1938 United States Senate elections

The 1938 United States Senate elections occurred in the middle of Franklin D. Roosevelt's second term. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and special elections were held to fill vacancies. The Republicans gained eight seats from the Democrats, though this occurred after multiple Democratic gains since the 1932 election, leading to the Democrats retaining a commanding lead over the Republicans with more than two-thirds of the legislative chamber.

1938 United States Senate elections

← 1936 November 8, 1938 1940 →
← 1937 (AR)
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley Charles McNary Party Democratic Republican Leader since July 22, 1937 March 4, 1933 Leader's seat Kentucky Oregon Seats before 77 15 Seats after 69 23 Seat change 8 8 Seats up 32 3 Races won 24 11   Third party Fourth party   Party Farmer–Labor Progressive Seats before 2 1 Seats after 2 1 Seat change Seats up 0 0 Races won 0 0   Fifth party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats after 1 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Alben Barkley Democratic Elected Majority Leader Alben Barkley Democratic

A contemporary account^[1] cited a number of reasons for the losses suffered by the Democrats. The Recession of 1937 had continued into the first half of 1938, and had arguably weakened public confidence in the administration's New Deal economic policies, along with controversy over the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 (Roosevelt's "court-packing" plan).

There were, in addition, strains between the more liberal New Deal supporters and the conservative wing of the Democratic party centered in the Southern states, which were exacerbated by an effort led by President Roosevelt to target certain conservative senators for defeat in Democratic primaries, including Walter George of Georgia, Millard Tydings of Maryland, Robert Rice Reynolds of North Carolina, and Ellison Smith of South Carolina. While a number of New Deal supporters won primary elections, such as Alben Barkley in Kentucky, who defeated Governor Happy Chandler, James P. Pope of Idaho, a prominent New Deal supporter, lost his bid for re-nomination, as did California's William McAdoo — though McAdoo's Democratic opponent, Sheridan Downey, had campaigned as a liberal New Dealer on many issues who would also do more to improve pension plans.^[2]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had faced opposition from conservative Democrats and the Republicans in Congress since the beginning of his presidency. Josiah Bailey, Edward R. Burke, Harry F. Byrd, James F. Byrnes, Walter F. George, Peter G. Gerry, Carter Glass, Pat Harrison, Rush Holt Sr., Kenneth McKellar, and Ellison D. Smith were the conservative Democratic senators that opposed Roosevelt's policies although Harrison, Burke, Byrnes, and McKellar had initially supported the First New Deal. Vice President John Nance Garner pushed for Roosevelt to support more conservative policies. The Republicans gained eight seats in the Senate while the Democrats maintained their majority. However, there were around twenty unreliable Democratic votes for Roosevelt which allowed conservatives to block some of his policies.^[3]

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Illinois	William H. Dieterich	Scott W. Lucas
Oregon (special)	Alfred E. Reames	Alexander G. Barry
Oregon	Alfred E. Reames	Rufus C. Holman

Defeats

Ten Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
California	William Gibbs McAdoo	Sheridan Downey
Connecticut	Augustine Lonergan	John A. Danaher
Idaho	James P. Pope	D. Worth Clark
Kansas	George McGill	Clyde M. Reed
New Hampshire	Fred H. Brown	Charles W. Tobey
New Jersey	John Milton	W. Warren Barbour
Ohio	Robert J. Bulkley	Robert A. Taft
South Dakota (special)	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Gladys Pyle
South Dakota	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Chan Gurney
Tennessee	George L. Berry	Tom Stewart
Wisconsin	F. Ryan Duffy	Alexander Wiley

Death

One Democrat died on June 17, 1938, and his seat remained vacant until the election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
New York (special)	Royal S. Copeland	James M. Mead

Post-election changes

State	Senator	Replaced by
Idaho	William Edgar Borah	John Thomas
Illinois	James Hamilton Lewis	James M. Slattery
Kentucky	Marvel Mills Logan	Happy Chandler
Vermont	Ernest Willard Gibson	Ernest W. Gibson Jr.

