1958 United States Senate elections

The 1958 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Thirty-two seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, the new state of Alaska held its first Senate elections for its Class 2 and 3 seats, and two special elections were held to fill vacancies.

1958 United States Senate elections

← 1956 November 4, 1958^[a] 1960 →
← 1957 (TX, WI) 1959 (HI) →
36 of the 98 seats in the United States Senate 50 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lyndon Johnson William Knowland (retired) Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1953 August 4, 1953 Leader's seat Texas California Seats before 49 47 Seats after 64 34 Seat change 15 13 Popular vote 21,426,124^[1]^[b] 16,622,338^[1] Percentage 55.3% 42.9% Seats up 13 21 Races won 28 8
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Alaska and W. V.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Lyndon Johnson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson Democratic

As is common in mid-term elections, the party in the White House lost seats, but losses this year were heavy due to the Recession of 1958, the Eisenhower Administration's position on right-to-work issues that galvanized labor unions which supported Democrats, and the launch of Sputnik. This was the first time since 1934 that Democrats gained seats in this class of Senators. Democrats won both seats in West Virginia, making the last time that Democrats simultaneously flipped both of a state's Senate seats until Georgia's elections in 2020 and 2021.

The Democratic Party gained a record 15 seats in this election, defeating 10 Republican incumbents, gaining three open Republican seats, and winning both seats from the new state of Alaska. This gave the Democrats a strong Senate majority of 64–34 over the Republicans, and the largest swing in the history of the Senate. After the new state of Hawaii elected its first Senators in 1959, the Senate's balance changed to 65–35.

This is only one of two occasions in U.S. history that 10 or more Senate seats changed hands in a mid-term election (the other being in 1946), and also one of five occasions where 10 or more Senate seats changed hands in an election, with the other occasions being in 1920, 1932, 1946, and 1980.

Results summary

↓

64	34
Democratic	Republican

For the November 5 and 25, 1958 regular and special elections.

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Last elections (1956) Before these elections		49	47	0	96
Not up		36	26	0	62
	Class 2 (1954)	19	11	0	30
	Class 3 (1956)	17	15	0	32
Up		13	21	—	34
	Class 1 (1952→1958)	12	20	—	32
	Special: Class 2	1	1	—	2
Incumbent retired		0	6	—	6
	Held by same party	0	3	—	3
	Replaced by other party	3 Republicans replaced by  3 Democrats		—	3
	Result	3	3	0	6
Incumbent ran		13	15	—	28
	Won re-election	13	5	—	18
	Lost re-election	10 Republicans replaced by  10 Democrats		—	10
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	0	0	—	0
	Result	23	5	0	28
New state		2	0	0	2
Total elected		28	8	0	36
Net gain/loss		15	13		15
Nationwide vote		21,426,124^[b]	16,622,338	678,147	38,726,609
	Share	55.33%	42.92%	1.75%	100%
Result		64	34	0	98

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

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Six Republicans retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
California	William Knowland	Clair Engle
Indiana	William E. Jenner	Vance Hartke
New Jersey	H. Alexander Smith	Harrison A. Williams
New York	Irving Ives	Kenneth Keating
Pennsylvania	Edward Martin	Hugh Scott
Vermont	Ralph Flanders	Winston L. Prouty

Defeats

Ten Republicans sought re-election but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Connecticut	William A. Purtell	Thomas J. Dodd
Maine	Frederick G. Payne	Edmund Muskie
Michigan	Charles E. Potter	Philip Hart
Minnesota	Edward J. Thye	Eugene McCarthy
Nevada	George W. Malone	Howard Cannon
Ohio	John W. Bricker	Stephen M. Young
Utah	Arthur V. Watkins	Frank Moss
West Virginia (regular)	Chapman Revercomb	Robert Byrd
West Virginia (special)	John D. Hoblitzell Jr.	Jennings Randolph
Wyoming	Frank A. Barrett	Gale W. McGee

New states

Alaska was admitted into the Union and elected two Democrats to the Senate.

State	Senator
Alaska (class 2)	Bob Bartlett
Alaska (class 3)	Ernest Gruening

Post-election states

Hawaii was admitted into the Union and elected one Democrat and one Republican to the Senate on July 28, 1959.

State	Senator
Hawaii (class 1)	Hiram Fong
Hawaii (class 3)	Oren E. Long

Post election changes

Two Democrats left the Senate after the election. Both seats were filled by Democrats.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Oregon	Richard L. Neuberger	Hall S. Lusk
Missouri	Thomas C. Hennings Jr.	Edward V. Long

Change in composition

Before the elections

	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9
D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10
D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D27	D26	D28	D29
D39 Miss. Ran	D38 Mass. Ran	D37 Fla. Ran	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30
D40 Mo. Ran	D41 Mont. Ran	D42 N.M. Ran	D43 N.C. (sp) Ran	D44 R.I. Ran	D45 Tenn. Ran	D46 Texas Ran	D47 Va. Ran	D48 Wash. Ran	D49 Wis. Ran
Majority ↑									TBD1 Ak. (cl. 3) New state
R40 N.D. Ran	R41 Ohio Ran	R42 Pa. Retired	R43 Utah Ran	R44 Vt. Retired	R45 W.Va. (reg) Ran	R46 W.Va. (sp) Ran	R47 Wyo. Ran	TBD2 Ak. (cl. 2) New state
R39 N.Y. Retired	R38 N.J. Retired	R37 Nev. Ran	R36 Neb. Ran	R35 Minn. Ran	R34 Mich. Ran	R33 Md. Ran	R32 Maine Ran	R31 Ind. Retired	R30 Del. Ran
R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27 Ariz. Ran	R28 Calif. Retired	R29 Conn. Ran
R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10
	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9

