1948 United States Senate elections

1948 United States Senate election in Colorado
<img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Flag_of_Colorado_%281911%E2%80%931964%29.svg/50px-Flag_of_Colorado_%281911%E2%80%931964%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="33" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="800">
	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/1948_United_States_Senate_Election_in_Colorado_by_County.svg/250px-1948_United_States_Senate_Election_in_Colorado_by_County.svg.png" decoding="async" width="250" height="182" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="810" data-file-height="589"> 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

1948 United States Senate election in Alabama
<img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Alabama.svg/50px-Flag_of_Alabama.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="33" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="400">
	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/1948_United_States_Senate_election_in_Alabama_results_map_by_county.svg/250px-1948_United_States_Senate_election_in_Alabama_results_map_by_county.svg.png" decoding="async" width="250" height="250" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="744" data-file-height="744"> 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

1948 United States Senate elections
← 1947 (MS) 1949 (NY) →
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate; 49 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic gain Democratic hold; Republican hold; No electionRectangular 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.

Results summary

↓
54	42
Democratic	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties		Democratic	Republican	Other	Total
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

Retirements

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

State	Senator	Replaced by
Kansas	Arthur Capper	Andrew Frank Schoeppel
Louisiana (special)	William C. Feazel	Russell B. Long
Maine	Wallace H. White	Margaret Chase Smith
New Jersey	Albert W. Hawkes	Robert C. Hendrickson
New Mexico	Carl Hatch	Clinton Anderson
Oklahoma	Edward H. Moore	Robert S. Kerr
South Dakota	Vera C. Bushfield	Karl Mundt
Texas	W. Lee O'Daniel	Lyndon B. Johnson

Defeats

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

State	Senator	Replaced by
Delaware	C. Douglass Buck	J. Allen Frear Jr.
Idaho	Henry Dworshak	Bert H. Miller
Illinois	C. Wayland Brooks	Paul Douglas
Iowa	George A. Wilson	Guy Gillette
Kentucky	John Sherman Cooper	Virgil Chapman
Minnesota	Joseph H. Ball	Hubert Humphrey
North Carolina	William B. Umstead	J. Melville Broughton
Tennessee	Tom Stewart	Estes Kefauver
West Virginia	Chapman Revercomb	Matthew M. Neely
Wyoming	Edward V. Robertson	Lester C. Hunt

Post election changes

State	Senator	Replaced by
Connecticut	Raymond E. Baldwin	William Benton
New York	Robert F. Wagner	John Foster Dulles
New York	John Foster Dulles	Herbert H. Lehman
North Carolina	J. Melville Broughton	Frank Porter Graham
Idaho	Bert H. Miller	Henry Dworshak
Kansas	Clyde M. Reed	Harry Darby
Kentucky	Alben W. Barkley	Garrett Withers
Rhode Island	J. Howard McGrath	Edward L. Leahy

Change in composition

Before the 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 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 →									R₄₉ S.D. Retired
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

Election results

		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	D₄₉ Iowa 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

Race summaries

Special elections during the 80th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1948 or before January 3, 1949; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Louisiana (Class 3)	William C. Feazel	Democratic	1948 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 2, 1948. Democratic hold.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y J. Melville Broughton (Democratic) Unopposed