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	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39	D40	D41	D42	D43	D44	D45	D46 Ala. (reg) Ala. (sp) Ran^[a]	D47 Ariz. Ran	D48 Ark. Ran
Majority →									D49 Calif. Ran
D58 Kan. Ran	D57 Iowa Ran	D56 Ind. Ran	D55 Ill. Retired	D54 Idaho Ran	D53 Ga. Ran	D52 Fla. Ran	D51 Conn. Ran	D50 Colo. Ran
D59 Ky. Ran	D60 La. Ran	D61 Md. Ran	D62 Mo. Ran	D63 Nev. Ran	D64 N.H. Ran	D65 N.J. (sp) Retired	D66 N.Y. (reg) Ran	D67 N.Y. (sp) Died	D68 N.C. Ran
FL2	D77 Wisc. Ran	D76 Wash. Ran	D75 Utah Ran	D74 Tenn. (sp) Ran	D73 S.D. (reg) S.D. (sp) Ran	D72 S.C. Ran	D71 Ore. (reg) Ore. (sp) Retired	D70 Okla. Ran	D69 Ohio Ran
FL1	I1	P1	R15 Vt. Ran	R14 Pa. Ran	R13 N.D. Ran	R12	R11	R10	R9
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8

Result of 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 Ala. (sp) Elected^[b]^[a] Ala. (reg) Re-elected^[a]	D47 Ariz. Re-elected	D48 Ark. Re-elected
Majority →									D49 Calif. Hold
D58 La. Re-elected	D57 Ky. Re-elected	D56 Iowa Re-elected	D55 Ind. Re-elected	D54 Ill. Hold	D53 Idaho Hold	D52 Ga. Re-elected	D51 Fla. Re-elected	D50 Colo. Re-elected
D59 Md. Re-elected	D60 Mo. Re-elected	D61 Nev. Re-elected	D62 N.Y. (reg) Re-elected	D63 N.Y. (sp) Hold	D64 N.C. Re-elected	D65 Okla. Re-elected	D66 S.C. Re-elected	D67 Tenn. (sp) Hold	D68 Utah Re-elected
R19 N.J. (sp) Gain	R20 Ohio Gain	R21 Ore. (reg) Ore. (sp) Gain	R22 S.D. (reg) S.D. (sp) Gain	R23 Wisc. Gain	P1	I1	FL1	FL2	D69 Wash. Re-elected
R18 N.H. Gain	R17 Kan. Gain	R16 Conn. Gain	R15 Vt. Re-elected	R14 Pa. Re-elected	R13 N.D. Re-elected	R12	R11	R10	R9
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8

Key:	D# Democratic FL# Farmer–Labor I# Independent P# Progressive R# Republican

Race summaries

Special elections during the 75th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1938 or before January 3, 1939; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama (Class 3)	J. Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected April 26, 1938.	▌ Y J. Lister Hill (Democratic) Unopposed
New Jersey (Class 1)	John Milton	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain.	▌ Y W. Warren Barbour (Republican) 53.0% ▌William H. J. Ely (Democratic) 45.7%
New York (Class 1)	Royal S. Copeland	Democratic	1922 1928 1934	Incumbent died June 17, 1938. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Democratic hold.	▌ Y James M. Mead (Democratic) 53.6% ▌Edward F. Corsi (Republican) 45.8%
Oregon (Class 3)	Alfred E. Reames	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, however; see below.	▌ Y Alexander G. Barry (Republican) 54.2% ▌Robert A. Miller (Democratic) 45.8%
South Dakota (Class 3)	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Democratic	1936 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, however; see below.	▌ Y Gladys Pyle (Republican) 58.1% ▌John T. McCullen (Democratic) 41.9%
Tennessee (Class 2)	George L. Berry	Democratic	1937 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term. Winner elected November 8, 1938. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Tom Stewart (Democratic)^[c] 70.5% ▌Harley G. Fowler (Republican) 26.2%