After the elections

	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9
D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11	D10
D20	D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29
D39 Miss. Re-elected	D38 Mass. Re-elected	D37 Fla. Re-elected	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31	D30
D40 Mo. Re-elected	D41 Mont. Re-elected	D42 N.M. Re-elected	D43 N.C. (sp) Elected^[c]	D44 R.I. Re-elected	D45 Tenn. Re-elected	D46 Texas Re-elected	D47 Va. Re-elected	D48 Wash. Re-elected	D49 Wis. Re-elected
Majority →									D50 Ak. (cl. 2) Gain
D59 N.J. Gain	D58 Nev. Gain	D57 Minn. Gain	D56 Mich. Gain	D55 Maine Gain	D54 Ind. Gain	D53 Conn. Gain	D52 Calif. Gain	D51 Ak. (cl. 3) Gain
D60 Ohio Gain	D61 Utah Gain	D62 W.Va. (reg) Gain	D63 W.Va. (sp) Gain^[d]	D64 Wyo. Gain	R34 Vt. Hold	R33 Pa. Hold	R32 N.D. Re-elected	R31 N.Y. Hold	R30 Neb. Re-elected
R20	R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27 Ariz. Re-elected	R28 Del. Re-elected	R29 Md. Re-elected
R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11	R10
	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9

Key:	D# Democratic R# Republican

Race summaries

Special / new state elections

In the special elections, the winners were seated during 1958 or before January 3, 1959. In the new state elections, the winners were seated with the new Congress on January 3, 1959. Ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
North Carolina (class 2)	B. Everett Jordan	Democratic	1958 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 4, 1958.	▌ Y B. Everett Jordan (Democratic) 70.0% ▌Richard C. Clarke, Jr. (Republican) 30.0%
West Virginia (class 2)	John D. Hoblitzell, Jr.	Republican	1958 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected November 4, 1958. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Jennings Randolph (Democratic) 59.3% ▌John D. Hoblitzell, Jr. (Republican) 40.7%
Alaska (class 2)	Alaska admitted as a state January 3, 1959.			New state. New senator elected November 25, 1958. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Bob Bartlett (Democratic) 83.8% ▌R. E. Robertson (Republican) 15.0% ▌Keith Capper (write-in) 1.2%
Alaska (class 3)				New state. New senator elected November 25, 1958. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Ernest Gruening (Democratic) 52.6% ▌Mike Stepovich (Republican) 47.4%

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1959; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Arizona	Barry Goldwater	Republican	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Barry Goldwater (Republican) 56.1% ▌Ernest McFarland (Democratic) 43.9%
California	William Knowland	Republican	1945 (Appointed) 1946 (special) 1952	Incumbent retired to run for California Governor. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Clair Engle (Democratic) 57.0% ▌Goodwin Knight (Republican) 42.9%
Connecticut	William A. Purtell	Republican	1952 (Appointed) 1952 (Retired) 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Thomas J. Dodd (Democratic) 57.3% ▌William A. Purtell (Republican) 42.4% ▌Vivien Kellems (write-in) 0.3%
Delaware	John J. Williams	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John J. Williams (Republican) 53.3% ▌Elbert N. Carvel (Democratic) 46.7%
Florida	Spessard Holland	Democratic	1946 (Appointed) 1946 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Spessard Holland (Democratic) 71.2% ▌Leland Hyzer (Republican) 28.8%
Indiana	William E. Jenner	Republican	1944 (special) 1946 1952	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Vance Hartke (Democratic) 56.5% ▌Harold W. Handley (Republican) 42.4% ▌John Henry Stelle (Prohibition) 1.1%
Maine	Frederick G. Payne	Republican	1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Edmund Muskie (Democratic) 60.8% ▌Frederick G. Payne (Republican) 39.2%
Maryland	J. Glenn Beall	Republican	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y J. Glenn Beall (Republican) 51.0% ▌Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. (Democratic) 49.0%
Massachusetts	John F. Kennedy	Democratic	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John F. Kennedy (Democratic) 73.2% ▌Vincent J. Celeste (Republican) 26.2%
Michigan	Charles E. Potter	Republican	1952 (special) 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Philip Hart (Democratic) 53.6% ▌Charles E. Potter (Republican) 46.1%
Minnesota	Edward J. Thye	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic–Farmer–Labor gain.	▌ Y Eugene McCarthy (DFL) 52.9% ▌Edward J. Thye (Republican) 46.6% ▌William M. Curran (Socialist Workers) 0.5%
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Democratic	1947 (special) 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John C. Stennis (Democratic) Unopposed
Missouri	Stuart Symington	Democratic	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Stuart Symington (Democratic) 66.5% ▌Hazel Palmer (Republican) 33.6%
Montana	Mike Mansfield	Democratic	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Mike Mansfield (Democratic) 76.2% ▌Lou W. Welch (Republican) 23.8%
Nebraska	Roman Hruska	Republican	1954 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Roman Hruska (Republican) 55.6% ▌Frank B. Morrison (Democratic) 44.4%
Nevada	George W. Malone	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Howard Cannon (Democratic) 57.7% ▌George W. Malone (Republican) 42.3%
New Jersey	Howard Alexander Smith	Republican	1944 (special) 1946 1952	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Harrison A. Williams (Democratic) 51.4% ▌Robert Kean (Republican) 46.9%
New Mexico	Dennis Chávez	Democratic	1935 (Appointed) 1936 (special) 1940 1946 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Dennis Chávez (Democratic) 62.7% ▌Forrest S. Atchley (Republican) 37.3%
New York	Irving Ives	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Kenneth Keating (Republican) 50.8% ▌Frank Hogan (Democratic) 48.4%
North Dakota	William Langer	Republican	1940 1946 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y William Langer (Republican) 57.2% ▌Raymond Vensdel (Democratic-NPL) 41.5%
Ohio	John W. Bricker	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Stephen M. Young (Democratic) 52.5% ▌John W. Bricker (Republican) 47.5%
Pennsylvania	Edward Martin	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Hugh Scott (Republican) 51.2% ▌George M. Leader (Democratic) 48.4%
Rhode Island	John Pastore	Democratic	1950 (special) 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y John Pastore (Democratic) 64.5% ▌Bayard Ewing (Republican) 35.5%
Tennessee	Albert Gore Sr.	Democratic	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Albert Gore Sr. (Democratic) 79.0% ▌Hobart F. Atkins (Republican) 19.0%
Texas	Ralph Yarborough	Democratic	1957 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Ralph Yarborough (Democratic) 74.6% ▌Roy Whittenburg (Republican) 23.6%
Utah	Arthur V. Watkins	Republican	1946 1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Frank Moss (Democratic) 38.7% ▌Arthur V. Watkins (Republican) 34.8% ▌J. Bracken Lee (Independent) 26.4%
Vermont	Ralph Flanders	Republican	1946 (Appointed) 1946 (special) 1952	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Winston L. Prouty (Republican) 52.2% ▌Frederick J. Fayette (Democratic) 47.8%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd	Democratic	1933 (Appointed) 1933 (special) 1934 1940 1946 1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Harry F. Byrd (Democratic) 69.3% ▌Louise Wensel (Independent) 26.3%
Washington	Henry M. Jackson	Democratic	1952	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Henry M. Jackson (Democratic) 67.3% ▌William B. Bantz (Republican) 31.4%
West Virginia	Chapman Revercomb	Republican	1942 1948 (Lost) 1956 (special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Robert Byrd (Democratic) 59.2% ▌Chapman Revercomb (Republican) 40.8%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	1957 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y William Proxmire (Democratic) 57.1% ▌Roland J. Steinle (Republican) 42.7%
Wyoming	Frank A. Barrett	Republican	1952	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y Gale W. McGee (Democratic) 50.8% ▌Frank A. Barrett (Republican) 49.2%

