1940 United States Senate elections

1940 United States Senate election in California
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	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/1940_United_States_Senate_election_in_California_results_map_by_county.svg/300px-1940_United_States_Senate_election_in_California_results_map_by_county.svg.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="300" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="744" data-file-height="744"> County results ; Johnson: 70-80% 80-90% >90%
U.S. senator before election; Hiram Johnson; Republican	Elected U.S. Senator ; Hiram Johnson; Republican

1940 United States Senate election in Arizona
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	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/1940_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona_results_map_by_county.svg/210px-1940_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; McFarland: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
U.S. senator before election; Henry F. Ashurst; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Ernest McFarland; Democratic

1940 United States Senate elections
1941 (MS, SC, TX) →
34 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate; 49 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic gain Democratic hold; Republican gain Republican hold; Progressive hold; No election
Majority Leader before election; Alben Barkley; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Alben Barkley; Democratic

The 1940 United States Senate elections coincided with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to his third term as president. The 32 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, and special elections were held to fill vacancies.

Although Roosevelt was re-elected, support for his administration had dropped somewhat after eight years, and the Republican opposition gained three seats from the Democrats. However, the New Deal Democrats regained firm control of both the House and Senate because Progressives dominated the election.^[2] The Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party also disappeared from the Senate, as Henrik Shipstead joined the Republican party and Ernest Lundeen had died during the preceding term. Senator Harry S. Truman of Missouri was elected to his final term in the Senate in 1940. Truman resigned in 1945 to serve as President Roosevelt's third Vice President.

Republicans later gained an additional seat through an appointment in Colorado.

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

One Republican and two Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election. One Republican retired instead of seeking election to finish the unexpired term.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Maine	Frederick Hale	Owen Brewster
Ohio	Vic Donahey	Harold H. Burton
Vermont (special)	Ernest W. Gibson Jr.	George Aiken
Washington	Lewis B. Schwellenbach	Monrad Wallgren

Defeats

Five Democrats and two Republicans sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election. One Democrat sought election to finish the unexpired term but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Arizona	Henry F. Ashurst	Ernest McFarland
Delaware	John G. Townsend Jr.	James M. Tunnell
Illinois	James M. Slattery	C. Wayland Brooks
Indiana	Sherman Minton	Raymond E. Willis
Nebraska	Edward R. Burke	Hugh A. Butler
North Dakota	Lynn Frazier	William Langer
Utah	William H. King	Abe Murdock
West Virginia	Rush Holt Sr.	Harley M. Kilgore

Post-election changes

State	Senator	Replaced by
Nevada	Key Pittman	Berkeley L. Bunker
Arkansas	John E. Miller	G. Lloyd Spencer
Colorado	Alva B. Adams	Eugene Donald Millikin
South Carolina	James F. Byrnes	Alva M. Lumpkin
South Carolina	Alva M. Lumpkin	Roger C. Peace
South Carolina	Roger C. Peace	Burnet R. Maybank
Texas	Morris Sheppard	Andrew Jackson Houston
Texas	Andrew Jackson Houston	W. Lee O'Daniel
Mississippi	Pat Harrison	James Eastland
Mississippi	James Eastland	Wall Doxey
West Virginia	Matthew M. Neely	Joseph Rosier

Party switches

One Farmer-Labor senator was re-elected as a Republican.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Minnesota	Henrik Shipstead	Henrik Shipstead