Races leading to the 76th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1939; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	J. Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed) 1938 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y J. Lister Hill (Democratic) 86.4% ▌J. M. Pennington (Republican) 13.6%
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Carl Hayden (Democratic) 76.5% ▌B. H. Clingan (Republican) 23.5%
Arkansas	Hattie Caraway	Democratic	1931 (Appointed) 1932 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Hattie Caraway (Democratic) 89.6% ▌C. D. Atkinson (Republican) 10.4%
California	William Gibbs McAdoo	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent then resigned and Thomas M. Storke (D) was appointed to finish the term.	▌ Y Sheridan Downey (Democratic) 54.4% ▌Philip Bancroft (Republican) 44.7% ▌Lillain Symes Clements (Socialist) 0.9%
Colorado	Alva B. Adams	Democratic	1923 (Appointed) 1924 (Retired) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Alva B. Adams (Democratic) 58.2% ▌Archibald A. Lee (Republican) 40.2%
Connecticut	Augustine Lonergan	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y John A. Danaher (Republican) 42.9% ▌Augustine Lonergan (Democratic) 40.0% ▌Bellani Trombley (Socialist) 15.8%
Florida	Claude Pepper	Democratic	1936 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Claude Pepper (Democratic) 82.5% ▌Thomas E. Swanson (Republican) 17.6%
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (special) 1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Walter F. George (Democratic) 95.1% ▌Charles A. Jiles (Independent) 4.9%
Idaho	James P. Pope	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y D. Worth Clark (Democratic) 54.7% ▌Donald A. Callahan (Republican) 44.9%
Illinois	William H. Dieterich	Democratic	1932	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Scott W. Lucas (Democratic) 51.3% ▌Richard J. Lyons (Republican) 48.3%
Indiana	Frederick Van Nuys	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Frederick Van Nuys (Democratic) 49.8% ▌Raymond E. Willis (Republican) 49.5% Others ▌Herman L. Seeger (Prohibition) 0.4% ▌Louis E. Roebuck (Socialist) 0.1% ▌Miles Blansett (Communist) 0.1%
Iowa	Guy Gillette	Democratic	1936 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Guy Gillette (Democratic) 49.7% ▌L. J. Dickinson (Republican) 49.4%
Kansas	George McGill	Democratic	1930 (special) 1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Clyde M. Reed (Republican) 56.2% ▌George McGill (Democratic) 43.8%
Kentucky	Alben W. Barkley	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 62.0% ▌John P. Haswell (Republican) 38.0%
Louisiana	John H. Overton	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John H. Overton (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Millard Tydings	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Millard Tydings (Democratic) 68.3% ▌Oscar Lesser (Republican) 29.3%
Missouri	Bennett Champ Clark	Democratic	1932 1933 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Bennett Champ Clark (Democratic) 60.7% ▌Henry S. Caulfield (Republican) 39.2%
Nevada	Pat McCarran	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Pat McCarran (Democratic) 59.0% ▌Tasker Oddie (Republican) 41.0%
New Hampshire	Fred H. Brown	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Charles W. Tobey (Republican) 54.2% ▌Fred H. Brown (Democratic) 45.8%
New York	Robert F. Wagner	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Robert F. Wagner (Democratic) 54.5% ▌John Lord O'Brian (Republican) 45.0%
North Carolina	Robert R. Reynolds	Democratic	1932 (special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Robert R. Reynolds (Democratic) 63.8% ▌Charles A. Jonas (Republican) 36.2%
North Dakota	Gerald Nye	Republican	1925 (Appointed) 1926 (special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Gerald Nye (Republican) 50.1% ▌William Langer (Independent) 42.6% ▌J. J. Nygard (Democratic) 7.3%
Ohio	Robert J. Bulkley	Democratic	1930 (special) 1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Robert A. Taft (Republican) 53.6% ▌Robert J. Bulkley (Democratic) 46.4%
Oklahoma	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Elmer Thomas (Democratic) 65.4% ▌Harry G. Glasser (Republican) 33.9%
Oregon	Alfred E. Reames	Democratic	1938 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Rufus C. Holman (Republican) 54.9% ▌Willis Mahoney (Democratic) 45.1%
Pennsylvania	James J. Davis	Republican	1930 (special) 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y James J. Davis (Republican) 54.7% ▌George Howard Earle III (Democratic) 44.4%
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	1909 1914 1920 1926 1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Ellison D. Smith (Democratic) Unopposed
South Dakota	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Democratic	1936 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination to next term. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Chan Gurney (Republican) 52.5% ▌Tom Berry (Democratic) 47.5%
Utah	Elbert D. Thomas	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Elbert D. Thomas (Democratic) 55.8% ▌Franklin S. Harris (Republican) 44.2%
Vermont	Ernest W. Gibson	Republican	1933 (Appointed) 1934 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Ernest W. Gibson (Republican) 65.7% ▌John McGrath (Democratic) 34.3%
Washington	Homer Bone	Democratic	1932	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Homer Bone (Democratic) 62.6% ▌Ewing D. Colvin (Republican) 37.1% ▌Eugene Solie (Socialist Labor) 0.3%
Wisconsin	F. Ryan Duffy	Democratic	1932	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Alexander Wiley (Republican) 47.7% ▌Herman Ekern (Progressive) 26.6% ▌F. Ryan Duffy (Democratic) 24.7%

Closest races

Thirteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Indiana	Democratic	0.3%
Iowa	Democratic	0.3%
Connecticut	Republican (flip)	2.9%
Illinois	Democratic	3.0%
South Dakota	Republican (flip)	5.0%
Ohio	Republican (flip)	7.2%
New Jersey	Republican (flip)	7.3%
North Dakota	Democratic	7.5%
New Hampshire	Republican (flip)	8.4%
New York	Democratic	9.5%
California	Democratic	9.7%
Idaho	Democratic	9.8%
Oregon	Republican (flip)	9.8%

There is no tipping point state.

