1944 United States Senate elections

The 1944 United States Senate elections coincided with the re-election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to his fourth term as president. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies.

1944 United States Senate elections

← 1942 November 7, 1944 1946 →
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley Wallace White Party Democratic Republican Leader since July 22, 1937 February 25, 1944 Leader's seat Kentucky Maine Seats before 58 37 Seats after 57 38 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 19,360,257^[1]^[a] 18,557,087^[1] Percentage 49.4% 47.3% Seats up 22 13 Races won 21 14   Third party   Party Progressive Seats before 1 Seats after 1 Seat change Popular vote 73,089 Percentage 0.2% Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Oregon): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Alben Barkley Democratic Elected Majority Leader Alben Barkley Democratic

The Democrats retained their large majority, although they lost a net of one seat to the Republicans. Republicans won open seats in Indiana, New Jersey, and Missouri, and defeated an incumbent in Iowa. However, Democrats defeated incumbents in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota. The Democratic majority was further reduced to 56-39-1 throughout mid-term appointments.

Results summary

↓

57	1	38
Democratic	P	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties						Total
		Democratic	Republican	Progressive	Other
Last elections (1942)		57	38	1	0	96
Before these elections		58	37	1	0	96
Not up		36	24	1	—	61
Up		22	13	0	—	35
	Class 3 (1938→1944)	21	11	0	—	32
	Special: Class 1	1	0	—	—	1
	Special: Class 2	0	2	—	—	2
Incumbent retired		4	1	—	—	5
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	2 Democrats replaced by  2 Republicans		—	—	2
	Result	2	3	0	0	5
Incumbent ran		18	12	—	—	30
	Won re-election	13	8	—	—	21
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by   3 Democrats  1 Democrat replaced by   1 Republican		—	—	4
	Lost renomination but held by same party	3	1	—	—	4
	Lost renomination and party lost	1 Democrat replaced by   1 Republican		—	—	1
	Result	19	11	0	0	30
Total elected		21	14	0	0	35
Net change		1	1			1
Nationwide vote		19,360,257^[a]	18,557,087	73,089	1,211,148	39,201,581
	Share	49.39%	47.34%	0.19%	3.09%	100%
Result		57	38	1	0	96

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[1]

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

One Republican retired instead of seeking election to finish an unexpired term, one Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish an unexpired term, one Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish an unexpired term and instead of seeking election to a full term and two Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Indiana (special)	Samuel D. Jackson	William E. Jenner
Indiana	Samuel D. Jackson	Homer E. Capehart
Massachusetts (special)	Sinclair Weeks	Leverett Saltonstall
New Jersey (special)	Arthur Walsh	H. Alexander Smith
North Carolina	Robert R. Reynolds	Clyde R. Hoey
Washington	Homer Bone	Warren Magnuson

Defeats

Four Republicans and five Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Arkansas	Hattie Caraway	J. William Fulbright
Connecticut	John A. Danaher	Brien McMahon
Idaho	D. Worth Clark	Glen H. Taylor
Iowa	Guy Gillette	Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Missouri	Bennett Champ Clark	Forrest C. Donnell
North Dakota	Gerald Nye	John Moses
Oregon	Rufus C. Holman	Wayne Morse
Pennsylvannia	James J. Davis	Francis J. Myers
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Olin D. Johnston

Post election changes

State	Senator	Replaced by
Arkansas	John H. Bankhead II	George R. Swift
California	Hiram Johnson	William Knowland
Nevada	James G. Scrugham	Edward P. Carville
Connecticut	Francis T. Maloney	Thomas C. Hart
North Dakota	John Moses	Milton Young
Ohio	Harold H. Burton	James W. Huffman
Idaho	John Thomas	Charles C. Gossett
Kentucky	Happy Chandler	William A. Stanfill
Virginia	Carter Glass	Thomas G. Burch
Missouri	Harry S. Truman	Frank P. Briggs
Washington	Monrad Wallgren	Hugh Mitchell

Change in composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1944.