Closest races

Eleven races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Wyoming	Democratic (flip)	1.6%
Maryland	Republican	2.0%
New York	Republican	2.4%
Utah	Democratic (flip)	3.9%
Vermont	Republican	4.4%
New Jersey	Democratic (flip)	4.5%
Ohio	Democratic (flip)	5.0%
Alaska (class 3)	Democratic (flip)	5.2%
Minnesota	Democratic (flip)	6.3%
Delaware	Republican	6.6%
Michigan	Democratic (flip)	7.5%

Maine was the tipping point state with a margin of 21.6%.

Alaska

Main article: 1958 United States Senate elections in Alaska

See also: List of United States senators from Alaska

Alaska would become a new state January 3, 1959, and it elected two initial senators November 25, 1958, in advance of statehood. The Democratic Party thereby picked up 2 more seats.

In their next elections, Alaska's senators would be elected to 6-year terms.

 

Senator Bob Bartlett

The class 2 race, for the 2-year term ending in 1961, was between the Democratic incumbent territorial delegate Bob Bartlett, and the Republican Juneau attorney R. E. Robertson.

Alaska regular election (class 2)^[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Bartlett	40,939	83.83
	Republican	R. E. Robertson	7,299	14.95
	Write-In	Keith Capper	599	1.23
Majority			33,640	68.88
Turnout			48,837
	Democratic win (new seat)

Bartlett would be re-elected twice and serve until his death in 1968.

 

Senator Ernest Gruening

The class 3 race, for the 4-year term ending in 1963, pitted two former territorial governors, Democrat Ernest Gruening against Republican Mike Stepovich. Gruening won a close race.

Alaska regular election (class 3)^[1][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ernest Gruening	26,045	52.61
	Republican	Mike Stepovich	23,464	47.39
Majority			2,581	5.22
Turnout			49,509
	Democratic win (new seat)

Gruening would be re-elected in 1962 and serve until losing renomination in 1968.

Arizona

Arizona election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Barry Goldwater Ernest McFarland Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 164,593 129,030 Percentage 56.06% 43.94%

U.S. senator before election Barry Goldwater Republican Elected U.S. senator Barry Goldwater Republican

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Arizona

See also: List of United States senators from Arizona

Arizona general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Barry Goldwater (Incumbent)	164,593	56.06%
	Democratic	Ernest W. McFarland	129,030	43.94%
Majority			35,563	12.12%
Turnout			293,623
	Republican hold

California

California election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Clair Engle Goodwin Knight Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,927,693 2,204,337 Percentage 57.01% 42.93%

County results

U.S. senator before election William F. Knowland Republican Elected U.S. senator Clair Engle Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in California

See also: List of United States senators from California

California general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clair Engle	2,927,693	57.01
	Republican	Goodwin Knight	2,204,337	42.93
	Write-In	Jesse M. Ritchie	892	0.02
	Write-In	Ray B. Pollard	281	0.01
	None	Scattering	2,018	0.04
Majority			723,356	14.08
Turnout			5,135,221
	Democratic gain from Republican

Connecticut

Connecticut election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Thomas J. Dodd William A. Purtell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 554,841 410,622 Percentage 57.29% 42.40%

County results

U.S. senator before election William A. Purtell Republican Elected U.S. senator Thomas J. Dodd Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut

In Connecticut, Democrat Thomas J. Dodd defeated incumbent senator William A. Purtell who ran for a second term.