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 Ariz. Ran	D₄₆ Conn. Ran	D₄₇ Fla. Ran	D₄₈ Ill. (sp) Ran
Majority →									D₄₉ Ind. Ran
D₅₈ N.M. Ran	D₅₇ Nev. Ran	D₅₆ Neb. Ran	D₅₅ Mont. Ran	D₅₄ Mo. Ran	D₅₃ Miss. Ran	D₅₂ Mass. Ran	D₅₁ Md. Ran	D₅₀ Ky. (sp) Ran	D₄₉ Ind. Ran
D₅₉ N.Y. Ran	D₆₀ Ohio Ran	D₆₁ Pa. Ran	D₆₂ R.I. Ran	D₆₃ Tenn. Ran	D₆₄ Texas Ran	D₆₅ Utah Ran	D₆₆ Va. Ran	D₆₇ Wash. Retired	D₆₈ W.Va. Ran
R₁₉ Maine Retired	R₂₀ Mich. Ran	R₂₁ N.J. Ran	R₂₂ N.D. Ran	R₂₃ Vt. (reg) Ran	R₂₄ Vt. (sp) Retired	FL₁ Minn. Ran	P₁ Wis. Ran	I₁	D₆₉ Wyo. Ran
R₁₈ Idaho (sp) Ran	R₁₇ Del. Ran	R₁₆ Calif. Ran	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	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉
D₃₉	D₄₀	D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄	D₄₅ Ariz. Hold	D₄₆ Conn. Re-elected	D₄₇ Fla. Re-elected	D₄₈ Ky. (sp) Elected^[a]
Majority →									D₄₉ Md. Re-elected
D₅₈ R.I. Re-elected	D₅₇ Pa. Re-elected	D₅₆ N.Y. Re-elected	D₅₅ N.M. Re-elected	D₅₄ Nev. Re-elected	D₅₃ Mont. Re-elected	D₅₂ Mo. Re-elected	D₅₁ Miss. Re-elected	D₅₀ Mass. Re-elected	D₄₉ Md. Re-elected
D₅₉ Tenn. Re-elected	D₆₀ Texas Re-elected	D₆₁ Utah Hold	D₆₂ Va. Re-elected	D₆₃ Wash. Hold	D₆₄ W.Va. Hold	D₆₅ Wyo. Re-elected	D₆₆ Del. Gain	I₁	P₁ Wis. Re-elected
R₁₉ Mich. Re-elected	R₂₀ N.J. Re-elected	R₂₁ N.D. Hold	R₂₂ Vt. (reg) Re-elected	R₂₃ Vt. (sp) Hold	R₂₄ Ill. (sp) Gain^[b]	R₂₅ Ind. Gain	R₂₆ Minn. Re-elected under different party	R₂₇ Neb. Gain	R₂₈ Ohio Gain
R₁₈ Maine Hold	R₁₇ Idaho (sp) Elected^[a]	R₁₆ Calif. Re-elected	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉
		R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈

Key

D_#	Democratic
FL_#	Farmer–Labor
P_#	Progressive
R_#	Republican
I_#	Independent

Race summaries

Special elections during the 76th Congress

In these special elections, the winner elected during 1940 and seated once qualified; ordered by election date.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Idaho (Class 2)	John Thomas	Republican	1928 (Appointed) 1928 (special) 1932 (Lost) 1940 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 5, 1940.	▌ Y John Thomas (Republican) 53.0% ▌Glen H. Taylor (Democratic) 47.0%
Illinois (Class 2)	James M. Slattery	Democratic	1939 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election to finish term. New senator elected November 5, 1940. Republican gain.	▌ Y C. Wayland Brooks (Republican) 50.1% ▌James M. Slattery (Democratic) 49.6%
Kentucky (Class 2)	Happy Chandler	Democratic	1939 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 5, 1940.	▌ Y Happy Chandler (Democratic) 58.3% ▌Walter B. Smith (Republican) 41.7%
Vermont (Class 3)	Ernest W. Gibson Jr.	Republican	1940 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected November 5, 1940. Republican hold.	▌ Y George Aiken (Republican) 61.6% ▌Herbert B. Comings (Democratic) 38.4%