		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 Ariz. Ran	D37 Ala. Ran	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39 Ark. Ran	D40 Calif. Ran	D41 Fla. Ran	D42 Ga. Ran	D43 Idaho Ran	D44 Ill. Ran	D45 Ind. (sp) Ind. (reg) Retired	D46 Iowa Ran	D47 Ky. Ran	D48 La. Ran
Majority →									D49 Md. Ran
D58 Wash. Retired	D57 Utah Ran	D56 S.C. Ran	D55 Okla. Ran	D54 N.C. Retired	D53 N.Y. Ran	D52 N.J. (sp) Ran	D51 Nev. Ran	D50 Mo. Ran
P1	R37 Wisc. Ran	R36 Vt. Ran	R35 S.D. Ran	R34 Pa. Ran	R33 Ore. (sp) Ran	R32 Ore. (reg) Ran	R31 Ohio Ran	R30 N.D. Ran	R29 N.H. Ran
R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25 Colo. Ran	R26 Conn. Ran	R27 Kan. Ran	R28 Mass. (sp) Retired
R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8

Election results

		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 Ariz. Re-elected	D37 Ala. Re-elected	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30	D29
D39 Ark. Hold	D40 Calif. Re-elected	D41 Fla. Re-elected	D42 Ga. Re-elected	D43 Idaho Hold	D44 Ill. Re-elected	D45 Ky. Re-elected	D46 La. Re-elected	D47 Md. Re-elected	D48 Nev. Re-elected
Majority →									D49 N.Y. Re-elected
P1	D57 Pa. Gain	D56 N.D. Gain	D55 Conn. Gain	D54 Wash. Hold	D53 Utah Re-elected	D52 S.C. Hold	D51 Okla. Re-elected	D50 N.C. Hold
R38 N.J. (sp) Gain	R37 Mo. Gain	R36 Iowa Gain	R35 Ind. (sp) Ind. (reg) Gain	R34 Wisc. Re-elected	R33 Vt. Re-elected	R32 S.D. Re-elected	R31 Ore. (sp) Elected^[b]	R30 Ore. (reg) Hold	R29 Ohio Re-elected
R19	R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25 Colo. Re-elected	R26 Kan. Re-elected	R27 Mass. (sp) Hold	R28 N.H. Re-elected
R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10	R9
		R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8

Key	D# Democratic P# Progressive R# Republican

Race summaries

Special elections during the 78th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1944 or before January 3, 1945; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Indiana Class 3	Samuel D. Jackson	Democratic	1944 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 7, 1944. Republican gain. Winner did not run for the next term, see below.	▌ Y William E. Jenner (Republican) 52.1% ▌Henry F. Schricker (Democratic) 47.1%
Massachusetts Class 2	Sinclair Weeks	Republican	1944 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 7, 1944. Republican hold.	▌ Y Leverett Saltonstall (Republican) 64.3% ▌John H. Corcoran (Democratic) 34.9%
New Jersey Class 1	Arthur Walsh	Democratic	1943 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 7, 1944. Republican gain.	▌ Y H. Alexander Smith (Republican) 50.4% ▌Elmer H. Wene (Democratic) 48.8%
Oregon Class 2	Guy Cordon	Republican	1944 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 7, 1944.	▌ Y Guy Cordon (Republican) 57.5% ▌Willis Mahoney (Democratic) 42.5%