Alabama

 

Senator J. Lister Hill

See also: List of United States senators from Alabama and 1938 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama

There were 2 elections due to the August 19, 1937, resignation of two-term Democrat Hugo Black. Democrat Dixie Bibb Graves was appointed August 20, 1937 (by her husband, the governor) to finish Black's term.

Alabama (special)

Alabama special Democratic primary, January 4, 1938^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill	90,601	61.81%
	Democratic	James Thomas Heflin	50,189	34.24%
	Democratic	Charles W. Williams	5,783	3.95%
Turnout				1.87%
	Democratic hold
Majority			40,412	27.57%

After congressman J. Lister Hill won the January 4, 1938, Democratic primary, Graves resigned and Hill was appointed to continue the term until the April 26, 1938, special election, which he won unopposed.

Alabama special election, April 26, 1938^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	49,429	100.0%
Turnout				1.87%
	Democratic hold

Hill was then easily re-elected in November to the next term.

Alabama (regular)

Alabama election^[6][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	113,413	86.38%
	Republican	J. M. Pennington	17,885	13.62%
	None	Scattering	1	0.00%
Majority			95,528	72.76%
Turnout			131,299	4.96%
	Democratic hold

Arizona

Arizona election

← 1932 1944 →

Nominee Carl Hayden Burt H. Clingan Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 82,714 25,378 Percentage 76.52% 23.48%

U.S. senator before election Carl Hayden Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Carl Hayden Democratic

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Arizona

See also: List of United States senators from Arizona

Incumbent Democrat Carl Hayden was re-elected to a third term, defeating Republican nominee Burt H. Clingan, chairman of the Arizona Industrial Commission, in the general election.

In contrast to previous elections, Hayden was easily reelected, receiving only token opposition from a relatively unknown Republican challenger.

Arizona Democratic primary^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (Incumbent)	68,328	65.48%
	Democratic	Robert E. Miller	22,154	21.23%
	Democratic	Whit I. Hughes	13,867	13.29%
Total votes			104,349	100.00

Arizona general election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (Incumbent)	82,714	76.52%
	Republican	Burt H. Clingan	25,378	23.48%
Majority			57,336	53.04%
Turnout			108,092
	Democratic hold

Arkansas

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Arkansas

See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas

Arkansas election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Hattie Wyatt Caraway (Incumbent)	122,883	89.58%
	Republican	C. T. Atkinson	14,290	10.42%
Majority			108,593	79.16%
Turnout			137,173
	Democratic hold

California

California election

← 1932 1944 →

Nominee Sheridan Downey Philip Bancroft Party Democratic Republican Alliance Progressive Townsend Popular vote 1,372,314 1,126,240 Percentage 54.43% 44.67%

U.S. senator before election William Gibbs McAdoo Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Sheridan Downey Democratic

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in California

See also: List of United States senators from California

California election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sheridan Downey	1,372,314	54.41%
	Republican	Philip Bancroft	1,126,240	44.65%
	Socialist	Lillian Symes Clements	22,569	0.89%
	None	Scattering	1,019	0.04%
Majority			246,074	9.76%
Turnout			2,522,142
	Democratic hold

Colorado

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Colorado

See also: List of United States senators from Colorado

Colorado election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alva B. Adams (Incumbent)	262,786	58.24%
	Republican	Archibald A. Lee	181,297	40.18%
	Socialist	Carle Whitehead	3,604	0.80%
	Independent Progressive	James Allander	3,522	0.78%
Majority			81,489	18.06%
Turnout			451,209
	Democratic hold

Connecticut

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut

Connecticut election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John A. Danaher	270,413	42.89%
	Democratic	Augustine Lonergan (Incumbent)	252,426	40.04%
	Socialist	Bellani Trombley	99,282	15.75%
	Socialist Labor	Joseph Mackey	6,931	1.10%
	American Labor	Philip Brainard	766	0.12%
	Communist	Michael A. Russo	615	0.10%
Majority			17,987	2.85%
Turnout			630,433
	Republican gain from Democratic