Connecticut general election 1958^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. Dodd	554,841	57.28
	Republican	William A. Purtell (Incumbent)	410,622	42.39
	Independent	Vivien Kellems	3,043	0.31
	None	Scattering	119	0.01
Majority			144,219	14.89
Turnout			968,625
	Swing to Democratic from Republican		Swing

Delaware

 

Senator John J. Williams

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware

Two-term Republican John J. Williams was re-elected to a third term.

Delaware general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John J. Williams (Incumbent)	82,280	53.28
	Democratic	Elbert Carvel	72,152	46.72
Majority			10,128	6.56
Turnout			154,432
	Republican hold

Williams would be re-elected in 1964, serving four terms until his 1970 retirement.

Florida

Florida election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Spessard Holland Leland Hyzer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 386,113 155,956 Percentage 71.23 28.77

County Results Holland:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Spessard Holland Democratic Elected U.S. senator Spessard Holland Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Florida

See also: List of United States senators from Florida

Incumbent Democrat Senator Holland, a conservative, was challenged by former senator Claude Pepper, who had been unseated in 1950. Holland had played a role in recruiting George A. Smathers to run against the liberal Pepper in that election. The two served as colleagues in the Senate from 1947 to 1951.^[5]

Democratic primary^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Spessard L. Holland (Incumbent)	408,084	55.94
	Democratic	Claude Pepper	321,377	44.06
Total votes			729,461	100.00

General election results^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Spessard Holland (Incumbent)	386,113	71.23	28.59
	Republican	Leland Hyzer	155,956	28.77	28.77
Majority			230,157	42.46
Turnout			542,069
	Democratic hold

Indiana

Indiana election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Vance Hartke Harold W. Handley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 973,636 731,635 Percentage 56.46 42.42

U.S. senator before election William E. Jenner Republican Elected U.S. senator Vance Hartke Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Indiana

See also: List of United States senators from Indiana

Incumbent Republican William E. Jenner did not seek a second full term in office and was replaced by Democrat Vance Hartke, the mayor of Evansville. Hartke defeated incumbent Republican Governor of Indiana Harold W. Handley.

Jenner resigned shortly before the election and urged Handley, Jenner's political protégé, to seek his seat. A plan was proposed whereby Handley would resign the governorship, his lieutenant would appoint him senator, and he would finish the term and run as an incumbent. When the plan was revealed to the party leadership, they strongly advised him to not implement it because they feared it would hurt the party and be perceived as a scandal.^[8]

Handley did not resign from the governorship during his campaign and was widely criticized for the unprecedented action. Hartke accused Handley of raising taxes, breaking of his campaign promise, his reluctance in supporting right-to-work, and rising state unemployment. Statewide unemployment was just above 10% in April, but dropped to 6.9% by the end of September.^[8]

Indiana general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vance Hartke	973,636	56.47
	Republican	Harold W. Handley	731,635	42.43
	Prohibition	John Stelle	19,040	1.10
Majority			242,001	14.04
Turnout			1,724,311
	Democratic gain from Republican

Maine

Maine election

← 1952 September 8, 1958 1964 →

Nominee Edmund Muskie Frederick G. Payne Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 172,704 111,522 Percentage 60.76% 39.24%

County Results

U.S. senator before election Frederick G. Payne Republican Elected U.S. senator Edmund Muskie Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Maine

See also: List of United States senators from Maine

Maine held its election September 8, 1958, in keeping with its routine practice of holding elections before the November national Election Day. Democrat Edmund Muskie defeated one-term Republican incumbent, Frederick G. Payne by a wide margin, 61–39%.

Maine general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edmund Muskie	172,704	60.76%
	Republican	Frederick G. Payne (Incumbent)	111,522	39.24%
Majority			61,182	21.52%
Turnout			284,226
	Democratic gain from Republican

Maryland

Maryland election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee J. Glenn Beall Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 384,931 367,142 Percentage 51.18% 48.82

County Beall:      50–60%      60–70% D'Alesandro:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election J. Glenn Beall Republican Elected U.S. senator J. Glenn Beall Republican

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

Maryland general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J. Glenn Beall (Incumbent)	384,931	51.18%
	Democratic	Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.	367,142	48.82%
Majority			17,789	3.36%
Turnout			752,073
	Republican hold

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

← 1952 1962 (special) →

Nominee John F. Kennedy Vincent Celeste Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,362,926 488,318 Percentage 73.20% 26.23%

Municipal results

U.S. senator before election John F. Kennedy Democratic Elected U.S. senator John F. Kennedy Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts

Massachusetts general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Kennedy (Incumbent)	1,362,926	73.20%
	Republican	Vincent J. Celeste	488,318	26.22%
	Socialist Labor	Lawrence Gilfedder	5,457	0.29%
	Prohibition	Mark R. Shaw	5,335	0.29%
	None	Scattering	5	0.00%
Majority			874,608	46.98%
Turnout			1,862,041
	Democratic hold