Races leading to the 77th Congress

In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1941; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Arizona	Henry F. Ashurst	Democratic	1912 1916 1922 1928 1934	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Ernest McFarland (Democratic) 71.6% ▌I. A. Jennings (Republican) 28.0% ▌A. Walter Gehres (Prohibition) 0.4%
California	Hiram Johnson	Republican	1916 1922 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Hiram Johnson (Republican) 82.5% ▌Fred Dyster (Prohibition) 13.5% ▌Anita Whitney (Communist) 3.6%
Connecticut	Francis T. Maloney	Democratic	1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Francis T. Maloney (Democratic) 53.2% ▌Paul L. Cornell (Republican) 45.7%
Delaware	John G. Townsend Jr.	Republican	1928 1934	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌ Y James M. Tunnell (Democratic) 50.6% ▌John G. Townsend Jr. (Republican) 47.3% ▌William F. Allen (Liberal Democratic) 2.1%
Florida	Charles O. Andrews	Democratic	1936 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Charles O. Andrews (Democratic) Unopposed
Indiana	Sherman Minton	Democratic	1934	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Raymond E. Willis (Republican) 50.5% ▌Sherman Minton (Democratic) 49.1% ▌Carl W. Thompson (Prohibition) 0.3% ▌John H. Kingsbury (Socialist) 0.1%
Maine	Frederick Hale	Republican	1916 1922 1928 1934	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y Owen Brewster (Republican) 58.6% ▌Louis J. Brann (Democratic) 41.3%
Maryland	George L. P. Radcliffe	Democratic	1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y George L. P. Radcliffe (Democratic) 64.7% ▌Harry Nice (Republican) 33.5%
Massachusetts	David I. Walsh	Democratic	1918 1924 (Lost) 1926 (special) 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y David I. Walsh (Democratic) 55.6% ▌Henry Parkman Jr. (Republican) 42.8%
Michigan	Arthur Vandenberg	Republican	1928 (Appointed) 1928 (special) 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Arthur Vandenberg (Republican) 52.7% ▌Frank Fitzpatrick (Democratic) 47.0%
Minnesota	Henrik Shipstead	Farmer–Labor	1922 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain.	▌ Y Henrik Shipstead (Republican) 53.0% ▌Elmer A. Benson (Farmer–Labor) 25.7% ▌John E. Regan (Democratic) 20.6%
Mississippi	Theodore G. Bilbo	Democratic	1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Theodore G. Bilbo (Democratic) Unopposed
Missouri	Harry S. Truman	Democratic	1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Harry S. Truman (Democratic) 51.2% ▌Manvel H. Davis (Republican) 48.7% ▌W. F. Rinck (Socialist) 0.1% ▌Theodore Baeff (Socialist Labor) 0.01%
Montana	Burton K. Wheeler	Democratic	1922 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Burton K. Wheeler (Democratic) 73.4% ▌E. K. Cheadle (Republican) 26.6%
Nebraska	Edward R. Burke	Democratic	1934	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Hugh A. Butler (Republican) 57.0% ▌Robert Leroy Cochran (Democratic) 41.5%
Nevada	Key Pittman	Democratic	1913 (special) 1916 1922 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected. Winner died November 10, 1940, and Berkeley L. Bunker (D) was appointed both to finish the term and to start the next term.	▌ Y Key Pittman (Democratic) 60.5% ▌Samuel Platt (Republican) 39.5%
New Jersey	W. Warren Barbour	Republican	1931 (Appointed) 1932 (special) 1936 (Lost) 1938 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y W. Warren Barbour (Republican) 55.1% ▌James H. R. Cromwell (Democratic) 44.1%
New Mexico	Dennis Chávez	Democratic	1935 (Appointed) 1936 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Dennis Chávez (Democratic) 56.0% ▌Albert K. Mitchell (Republican) 44.1%
New York	James M. Mead	Democratic	1938 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y James M. Mead (Democratic) 53.3% ▌Bruce Fairchild Barton (Republican) 46.7%
North Dakota	Lynn Frazier	Republican/ Nonpartisan League	1922 1928 1934	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌ Y William Langer (Republican-NPL) 38.1% ▌William Lemke (Independent) 35.1% ▌Charles V. Vogel (Democratic) 26.5%
Ohio	Vic Donahey	Democratic	1934	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌ Y Harold H. Burton (Republican) 52.4% ▌John McSweeney (Democratic) 47.6%
Pennsylvania	Joseph F. Guffey	Democratic	1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Joseph F. Guffey (Democratic) 51.8% ▌Jay Cooke (Republican) 47.4%
Rhode Island	Peter G. Gerry	Democratic	1916 1922 1928 (Lost) 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Peter G. Gerry (Democratic) 55.2% ▌James O. McManus (Republican) 44.8%
Tennessee	Kenneth McKellar	Democratic	1916 1922 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Kenneth McKellar (Democratic) 70.8% ▌Howard Baker Sr. (Republican) 29.2%
Texas	Tom Connally	Democratic	1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Tom Connally (Democratic) 94.3% ▌George I. Shannon (Republican) 5.7%
Utah	William H. King	Democratic	1916 1922 1928 (Lost) 1934	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Abe Murdock (Democratic) 62.9% ▌Philo Farnsworth (Republican) 37.2%
Vermont	Warren Austin	Republican	1931 (special) 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Warren Austin (Republican) 66.5% ▌Ona S. Searles (Democratic) 33.6%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd	Democratic	1933 (Appointed) 1933 (special) 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Harry F. Byrd (Democratic) 93.3
Washington	Lewis B. Schwellenbach	Democratic	1934	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent resigned December 16, 1940. Winner appointed to finish the term.	▌ Y Monrad Wallgren (Democratic) 54.2% ▌Stephen F. Chadwick (Republican) 45.8%
West Virginia	Rush Holt Sr.	Democratic	1934	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌ Y Harley M. Kilgore (Democratic) 56.3% ▌Thomas Sweeney (Republican) 43.7%
Wisconsin	Robert M. La Follette Jr.	Progressive	1925 (special) 1928 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Robert M. La Follette Jr. (Progressive) 45.3% ▌Fred H. Clausen (Republican) 41.4% ▌James E. Finnegan (Democratic) 13.2%
Wyoming	Joseph C. O'Mahoney	Democratic	1933 (Appointed) 1934	Incumbent re-elected.	▌ Y Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Democratic) 58.7% ▌Milward Simpson (Republican) 41.3%