Florida

Florida election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claude Pepper (Incumbent)	145,757	82.45%
	Republican	Thomas E. Swanson	31,035	17.55%
Majority			114,722	64.90%
Turnout			176,792
	Democratic hold

Georgia

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Georgia

Georgia election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter F. George (Incumbent)	66,987	95.09%
	Independent	Charles A. Jiles	3,442	4.89%
	Independent	Eugene Talmadge	14	0.02%
Majority			63,545	90.20%
Turnout			70,443
	Democratic hold

Idaho

Idaho election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Worth Clark	99,801	54.66%
	Republican	Donald A. Callahan	81,939	44.88%
	Progressive	V. A. Verhei	845	0.46%
Majority			17,862	9.78%
Turnout			182,585
	Democratic hold

Illinois

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Illinois

Incumbent Democrat William H. Dieterich retired, making this an open-seat.

Illinois election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas	1,638,162	51.32%
	Republican	Richard J. Lyons	1,542,574	48.33%
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	10,707	0.34%
	None	Scattering	569	0.02%
Majority			95,588	2.99%
Turnout			3,192,012
	Democratic hold

Indiana

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Indiana

See also: List of United States senators from Indiana

Indiana election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frederick Van Nuys (Incumbent)	788,386	49.85%
	Republican	Raymond E. Willis	783,189	49.52%
	Prohibition	Herman L. Seeger	6,905	0.44%
	Socialist	Louis E. Roebuck	2,026	0.13%
	Communist	Miles Blansett	984	0.06%
Majority			5,197	0.33%
Turnout			1,581,490
	Democratic hold

Iowa

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Iowa

See also: List of United States senators from Iowa

Iowa election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Guy Gillette (Incumbent)	413,788	49.74%
	Republican	Lester J. Dickinson	410,983	49.41%
	Farmer–Labor	George F. Buresch	4,723	0.57%
	Progressive	Raymond E. Hanke	1,525	0.18%
	Prohibition	G. W. Bauseman	820	0.10%
Majority			2,805	0.33%
Turnout			831,839
	Democratic hold

Kansas

Kansas election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clyde M. Reed	419,532	56.21%
	Democratic	George McGill (Incumbent)	326,774	43.78%
	Independent	Joe Corpstein	99	0.01%
Majority			92,758	12.43%
Turnout			746,405
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 1932 1944 →

Nominee Alben W. Barkley John P. Haswell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 346,735 212,266 Percentage 62.0% 38.0%

County results Barkley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Haswell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Alben W. Barkley Democratic Elected U.S. senator Alben W. Barkley Democratic

Kentucky election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alben W. Barkley (Incumbent)	346,735	62.03%
	Republican	John P. Haswell	212,266	37.97%
	Democratic	Happy Chandler (write-in)	20	0.00%
Majority			134,469	22.06%
Turnout			559,021
	Democratic hold

Louisiana

Louisiana election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (Incumbent)	151,582	99.84%
	Independent	Maurice E. Clark	250	0.16%
Majority			151,332	99.68%
Turnout			151,832
	Democratic hold

Maryland

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

Maryland election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Millard Tydings (Incumbent)	357,245	68.28%
	Republican	Oscar Lesser	153,253	29.29%
	Union	George W. Hunt	5,784	1.11%
	Socialist	Elisabeth Gilman	3,311	0.63%
	American Labor	Frank N. H. Lang	2,330	0.45%
	Communist	Harry Straw	1,301	0.25%
Majority			203,992	38.99%
Turnout			523,238
	Democratic hold

Missouri

Missouri election

← 1932 1944 →

Nominee Bennett Champ Clark Henry S. Caulfield Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 757,587 488,687 Percentage 60.69% 39.15%

County results Clark:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Caulfield:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Bennett Champ Clark Democratic Elected U.S. senator Bennett Champ Clark Democratic

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Missouri

See also: List of United States senators from Missouri

Missouri election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bennett Champ Clark (Incumbent)	757,587	60.69%
	Republican	Henry S. Caulfield	488,687	39.15%
	Socialist	J. G. Hodges	1,712	0.14%
	Socialist Labor	Karl L. Oberhue	292	0.02%
Majority			268,900	21.54%
Turnout			1,248,278
	Democratic hold