Elections leading to the next Congress

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
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	John Sparkman	Democratic	1946 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John Sparkman (Democratic) 84.0% ▌Paul G. Parsons (Republican) 16.0%
Arkansas	John L. McClellan	Democratic	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John L. McClellan (Democratic) 93.3% ▌R. Walter Tucker (Independent) 6.7%
Colorado	Edwin C. Johnson	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y Richard Russell Jr. (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	Henry Dworshak	Republican	1946 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y Virgil Chapman (Democratic) 51.4% ▌John Sherman Cooper (Republican) 48.3%
Louisiana	Allen J. Ellender	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Allen J. Ellender (Democratic) Unopposed
Maine	Wallace H. White	Republican	1930 1936 1942	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Margaret Chase Smith (Republican) 71.3% ▌Adrian H. Scolten (Democratic) 28.7%
Massachusetts	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican	1944 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Leverett Saltonstall (Republican) 53.0% ▌John I. Fitzgerald (Democratic) 46.4%
Michigan	Homer S. Ferguson	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 59.9% ▌Joseph H. Ball (Republican) 39.7%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1941 (Appointed) 1941 (Retired) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y James Eastland (Democratic) Unopposed
Montana	James E. Murray	Democratic	1934 (special) 1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y James E. Murray (Democratic) 56.7% ▌Tom J. Davis (Republican) 42.7%
Nebraska	Kenneth S. Wherry	Republican	1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Kenneth S. Wherry (Republican) 56.7% ▌Terry Carpenter (Democratic) 43.3%
New Hampshire	Styles Bridges	Republican	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y Robert S. Kerr (Democratic) 62.3% ▌Ross Rizley (Republican) 37.4%
Oregon	Guy Cordon	Republican	1944 (Appointed) 1944 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Guy Cordon (Republican) 60.0% ▌Manley J. Wilson (Democratic) 40.0%
Rhode Island	Theodore F. Green	Democratic	1936 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Theodore F. Green (Democratic) 59.3% ▌Thomas P. Hazard (Republican) 40.7%
South Carolina	Burnet R. Maybank	Democratic	1941 (special) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y 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.	▌ Y Lester C. Hunt (Democratic) 57.1% ▌Edward V. Robertson (Republican) 42.9%

Closest races

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%.

Alabama

Alabama election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (Incumbent)	185,534	84.00%
	Republican	Paul G. Parsons	35,341	16.00%
Majority			150,193	68.00%
Turnout			220,875
	Democratic hold

Arkansas

Arkansas election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John L. McClellan (Incumbent)	216,401	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Colorado

Colorado election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edwin C. Johnson (Incumbent)	340,719	66.79%
	Republican	Will Nicholson	165,069	32.36%
	Progressive	Joe Gurule	2,981	0.58%
	Socialist	Carle Whithead	1,352	0.27%
Majority			175,650	34.43%
Turnout			510,121
	Democratic hold

Delaware

Delaware election

← 1942

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

Delaware election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Allen Frear Jr.	71,888	50.85%
	Republican	C. Douglass Buck (incumbent)	68,246	48.28%
Majority			3,642	2.57%
Turnout			141,362
	Democratic gain from Republican

Georgia

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

Georgia election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Russell Jr. (Incumbent)	362,104	99.89%
	Write-In	Larkin Marshall	388	0.11%
	Write-In	Ellis Arnall	9	0.00%
	Write-In	Roy Harris	2	0.00%
	Write-In	Harry Sommers	1	0.00%
Majority			361,716	99.78%
Turnout			362,504
	Democratic hold

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. Dworshak was appointed back to this seat in October 1949 after Miller died earlier that month and served until he himself died in 1962.

Idaho election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bert H. Miller	107,000	49.96%
	Republican	Henry Dworshak (Incumbent)	103,868	48.49%
	Progressive	John Derr	3,154	1.47%
	Socialist	Paul Wengert	166	0.08%
Majority			3,132	1.47%
Turnout			214,188
	Democratic gain from Republican

Illinois

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

Illinois election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Douglas	2,147,754	55.07%
	Republican	Charles W. Brooks (Incumbent)	1,740,026	44.61%
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	9,784	0.25%
	Socialist Labor	Frank Schnur	2,693	0.07%
	None	Write-In	28	0.00%
Majority			407,728	10.46%
Turnout			3,900,285
	Democratic gain from Republican

Iowa

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

Iowa election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Guy Gillette	578,226	57.80%
	Republican	George A. Wilson (Incumbent)	415,778	41.56%
	Progressive	Seymour Pitcher	3,387	0.34%
	Prohibition	Z. Everett Kellum	2,580	0.26%
	Socialist	Hugo Bockewitz	441	0.04%
Majority			162,448	16.24%
Turnout			1,000,412
	Democratic gain from Republican

Kansas

Kansas election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Andrew Frank Schoeppel	393,412	54.92%
	Democratic	George McGill	305,987	42.72%
	Prohibition	C. Floyd Hester	16,943	2.37%
Majority			87,425	12.20%
Turnout			716,342
	Republican hold