Races leading to the 79th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1945; 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) 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y J. Lister Hill (Democratic) 81.8% ▌John A. Posey (Republican) 17.0%
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Carl Hayden (Democratic) 69.4% ▌Fred W. Fickett (Republican) 30.6%
Arkansas	Hattie Caraway	Democratic	1931 (Appointed) 1932 (special) 1932 1938	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y J. William Fulbright (Democratic) 85.1% ▌Victor M. Wade (Republican) 14.9%
California	Sheridan Downey	Democratic	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Sheridan Downey (Democratic) 52.3% ▌Frederick F. Houser (Republican) 47.7%
Colorado	Eugene Millikin	Republican	1941 (Appointed) 1942	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Eugene Millikin (Republican) 56.1% ▌Barney L. Whatley (Democratic) 43.0%
Connecticut	John A. Danaher	Republican	1938	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Brien McMahon (Democratic) 51.7% ▌John A. Danaher (Republican) 47.3%
Florida	Claude Pepper	Democratic	1936 (special) 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Claude Pepper (Democratic) 71.3% ▌Miles H. Draper (Republican) 28.7%
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (special) 1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Walter F. George (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	D. Worth Clark	Democratic	1938	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Glen H. Taylor (Democratic) 51.1% ▌C. A. Bottolfsen (Republican) 48.9%
Illinois	Scott W. Lucas	Democratic	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Scott W. Lucas (Democratic) 52.6% ▌Richard J. Lyons (Republican) 47.1%
Indiana	Samuel D. Jackson	Democratic	1944 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Republican gain. Winner did not run to finish the term, see above.	▌ Y Homer E. Capehart (Republican) 50.2% ▌Henry F. Schricker (Democratic) 48.9%
Iowa	Guy Gillette	Democratic	1936 (special) 1938	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Bourke B. Hickenlooper (Republican) 51.3% ▌Guy Gillette (Democratic) 48.4%
Kansas	Clyde M. Reed	Republican	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Clyde M. Reed (Republican) 57.8% ▌Thurman Hill (Democratic) 40.7%
Kentucky	Alben W. Barkley	Democratic	1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 54.8% ▌James Park (Republican) 44.9%
Louisiana	John H. Overton	Democratic	1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John H. Overton (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Millard Tydings	Democratic	1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Millard Tydings (Democratic) 61.7% ▌Blanchard Randall Jr. (Republican) 38.3%
Missouri	Bennett Champ Clark	Democratic	1932 1933 (Appointed) 1938	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Forrest C. Donnell (Republican) 50.0% ▌Roy McKittrick (Democratic) 49.9%
Nevada	Pat McCarran	Democratic	1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Pat McCarran (Democratic) 58.4% ▌George W. Malone (Republican) 41.6%
New Hampshire	Charles W. Tobey	Republican	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Charles W. Tobey (Republican) 50.9% ▌Joseph J. Betley (Democratic) 49.1%
New York	Robert F. Wagner	Democratic	1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Robert F. Wagner (Democratic) 53.1% ▌Thomas J. Curran (Republican) 46.7%
North Carolina	Robert R. Reynolds	Democratic	1932 1932 (special) 1938	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Clyde R. Hoey (Democratic) 70.3% ▌A. I. Ferree (Republican) 29.8%
North Dakota	Gerald Nye	Republican	1925 (Appointed) 1926 (special) 1932 1938	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y John Moses (Democratic) 45.2% ▌Gerald Nye (Republican) 33.0% ▌Lynn U. Stambaugh (Independent) 21.2%
Ohio	Robert A. Taft	Republican	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Robert A. Taft (Republican) 50.3% ▌William G. Pickrel (Democratic) 49.7%
Oklahoma	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	1926 1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Elmer Thomas (Democratic) 55.7% ▌William J. Otjen (Republican) 44.0%
Oregon	Rufus C. Holman	Republican	1938	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Wayne Morse (Republican) 60.7% ▌Edgar W. Smith (Democratic) 39.3%
Pennsylvania	James J. Davis	Republican	1930 (special) 1932 1938	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Francis J. Myers (Democratic) 50.0% ▌James J. Davis (Republican) 49.4%
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	1909 1914 1920 1926 1932 1938	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent died November 17, 1944. Wilton E. Hall appointed just to finish the term.	▌ Y Olin D. Johnston (Democratic) 93.0% ▌James B. Gaston (Republican) 3.7% ▌Osceola McKaine (Prog. Democratic) 3.2%
South Dakota	Chan Gurney	Republican	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Chan Gurney (Republican) 63.9% ▌George M. Bradshaw (Democratic) 36.1%
Utah	Elbert D. Thomas	Democratic	1932 1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Elbert D. Thomas (Democratic) 59.9% ▌Adam S. Bennion (Republican) 40.1%
Vermont	George Aiken	Republican	1940 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y George Aiken (Republican) 65.8% ▌Harry W. Witters (Democratic) 34.2%
Washington	Homer Bone	Democratic	1932 1938	Incumbent retired to become Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent resigned November 13, 1944, and winner was appointed December 14 to finish the term.	▌ Y Warren Magnuson (Democratic) 55.1% ▌Harry P. Cain (Republican) 44.4% ▌Ray C. Roberts (Socialist) 0.2% ▌Josephine B. Sulston (Prohibition) 0.2%
Wisconsin	Alexander Wiley	Republican	1938	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Alexander Wiley (Republican) 50.5% ▌Howard J. McMurray (Democratic) 42.8% ▌Harry Sauthoff (Progressive) 5.8%

Closest races

Fourteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Missouri	Republican (flip)	0.1%
Ohio	Republican	0.6%
Pennsylvania	Democratic (flip)	0.6%
Indiana (regular)	Republican	1.3%
New Jersey (special)	Republican (flip)	1.6%
New Hampshire	Republican	1.8%
Idaho	Democratic	2.2%
Iowa	Republican (flip)	2.9%
Connecticut	Democratic (flip)	4.4%
California	Democratic	4.6%
Indiana (special)	Republican (flip)	5.0%
New York	Democratic	6.4%
Wisconsin	Republican	7.7%
Kentucky	Democratic	9.9%

Utah was the tipping point state with a margin of 19.8%.