Nevada

Nevada election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pat McCarran (Incumbent)	27,406	58.96%
	Republican	Tasker Oddie	19,078	41.04%
Majority			8,328	17.92%
Turnout			46,484
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire

New Hampshire election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles W. Tobey	100,633	54.23%
	Democratic	Fred H. Brown (Incumbent)	84,920	45.77%
Majority			15,713	8.46%
Turnout			185,553
	Republican gain from Democratic

New Jersey (special)

Main article: 1938 United States Senate special election in New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey

New Jersey special election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Warren Barbour	816,667	52.98%
	Democratic	William H. J. Ely	704,159	45.68%
	Prohibition	Louis H. Kelley	8,201	0.53%
	Socialist	John Palangio	3,671	0.24%
	Townsend	Fred Turner	3,521	0.23%
	Communist	William Norman	3,515	0.23%
	Socialist Labor	John C. Butterworth	1,873	0.12%
Majority			112,508	7.30%
Turnout			1,541,607
	Republican gain from Democratic

New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York

There were 2 elections due to the June 17, 1938, death of three-term Democrat Royal S. Copeland.

New York (regular)

New York regular election

← 1932 November 8, 1938 1944 →

Nominee Robert F. Wagner John Lord O'Brian Party Democratic Republican Alliance American Labor Independent Progressive Popular vote 2,497,029 2,058,615 Percentage 54.48% 44.92%

U.S. senator before election Robert F. Wagner Democratic Elected U.S. senator Robert F. Wagner Democratic

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in New York

New York Republicans nominated John Lord O'Brian for the U.S. Senate.^[10] Democrats re-nominated the incumbent Wagner.^[11] The American Labor party endorsed Wagner.^[12]

1938 United States Senate election in New York^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	2,098,919	45.80%
	American Labor	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	398,410	8.69%
	Total	Robert F. Wagner (Incumbent)	2,497,029	54.48%
	Republican	John Lord O'Brian	2,046,794	44.66%
	Independent Progressive	John Lord O'Brian	11,821	0.26%
	'Total'	John Lord O'Brian	2,058,615	44.92%
	Socialist	Herman J. Hahn^[d]	23,553	0.51%
	Socialist Labor	O. Martin Olson^[e]	3,851	0.08%
Total votes			4,583,048	100.00%

New York (special)

 

Senator James M. Mead

Main article: 1938 United States Senate special election in New York

New York Republicans nominated Edward Corsi for the short term to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Royal S. Copeland.^[10] Democrats nominated James M. Mead.^[11] The American Labor party endorsed Mead.^[12]

Democratic ticket		Republican ticket		American Labor ticket		Socialist ticket
James M. Mead	2,060,876	Edward F. Corsi	2,083,666	James M. Mead	378,028	Harry W. Laidler	27,161

North Carolina

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in North Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina

1938 United States Senate election in North Carolina

← 1932 November 7, 1938 1944 →

Nominee Robert R. Reynolds Charles A. Jonas Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 316,685 179,461 Percentage 63.83% 36.17%

Results by county Reynolds:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Jonas:      50–60%      60–70%

Senator before election Robert Rice Reynolds Democratic Elected Senator Robert Rice Reynolds Democratic

North Carolina election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Rice Reynolds (Incumbent)	316,685	63.80%
	Republican	Charles A. Jonas	179,650	36.20%
Majority			137,035	27.60%
Turnout			496,335
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in North Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from North Dakota

North Dakota election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gerald Nye (Incumbent)	131,907	50.12%
	Independent	William Langer	112,007	42.56%
	Democratic	J. J. Nygard	19,244	7.31%
Majority			19,900	7.56%
Turnout			263,158
	Republican hold

Ohio

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio

Ohio election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert A. Taft	1,255,414	53.62%
	Democratic	Robert J. Bulkley (Incumbent)	1,085,792	46.38%
Majority			169,622	7.24%
Turnout			2,341,206
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oklahoma

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

See also: List of United States senators from Oklahoma

Oklahoma election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elmer Thomas (Incumbent)	307,936	65.37%
	Republican	Harry G. Glasser	159,734	33.91%
	Prohibition	P. C. Nelson	2,220	0.47%
	Independent	Raymond B. Clark	603	0.13%
	Independent	Herndon J. Thompson	573	0.12%
Majority			148,202	31.46%
Turnout			471,066
	Democratic hold

Oregon

See also: List of United States senators from Oregon

There were 2 elections for the same seat, due to the January 31, 1938, resignation of two-term Republican Frederick Steiwer. Democratic businessman Alfred E. Reames was appointed February 11, 1938, to continue the term, pending a special election, but he did not run in either the special or the general elections.