Closest races

Thirteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Illinois	Republican (flip)	0.7%
Indiana	Republican (flip)	1.4%
Missouri	Democratic	2.5%
North Dakota	Republican	3.0%
Connecticut	Democratic (flip)	3.3%
Wisconsin	Progressive	3.9%
Pennsylvania	Democratic	4.4%
Ohio	Republican (flip)	4.8%
Michigan	Republican	5.7%
Idaho (special)	Republican	5.9%
New York	Democratic	6.6%
Connecticut	Democratic	7.5%
Washington	Democratic	8.4%

There is no tipping point state.

Arizona

1940 United States Senate election in Arizona^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ernest McFarland	101,495	71.6
	Republican	Irving A. Jennings Sr.	39,657	28
	Prohibition	A. Walter Gehres	579	0.4
Majority			61,838	43.63
Turnout			141,731
	Democratic hold

California

United States Senate election in California of 1940^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hiram W. Johnson (Incumbent)	2,238,899	82.50
	Prohibition	Fred Dyster	366,044	13.49
	Communist	Anita Whitney	97,478	3.59
	Write-In	John Anson Ford	7,415	0.27
	None	Scattering	4,029	0.15
Majority			1,872,855	69.01
Turnout			2,713,865
	Republican hold

Connecticut

1940 United States Senate election in Connecticut^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Francis T. Maloney (Incumbent)	416,740	53.15
	Republican	Paul L. Cornell	358,313	45.70
	Socialist	Kenneth W. Thurlow	6,557	0.84
	Socialist Labor	James A. Hutchin	1,343	0,17
	Communist	Isadore Wofsy	1,114	0,14
Majority			58,427	12.45
Turnout			784,067
	Democratic hold

Delaware

1940 United States Senate election in Delaware

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	James M. Tunnell	John G. Townsend Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	68,294	63,799
Percentage	50.63%	47.30%

County results
Tunnell: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

John G. Townsend Jr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

James M. Tunnell
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Delaware^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James M. Tunnell	68,294	50.63
	Republican	John G. Townsend Jr. (Incumbent)	63,799	47.30
	Independent Democratic	William F. Allen	2,786	2.07
Majority			4,495	3.33
Turnout			134,879
	Democratic gain from Republican

Florida

1940 United States Senate election in Florida

← 1936 (special)

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Charles O. Andrews
Party	Democratic
Popular vote	323,216
Percentage	100.0%

County results
Andrews: 90-100%

U.S. senator before election

Charles O. Andrews
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Charles O. Andrews
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Florida^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Charles O. Andrews (Incumbent)	323,216	100.00
	Democratic hold

Idaho (special)

1940 United States Senate special election in Idaho^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Thomas	124,535	52.96
	Democratic	Glen H. Taylor	110,614	47.04
Majority			13,921	5.92
Turnout			235,149
	Republican hold

Illinois (special)

