United States Senate elections, 1946

United States Senate elections, 1946

November 5, 1946
32 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate, plus 5 mid-term vacancies 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Wallace White Alben Barkley Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Maine Kentucky Last election 38 seats 57 seats Seats before 39 56 Seats won 51 45 Seat change 12 11 Popular vote 14,984,498 11,369,078 Percentage 54.5% 41.4% Swing 8.4% 8.9% Seats up 12 24   Third party   Party Progressive Last election 1 seat Seats before 1 Seats won 0 Seat change 1 Seats up 1
Republican holds   Republican gains   Democratic holds
Majority Leader before election Alben Barkley Democratic Elected Majority Leader Wallace White Republican

The United States Senate elections of 1946 were in the middle of Democratic President Harry Truman's first term.

The Republicans took control of the Senate by picking up twelve seats, mostly from the Democrats.

The vote was largely seen as a referendum on Truman, whose approval rating had sunk to 32% over the president's controversial handling of a wave of post-war labor strikes, such as a nationwide railroad strike in May, at a time when Americans depended on train service for both commuter and long-distance travel. Just as damaging was Truman's back-and-forth over whether to end unpopular wartime price controls to handle shortages, particularly in foodstuffs. For example, price controls on beef had led to a "hamburger famine", but when Truman, in a surprise move, lifted the controls on October 14 — just weeks before the election — meat prices shot up to record levels.

Change in Senate composition

Senate composition before the elections

D8	D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28	D27	D26	D25	D24	D23	D22	D21	D20	D19
D29	D30	D31	D32	D33	D34	D35	D36	D37	D38
D48	D47	D46	D45	D44	D43	D42	D41	D40	D39
D49	← Majority
	D50	D51	D52	D53	D54	D55	D56	P1	R39
R29	R30	R31	R32	R33	R34	R35	R36	R37	R38
R28	R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19
R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17	R18
R8	R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Senate composition as a result of the elections

D8	D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28	D27	D26	D25	D24	D23	D22	D21	D20	D19
D29	D30	D31	D32	D33√	D34√	D35√	D36√	D37√	D38√
R49+	R50+	R51+	D45O	D44O	D43O	D42O	D41√	D40√	D39√
	← Majority
R48+	R47+	R46+	R45+	R44+	R43+	R42+	R41+	R40+	R39O
R29√	R30√	R31√	R32√	R33√	R34√	R35O	R36O	R37O	R38O
R28√	R27	R26	R25	R24	R23	R22	R21	R20	R19
R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	R15	R16	R17	R18
R8	R7	R6	R5	R4	R3	R2	R1

Key:	D Democratic P Progressive R Republican		√ Incumbent re-elected or appointee elected to finish term O Party hold: New senator elected from same party + Party gain: New senator elected from different party

Republican wave

The president's lack of popular support is widely seen as the reason for the Democrats' congressional defeat, the largest since they were trounced in the 1928 pro-Republican wave that brought Herbert Hoover to power. And for the first time since before the Great Depression, Republicans were seen as the party which could best handle the American economy.

However, the Republicans also benefited from what today would be called "a good map," meaning that of the one-third of Senate seats up for election, the majority were held by Democrats.

Besides the Republicans being able to hold onto all of their seats, this was the party's largest senate gain since 1920.

Gains and losses

In addition to a net Republican gain by appointment before the election, the Republicans picked up twelve seats, eleven of them from Democrats, and one from Progressive Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (P-WI). This gave them a Senate majority for the first time since Hoover's administration. This election is also notable for the election of Joe McCarthy who would become famous for his investigations of communism in the 1950s.

In addition to capturing open seats in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and New York, the Republicans defeated seven Democratic incumbents:

• James M. Tunnell (D-DE)
• David I. Walsh (D-MA)
• Frank P. Briggs (D-MO), seat was previously held by President Truman himself.
• James W. Huffman (D-OH)
• Joseph F. Guffey (D-PA)
• Abe Murdock (D-UT)
• Hugh B. Mitchell (D-WA)