Oregon (special)

 

Senator Alexander G. Barry

Republican Alexander G. Barry was elected to finish the term, but was not a candidate for the next term.

Oregon special election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander G. Barry	180,815	54.20%
	Democratic	Robert A. Miller	152,773	45.80%
	None	Scattering	3	0.00%
Majority			28,042	8.40%
Turnout			333,591
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oregon (regular)

 

Senator Rufus C. Holman

Oregon general election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Rufus C. Holman	203,120	54.86%
	Democratic	Willis Mahoney	167,135	45.14%
	None	Scattering	6	0.00%
Majority			35,985	9.72%
Turnout			370,261
	Republican gain from Democratic

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

← 1932 November 8, 1938 1944 →

Nominee James J. Davis George Howard Earle III Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,086,931 1,694,367 Percentage 54.7% 44.4%

U.S. senator before election James J. Davis Republican Elected U.S. Senator James J. Davis Republican

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania

General election results^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James J. Davis (incumbent)	2,086,931	54.70%
	Democratic	George H. Earle	1,694,367	44.41%
	Socialist	David H. H. Felix	20,155	0.53%
	Prohibition	Forest S. Van Valin	9,327	0.24%
	Pathfinders	Reginald B. Naugle	2,508	0.07%
	Communist	Pat Toohey	1,530	0.04%
	None	Scattering	104	0.00%
Majority			392,564	10.29%
Turnout			3,814,922
	Republican hold

South Carolina

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in South Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina

South Carolina election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ellison D. Smith (Incumbent)	45,351	98.89%
	Republican	J. D. E. Meyer	508	1.11%
	None	Scattering	2	0.00%
Majority			44,843	97.78%
Turnout			45,861
	Democratic hold

South Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from South Dakota and 1938 United States House of Representatives elections in South Dakota

There were 2 elections for the same seat due to the December 20, 1936, death of three-term Republican Peter Norbeck. Democrat Herbert Hitchcock was appointed December 29, 1936, to continue the term, pending a special election.

South Dakota (special)

 

Senator Gladys Pyle

Main article: 1938 United States Senate elections in South Dakota

South Dakota election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gladys Pyle	155,292	58.06%
	Democratic	John T. McCullen	112,177	41.94%
Majority			43,115	16.12%
Turnout			267,469
	Republican gain from Democratic

South Dakota (regular)

 

Senator John Chandler Gurney

Main article: 1938 United States Senate elections in South Dakota

Hitchcock lost the Democratic May 3, 1938, primary for the next term to Governor of South Dakota Tom Berry.^[14]

South Dakota general election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Chandler Gurney^[15]	146,813	52.46%
	Democratic	Tom Berry	133,064	47.54%
Majority			13,749	4.92%
Turnout			279,877
	Republican gain from Democratic

Tennessee (special)

Tennessee special election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Stewart	194,028	70.50%
	Republican	Harley G. Fowler	72,098	26.20%
	Independent	John Randolph Neal Jr.	9,106	3.31%
Majority			21,930	44.30%
Turnout			275,232
	Democratic hold

Utah

Utah election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elbert D. Thomas (Incumbent)	102,353	55.80%
	Republican	Franklin S. Harris	81,071	44.20%
Majority			21,282	11.60%
Turnout			183,424
	Democratic hold

Vermont

Vermont election

← 1934 November 8, 1938 (1938-11-08) 1940 →

Nominee Ernest W. Gibson Sr. John McGrath Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 73,990 38,673 Percentage 65.7% 34.3%

U.S. senator before election Ernest W. Gibson Sr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator Ernest W. Gibson Sr. Republican

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont

Vermont election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ernest Willard Gibson (Incumbent)	73,990	65.58%
	Democratic	John McGrath	38,673	34.28%
	None	Scattering	161	0.14%
Majority			35,317	31.30%
Turnout			112,824
	Republican hold

Washington

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Washington

See also: List of United States senators from Washington

Washington election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Homer Bone (Incumbent)	371,535	62.62%
	Republican	Ewing D. Colvin	220,204	37.12%
	Socialist Labor	Eugene Solie	1,553	0.26%
Majority			151,331	25.50%
Turnout			593,292
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