Alabama

See also: List of United States senators from Alabama and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama

Alabama election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	202,604	81.78%
	Republican	John A. Posey	41,983	16.95%
	Prohibition	Parrish	3,162	1.28%
Majority			160,621	64.83%
Turnout			247,749
	Democratic hold

Arizona

Arizona election

← 1938 1950 →

Nominee Carl Hayden Fred Wildon Fickett Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 90,335 39,891 Percentage 69.4% 30.6%

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

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Arizona

See also: List of United States senators from Arizona and 1944 United States House of Representatives election in Arizona

Three-term Democrat Carl T. Hayden was easily re-elected.

1944 United States Senate election in Arizona^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (incumbent)	90,335	69.37%
	Republican	Fred Wildon Fickett Jr.	39,891	30.63%
Majority			50,444	38.74%
Turnout			130,226
	Democratic hold

Hayden would be re-elected three more times before retiring in 1962.

Arkansas

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Arkansas

See also: List of United States senators from Arkansas and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas

Arkansas election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. William Fulbright	182,499	85.10%
	Republican	Victor M. Wade	31,942	14.90%
Majority			150,575	70.20%
Turnout			214,441
	Democratic hold

California

California election

← 1938 1950 →

Nominee Sheridan Downey Frederick F. Houser Party Democratic Republican Alliance Prohibition Popular vote 1,728,155 1,576,553 Percentage 52.29% 47.71%

U.S. senator before election Sheridan Downey Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Sheridan Downey Democratic

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in California

See also: List of United States senators from California and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in California

California election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sheridan Downey (Incumbent)	1,728,155	52.29%
	Republican	Frederick F. Houser	1,576,553	47.00%
	None	Scattering	526	0.02%
Majority			151,602	5.29%
Turnout			3,305,234
	Democratic hold

Colorado

See also: List of United States senators from Colorado and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado

Colorado election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Eugene Millikin (Incumbent)	277,410	56.06%
	Democratic	Barney L. Whatley	214,335	43.31%
	Socialist	Carle Whitehead	3,143	0.64%
Majority			63,075	12.75%
Turnout			494,888
	Republican hold

Connecticut

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Connecticut

Connecticut election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brien McMahon	430,716	51.99%
	Republican	John A. Danaher (Incumbent)	391,748	47.28%
	Socialist	Spender Anderson	6,033	0.73%
Majority			38,968	4.71%
Turnout			828,497
	Democratic gain from Republican

Florida

See also: List of United States senators from Florida and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida

Florida election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claude Pepper (Incumbent)	335,685	71.28%
	Republican	Miles H. Draper	135,258	28.72%
Majority			200,427	42.56%
Turnout			470,943
	Democratic hold

Georgia

See also: List of United States senators from Georgia and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia

Georgia election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter F. George (Incumbent)	272,569	99.00%
	None	Scattering	4	0.00%
Majority			272,565	100.00%
Turnout			272,573
	Democratic hold

Idaho

See also: List of United States senators from Idaho and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho

Idaho election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Glen H. Taylor	107,096	51.13%
	Republican	C. A. Bottolfsen	102,373	48.87%
Majority			4,723	2.26%
Turnout			209,469
	Democratic hold

Illinois

 

Senator Scott W. Lucas

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Illinois

See also: List of United States senators from Illinois and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois

Illinois election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott W. Lucas (Incumbent)	2,059,023	52.61%
	Republican	Richard J. Lyons	1,841,793	47.06%
	Socialist Labor	Frank Schnur	7,312	0.19%
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	5,798	0.15%
Majority			217,230	5.55%
Turnout			3,913,926
	Democratic hold

Indiana

See also: List of United States senators from Indiana and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Indiana

There were 2 elections in Indiana, due to the January 25, 1944, death of Democrat Frederick Van Nuys.

Democrat Samuel D. Jackson was appointed to continue the term, pending a special election. Republican William E. Jenner won the special election to finish the term, and Republican Homer E. Capehart won the general election to the next term.