Michigan

Michigan election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Philip Hart Charles E. Potter Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,216,966 1,046,963 Percentage 53.57% 46.09%

County results

U.S. senator before election Charles E. Potter Republican Elected U.S. senator Philip Hart Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Michigan

See also: List of United States senators from Michigan

Michigan general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Philip A. Hart	1,216,966	53.57%
	Republican	Charles E. Potter (Incumbent)	1,046,963	46.09%
	Prohibition	Elmer H. Ormiston	3,518	0.15%
	Socialist Labor	James Sim	3,128	0.14%
	Socialist Workers	Evelyn Sell	1,068	0.05%
	None	Scattering	1	0.00%
Majority			170,003	7.48%
Turnout			2,271,644
	Democratic gain from Republican

Minnesota

Minnesota election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Eugene J. McCarthy Edward John Thye Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 608,847 535,629 Percentage 52.95% 46.58%

County results

U.S. senator before election Edward John Thye Republican Elected U.S. senator Eugene J. McCarthy Democratic (DFL)

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Minnesota

See also: List of United States senators from Minnesota

In Minnesota, Democratic Representative Eugene McCarthy defeated incumbent senator Edward John Thye who ran for a third term.

Democratic primary election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Eugene J. McCarthy	279,796	75.65%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hjalmar Petersen	76,340	20.64%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hans R. Miller	13,736	3.71%
Total votes			369,872	100.00%

Republican primary election^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Edward John Thye (Incumbent)	224,833	91.81%
	Republican	Edward C. Slettedahl	13,734	5.61%
	Republican	Mrs. Peder P. Schmidt	6,332	2.58%
Total votes			244,899	100.00%

General election^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Eugene J. McCarthy	608,847	52.95%
	Republican	Edward John Thye (Incumbent)	535,629	46.58%
	Socialist Workers	William M. Curran	5,407	0.47%
Total votes			1,149,883	100.00%
Majority			73,218	6.37%
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

Mississippi

 

Senator John C. Stennis

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Mississippi

See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi

Two-term Democrat John C. Stennis was re-elected with no opposition.

Mississippi general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John C. Stennis (Incumbent)	61,039	100.00%
	Democratic hold

Stennis would be re-elected four more times, serving until his retirement in 1989.

Missouri

Missouri election

← 1952 November 4, 1958 1964 →

Nominee Stuart Symington Hazel Palmer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 780,083 393,847 Percentage 66.45% 33.55%

U.S. senator before election Stuart Symington Democratic Elected U.S. senator Stuart Symington Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Missouri

See also: List of United States senators from Missouri

Incumbent Democrat Stuart Symington was re-elected to a second term. Hazel Palmer was the first woman ever nominated for United States senator in Missouri.

Democratic primary^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stuart Symington (incumbent)	365,470	92.13%
	Democratic	Lawrence Hastings	19,954	5.03%
	Democratic	Lamar Dye	11,262	2.84%
Total votes			396,686	100.00%

Republican primary^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hazel Palmer	61,481	44.63%
	Republican	William McKinley Thomas	36,438	26.45%
	Republican	Homer Cotton	27,023	19.62%
	Republican	Herman G. Grosby	12,818	9.31%
Total votes			137,760	100.00%

General election^[1][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Stuart Symington (Incumbent)	780,083	66.45%	12.46
	Republican	Hazel Palmer	393,847	33.55%	12.39
Majority			386,236	32.90%
Turnout			1,173,930
	Democratic hold		Swing

Montana

Montana election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Mike Mansfield Lou Welch Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 174,910 54,573 Percentage 76.22% 23.78%

U.S. senator before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected U.S. senator Mike Mansfield Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Montana

See also: List of United States senators from Montana

Incumbent Mike Mansfield, who was first elected to the Senate in 1952, ran for re-election. Mansfield won the Democratic primary comfortably, and moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Lou W. Welch, a millworker and the Republican nominee. In contrast to the close campaign in 1952, Mansfield defeated Welch in a landslide and won his second term in the Senate easily.

Democratic primary^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Mansfield (Incumbent)	97,207	91.72%
	Democratic	J. M. Nickey	4,710	4.44%
	Democratic	Thomas G. Stimatz, former State Representative	4,061	3.83%
Total votes			105,978	100.00%

Republican Primary^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lou W. Welch, millworker	19,860	50.30%
	Republican	Blanche Anderson	19,624	49.70%
Total votes			39,484	100.00%

General election^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mike Mansfield (Incumbent)	174,910	76.22%	25.47%
	Republican	Lou W. Welch	54,573	23.78%	24.77%
Majority			120,337	52.44%	50.25%
Turnout			229,483
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Nebraska

See also: List of United States senators from Nebraska

Republican Roman Hruska had won a 1954 special election and ran for a full term. He beat Democratic attorney Frank B. Morrison, who had previously lost his challenger bid for Nebraska's 1st congressional district.

1958 United States Senate election in Nebraska

← 1954 (special) November 4, 1958 1964 →

Nominee Roman Hruska Frank B. Morrison Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 232,227 185,152 Percentage 55.64% 44.36%

County results Hruska:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Morrison:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Roman Hruska Republican Elected U.S. Senator Roman Hruska Republican

Democratic primary^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank B. Morrison	35,482	51.85
	Democratic	Eugene D. O'Sullivan	26,436	38.63
	Democratic	Mike F. Kracher	6,500	9.50
	Democratic	Scattering	13	0.02
Total votes			68,431	100

Republican primary^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roman Hruska (Incumbent)	103,348	99.95
	Republican	Scattering	51	0.05
Total votes			103,399	100

Nebraska general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roman Hruska (Incumbent)	232,227	55.64%
	Democratic	Frank B. Morrison	185,152	44.36%
	N/A	Scattering	6	0.00%
Majority			47,075	11.18%
Turnout			417,385
	Republican hold

Hruska would be re-elected two more times and serve until his 1976 retirement.