Main article: 1938 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin

Wisconsin election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander Wiley	416,770	45.92%
	Progressive	Herman Ekern	249,209	27.46%
	Democratic	F. Ryan Duffy (Incumbent)	231,976	25.56%
	Townsend	John B. Chapple	7,251	0.80%
	Independent Communist	Fred Basset Blair	1,283	0.14%
	Independent Socialist Labor	Joseph Erhardt	1,014	0.11%
	None	Scattering	31	0.00%
Majority			167,561	18.46%
Turnout			907,534
	Republican gain from Democratic

Further reading

• Dunn, Susan. Roosevelt's Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party (2010) excerpt and text search
• Hixson, Walter L. "The 1938 Kentucky Senate Election: Alben W. Barkley, "Happy" Chandler, and The New Deal." Register of the Kentucky Historical Society (1982): 309-329. in JSTOR
• Plesur, Milton. "The Republican Congressional Comeback of 1938", Review of Politics Vol. 24, No. 4 (October 1962), pp. 525–562 in JSTOR
• Official New York result: LEHMAN PLURALITY OFFICIALLY 64,394; State Board Puts His Vote Finally at 2,391,286, With 2,326,892 for Dewey LABOR'S POLL AT 419,979 Blank, Void and Scattered Ballots Totaled 75,047; Poletti Won by 229,361 in NYT on December 8, 1938 (subscription required)

See also

• 1938 United States elections
  • 1938 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1938 United States House of Representatives elections
• 75th United States Congress
• 76th United States Congress

Notes

1. On the day of the special election, the interim appointee, Dixie Bibb Graves had resigned and been replaced by a new interim appointee — J. Lister Hill — who then won the special election ("Hold") and was re-elected in November ("Re-elected").
2. Appointee elected
3. Won special election in November 1938, but remained district attorney general until January 16, 1939, after the next Congress began.
4. Rev. Herman J. Hahn, of Buffalo, ran also for Lieutenant Governor in 1928 and 1936.
5. O. Martin Olson, of Jamestown, ran also for Comptroller in 1934

References

1. 1939 Britannica Book of the Year, "Democratic Party". pp. 205–206.
2. LIFE. Time Inc. 1994. p. 13. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
3. Murphy, Paul (1974). Political Parties In American History, Volume 3, 1890-present. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
4. "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Jan 04, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
5. "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate - Special Election Race - Apr 26, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
6. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1938" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
7. "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
8. "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 13, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
9. "Our Campaigns - AZ US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
10. Hagerty, James A. (September 30, 1938). "DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS; ATTACKES TAMMANY; CHOICE BY ACCLAMATION Dewey Defends Decision to Run Points to Prosecuting Staff HAILED IN OVATION Prosecutor Promises to Rid State of 'Corruption' in 'Bigger Job' O'Brian and Corsi Nominated for Senate--A. V. McDermott for Attorney General DEWEY NOMINATED BY REPUBLICANS Republican Mayor Gets Bid to Inauguration Delay in Completing Ticket Criticizes Farm Legislation Politics the Biggest Racket". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
11. Times, Warren Moscowspecial To the New York (October 1, 1938). "LEHMAN IS DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM; HE ATTACKS DEWEY; POLETTI ON TICKET Yielding to Pleas to Run, Governor Insists on Justice as Aide CALLS RIVAL UNQUALIFIED Rochester Platform Hits Republican's Crime Issue--Wagner, Mead Are Nominated Calls Dewey Inexperienced Dewey Crime Speech a Factor LEHMAN DRAFTED FOR FOURTH TERM Platform Strong for New Deal La Guardia a Meed Champion Farley Predicts a Big Victory Hailed as". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
12. Hagerty, James A. (October 4, 1938). "LABORITES NAME LEHMAN WAGNER; ADOPT PLATFORM; OVATION FOR BOTH Governor, Accepting, Stresses Policy of Law Enforcement POLETTI ALSO NOMINATED Endorsement Efforts Fall Wagner Cites Record La Guardia is Acclaimed as He Urges Candidates Friendly to Roosevelt LABORITIES NAME LEHMAN, WAGNER Yields to Dubinsky Lehman Is Acclaimed Hillman Offers Wagner's Name Vladeck in Seconding Speech". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
13. "NY US Senate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
14. "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - D Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
15. "Our Campaigns - SD US Senate - R Primary Race - May 03, 1938". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.