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois

← 1936

November 5, 1940

1942 →


Nominee	Charles W. Brooks	James M. Slattery
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	2,045,924	2,025,097
Percentage	50.07%	49.56%

Results by county
Brooks: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Slattery: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

James M. Slattery
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Charles W. Brooks
Republican

1940 United States Senate special election in Illinois^[1]^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles W. Brooks	2,045,924	50.07
	Democratic	James M. Slattery (Incumbent)	2,025,097	49.56
	Prohibition	Enoch A. Holtwick	8,625	0.21
	Socialist	Clarence H. Mayer	6,517	0.16
	None	Scattering	16	0.00
Majority			20,827	0.51
Turnout			4,086,179
	Republican hold

Indiana

1940 United States Senate election in Indiana

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Raymond E. Willis	Sherman Minton
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	888,070	864,803
Percentage	50.45%	49.13%

County results
Willis: 50–60% 60–70%
Minton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Sherman Minton
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Raymond E. Willis
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in Indiana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Raymond E. Willis	888,070	50.45
	Democratic	Sherman Minton (Incumbent)	864,803	49.13
	Prohibition	Carl W. Thompson	5,621	0.32
	Socialist	John H. Kingsbury	1,751	0.10
Majority			23,267	1.32
Turnout			1,760,245
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kentucky (special)

1940 United States Senate special election in Kentucky^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Happy Chandler (Incumbent)	561,151	58.27
	Republican	Walter B. Smith	401,812	41.73
Majority			159,339	16.54
Turnout			962,963
	Democratic hold

Maine

1940 United States Senate election in Maine^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ralph Owen Brewster	150,149	58.61
	Democratic	Louis J. Brann	105,740	41.27
	Independent	Lewis Gordon	305	0.12
Majority			44,409	17.34
Turnout			256,194
	Republican hold

Maryland

1940 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	George L. P. Radcliffe	Harry Nice
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	394,239	203,912
Percentage	64.74%	33.48%

County results
Nice: 40–50% 50–60%
Radcliffe: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

George L. P. Radcliffe
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

George L. P. Radcliffe
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Maryland^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George L. P. Radcliffe (Incumbent)	394,239	64.74
	Republican	Harry W. Nice	203,912	33.48
	Socialist	Edwin B. Abbott	4,204	0.69
	Independent	David L. Elliott	3,423	0.56
	American Labor	Robert Kadish	1,848	0.30
	Communist	Albert E. Blumberg	1,349	0.22
Majority			190,327	31.26
Turnout			608,975
	Democratic hold

Massachusetts

1940 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	David I. Walsh	Henry Parkman Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,088,838	838,122
Percentage	55.64%	42.38%

Walsh: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Parkman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

Senator before election

David I. Walsh
Democratic

Elected Senator

David I. Walsh
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Massachusetts^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David I. Walsh (Incumbent)	1,088,838	55.64
	Republican	Henry Parkman Jr.	838,122	42.38
	Prohibition	George L. Thompson	9,632	0.49
	Communist	Philip Frankfeld	9,465	0.48
	Socialist	Lyman Paine	6,876	0.35
	Socialist Labor	Horace I. Hillis	4,133	0.21
Majority			250,716	12.82
Turnout			1,957,089
	Democratic hold

Michigan

1940 United States Senate election in Michigan

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Arthur Vandenberg	Frank FitzGerald
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,053,104	939,740
Percentage	52.65%	46.98%

County results
Vandenberg: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
FitzGerald: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Arthur Vandenberg
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Arthur Vandenberg
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in Michigan^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Arthur Vandenberg (Incumbent)	1,053,104	52.65
	Democratic	Frank FitzGerald	939,740	46.98
	Socialist	Nahum Burnett	3,580	0.18
	Communist	Elmer Johnson	2,290	0.11
	Prohibition	Carroll P. Pahman	937	0.05
	Socialist Labor	Theos A. Grove	691	0.03
Majority			113,364	5.67
Turnout			2,000,342
	Republican hold

Minnesota

1940 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Henrik Shipstead	Elmer A. Benson	John E. Regan
Party	Republican	Farmer–Labor	Democratic
Popular vote	641,049	310,875	248,658
Percentage	53.01%	25.71%	20.56%

County results
Shipstead: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Benson: 40–50%