Morrison would be elected Governor of Nebraska in 1960 and serve there for six years from 1961 to 1967, and was re-elected twice while running unsuccessfully for U.S. senator.

Nevada

Nevada election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Howard Cannon George W. Malone Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 48,732 35,760 Percentage 57.65% 42.32%

County Cannon:      50–60%      60–70% Malone:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election George W. Malone Republican Elected U.S. senator Howard Cannon Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Nevada

See also: List of United States senators from Nevada

In Nevada, incumbent Republican George W. Malone ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Democrat Howard Cannon.

The campaign was considered^{[by whom?]} one of the most competitive and highly watched in the nation in 1958. Senator Malone was known nationally as a leader within the Republican Party's right wing and held key appointments on the Senate Finance and Interior Committees.^[18]

Malone campaigned on his experience and seniority in the Senate, using the slogan "He Knows Nevada Best." He received support from Eisenhower cabinet secretaries Fred Seaton and Ezra Taft Benson. Benson, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was especially influential among Nevada's large Mormon population. His endorsement was seen as particularly important in light of Cannon's Mormon faith. Late in the campaign, Malone published full-page ads touting his effort to save Nevada from a federal gambling tax.^[18]

Cannon focused his attacks on Malone's absentee record in the Senate and his reputation on Capitol Hill as an unpopular extremist.^[18]

Cannon won the election by a safe margin owing to his overwhelming support in his native Clark County, which contained 47 percent of the state's registered voters. He was the first candidate from southern Nevada elected to the United States Senate.^[18]

Democratic primary^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Cannon	22,787	51.66%
	Democratic	Fred Anderson	21,319	48.34%
Total votes			44,106	{{{percentage}}}

Senator Malone was unopposed for re-nomination by the Republican Party.

General election^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Howard Cannon, City Attorney of Las Vegas	48,732	57.65%	7.63%
	Republican	George W. Malone (Incumbent)	35,760	42.32%	9.35%
Majority			12,972	15.35%	12.00%
Turnout			84,492
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Harrison Williams Robert Kean Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 966,832 882,287 Percentage 51.39% 46.90%

County Williams:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Kean:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election H. Alexander Smith Republican Elected U.S. senator Harrison Williams Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey

Incumbent Republican H. Alexander Smith chose not to seek a third term in office. Democratic U.S. Representative Harrison Williams won the open seat over U.S. Representative Robert Kean.

Democratic primary^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams	152,413	43.12%
	Democratic	John Grogan	139,605	39.49%
	Democratic	Joseph E. McLean	61,478	17.39%
Total votes			353,496	100.00%

Republican primary^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Kean	152,884	43.00%
	Republican	Bernard M. Shanley	128,990	36.28%
	Republican	Robert J. Morris	73,658	20.72%
Total votes			355,532	100.00%

General election^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams	966,832	51.39%	7.77
	Republican	Robert Kean	882,287	46.90%	8.61
	Socialist Workers	Daniel Roberts	11,669	0.62%	0.40
	Politicians Are Jokers	Henry Krajewski	6,013	0.32%	N/A
	Independent	John J. Winberry	5,481	0.29%	N/A
	Conservative	Winifred O. Perry	3,062	0.16%	N/A
	People's Choice	John M. D'Addetta	3,024	0.16%	N/A
	Socialist Labor	Albert Ronis	2,935	0.16%	0.09
Total votes			1,881,303	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican

New Mexico

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in New Mexico

See also: List of United States senators from New Mexico

New Mexico general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dennis Chavez (Incumbent)	127,496	62.71%
	Republican	Forrest S. Atchley	75,827	37.29%
Majority			51,669	25.42%
Turnout			203,323
	Democratic hold

New York

New York election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Kenneth Keating Frank Hogan Party Republican Democratic Alliance Liberal Popular vote 2,842,942 2,434,899 Percentage 50.75% 48.38%

County results

U.S. senator before election Irving Ives Republican Elected U.S. senator Kenneth Keating Republican

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York

Incumbent Republican Irving Ives retired. Republican Representative Kenneth Keating defeated Democrat Frank Hogan to succeed Ives.

1958 Democratic Convention^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Hogan	772	67.60%
	Democratic	Thomas E. Murray Sr.	304	26.62%
	Democratic	Thomas K. Finletter	66	5.78%
Total votes			1,317	100.00%

General election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kenneth Keating	2,842,942	50.75%
	Democratic	Frank Hogan	2,709,950	48.37%
	Independent Socialist	Corliss Lamont	49,087	0.88%
	None	Scattering	95	0.00%
Majority			132,992	2.38%
Turnout			5,601,979
	Republican hold

North Carolina (special)

 

Senator B. Everett Jordan

Main article: 1958 United States Senate special election in North Carolina

See also: List of United States senators from North Carolina

Democrat W. Kerr Scott had died April 16, 1958, and former Democratic Governor of North Carolina B. Everett Jordan was appointed April 19, 1958, to continue the term, pending a special election. Jordan was then re-elected in November.

