1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
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The 1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Democratic Senator David I. Walsh ran for re-election to a fifth term[lower-alpha 1] in office, but was defeated by Republican former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who returned from service in World War II.
It was the last time a Republican was elected to the Class 1 Senate seat in Massachusetts until 2010, and the last time as of 2025 that a Republican was elected to serve a full term in that seat.
Contents
Background
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was elected to two terms in the U.S. Senate in 1936 and 1942, but resigned during his second term to serve in World War II. With the completion of the war in Europe, Lodge returned to Massachusetts and to politics.[1]
David I. Walsh had served four terms in office since his election as an ally of Woodrow Wilson in 1916 but had alienated New Deal supporters by opposing the labor and social reform measures of the Second New Deal. He was also embroiled in a personal scandal after the owner of a Brooklyn homosexual brothel allegedly frequented by German spies had sworn under oath that Walsh was his client. Though J. Edgar Hoover cleared Walsh of any wrongdoing, the scandal hung over his head.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- David I. Walsh, incumbent Senator since 1926[lower-alpha 2]
Results
Senator Walsh was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
| 1946 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | David I. Walsh (incumbent) | 194,323 | 99.99% | |
| Write-in | All others | 28 | 0.01% | |
| None | Blank votes | 93,302 | – | |
| Voter turnout | 100.00% | |||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., former Senator (1937–44)
Results
Lodge was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
| 1946 Republican U.S. Senate primary[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | 186,376 | 100.00% | |
| Write-in | All others | 8 | 0.00% | |
| None | Blank votes | 24,331 | – | |
| Voter turnout | 100.00% | |||
General election
Candidates
- Henning A. Blomen, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
- Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., former Senator (1937–44) (Republican)
- Mark R. Shaw, temperance activist and pastor from Beverly (Prohibition)
- David I. Walsh, incumbent Senator since 1926[lower-alpha 2]
Campaign
Lodge, who considered Walsh a family friend, avoided mentioning his opponent's alleged homosexuality or impropriety. He centered his campaign on criticism of postwar economic conditions, arguing that inflation, labor strife, and consumer goods shortages were leading the country toward "another depression."[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | 989,736 | 59.55% |  17.17 |
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| Democratic | David I. Walsh (incumbent) | 660,200 | 39.72% |  15.92 |
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| Socialist Labor | Henning A. Blomen | 9,221 | 0.56% | 0.35 |
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| Prohibition | Mark R. Shaw | 2,898 | 0.17% | 0.32 |
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| Total votes | 1,662,055 | 100.0% | |||
Lodge carried carried every county and the city of Boston.[5]
Notes
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- ↑ Whalen 2000, p. 51.
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Whalen 2000, p. 52.
- ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=147415
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