Indiana (special)

Indiana special election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William E. Jenner	857,250	52.11%
	Democratic	Cornelius O’Brien	775,417	47.14%
	Prohibition	Carl W. Thompson	12,349	0.75%
Majority			81,833	4.97%
Turnout			1,645,016
	Republican hold

Indiana (regular)

Indiana election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Homer E. Capehart	829,489	50.23%
	Democratic	Henry F. Schricker	807,766	48.91%
	Prohibition	George W. Holston	12,213	0.74%
	Socialist	Marid B. Tomish	1,917	0.12%
Majority			21,723	1.32%
Turnout			1,651,385
	Republican gain from Democratic

Iowa

See also: List of United States senators from Iowa and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa

Iowa election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	523,963	51.28%
	Democratic	Guy Gillette (Incumbent)	494,229	48.37%
	Prohibition	W. S. Bowden	2,751	0.27%
	Socialist	C. W. Drescher	744	0.07%
Majority			29,734	2.91%
Turnout			1,021,687
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kansas

See also: List of United States senators from Kansas and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas

Kansas election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clyde M. Reed (Incumbent)	387,090	57.84%
	Democratic	Thurman Hill	272,053	40.65%
	Prohibition	L. B. Dubbs	7,674	1.15%
	Socialist	Arthur Goodwin Billings	2,374	0.35%
Majority			115,037	17.19%
Turnout			669,191
	Republican hold

Kentucky

See also: List of United States senators from Kentucky and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 1938 1950 →

Nominee Alben W. Barkley James Park Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 464,053 380,425 Percentage 54.8% 44.9%

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

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

Kentucky election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alben W. Barkley (Incumbent)	464,053	54.81%
	Republican	James Park	380,425	44.93%
	Prohibition	Robert H. Garrison	1,808	0.21%
	Socialist Labor	Yona M. Marret	340	0.04%
	None	Scattering	1.15%	0.00%
Majority			83,628	9.88%
Turnout			846,627
	Democratic hold

Louisiana

 

Senator John H. Overton

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Louisiana

See also: List of United States senators from Louisiana and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana

Louisiana election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (Incumbent)	287,365	99.99%
	Independent	Maurice E. Clark	26	0.01%
Majority			287,339	99.98%
Turnout			287,391
	Democratic hold

Maryland

 

Senator Millard Tydings

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

Maryland election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Millard Tydings (Incumbent)	344,725	61.73%
	Republican	Blanchard Randall Jr.	213,705	38.27%
Majority			131,020	23.44%
Turnout			558,430
	Democratic hold

Massachusetts (special)

 

Senator Leverett Saltonstall

Main article: 1944 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. resigned February 3, 1944, to return to active duty in the U.S. Army during World War II. Republican Sinclair Weeks was appointed February 8 to continue the term until an election was held. A special election was held on November 7 with Republican Massachusetts Governor Leverett Saltonstall defeating his challengers. He didn't take office until January 4, 1945, when his term as Governor ended.

Massachusetts special election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Leverett Saltonstall	1,228,754	64.29%	+11.85%
	Democratic	John H. Corcoran	667,086	34.90%	-11.71%
	Socialist Labor	Bernard G. Kelly	12,296	0.64%	+0.29%
	Prohibition	E. Tallmadge Root	3,269	0.17%	-0.09%
	None	Scattering	17	0.00%
Majority			561,668	29.38%
Turnout			1,911,422
	Republican hold

Missouri

Missouri election

← 1938 1950 →

Nominee Forrest C. Donnell Roy McKittrick Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 778,778 776,790 Percentage 49.95% 49.82%

County results Donnell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McKittrick:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Bennett Champ Clark Democratic Elected U.S. senator Forrest C. Donnell Republican

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Missouri

See also: List of United States senators from Missouri and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri

Missouri election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Forrest C. Donnell	778,778	49.95%
	Democratic	Roy McKittrick	776,790	49.82%
	Socialist	D. B. Preisler	3,320	0.21%
	Socialist Labor	William Wesley Cox	215	0.01%
Majority			1,988	0.13%
Turnout			1,559,103
	Republican gain from Democratic

Nevada

See also: List of United States senators from Nevada and 1944 United States House of Representatives election in Nevada

