United States Senate elections, 1942
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Democratic hold
Republican hold
Republican gain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections of 1942 were held November 3, 1942, midway through Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term as President. Although this election took place during World War II, the opposition Republican party made major gains, taking eight seats from the Democrats and one from an independent. Various commentators have ascribed this to anger with the administration over Pearl Harbor, general irritation with the conditions of wartime, or the defeat of weak Democratic incumbents from the 1936 election. The Democrats nonetheless retained a significant majority.
Gains and losses
Republicans captured open seats in Delaware, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
They also defeated the sole Independent incumbent, George W. Norris of Nebraska, as well as five Democratic incumbents:
- Clyde L. Herring (Iowa)
- Prentiss M. Brown (Michigan)
- William H. Smathers (New Jersey)
- Josh Lee (Oklahoma)
- Harry H. Schwartz (Wyoming)
Change in Senate composition
Senate 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 | D37 | D36 | D35 | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | D29 |
D39 | D40 | D41 | D42 | D43 | D44 | D45 | D46 | D47 | D48 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
D58 | D57 | D56 | D55 | D54 | D53 | D52 | D51 | D50 | D49 |
D59 | D60 | D61 | D62 | D63 | D64 | D65 | D66 | I1 | R28 |
R18 | R19 | R20 | R21 | R22 | R23 | R24 | R25 | R26 | R27 |
R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 | R8 |
P1 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 |
After 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 | D37 | D36 | D35 | D34 | D33 | D32 | D31 | D30 | D29 |
D39 | D40 | D41 | D42 | D43√ | D44√ | D45√ | D46√ | D47√ | D48√ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Majority → | |||||||||
D58O | D57O | D56O | D55√ | D54√ | D53√ | D52√ | D51√ | D50√ | D49√ |
R37+ | R36+ | R35+ | R34+ | R33+ | R32+ | R31+ | R30+ | R29+ | R28+ |
R18 | R19 | R20√ | R21√ | R22√ | R23√ | R24√ | R25√ | R26√ | R27O |
R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 | R8 |
P1 | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 |
Key: |
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Complete list of races
Bold states link to specific election articles.
Special elections during the preceding Congress
In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1942; ordered by election date.
State | Incumbent | Results | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | Electoral history | |||
West Virginia Class 2 |
Joseph Rosier | Democratic | 1941 (Appointed) | Appointee lost election to finish term. Winner elected November 3, 1942 and qualified November 17, 1942.[2] Neither candidate ran in the contemporaneous election for the next term, see below. Republican gain. |
√ Hugh Shott (Republican) 52.3% Joseph Rosier (Democratic) 47.7% |
Colorado Class 3 |
Eugene D. Millikin | Republican | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | Appointee elected to finish term. Winner elected November 3, 1942. |
√ Eugene D. Millikin (Republican) 56.1% James A. Marsh (Democratic) 42.1% |
Nevada Class 1 |
Berkeley L. Bunker | Democratic | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | Appointee lost nomination to finish term. Winner elected November 3, 1942 and qualified December 7, 1942.[3] Democratic hold. |
√ James G. Scrugham (Democratic) 58.7% Cecil W. Creel (Republican) 41.3% |
Races leading to the 78th Congress
State | Incumbent | Party | Results | Candidates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | John H. Bankhead II | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ John H. Bankhead II (Democratic), unopposed |
Arkansas | George L. Spencer | Democratic | Retired. Democratic hold. |
√ John L. McClellan (Democratic), unopposed |
Colorado | Edwin C. Johnson | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Edwin C. Johnson (Democratic) 50.2% Ralph L. Carr (Republican) 49.2% |
Delaware | James H. Hughes | Democratic | Lost renomination. Republican gain. |
√ Clayton D. Buck (Republican) 54.2% E. Ennalls Berl (Democratic) 44.9% |
Georgia | Richard Russell, Jr. | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Richard Russell, Jr. (Democratic), unopposed |
