United States Senate elections, 1934
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Republican hold Democratic holds Democratic gain Farmer–Labor hold Progressive gain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The United States Senate elections of 1934 occurred in the middle of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term. In the middle of the Great Depression, voters strongly backed Roosevelt's New Deal and his allies in the Senate. The Democrats picked up a net of nine seats, giving them a supermajority (which required 64 seats, two-thirds of the total 96 seats in 1934).[2] This marked the first time since the Civil War where an incumbent president's party gained seats during a midterm election, later being followed by Bill Clinton in 1998 and George W. Bush in 2002.
Change in 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 → | D49 | ||||||||
D58 | D57 | D56 | D55 | D54 | D53 | D52 | D51 | D50 | |
D59 | D60 | FL1 | R35 | R34 | 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 |
Beginning of the next Congress
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 → | D49 √ | ||||||||
D58 O | D57 O | D56 √ | D55 √ | D54 √ | D53 √ | D52 √ | D51 √ | D50 √ | |
D59 O | D60 O | D61 + | D62 + | D63 + | D64 + | D65 + | D66 + | D67 + | D68 + |
R19 √ | R20 √ | R21 √ | R22 √ | R23 √ | R24 √ | R25 √ | P1 + | FL1 √ | D69 + |
R18 | R17 | R16 | R15 | R14 | R13 | R12 | R11 | R10 | R9 |
R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 |
Key: |
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Gains and losses
The Democrats took nine Republican seats, including an open seat in Maryland and the seats of eight incumbents.
Losing incumbents
- Connecticut: Frederic C. Walcott (R) lost to Francis T. Maloney (D)
- Indiana: Arthur Raymond Robinson (R) lost to Sherman Minton (D)
- Missouri: Roscoe C. Patterson (R) lost to Harry S. Truman (D)
- New Jersey: Hamilton F. Kean (R) lost to A. Harry Moore (D)
- Ohio: Simeon D. Fess (R) lost to Vic Donahey (D)
- Pennsylvania: David A. Reed (R) lost to Joseph F. Guffey (D)
- Rhode Island: Felix Hebert (R) lost to Peter G. Gerry (D)
- West Virginia: Henry D. Hatfield (R) lost to Rush D. Holt (D)
Retirement
- Maryland: George L. P. Radcliffe (D) picked up the seat when Phillips Lee Goldsborough (R) retired.
Party change
- Republicans suffered an additional loss when Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (WI) left the Republican Party to join the Progressive Party.
Complete list of races
Bold state indicates election article link. Bold candidate indicates winner.
Separate election
Date | State | Incumbent | Party | Result | Candidates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 16, 1934 | Vermont Special: Class 3 |
Ernest W. Gibson | Republican | Appointee elected to finish term | Ernest W. Gibson (Republican), 58.2% Harry W. Witters (Democratic), 41.8% |
November elections
All races are for the Class 1 seat, unless otherwise noted.
Bold states link to articles about the individual elections.
State | Incumbent | Party | Results | Candidates |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | Henry F. Ashurst | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Henry F. Ashurst (Democratic) 72.0% J. E. Thompson (Republican) 25.6% |
California | Hiram W. Johnson | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Hiram W. Johnson (Republican) 94.5% George R. Kirkpatrick (Socialist) 5.3% |
Connecticut | Frederic C. Walcott | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Francis T. Maloney (Democratic) 51.8% Frederic C. Walcott (Republican) 48.3% |
Delaware | John G. Townsend, Jr. | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | John G. Townsend, Jr. (Republican) 53.3% Wilbur L. Adams (Democratic) 46.2% |
Florida | Park Trammell | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Park Trammell (Democratic) unopposed |
Indiana | Arthur Raymond Robinson | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Sherman Minton (Democratic) 51.5% Arthur Raymond Robinson (Republican) 47.5% |
Maine | Frederick Hale | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Frederick Hale (Republican) 50.1% Frederick Harold Dubord (Democratic) 49.7% |
Maryland | Phillips Lee Goldsborough | Republican | Incumbent retired Democratic gain |
George L. P. Radcliffe (Democratic) 56.1% Joseph I. France (Republican) 42.0% |
Massachusetts | David I. Walsh | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | David I. Walsh (Democratic) 59.4% Robert M. Washburn (Republican) 37.4% |