U.S. senator before election

Henrik Shipstead
Farmer–Labor

Elected U.S. Senator

Henrik Shipstead
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in Minnesota^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henrik Shipstead (Incumbent)	641,049	53.00
	Farmer–Labor	Elmer Austin Benson	310,875	25.70
	Democratic	John E. Regan	248,658	20.56
	Trotskyist Anti-War	Grace Holmes Carlson	8,761	0.72
	Independent	Carl Winter	256	0.02
Majority			330,174	27.30
Turnout			1,209,599
	Republican gain from Farmer–Labor

Mississippi

1940 United States Senate election in Mississippi^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Theodore G. Bilbo (Incumbent)	143,431	100.00
	Democratic hold

Missouri

1940 United States Senate election in Missouri

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Harry S. Truman	Manvel H. Davis
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	930,775	886,376
Percentage	51.17%	48.73%

County results
Truman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Davis: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Harry S. Truman
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Harry S. Truman
Democratic

One-term Democrat Harry S. Truman was narrowly re-elected. He would only serve until resigning January 17, 1945, to become U.S. Vice President.

1940 Missouri United States Senate election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harry S. Truman (Incumbent)	930,775	51.17
	Republican	Manvel H. Davis	886,376	48.73
	Socialist	W.F. Rinck	1,669	0.09
	Socialist Labor	Theodore Baeff	196	0.01
Majority			44,499	2.44
Turnout			1,819,016
	Democratic hold

Montana

1940 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Burton K. Wheeler	E. K. Cheadle
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	176,753	63,941
Percentage	73.43%	26.57%

County results
Wheeler: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%

U.S. senator before election

Burton K. Wheeler
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Burton K. Wheeler
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Montana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Burton K. Wheeler (Incumbent)	176,753	73.43	+3.29%
	Republican	E. K. Cheadle	63,941	26.57	-2.17%
Majority			112,812	46.87	+5.47%
Turnout			240,694
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

1940 United States Senate election in Nebraska

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Hugh A. Butler	Robert Leroy Cochran
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	340,250	247,659
Percentage	57.00%	41.49%

County results
Butler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Cochran: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Edward R. Burke
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Hugh A. Butler
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in Nebraska^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hugh A. Butler	340,250	57.00
	Democratic	Robert Leroy Cochran	247,659	41.49
	None	Albert F. Ruthven	8,982	1.50
Majority			92,591	15.51
Turnout			596,891
	Republican gain from Democratic

Nevada

Pittman suffered a severe heart attack just before the election on November 5, and two doctors told his aides before the election that death was imminent. To avoid affecting the election, the party told the press that the senator was hospitalized for exhaustion and that his condition was not serious.^[5] Pittman died on November 10 at the Washoe General Hospital in Reno, Nevada.^[6] Governor Edward Carville would go on to appoint Berkeley L. Bunker as his replacement.

In later years, a myth spread that Pittman had in fact died before the election, and his body had been kept on ice in the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah so that Carville could appoint his replacement.^[5]

1940 United States Senate election in Nevada^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Key Pittman (Incumbent)	31,351	60.48
	Republican	Samuel Platt	20,488	39.52
Majority			10,863	20.96
Turnout			51,839
	Democratic hold

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1938 (special)

1944 (special) →


Nominee	W. Warren Barbour	James H. R. Cromwell
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,029,331	823,893
Percentage	55.11%	44.11%

County Results
Barbour: 50-60% 60-70%
Cromwell: 50–60%

Senator before election

W. Warren Barbour
Republican

Elected Senator

W. Warren Barbour
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in New Jersey^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	W. Warren Barbour (Incumbent)	1,029,331	55.11
	Democratic	James H. R. Cromwell	823,893	44.11
	Socialist	McAlister Coleman	8,836	0.47
	Independent	James A. Tumulty Jr.	2,784	0.15
	Communist	Mary Ellen Dooner	1,519	0.08
	Prohibition	Edson R. Leach	645	0.03
	Socialist Labor	Harry Santhouse	464	0.02
	Socialist Workers	George Breitman	303	0.02
Majority			225,438	11.00
Turnout			1,867,775
	Republican hold

New Mexico

1940 United States Senate election in New Mexico^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dennis Chávez (Incumbent)	103,194	55.95
	Republican	Albert K. Mitchell	81,257	44.05
Majority			21,937	11.90
Turnout			184,451
	Democratic hold

New York

1940 United States Senate election in New York

← 1938 (special)

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	James M. Mead	Bruce Barton
Party	Democratic	Republican
Alliance	American Labor
Popular vote	3,274,766	2,868,852
Percentage	53.26%	46.66%

County Results
Mead: 50–60% 60–70%
Barton: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

James M. Mead
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

James M. Mead
Democratic

The whole ticket nominated by Democrats and American Laborites was elected.