General election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	B. Everett Jordan (incumbent)	431,492	70.0%
	Republican	Richard C. Clarke Jr.	184,977	30.0%
Turnout				15.18%
	Democratic hold

Jordan would later be twice re-elected and serve until 1973.

North Dakota

North Dakota election

← 1952 1960 →

Nominee William Langer Raymond Vendsel Party Republican Democratic–NPL Popular vote 117,070 84,892 Percentage 57.21% 41.49%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes those won by Langer. Blue denotes counties won by Vendsel.   Vendsel: 40-50%   Vendsel: 50-60%   Vendsel: 60-70%   Langer: 50-60%   Langer: 60-70%   Langer: 70-80%   Langer: 80-90%

U.S. senator before election William Langer Republican Elected U.S. senator William Langer Republican

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in North Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from North Dakota

Incumbent Republican, and former Non-Partisan League (NPL) senator, William Langer, was re-elected to a fourth term, defeating North Dakota Democratic NPL Party (Dem-NPL) candidate Raymond G. Vendsel.^[16]

Only Langer filed as a Republican, and the endorsed Democratic-NPL candidate was Raymond G. Vendsel. Langer and Vendsel won the primary elections for their respective parties.

Two independent candidates, Arthur C. Townley and Custer Solem, also filed before the deadline but had minimal impact on the outcome of the election, totaling less than 3,000 votes combined. Townley was known as the creator of the National Non-Partisan League, and had previously sought North Dakota's other senate seat in 1956.

North Dakota election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Langer (Incumbent)	117,070	57.21%
	Democratic–NPL	Raymond G. Vendsel	84,892	41.49%
	Independent	Arthur C. Townley	1,700	0.83%
	Independent	Custer Solem	973	0.48%
Majority			32,178	15.72%
Turnout			204,635
	Republican hold

Langer would die in office less than a year into what became his final term. A special election was held in 1960 triggered by Langer's death.

Ohio

Ohio election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Stephen M. Young John W. Bricker Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,652,211 1,497,199 Percentage 52.46% 47.54%

U.S. senator before election John W. Bricker Republican Elected U.S. senator Stephen M. Young Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio

Incumbent Republican John W. Bricker was defeated in his bid for a third term by U.S. Representative Stephen M. Young.

General election^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Stephen M. Young	1,652,211	52.46%	7.04
	Republican	John W. Bricker (Incumbent)	1,497,199	47.54%	7.05
Majority			155,012	4.92%
Turnout			3,149,410
	Democratic gain from Republican

Pennsylvania

 

Senator Hugh Scott

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania

Incumbent Republican Edward Martin did not seek re-election. The Republican nominee, Hugh Scott, defeated the term-limited Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania George M. Leader for the vacant seat.

General election^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Hugh Scott	2,042,586	51.21%	0.37%
	Democratic	George M. Leader	1,929,821	48.38%	0.40%
	Socialist Labor	George S. Taylor	10,431	0.26%	0.26%
	Socialist Workers	Ethel Peterson	5,742	0.14%	0.14%
	N/A	Other	42	0.00%	N/A
Majority			112,765	2.83%
Turnout			3,988,622
	Republican hold		Swing

Scott would be twice re-elected, rising to the Senate Minority leader, and serve until retiring in 1977. Leader retired from public service after the defeat.

Rhode Island

 

Senator John Pastore

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island

Two-term incumbent Democrat John Pastore was easily re-elected over Republican attorney Bayard Ewing,^[26] a repeat of their 1952 race.

Rhode Island general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Pastore (Incumbent)	222,166	64.49%
	Republican	Bayard Ewing	122,353	35.51%
Majority			99,813	28.98%
Turnout			344,519
	Democratic hold

Ewing would later serve as the national chairman of the United Way (1969–1972) and the Rhode Island School of Design (1967–1985).

Tennessee

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Tennessee

See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee

Tennessee general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Albert Gore Sr. (Incumbent)	317,324	79.00%
	Republican	Hobart F. Atkins	76,371	19.01%
	Write-In	Chester W. Mason	5,324	1.33%
	Write-In	Thomas Gouge Jr.	2,646	0.66%
Majority			240,953	59.99%
Turnout			401,665
	Democratic hold

Texas

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Texas

See also: List of United States senators from Texas

Texas general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ralph Yarborough (Incumbent)	587,030	74.58%
	Republican	Roy Whittenburg	185,926	23.62%
	Write-In	Bard W. Logan	14,172	1.80%
Majority			401,104	50.96%
Turnout			787,128
	Democratic hold

Utah

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Utah

See also: List of United States senators from Utah

Utah general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Moss	112,827	38.73%
	Republican	Arthur V. Watkins (Incumbent)	101,471	34.83%
	Independent	J. Bracken Lee	77,013	26.44%
Majority			11,356	3.90%
Turnout			291,311
	Democratic gain from Republican

Vermont

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont

Incumbent Republican Ralph Flanders did not run for re-election to another term in the United States Senate. Republican candidate Winston L. Prouty defeated Democratic candidate Frederick J. Fayette to succeed him.

