1938 United States Senate elections

1938 U.S. Senate election in Arkansas
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	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/1938_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arkansas_results_map_by_county.svg/210px-1938_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arkansas_results_map_by_county.svg.png" decoding="async" width="210" height="183" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="699"> County results; Caraway: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%
U.S. senator before election; Hattie Caraway; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Hattie Caraway; Democratic

1938 United States Senate election in Arizona
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	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/1938_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona_results_map_by_county.svg/210px-1938_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona_results_map_by_county.svg.png" decoding="async" width="210" height="210" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="810" data-file-height="810"> County results; Hayden: 70–80% 80–90% >90%
U.S. senator before election; Carl Hayden; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Carl Hayden; Democratic

1938 United States Senate elections
← 1937 (AR)
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate; 49 seats needed for a majority
	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

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.

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

One Democrat retired instead of seeking re-election, one Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish the unexpired term and one Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish the unexpired term and election to a full term.

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
South Dakota (special)	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Gladys Pyle

Defeats

Seven Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election. One Democrat sought election to a full term but lost in the primary election and one Democrat sought election to finish the unexpired term but lost in the primary 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
Ohio	Robert J. Bulkley	Robert A. Taft
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	D₄₉ Calif. 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) Ran S.D. (sp) Retired	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	D₄₉ Calif. Hold
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
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
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 retired. 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. Winner delayed his term until January 16, 1939, to finish his term as district attorney.	▌ Y Tom Stewart (Democratic) 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
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
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

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	100.00%
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

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

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

1938 United States Senate election in California

← 1932

November 8, 1938

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%

County results
Downey: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Bancroft: 40–50% 50–60% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

William Gibbs McAdoo
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Sheridan Downey
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Colorado

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1942 (special) →


Nominee	Alva B. Adams	Archibald A. Lee
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	262,806	181,297
Percentage	58.24%	40.18%

Results by county
Adams: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Lee: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Alva B. Adams
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Alva B. Adams
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Connecticut

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	John A. Danaher	Augustine Lonergan	Bellani Trombley
Party	Republican	Democratic	Socialist
Alliance		Union
Popular vote	270,413	252,426	99,282
Percentage	42.89%	40.04%	15.75%

County results
Danaher: 40–50% 50–60%
Lonergan: 40–50%

U.S. senator before election

Augustine Lonergan
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John A. Danaher
Republican

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

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

1938 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Scott W. Lucas	Richard J. Lyons
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,638,162	1,542,574
Percentage	51.32%	48.33%

County results
Lucas: 50–60% 60–70%
Lyons: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

William H. Dieterich
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Scott W. Lucas
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Indiana

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Frederick Van Nuys	Raymond E. Willis
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	788,386	783,189
Percentage	49.85%	49.52%

County results
Van Nuys: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Willis: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Frederick Van Nuys
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Frederick Van Nuys
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1936 (special)

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Guy M. Gillette	Lester J. Dickinson
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	413,788	410,983
Percentage	49.74%	49.41%

Gillette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Dickinson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Guy M. Gillette
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Guy M. Gillette
Democratic

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	62.03%	37.97%

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

1938 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Millard Tydings	Oscar Leser
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	357,245	153,253
Percentage	68.28%	29.29%

County results
Tydings: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Millard Tydings
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Millard Tydings
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Missouri

← 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

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)

1938 United States Senate election in New Jersey

← 1934

November 8, 1938

1940 →


Nominee	William Warren Barbour	William H. J. Ely
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	816,667	704,159
Percentage	52.98%	45.68%

County results
Barbour: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Ely: 50–60% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

John Gerald Milton
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

W. Warren Barbour
Republican

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

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

New York (regular)

1938 United States Senate election in New York

← 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%

County Results
Wagner: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
O'Brian: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Senator before election

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

Elected Senator

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

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^[c]	23,553	0.51%
	Socialist Labor	O. Martin Olson^[d]	3,851	0.08%
Total votes			4,583,048	100.00%

New York (special)

1938 United States Senate special election in New York

← 1934

November 8, 1938

1940 →


Nominee	James M. Mead	Edward F. Corsi
Party	Democratic	Republican
Alliance	American Labor Party	Ind. Progressive
Popular vote	2,438,904	2,083,666
Percentage	53.93%	46.08%

Mead: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Corsi: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%

U.S. senator before election

Vacant

Elected U.S. Senator

James M. Mead
Democratic

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

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

1938 United States Senate election in North Dakota

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Gerald Nye	William Langer	J. J. Nygaard
Party	Republican	Independent	Democratic
Popular vote	131,907	65,612	19,244
Percentage	50.12%	42.56%	7.31%

County results
Nye: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%
Langer: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

Gerald Nye
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Gerald Nye
Republican

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

1938 United States Senate election in Ohio

← 1932

November 7, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Robert A. Taft	Robert J. Bulkley
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,255,414	1,085,792
Percentage	53.62%	46.38%

County results
Taft: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Bulkley: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Robert J. Bulkley
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Robert A. Taft
Republican

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

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

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 1, 1938, to continue the term, pending a special election, but he did not run in either the special or the general elections.

Oregon (special)

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)

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

1938 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

← 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	54.70%	44.41%

County Results:
Davis: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Earle: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

James J. Davis
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

James J. Davis
Republican

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

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

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)

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)

1938 United States Senate elections in South Dakota

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Chan Gurney	Tom Berry
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	146,813	133,064
Percentage	52.46%	47.54%

County results
Gurney:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Berry:      50–60%      60–70%
No Vote:

U.S. senator before election

Herbert E. Hitchcock
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Chan Gurney
Republican

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)

1938 United States Senate special election in Tennessee

← 1936

November 8, 1938

1942 →


Nominee	Tom Stewart	Harvey G. Fowler
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	194,028	72,098
Percentage	70.50%	26.20%

Senator before election

George L. Berry
Democratic

Elected Senator

Tom Stewart
Democratic

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

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

1938 United States Senate election in Washington

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Homer Bone	Ewing D. Colvin
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	371,535	220,204
Percentage	62.62%	37.12%

Results by county
Bone: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Colvin: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Homer Bone
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Homer Bone
Democratic

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

1938 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

← 1932

November 8, 1938

1944 →


Nominee	Alexander Wiley	Herman L. Ekern	F. Ryan Duffy
Party	Republican	Progressive	Democratic
Popular vote	446,770	249,209	231,976
Percentage	47.66%	26.58%	24.74%

County results
Wiley:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Ekern:      40–50%
Duffy:      30–40%      40–50%

U.S. senator before election

F. Ryan Duffy
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Alexander Wiley
Republican

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

Notes

References

[1]

[2]

[3]

[a]

[b]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[c]

[d]

[14]

[15]

1938 United States Senate elections

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Death

Post-election changes

Change in composition

Before the elections

Result of the elections

Race summaries

Special elections during the 75th Congress

Races leading to the 76th Congress

Closest races

Alabama

Alabama (special)

Alabama (regular)

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey (special)

New York

New York (regular)

New York (special)

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Oregon (special)

Oregon (regular)

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

South Dakota (special)

South Dakota (regular)

Tennessee (special)

Utah

Vermont

Washington

Wisconsin

Further reading

See also

Notes

References