1940 United States Senate election in New York^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James M. Mead	2,893,407	47.06
	American Labor	James M. Mead	381,359	6.20
	Total	James M. Mead (Incumbent)	3,274,766	53.26
	Republican	Bruce Barton	2,842,942	46.66
	Prohibition	Stephen W. Paine	4,944	0.08
Total votes			6,148,562	100.00
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

1940 United States Senate election in North Dakota

← 1934

1946 →


Nominee	William Langer	William Lemke	Charles V. Vogel
Party	Republican	Independent	Democratic
Popular vote	100,647	92,593	69,847
Percentage	38.11%	35.06%	26.45%

County results
Langer:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%
Lemke:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%
Vogel:      30-40%      40-50%

U.S. senator before election

Gerald Nye
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Gerald Nye
Republican

1940 United States Senate election in North Dakota^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Langer	100,647	38.11
	Independent	William Lemke	92,593	35.06
	Democratic	Charles V. Vogel	69,847	26.45
	N/A	Jasper Haaland	1,014	0.38
Majority			8,054	3.05
Turnout			264,101
	Republican hold

Ohio

1940 United States Senate election in Ohio^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Harold H. Burton	1,602,498	52.37
	Democratic	John McSweeney	1,457,304	47.63
Majority			145,194	4.74
Turnout			3,059,802
	Republican gain from Democratic

Pennsylvania

1940 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Joseph F. Guffey	Jay Cooke
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,069,980	1,893,104
Percentage	51.79%	47.36%

County results

Guffey: 50–60% 60–70%

Cooke: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Joseph F. Guffey
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Joseph F. Guffey
Democratic

General election results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph F. Guffey (Incumbent)	2,069,980	51.79	+1.01%
	Republican	Jay Cooke	1,893,104	47.36	-0.90%
	Socialist	David H.H. Felix	15,449	0.39	0.00%
	Prohibition	H. B. Mansell	11,113	0.28	-0.40%
	Communist	Carl Reeve	4,761	0.12	-0.09%
	Socialist Labor	Frank Knotek	2,503	0.06	-0.10%
	N/A	Other	110	0.00	N/A
Majority			176,876	4.43
Turnout			3,997,020
	Democratic hold		Swing

Rhode Island

1940 United States Senate election in Rhode Island^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Peter G. Gerry (Incumbent)	173,927	55.16
	Republican	James O. McManus	141,401	44.84
Majority			32,526	10.32
Turnout			315,328
	Democratic hold

Tennessee

1940 United States Senate election in Tennessee^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kenneth McKellar (Incumbent)	295,440	70.80
	Republican	Howard Baker Sr.	121,790	29.19
	Independent	John Randolph Neal Jr.	35.06	0.01
Majority			173,650	41.61
Turnout			417,265
	Democratic hold

Texas

1940 United States Senate election in Texas

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Tom Connally	George Shannon
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	978,095	59,340
Percentage	94.24%	5.72%

County Results^[7]

Connally: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%

No vote:

U.S. senator before election

Tom Connally
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Tom Connally
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Texas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tom Connally (Incumbent)	978,095	94.24
	Republican	George I. Shannon	59,340	5.72
	Communist	Homer Brooks	408	0.04
Majority			918,755	88.52
Turnout			1,037,843
	Democratic hold

Utah

Utah election

← 1934

November 5, 1940 (1940-11-05)

1946 →


Nominee	Abe Murdock	Philo Farnsworth
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	155,499	91,931
Percentage	62.85%	37.15%

County results
Murdock: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Farnsworth: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

William H. King
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Abe Murdock
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Utah^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Abe Murdock	155,499	62.85
	Republican	Philo Farnsworth	91,931	37.15
Majority			63,568	25.70
Turnout			247,430
	Democratic hold

Vermont

There were 2 elections due to the June 20, 1940, death of two-term Republican Ernest Willard Gibson.