Idaho | John Thomas | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ John Thomas (Republican) 51.5% Glen H. Taylor (Democratic) 48.5% |
Illinois | C. Wayland Brooks | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ C. Wayland Brooks (Republican) 53.2% Raymond S. McKeough (Democratic) 46.4% |
Iowa | Clyde L. Herring | Democratic | Incumbent Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ George A. Wilson (Republican) 58.0% Clyde L. Herring (Democratic) 41.7% |
Kansas | Arthur Capper | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Arthur Capper (Republican) 57.1% George McGill (Democratic) 40.3% |
Kentucky | Happy Chandler | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Happy Chandler (Democratic) 55.3% Richard J. Colbert (Republican) 44.7% |
Louisiana | Allen J. Ellender | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Allen J. Ellender (Democratic), unopposed |
Maine | Wallace H. White, Jr. | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Wallace H. White, Jr. (Republican) 66.7% Fulton J. Redman (Democratic) 33.3% |
Massachusetts | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (Republican) 52.4% Joseph E. Casey (Democratic) 46.6% |
Michigan | Prentiss M. Brown | Democratic | Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ Homer Ferguson (Republican) 49.6% Prentiss M. Brown (Democratic) 47.2% |
Minnesota | Arthur E. Nelson | Republican | Retired. Republican hold. |
√ Joseph H. Ball (Republican) 47.0% Elmer Austin Benson (Farmer-Labor) 28.2% Martin A. Nelson (Independent) 14.4% Ed Murphy (Democratic) 10.4% |
Mississippi | Wall Doxey | Democratic | Lost renomination. Democratic hold. |
√ James O. Eastland (Democratic), unopposed |
Montana | James E. Murray | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ James E. Murray (Democratic) 49.1% Wellington D. Rankin (Republican) 48.4% |
Nebraska | George W. Norris | Independent | Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ Kenneth S. Wherry (Republican) 49.0% George W. Norris (Independent) 28.6% Foster May (Democratic) 22.0% |
New Hampshire | Styles Bridges | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Styles Bridges (Republican) 54.6% Francis P. Murphy (Democratic) 45.4% |
New Jersey | William H. Smathers | Democratic | Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ Albert W. Hawkes (Republican) 53.1% William H. Smathers (Democratic) 45.8% |
New Mexico | Carl A. Hatch | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Carl A. Hatch (Democratic) 59.2% J. Benson Newell (Republican) 40.8% |
North Carolina | Josiah W. Bailey | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Josiah W. Bailey (Democratic) 65.9% Sam J. Morris (Republican) 34.1% |
Oklahoma | Josh Lee | Democratic | Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ Edward H. Moore (Republican) 54.8% Josh Lee (Democratic) 44.8% |
Oregon | Charles L. McNary | Republican | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Charles L. McNary (Republican) 77.1% Walter W. Whitbeck (Democratic) 22.9% |
Rhode Island | Theodore F. Green | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Theodore F. Green (Democratic) 58.0% Ira Lloyd Letts (Republican) 42.0% |
South Carolina | Burnet R. Maybank | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Burnet R. Maybank (Democratic), unopposed |
South Dakota | William J. Bulow | Democratic | Lost renomination. Republican gain. |
√ Harlan J. Bushfield (Republican) Tom Berry (Democratic) 41.3% |
Tennessee | A. Tom Stewart | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ A. Tom Stewart (Democratic) 70.5% F. Todd Meacham (Republican) 21.5% |
Texas | W. Lee O'Daniel | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ W. Lee O'Daniel (Democratic) 94.9% |
Virginia | Carter Glass | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Carter Glass (Democratic) 91.1% Lawrence S. Wilkes (Socialist) 6.5% |
West Virginia | Joseph Rosier | Democratic | Retired. Republican gain. |
√ Chapman Revercomb (Republican) 55.4% Matthew M. Neely (Democratic) 44.6% |
Wyoming | Henry H. Schwartz | Democratic | Lost re-election. Republican gain. |
√ Edward V. Robertson (Republican) 54.6% Henry H. Schwartz (Democratic) 45.4% |
See also
References
- ↑ September 14, 1942 in Maine
- ↑ "WV US Senate - Special". Our Campaigns. June 19, 2004. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ↑ "NV US Senate - Special". Our Campaigns. August 2, 2003. Retrieved April 9, 2015.