Nevada election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pat McCarran (Incumbent)	30,595	58.38%
	Republican	George W. Malone	21,816	41.62%
Majority			8,779	16.76%
Turnout			52,411
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire

See also: List of United States senators from New Hampshire and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire

New Hampshire election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles W. Tobey (Incumbent)	110,549	50.93%
	Democratic	Joseph J. Betley	106,508	49.07%
Majority			4,041	1.86%
Turnout			217,057
	Republican hold

New Jersey (special)

New Jersey special election

← 1940 November 7, 1944 1946 →

Nominee H. Alexander Smith Elmer H. Wene Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 939,987 910,096 Percentage 50.44% 48.84%

Senator before election Arthur Walsh Democratic Elected Senator H. Alexander Smith Republican

Main article: 1944 United States Senate special election in New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey

New Jersey special election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	H. Alexander Smith	940,051	50.44%
	Democratic	Elmer H. Wene	910,096	48.84%
	Prohibition	George W. Ridout	9,873	0.53%
	Socialist Labor	John C. Butterworth	1,997	0.11%
	Socialist	Morris Riger	1,593	0.09%
Majority			29,955	1.60%
Turnout			1,863,610
	Republican gain from Democratic

New York

 

Senator Robert F. Wagner

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

The Socialist Labor state convention met on April 2 at the Cornish Arms Hotel, the corner of Eighth Avenue and Twenty-eighth Street, in New York City. They nominated Eric Hass for the U.S. Senate.^[3] At that time, the party used the name "Industrial Government Party" on the ballot, but was also referred to as the "Industrial Labor Party".

The Liberal Party was organized by a state convention with about 1,100 delegates who met on May 19 and 20 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. They endorsed the incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Robert F. Wagner for re-election.^[4] The party filed a petition to nominate candidates which was allowed by Secretary of State Curran on August 25.^[5]

The Republican State Committee met on August 8 at Albany, New York. They nominated Secretary of State Thomas J. Curran for the U.S. Senate.^[6]

The Democratic State Committee met on August 8 at the National Democratic Club at 233, Madison Avenue in New York City. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Robert F. Wagner.^[7]

The American Labor state convention met on August 10. They endorsed the Democratic nominee Wagner.^[8]

The Democratic/American Labor/Liberal ticket was elected and incumbent Wagner was re-elected.

Democratic	Robert F. Wagner	2,485,735
Republican	Thomas J. Curran	2,899,497
American Labor	Robert F. Wagner	483,785
Liberal	Robert F. Wagner	325,056
Industrial Government	Eric Hass	15,244

North Carolina

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in North Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina

North Carolina election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clyde R. Hoey	533,813	70.25%
	Republican	A. I. Ferree	226,037	29.75%
Majority			307,776	40.50%
Turnout			759,850
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in North Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from North Dakota and 1944 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota

North Dakota election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Moses	95,102	45.20%
	Republican	Gerald Nye (Incumbent)	69,530	33.04%
	Independent	Lynn U. Stumbaugh	44,596	21.19%
	Independent	Bernard J. O’Laughlin	705	0.34%
	Prohibition	L. D. Harris	489	0.23%
Majority			25,572	12.16%
Turnout			210,422
	Democratic gain from Republican

Ohio

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio

Ohio election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert A. Taft (Incumbent)	1,500,609	50.30%
	Democratic	William G. Pickrel	1,482,610	49.70%
Majority			17,999	0.60%
Turnout			2,983,219
	Republican hold

Oklahoma

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

See also: List of United States senators from Oklahoma and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma

Oklahoma election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elmer Thomas (Incumbent)	390,851	55.65%
	Republican	William J. Otjen	309,222	44.02%
	Independent	Paul V. Beck	1,128	0.16%
	Independent	T. B. Williams	674	0.10%
	Independent	Paul R. Nagle	519	0.07%
Majority			81,629	11.63%
Turnout			702,394
	Democratic hold

Oregon

See also: List of United States senators from Oregon and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Oregon

Oregon (special)

Oregon special election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Guy Cordon (Incumbent)	260,631	57.54%
	Democratic	Willis Mahoney	192,305	42.46%
Majority			68,326	15.08%
Turnout			452,936
	Republican hold

Oregon (regular)

Incumbent Republican Rufus C. Holman ran for re-election, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Wayne Morse.