Michigan | Arthur H. Vandenberg | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Arthur H. Vandenberg (Republican) 51.3% Frank A. Picard (Democratic) 47.0% John Monarch (Socialist),[3] 1.7% |
Minnesota | Henrik Shipstead | Farmer–Labor | Incumbent re-elected | Henrik Shipstead (Farmer–Labor) 49.9% Einar Hoidale (Democratic) 29.2% N. J. Holmberg (Republican) 19.8% |
Mississippi | Hubert D. Stephens | Democratic | Incumbent lost renomination Democratic hold |
Theodore G. Bilbo (Democratic) unopposed |
Missouri | Roscoe C. Patterson | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Harry S. Truman (Democratic) 59.5% Roscoe C. Patterson (Republican) 39.7% W. C. Meyer (Socialist) 0.7% |
Montana | Burton K. Wheeler | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Burton K. Wheeler (Democratic) 70.1% George M. Bourquin (Republican) 28.7% |
Montana Special: Class 2 |
John E. Erickson | Democratic | Appointee lost nomination Winner elected to finish term ending January 3, 1937 Democratic hold |
James E. Murray (Democratic) 59.6% Scott Leavitt (Republican) 39.5% |
Nebraska | William H. Thompson | Democratic | Incumbent retired Democratic hold |
Edward R. Burke (Democratic) 55.3% Robert G. Simmons (Republican) 42.9% |
Nevada | Key Pittman | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Key Pittman (Democratic) 64.5% George W. Malone (Republican) 33.4% |
New Jersey | Hamilton F. Kean | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
A. Harry Moore (Democratic) 57.9% Hamilton F. Kean (Republican) 40.9% |
New Mexico | Bronson M. Cutting | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Bronson M. Cutting (Republican) 50.2% Dennis Chavez (Democratic) 49.4% |
New Mexico Special: Class 2 |
Carl A. Hatch | Democratic | Appointee elected to finish term ending January 3, 1937 | Carl A. Hatch (Democratic) 54.5% Richard C. Dillon (Republican) 45.0% |
New York | Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Royal S. Copeland (Democratic) 55.3% E. Harold Cluett (Republican) 36.9% Norman Thomas (Socialist) 5.3% |
North Dakota | Lynn J. Frazier | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Lynn J. Frazier (Republican) 58.2% Henry Holt (Democratic) 40.2% |
Ohio | Simeon D. Fess | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Vic Donahey (Democratic) 60.0% Simeon D. Fess (Republican) 39.4% |
Pennsylvania | David A. Reed | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Joseph F. Guffey (Democratic) 50.8% David A. Reed (Republican) 46.5% |
Rhode Island | Felix Hebert | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Peter G. Gerry (Democratic) 57.1% Felix Hebert (Republican) 42.9% |
Tennessee | Kenneth D. McKellar | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Kenneth D. McKellar (Democratic) 63.4% Ben W. Hooper (Republican) 35.8% |
Tennessee Special: Class 2 |
Nathan L. Bachman | Democratic | Appointee elected to finish term ending January 3, 1937 | Nathan L. Bachman (Democratic) 80.1% John R. Neal (Independent) 19.9% |
Texas | Tom Connally | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Tom Connally (Democratic) 96.7% |
Utah | William H. King | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | William H. King (Democratic) 53.1% Don B. Colton (Republican) 45.4% |
Vermont | Warren R. Austin | Republican | Incumbent re-elected | Warren R. Austin (Republican) 51.0% Fred C. Martin (Democratic) 48.4% |
Virginia | Harry F. Byrd | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Harry F. Byrd (Democratic) 76.0% Lawrence C. Page (Republican) 20.9% |
Washington | Clarence C. Dill | Democratic | Incumbent retired Democratic hold |
Lewis B. Schwellenbach (Democratic) 60.9% Reno Odlin (Republican) 34.0% |
West Virginia | Henry D. Hatfield | Republican | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain |
Rush D. Holt (Democratic) 55.1% Henry D. Hatfield (Republican) 44.4% |
Wisconsin | Robert M. La Follette, Jr. | Republican | Incumbent re-elected in new party Progressive gain |
Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (Progressive) 47.8% John M. Callahan (Democratic) 24.2% John B. Chapple (Republican) 22.8% |
Wyoming | Joseph C. O'Mahoney | Democratic | Incumbent re-elected | Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Democratic) 56.6% Vincent Carter (Republican) 43.0% |
See also
References
- ↑ September 10, 1934 in Maine
- ↑ Arthur Krock (November 7, 1934). "Tide Sweeps Nation". New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
- ↑ http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/monaco-monro.html#monarch