Kentucky

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

Kentucky election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Virgil Chapman	408,256	51.39%
	Republican	John Sherman Cooper (Incumbent)	383,776	48.31%
	Socialist	W. A. Standefur	1,232	0.16%
	Progressive	H. G. Stanfield	924	0.12%
	Socialist Labor	David R. Cox	254	0.03%
	Write-In	John Y. Brown	26	0.00%
	Write-In	O. G. Gaines	1	0.00%
Majority			24,480	3.08%
Turnout			794,469
	Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana

Louisiana (regular)

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

Louisiana (special)

1948 United States Senate special election in Louisiana^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell B. Long	306,336	74.96%
	Republican	Clem S. Clarke	102,331	25.04%
Majority			204,005	49.92%
Turnout			408,667
	Democratic hold

Maine

Maine election

← 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%

U.S. senator before election

Wallace H. White Jr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Margaret Chase Smith
Republican

Maine election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Margaret Chase Smith	159,182	71.30%
	Democratic	Adrian H. Scolten	64,074	28.70%
Majority			95,108	42.60%
Turnout			223,256
	Republican hold

Massachusetts

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

General election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall (Incumbent)	1,088,475	52.95%
	Democratic	John I. Fitzgerald	954,398	46.42%
	Socialist Labor	Henning A. Blomen	9,266	0.45%
	Prohibition	E. Tallmadge Root	3,652	0.18%
	None	Scattering	7	0.00%
Majority			134,077	6.53%
Turnout			2,055,798
	Republican hold

Michigan

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

Michigan election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Homer S. Ferguson (Incumbent)	1,045,156	50.68%
	Democratic	Frank E. Hook	1,000,329	48.51%
	Prohibition	Harold A. Lindahl	12,146	0.59%
	Socialist	Michael Magee	2,160	0.10%
	Socialist Labor	Theos S. Grove	1,418	0.07%
	Socialist Workers	Genora Dollinger	882	0.04%
	None	Scattering	2.57%	0.00%
Majority			44,827	2.17%
Turnout			2,062,093
	Republican hold

Minnesota

Minnesota election

← 1942

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)

Minnesota election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert Humphrey	729,494	59.78%
	Republican	Joseph H. Ball (Incumbent)	485,801	39.81%
	Socialist Workers	Vincent R. Dunne	4,951	0.41%
	None	Scattering	41.56%	0.00%
Majority			243,693	19.97%
Turnout			1,220,250
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

Mississippi

Mississippi election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Eastland (Incumbent)	151,478	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Montana

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 Montana^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James E. Murray (Incumbent)	125,193	56.65%
	Republican	Tom J. Davis	94,458	42.74%
	Prohibition	C. S. Hanna	1,352	0.61%
Majority			30,735	13.91%
Turnout			221,003
	Democratic hold

Nebraska

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

Nebraska election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kenneth S. Wherry (Incumbent)	267,575	56.67%
	Democratic	Terry Carpenter	204,320	43.27%
	N/A	Scattering	261	0.06%
Majority			63,255	13.40%
Turnout			472,156
	Republican hold

New Hampshire

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

New Hampshire election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Styles Bridges (Incumbent)	129,600	58.14%
	Democratic	Alfred E. Fortin	91,760	41.17%
	Progressive	John G. Rideout	1,538	0.69%
Majority			37,840	16.97%
Turnout			222,898
	Republican hold

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1942

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

New Jersey election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert C. Hendrickson	934,720	49.99%
	Democratic	Archibald S. Alexander	884,414	47.30%
	Progressive	James Imbrie	22,658	1.21%
	Socialist	Rubye Smith	11,450	0.61%
	Socialist Workers	George Breitman	8,076	0.43%
	Prohibition	George W. Rideout	4,656	0.25%
	Socialist Labor	George E. Bopp	3,908	0.21%
Majority			50,306	2.69%
Turnout			1,869,882
	Republican hold

New Mexico

New Mexico election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clinton Anderson (Incumbent)	108,269	57.44%
	Republican	Patrick J. Hurley	80,226	42.56%
Majority			28,043	13.88%
Turnout			188,495
	Democratic hold