Oregon election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wayne Morse	269,095	60.71%
	Democratic	Edgar W. Smith	174,140	39.29%
Majority			94,955	21.42%
Turnout			443,235
	Republican hold

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

← 1938 1950 →

Nominee Francis J. Myers James J. Davis Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,864,622 1,840,938 Percentage 49.99% 49.35%

County results

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

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Pennsylvania

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Francis J. Myers	1,864,622	49.99%
	Republican	James J. Davis (Incumbent)	1,840,938	49.35%
	Socialist	J. Henry Stump	14,129	0.38%
	Prohibition	Charles Palmer	8,599	0.23%
	Socialist Labor	Frank Knotek	1,989	0.05%
Majority			23,684	0.64%
Turnout			3,730,277
	Democratic gain from Republican

South Carolina

 

Senator Olin D. Johnston

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in South Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from South Carolina and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1944

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Olin D. Johnston	94,556	92.94%
	Republican	James B. Gaston	3,807	3.74%
	Progressive Democratic	Osceola E. McKaine	3,214	3.16%	3.16%
	Prohibition	B. L. Hendrix	141	0.14%
	No party	Write-Ins	18	0.00%	0.00%
Majority			90,749	89.20%
Turnout			101,736
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Dakota

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in South Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from South Dakota and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in South Dakota

South Dakota election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Chandler Gurney (Incumbent)	145,248	63.86%
	Democratic	George M. Bradshaw	82,199	36.14%
Majority			63,049	27.72%
Turnout			227,447
	Republican hold

Utah

See also: List of United States senators from Utah and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Utah

Incumbent Democratic Senator Elbert D. Thomas won a third term. As of 2023, this is the last time that a Democrat was elected to Utah's class 3 Senate seat.

Utah election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elbert D. Thomas (Incumbent)	148,748	59.91%
	Republican	Adam S. Bennion	99,532	40.09%
Majority			49,216	19.82%
Turnout			248,280
	Democratic hold

Vermont

 

Senator George Aiken

Main article: 1944 United States Senate election in Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont and 1944 United States House of Representatives election in Vermont

1944 United States Senate election in Vermont^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	81,094	65.80%
	Democratic	Harry W. Witters	42,136	34.19%
	None	Scattering	18	0.01%
Majority			38,958	31.61%
Turnout			123,248
	Republican hold

Washington

See also: List of United States senators from Washington and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington

Washington election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Warren Magnuson	452,013	55.13%
	Republican	Harry P. Cain	364,356	44.44%
	Socialist	Ray C. Roberts	1,912	0.23%
	Prohibition	Josephine B. Sulston	1,598	0.19%
Majority			87,657	10.69%
Turnout			819,879
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin and 1944 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin

Wisconsin election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alexander Wiley (Incumbent)	634,513	50.50%
	Democratic	Howard J. McMurray	537,144	42.75%
	Progressive	Harry Sauthoff	73,089	5.82%
	Socialist	Walter H. Uphoff	9,964	0.79%
	Socialist Labor	Adolf Wiggert	1,664	0.13%
	None	Scattering	106	0.01%
Majority			97,369	7.75%
Turnout			1,256,480
	Republican hold

See also

• 1944 United States elections
  • 1944 United States presidential election
  • 1944 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1944 United States House of Representatives elections
• 78th United States Congress
• 79th United States Congress

Notes

1. National vote totals for the Democratic Party do not include a combined 808,841 votes for the American Labor Party and the Liberal Party of New York, which endorsed and voted for the Democratic candidate, Robert F. Wagner.
2. Appointee elected

References

1. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (March 1, 1945). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1944" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 16–17, 25–26, 36, 54.
2. Kalb, Deborah, ed. (2010). Guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, DC: CQ Press. p. 1436. ISBN 978-1-60426-536-1.
3. "2 CANDIDATES NAMED BY SOCIALIST LABOR". The New York Times. April 3, 1944.
4. "NEW PARTY FIXES 400,000-VOTE GOAL FOR ROOSEVELT". The New York Times. May 21, 1944.
5. "LIBERAL PARTY WINS; Curran Overrules Objections by O'Connor to Petitions". The New York Times. August 26, 1944.
6. "CURRAN IS NAMED". The New York Times. August 9, 1944.
7. "DEMOCRATS NAME WAGNER AND DYE". The New York Times. August 9, 1944.
8. "ROOSEVELT NAMED AT ALP CONVENTION; Wagner, Also Renominated". The New York Times. August 11, 1944.
9. (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2015.