1956 United States Senate elections

1956 United States Senate elections

← 1954 November 6, 1956 1958 →
35 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 49 47 Seats after 49 47 Seat change Popular vote 22,199,789 21,248,822 Percentage 50.6% 48.5% Swing 4.9% 5.5% Seats up 15 17 Races won 15 17
Results including special elections      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Lyndon Johnson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson Democratic

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 the 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 U.S. Senate delegation to change 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

After the general elections

After the special elections

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.

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.

Elections during the 85th Congress

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

Complete list of races

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Kentucky (Special)

Louisiana

Maryland

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

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.

North Carolina

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.

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

In Oregon, Republican-turned-Independent-turned Democratic Senator 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]

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.

|}

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.

Incumbent Democratic Senator 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 (Special)

South Dakota

Utah

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.

Washington

West Virginia (Special)

Wisconsin

See also

• United States elections, 1956
  • 1956 United States presidential election
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1956
  • United States gubernatorial elections, 1956
• 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.

This page was last edited on 14 June 2019, at 11:45