North Carolina

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)

North Carolina special Democratic primary election, May 29, 1948^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	206,605	52.30%
	Democratic	William B. Umstead (Incumbent)	188,420	47.70%
Majority			18,196	4.60%

North Carolina special election, November 2, 1948^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	534,917	100.00%
	Democratic hold

North Carolina (regular)

North Carolina regular Democratic primary election, May 29, 1948^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	207,981	53.10%
	Democratic	William B. Umstead (Incumbent)	183,865	46.90%
Majority			23,894	6.10%

North Carolina regular election, November 2, 1948^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Melville Broughton	540,762	70.70%
	Republican	John A. Wilkinson	220,307	28.80%
Majority			320,455	41.91%
	Democratic hold

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.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert S. Kerr	441,654	62.30%
	Republican	Ross Rizley	265,169	37.40%
	Independent	W. O. Pratt	2,108	0.30%
Majority			176,485	24.90%
Turnout			708,931
	Democratic gain from Republican

Oregon

Oregon election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Guy Cordon (Incumbent)	299,295	60.03%
	Democratic	Manley J. Wilson	199,275	39.97%
Majority			100,020	20.06%
Turnout			498,570
	Republican hold

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Theodore F. Green (Incumbent)	190,158	59.35%
	Republican	Thomas P. Hazard	130,262	40.65%
Majority			59,896	18.70%
Turnout			320,420
	Democratic hold

South Carolina

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.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1948
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Burnet R. Maybank (Incumbent)	135,998	96.45%
	Republican	J. Bates Gerald	5,008	3.55%
Majority			130,990	92.90
Turnout			141,006
	Democratic hold

South Dakota

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

South Dakota election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Karl E. Mundt	144,084	59.33%
	Democratic	John A. Engel	98,749	40.67%
Majority			45,335	18.66%
Turnout			242,833
	Republican hold

Tennessee

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%

Senator before election

Tom Stewart
Democratic

Elected Senator

Estes Kefauver
Democratic

Tennessee election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Estes Kefauver	326,142	65.33%
	Republican	B. Carroll Reece	166,947	33.44%
	Independent	John Randolph Neal Jr.	6,103	1.22%
	None	Scattering	26	0.01%
Majority			159,195	31.89%
Turnout			499,218
	Democratic hold

Texas

Texas election

← 1942

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.

Texas election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lyndon Johnson	702,985	66.22%
	Republican	Jack Porter	349,665	32.94%
	Prohibition	Samuel N. Morris	8,913	0.84%
Majority			353,320	33.28%
Turnout			1,061,563
	Democratic hold

Virginia

Virginia election

← 1946

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%

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 Virginia^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	A. Willis Robertson (Incumbent)	253,865	65.74%	-2.41%
	Republican	Robert H. Woods	118,546	30.70%	+1.68%
	Independent	Howard Carwile	6,788	1.76%
	Progressive	Virginia Foster Durr	5,347	1.38%	+1.38%
	Socialist	Clarke T. Robb	1,627	0.42%	-2.40%
	Write-ins		5	<0.01%
Majority			135,319	35.04%	-4.09%
Turnout			386,168
	Democratic hold		Swing

West Virginia

West Virginia election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Matthew M. Neely	435,354	56.99%
	Republican	Chapman Revercomb (Incumbent)	328,534	43.01%
Majority			106,810	13.98%
Turnout			763,888
	Democratic gain from Republican

Wyoming

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%

U.S. senator before election

Edward V. Robertson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Lester C. Hunt
Democratic

Wyoming election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lester C. Hunt	57,953	57.11%
	Republican	Edward V. Robertson (Incumbent)	43,527	42.89%
Majority			14,426	14.22%
Turnout			101,480
	Democratic gain from Republican

|}

References

^ 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 (1949-03-01). "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.

1948 United States Senate elections

Results summary

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Post election changes

Change in composition

Before the elections

Election results

Race summaries

Special elections during the 80th Congress

Elections leading to the next Congress

Closest races

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Louisiana (regular)

Louisiana (special)

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Montana

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Carolina

North Carolina (special)

North Carolina (regular)

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

Wyoming

See also

References

Further reading