Complete list of races

State	Incumbent	Party	Result	Opposing Candidates
Alabama Special: Class 2	George R. Swift	Democratic	Appointee retired when successor elected to finish term Democratic hold	John Sparkman (Democratic) unopposed
Arizona	Ernest W. McFarland	Democratic	Re-elected	Ernest W. McFarland (Democratic) 69.2% Ward S. Powers (Republican) 30.1%
California	William F. Knowland	Republican	Re-elected	William F. Knowland (Republican) 54.1% Will Rogers, Jr. (Democratic) 44.2%
Connecticut	Thomas C. Hart	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Raymond E. Baldwin (Republican) 56.1% Joseph M. Tone (Democratic) 40.7%
Delaware	James M. Tunnell	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	John J. Williams (Republican) 55.2% James M. Tunnell (Democratic) 44.9%
Florida	Spessard Holland	Democratic	Re-elected	Spessard Holland (Democratic) 78.7% J. Harry Schad (Republican) 21.4%
Idaho Special: Class 2	Charles C. Gossett	Democratic	Appointee lost nomination to finish term Republican gain	Henry C. Dworshak (Republican) 58.6% George E. Donart (Democratic) 41.4%
Indiana	Raymond E. Willis	Republican	Retired Republican hold	William E. Jenner (Republican) 52.4% M. Clifford Townsend (Democratic) 46.8%
Kentucky Special: Class 2	William A. Stanfill	Republican	Appointee retired when successor elected to finish term Republican hold	John S. Cooper (Republican) 53.3% John Y. Brown (Democratic) 46.5%
Maine	Ralph O. Brewster	Republican	Re-elected	Ralph O. Brewster (Republican) 63.6% Peter M. MacDonald (Democratic) 36.5%
Maryland	George L. P. Radcliffe	Democratic	Lost renomination Democratic hold	Herbert R. O'Conor (Democratic) 50.2% David J. Markey (Republican) 49.8%
Massachusetts	David I. Walsh	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (Republican) 59.6% David I. Walsh (Democratic) 39.7%
Michigan	Arthur H. Vandenberg	Republican	Re-elected	Arthur H. Vandenberg (Republican) 67.1% James H. Lee (Democratic) 32.0%
Minnesota	Henrik Shipstead	Republican	Lost renomination Republican hold	Edward John Thye (Republican) 58.9% Theodore Jorgenson (Democratic) 39.8%
Mississippi	Theodore G. Bilbo	Democratic	Re-elected	Theodore G. Bilbo (Democratic) unopposed
Missouri	Frank P. Briggs	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	James P. Kem (Republican) 52.7% Frank P. Briggs (Democratic) 47.1%
Montana	Burton K. Wheeler	Democratic	Lost renomination Republican gain	Zales N. Ecton (Republican) 53.5% Leif Erickson (Democratic) 45.4%
Nebraska	Hugh Butler	Republican	Re-elected	Hugh Butler (Republican) 70.8% John E. Mekota (Democratic) 29.2%
Nevada	Edward P. Carville	Democratic	Lost renomination Republican gain	George W. Malone (Republican) 55.2% Berkeley L. Bunker (Democratic) 44.8%
New Jersey	H. Alexander Smith	Republican	Re-elected	H. Alexander Smith (Republican) 58.5% George E. Brunner (Democratic) 40.1%
New Mexico	Dennis Chavez	Democratic	Re-elected	Dennis Chavez (Democratic) 51.5% Patrick J. Hurley (Republican) 48.5%
New York	James M. Mead	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	Irving M. Ives (Republican) 52.6% Herbert H. Lehman (Democratic) 47.6%
North Dakota	William Langer	Republican	Re-elected	William Langer (Republican) 53.3% Arthur E. Thompson (Independent) 23.5% Abner B. Larson (Democratic) 23.2%
North Dakota Special: Class 3	Milton R. Young	Republican	Appointee elected to finish term	Milton R. Young (Republican) 55.5% William Lanier (Democratic) 27.4% Gerald P. Nye (Independent) 15.2%
Ohio	James W. Huffman	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	John W. Bricker (Republican) 57.0% James W. Huffman (Democratic) 42.4%
Pennsylvania	Joseph F. Guffey	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Edward Martin (Republican) 59.3% Joseph F. Guffey (Democratic) 39.8%
Rhode Island	Peter G. Gerry	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	J. Howard McGrath (Democratic) 55.1% W. Gurnee Dwyer (Republican) 44.9%
Tennessee	Kenneth D. McKellar	Democratic	Re-elected	Kenneth D. McKellar (Democratic) 66.6% W. B. Ladd (Republican) 26.2%
Texas	Tom Connally	Democratic	Re-elected	Tom Connally (Democratic) 88.5% Murray C. Sells (Republican) 11.5%
Utah	Abe Murdock	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Arthur V. Watkins (Republican) 51.2% Abe Murdock (Democratic) 48.8%
Vermont	Warren R. Austin	Republican	Retired Republican hold	Ralph E. Flanders (Republican) 74.6% Charles P. McDevitt (Democratic) 25.4%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd	Democratic	Re-elected	Harry F. Byrd (Democratic) 64.9% Lester S. Parsons (Republican) 30.5%
Virginia Special: Class 2	Thomas G. Burch	Democratic	Appointee retired when successor elected to finish term Democratic hold	A. Willis Robertson (Democratic) 68.2% Robert H. Woods (Republican) 29.0%
Washington	Hugh B. Mitchell	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	Harry P. Cain (Republican) 54.3% Hugh B. Mitchell (Democratic) 45.2%
West Virginia	Harley M. Kilgore	Democratic	Re-elected	Harley M. Kilgore (Democratic) 50.3% Thomas Sweeney (Republican) 49.7%
Wisconsin	Robert M. La Follette, Jr.	Progressive	Lost renomination as a Republican Republican gain	Joseph R. McCarthy (Republican) 61.3% Howard J. McMurray (Democratic) 37.4% Edwin Knappe (Socialist) 1.2%
Wyoming	Joseph C. O'Mahoney	Democratic	Re-elected	Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Democratic) 56.2% Harry B. Henderson (Republican) 43.8%

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1946