Republican primary^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Winston L. Prouty	31,866	64.6%
	Republican	Lee E. Emerson	17,468	35.4%
	Republican	Other	4	0.0%
Total votes			49,338	100.00%

Democratic primary^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frederick J. Fayette	6,546	99.5%
	Democratic	Other	32	0.5%
Total votes			6,578	100.00%

General election^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Winston L. Prouty	64,900	52.15%
	Democratic	Frederick J. Fayette	59,536	47.84%
	N/A	Other	6	0.00%
Majority			5,364	4.31%
Total votes			124,442	100.00%
	Republican hold

Virginia

Virginia election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Harry F. Byrd Louise Wensel Party Democratic Independent Popular vote 317,221 120,224 Percentage 69.3% 26.3%

County and Independent City Results Byrd:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%      90-100% Wensel:      40-50%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Harry F. Byrd Democratic Elected U.S. senator Harry F. Byrd Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia

Incumbent Harry F. Byrd Sr. was re-elected after defeating Independent Louise Wensel and Social Democrat Clarke Robb.

General election^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Harry F. Byrd (Incumbent)	317,221	69.32%	4.03%
	Independent	Louise Wensel	120,224	26.27%	26.27%
	Social Democratic	Clarke T. Robb	20,154	4.40%	7.98%
	Write-in	write-ins	41	0.01%	1.54%
Majority			196,997	43.05%
Turnout			457,640
	Democratic hold

Washington

Washington election

← 1952 1964 →

Nominee Henry M. Jackson William B. Bantz Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 597,040 278,271 Percentage 67.32% 31.38%

County results

U.S. senator before election Henry M. Jackson Democratic Elected U.S. senator Henry M. Jackson Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Washington

See also: List of United States senators from Washington

Washington general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry M. Jackson (Incumbent)	597,040	67.32%
	Republican	William B. Bantz	278,271	31.38%
	Socialist Labor	Henry Killman	7,592	0.86%
	Constitution	Archie G. Idso	2,257	0.25%
	United Liberals and Socialists	Jay G. Sykes	1,662	0.19%
Majority			318,769	35.94%
Turnout			886,822
	Democratic hold

West Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from West Virginia

West Virginia (regular)

West Virginia election

← 1956 (special) 1964 →

Nominee Robert Byrd William Revercomb Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 381,745 263,172 Percentage 59.19% 40.81%

County results Byrd:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Revercomb:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election William Revercomb Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert Byrd Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in West Virginia

In 1956, senator Harley M. Kilgore died, and former senator William Revercomb won his seat in the 1956 special election. Revercomb sought re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Congressman Robert Byrd. This election was the beginning of Byrd's lifelong career in the Senate.

^[1][29]

1958 United States Senate election in West Virginia

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert Byrd	381,745	59.19%	+18.39%
	Republican	William Revercomb (Incumbent)	263,172	40.81%	-18.39%
Total votes			644,917	100.00%	-21.5%
	Democratic gain from Republican

West Virginia (special)

West Virginia special election

← 1954 1960 →

Nominee Jennings Randolph John D. Hoblitzell Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 374,167 256,510 Percentage 59.32% 39.77%

U.S. senator before election John D. Hoblitzell Jr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph Democratic

Main article: 1958 United States Senate special election in West Virginia

Incumbent Democrat Matthew M. Neely died of cancer January 8, 1958, and Republican John D. Hoblitzell Jr. was appointed January 25, 1958, to continue the term, pending a special election.

Former Democratic congressman Jennings Randolph was elected to finish the term that would run through 1961. Byrd however, would become the senior Senator from West Virginia as he was elected to his first full six year term.

West Virginia special election^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jennings Randolph	374,167	59.32%
	Republican	John D. Hoblitzell Jr. (Incumbent)	256,510	39.77%
Total votes			630,677	100%

Randolph would be re-elected four times and serve until his retirement in 1985. Hoblitzell resumed his business interests and died January 6, 1962.

Wisconsin

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin

Wisconsin general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Proxmire (Incumbent)	682,440	57.12%
	Republican	Roland J. Steinle	510,398	42.72%
	Socialist Workers	James E. Boulton	1,226	0.10%
	Socialist Labor	Georgia Cozzini	537	0.04%
	None	Scattering	77	0.01%
Majority			171,042	14.40%
Turnout			1,194,678
	Democratic hold

Wyoming

Main article: 1958 United States Senate election in Wyoming

See also: List of United States senators from Wyoming

Wyoming general election 1958^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gale McGee	58,035	50.84%
	Republican	Frank A. Barrett (Incumbent)	56,122	49.16%
Majority			1,913	1.68%
Turnout			114,157
	Democratic gain from Republican

See also

• 1958 United States elections
  • 1958 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1958 United States House of Representatives elections
• 85th United States Congress
• 86th United States Congress

Notes

1. Maine election held on September 8, 1958; Alaska elections held on November 25, 1958.
2. The Liberal Party in New York endorsed Frank Hogan, a Democrat, but the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives did not tabulate their votes, totaling 275,051, into the national Democratic total.^[1]
3. Appointee elected
4. Appointee defeated

References

1. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (March 16, 1959). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1958" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 27, 39, 42.
2. "Our Campaigns - AK US Senate Race - Nov 25, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
3. "Our Campaigns - AK US Senate Race - Nov 25, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
4. "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate Race - Nov 04, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com.
5. Egerton, John (November 29, 1981). "COURTLY CHAMPION OF AMERICA'S ELDERLY". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
6. "Our Campaigns - FL US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 09, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
7. "Our Campaigns - FL US Senate Race - Nov 04, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
8. Gugin, Linda C.; St. Clair, James E, eds. (2006). The Governors of Indiana. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society Press. p. 333. ISBN 0-87195-196-7.
9. "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 09, 1958". www.ourcampaigns.com.
10. "Primary Election Returns on Election held September 9, 1958" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature.
11. "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 03, 19

February 15, 2024