Vermont (regular)

Vermont election

← 1934

November 5, 1940 (1940-11-05)

1946 →


Nominee	Warren Austin	Ona Searles
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	93,283	47,101
Percentage	66.4%	33.6%

U.S. senator before election

Warren Austin
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Warren Austin
Republican

Two-term Republican Warren Austin was easily re-elected. He faced no opponents in the primary.^[8]

Vermont regular election^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Warren Austin (Incumbent)	93,283	66.4
	Democratic	Ona S. Searles	47,101	33.6
Total votes			140,384	100.0
Majority			46,182	32.9
Total votes			140,388
	Republican hold

Austin served only until his August 2, 1946, resignation to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Vermont (special)

Vermont special election

← 1938

November 5, 1940 (1940-11-05)

1944 →


Nominee	George Aiken	Herbert Comings
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	87,150	54,263
Percentage	58.2%	38.4%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest W. Gibson Jr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

George Aiken
Republican

Gibson's son, Republican Ernest W. Gibson Jr. was appointed June 24, 1940, to continue his father's term, pending a special election, in which he was not a candidate.

Vermont special election^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Aiken	87,150	61.6
	Democratic	Herbert B. Comings	54,263	38.4
Majority			32,887	23.20
Total votes			141,413
	Republican hold

Aiken did not take the seat until January 10, 1941, as he wanted to remain Governor of Vermont. He would be repeatedly re-elected and serve until his 1975 retirement.

Virginia

1940 United States Senate election in Virginia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Harry F. Byrd Sr. (Incumbent)	274,260	93.32	+17.36%
	Independent	Hilliard Berstein	11,159	3.80
	Independent	Alice Burke	8,250	2.81
	Write-ins		212	0.07	+0.05%
Majority			263,101	89.53	+34.50%
Turnout			293,881
	Democratic hold

Washington

1940 United States Senate election in Washington

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Monrad Wallgren	Stephen F. Chadwick
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	404,718	342,589
Percentage	54.16%	45.84%

County results
Wallgren: 50–60% 60–70%
Chadwick: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Lewis Schwellenbach
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Monrad Wallgren
Democratic

1940 United States Senate election in Washington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Monrad Wallgren	404,718	54.16
	Republican	Stephen F. Chadwick	342,589	45.84
Majority			62,129	8.32
Turnout			747,307
	Democratic hold

West Virginia

1940 United States Senate election in West Virginia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harley M. Kilgore	492,413	56.33
	Republican	Thomas Sweeney	381,806	43.67
Majority			110,607	12.66
Turnout			874,219
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

1940 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

← 1934

November 5, 1940

1946 →


Nominee	Robert La Follette Jr.	Fred H. Clausen	James E. Finnegan
Party	Progressive	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	605,609	553,692	176,688
Percentage	45.26%	41.38%	13.20%

County results
La Follete Jr.: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Clausen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Robert La Follette Jr.
Progressive

Elected U.S. Senator

Robert La Follette Jr.
Progressive

1940 United States Senate election in Wisconsin^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Progressive	Robert M. La Follette Jr. (Incumbent)	605,609	45.26
	Republican	Fred H. Clausen	553,692	41.38
	Democratic	James E. Finnegan	176,688	13.20
	Independent Communist	Ted Furman	1,308	0.10
	Socialist Labor	Adolf Wiggert Jr.	838	0.06
Majority			51,917	4.88
Turnout			1,338,135
	Progressive hold

Wyoming

1940 United States Senate election in Wyoming^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph C. O'Mahoney (Incumbent)	65,022	58.74
	Republican	Milward L. Simpson	45,682	41.26
Majority			19,340	17.48
Turnout			110,704
	Democratic hold

Notes

References

[1]

[2]

[a]

[b]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

1940 United States Senate elections

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Post-election changes

Party switches

Change in composition

Before the elections

Election results

Race summaries

Special elections during the 76th Congress

Races leading to the 77th Congress

Closest races

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Idaho (special)

Illinois (special)

Indiana

Kentucky (special)

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Vermont (regular)

Vermont (special)

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

Notes

References