Interior (1953–1956)	335,405	45.80%
Majority			61,444	8.39%
Turnout			732,254
	Democratic hold

Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican U.S. senator James H. Duff sought re-election to another term, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Joseph S. Clark Jr.

General election results^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph S. Clark Jr. Former Mayor of Philadelphia	2,268,641	50.08%
	Republican	James H. Duff Incumbent U.S. senator	2,250,671	49.69%
	Socialist Labor	George S. Taylor	7,447	0.16%
	Militant Workers	Herbert G. Lewin	2,035	0.05%
Majority			17,970	0.39%
Turnout			4,529,874
	Democratic gain from Republican

|}

South Carolina

In South Carolina the regular election was held simultaneously with the special election.

The special election resulted from the resignation of Senator Strom Thurmond on April 4, 1956, who was keeping a campaign pledge he had made in the 1954 election. Thurmond was unopposed in his bid to complete the remaining four years of the term. Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election. There was a possibility that Governor George Bell Timmerman Jr. might enter the race, but Thurmond was held in such high regard by the voters that there would have been no chance of defeating Thurmond. With no challenge to the remainder of the term, Thurmond did not conduct a campaign and rejoined his old law firm in Aiken until he returned to the Senate after the general election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Special Election, 1956

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Strom Thurmond	245,371	100.0%	+36.9
Majority			245,371	100.0%	+73.7
Turnout			245,371	32.2	+5.9
	Democratic hold		Swing

Incumbent Democrat Olin D. Johnston handily defeated Republican mayor of Clemson Leon P. Crawford. Olin D. Johnston, the incumbent Senator, faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election. Leon P. Crawford, the mayor of the town of Clemson in the Upstate, faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election. Crawford campaigned as a defender of states' rights and denounced Johnston for backing the New Deal and the Fair Deal. The state Republican Party believed that Crawford could have a chance in the election if he galvanized the 128,000 registered black voters, although they were weary of being labeled as the black party. In the end, Johnston remained highly popular with the voters who were still leery of the Republican party and he easily defeated Crawford in the general election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1956

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Olin D. Johnston	230,150	82.21%	-17.69%
	Republican	Leon P. Crawford	49,695	17.75%	+17.75%
	No party	Write-Ins	124	0.04%	-0.1
Majority			180,455	64.46%	-35.34%
Turnout			279,969	36.8
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Carolina (Special)

1956 United States Senate special election in South Carolina^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Strom Thurmond	245,371	100.00%
	Democratic hold

South Dakota

1956 United States Senate election in South Dakota^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Francis Case (Incumbent)	147,621	50.79%
	Democratic	Kenneth Holum	143,001	49.21%
Majority			4,620	1.58%
Turnout			290,622
	Republican hold

Utah

1956 United States Senate election in Utah^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wallace F. Bennett (Incumbent)	178,261	53.96%
	Democratic	Alonzo F. Hopkin	152,120	46.04%
Majority			26,141	7.92%
Turnout			330,381
	Republican hold

Vermont

In Vermont, incumbent Republican George Aiken ran successfully for re-election to another term in the United States Senate, defeating Democratic incumbent Bernard G. O'Shea.

Republican primary results^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	49,454	99.9%
	Republican	Other	27	0.1%
Total votes			49,481	100

Democratic primary results^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Bernard G. O'Shea	7,997	99.8%
	Democratic	Other	19	0.2%
Total votes			8,016	100

1956 United States Senate election in Vermont^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	103,101	66.39%
	Democratic	Bernard G. O'Shea	52,184	33.60%
	None	Scattering	4	0.00%	{{{change}}}
Majority			50,917	32.79%	{{{change}}}
Turnout			155,289		{{{change}}}
	Republican hold		Swing

Washington

1956 United States Senate election in Washington^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Warren G. Magnuson (Incumbent)	685,565	61.09%
	Republican	Arthur B. Langlie	436,652	38.91%
Majority			248,913	22.18%
Turnout			1,122,217
	Democratic hold

West Virginia (Special)

1956 United States Senate election in West Virginia^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Chapman Revercomb	432,123	53.67%
	Democratic	William C. Marland	373,051	46.33%
Majority			59,072	7.34%
Turnout			805,174
	Republican gain from Democratic

Wisconsin

1956 United States Senate election in Wisconsin^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander Wiley (Incumbent)	892,473	58.59%
	Democratic	Henry W. Maier	627,903	41.22%
	Independent	Walter Semrau	2,745	0.18%
	None	Scattering	235	0.02%
Majority			264,570	17.37%
Turnout			1,523,356
	Republican hold

See also

• 1956 United States elections
  • 1956 United States presidential election
  • 1956 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1956 United States gubernatorial elections
• 84th United States Congress
• 85th United States Congress

References

• 1956 U.S. Senate Election results
• STATE ELECTORS TO VOTE MONDAY; But Harriman Will Not Hold Reception for Republicans; Final Tally Listed; Dewey Held Receptions; 4.3 Million for Eisenhower in NYT on December 11, 1956 (subscription required)
• "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: 1957, pp. 8–9.
• Kalk, Bruce H. (2001). The Origins of the Southern Strategy: Two-Party Competition in South. Lexington Books. pp. 30, 33.
• Bass, Jack; Marilyn W. Thompson (1998). Ol' Strom: An Unauthorized Biography of Strom Thurmond. Longstreet. p. 155.