1944 United States Senate elections

1944 U.S. Senate election in Arkansas
<img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Arkansas_%281924%E2%80%932011%29.svg/50px-Flag_of_Arkansas_%281924%E2%80%932011%29.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="33" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="450" data-file-height="300">
	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/1944_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arkansas_results_map_by_county.svg/210px-1944_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; Fulbright: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%
U.S. senator before election; Hattie Caraway; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; J. William Fulbright; Democratic

1944 United States Senate election in Arizona
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	<img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/1944_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona_results_map_by_county.svg/205px-1944_United_States_Senate_election_in_Arizona_results_map_by_county.svg.png" decoding="async" width="205" height="205" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="810" data-file-height="810"> County results; Hayden: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
U.S. senator before election; Carl Hayden; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Carl Hayden; Democratic

1944 United States Senate elections
35 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; No electionRectangular inset (Oregon): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election; Alben Barkley; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Alben Barkley; Democratic

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

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

Results summary

↓
57	1	38
Democratic	P	Republican

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties		Democratic	Republican	Progressive	Other	Total
Parties						Total
Last elections (1942)		57	38	1	0	96
Before these elections		58	37	1	0	96
Not up		36	24	1	—	61
Up		22	13	0	—	35
	Class 3 (1938→1944)	21	11	0	—	32
	Special: Class 1	1	0	—	—	1
	Special: Class 2	0	2	—	—	2

Incumbent retired		4	1	—	—	5
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	2
	Result	2	3	0	0	5
Incumbent ran		18	12	—	—	30
	Won re-election	13	8	—	—	21
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	4
	Lost renomination but held by same party	3	1	—	—	4
	Lost renomination and party lost	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	1
	Result	19	11	0	0	30

Total elected		21	14	0	0	35
Net change		1	1			1

Nationwide vote		19,360,257^[a]	18,557,087	73,089	1,211,148	39,201,581
	Share	49.39%	47.34%	0.19%	3.09%	100%
Result		57	38	1	0	96

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

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

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

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

Defeats

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

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

Post election changes

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

Change in composition

Before the elections

At the beginning of 1944.

		D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈
D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉
D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈
D₃₈ Ariz. Ran	D₃₇ Ala. Ran	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉
D₃₉ Ark. Ran	D₄₀ Calif. Ran	D₄₁ Fla. Ran	D₄₂ Ga. Ran	D₄₃ Idaho Ran	D₄₄ Ill. Ran	D₄₅ Ind. (sp) Ind. (reg) Retired	D₄₆ Iowa Ran	D₄₇ Ky. Ran	D₄₈ La. Ran
Majority →									D₄₉ Md. Ran
D₅₈ Wash. Retired	D₅₇ Utah Ran	D₅₆ S.C. Ran	D₅₅ Okla. Ran	D₅₄ N.C. Retired	D₅₃ N.Y. Ran	D₅₂ N.J. (sp) Ran	D₅₁ Nev. Ran	D₅₀ Mo. Ran	D₄₉ Md. Ran
P₁	R₃₇ Wisc. Ran	R₃₆ Vt. Ran	R₃₅ S.D. Ran	R₃₄ Pa. Ran	R₃₃ Ore. (sp) Ran	R₃₂ Ore. (reg) Ran	R₃₁ Ohio Ran	R₃₀ N.D. Ran	R₂₉ N.H. Ran
R₁₉	R₂₀	R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅ Colo. Ran	R₂₆ Conn. Ran	R₂₇ Kan. Ran	R₂₈ Mass. (sp) Retired
R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉
		R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈

Election results

		D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈
D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁	D₁₀	D₉
D₁₉	D₂₀	D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈
D₃₈ Ariz. Re-elected	D₃₇ Ala. Re-elected	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁	D₃₀	D₂₉
D₃₉ Ark. Hold	D₄₀ Calif. Re-elected	D₄₁ Fla. Re-elected	D₄₂ Ga. Re-elected	D₄₃ Idaho Hold	D₄₄ Ill. Re-elected	D₄₅ Ky. Re-elected	D₄₆ La. Re-elected	D₄₇ Md. Re-elected	D₄₈ Nev. Re-elected
Majority →									D₄₉ N.Y. Re-elected
P₁	D₅₇ Pa. Gain	D₅₆ N.D. Gain	D₅₅ Conn. Gain	D₅₄ Wash. Hold	D₅₃ Utah Re-elected	D₅₂ S.C. Hold	D₅₁ Okla. Re-elected	D₅₀ N.C. Hold	D₄₉ N.Y. Re-elected
R₃₈ N.J. (sp) Gain	R₃₇ Mo. Gain	R₃₆ Iowa Gain	R₃₅ Ind. (sp) Ind. (reg) Gain	R₃₄ Wisc. Re-elected	R₃₃ Vt. Re-elected	R₃₂ S.D. Re-elected	R₃₁ Ore. (sp) Elected^[b]	R₃₀ Ore. (reg) Hold	R₂₉ Ohio Re-elected
R₁₉	R₂₀	R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅ Colo. Re-elected	R₂₆ Kan. Re-elected	R₂₇ Mass. (sp) Hold	R₂₈ N.H. Re-elected
R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁	R₁₀	R₉
		R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈

Key

D_#	Democratic
P_#	Progressive
R_#	Republican

Race summaries

Special elections during the 78th Congress

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

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

Races leading to the 79th Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1945; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

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

Closest races

Fourteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

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

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

Alabama

Alabama election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Lister Hill (Incumbent)	202,604	81.78%
	Republican	John A. Posey	41,983	16.95%
	Prohibition	Parrish	3,162	1.28%
Majority			160,621	64.83%
Turnout			247,749
	Democratic hold

Arizona

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

1944 United States Senate election in Arizona^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carl T. Hayden (incumbent)	90,335	69.37%
	Republican	Fred Wildon Fickett Jr.	39,891	30.63%
Majority			50,444	38.74%
Turnout			130,226
	Democratic hold

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

Arkansas

Arkansas election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. William Fulbright	182,499	85.10%
	Republican	Victor M. Wade	31,942	14.90%
Majority			150,575	70.20%
Turnout			214,441
	Democratic hold

California

1944 United States Senate election in California

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


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

Downey:      50–60%      60–70%
Houser:      50–60%      60–70%
Tie:      50%

U.S. senator before election

Sheridan Downey
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Sheridan Downey
Democratic

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

Colorado

1944 United States Senate election in Colorado

← 1942 (special)

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Eugene Millikin	Barney L. Whatley
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	277,410	214,335
Percentage	56.06%	43.31%

Results by county
Millikin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Whatley: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Eugene Millikin
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Eugene Millikin
Republican

Colorado election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Eugene Millikin (Incumbent)	277,410	56.06%
	Democratic	Barney L. Whatley	214,335	43.31%
	Socialist	Carle Whitehead	3,143	0.64%
Majority			63,075	12.75%
Turnout			494,888
	Republican hold

Connecticut

Connecticut election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brien McMahon	430,716	51.99%
	Republican	John A. Danaher (Incumbent)	391,748	47.28%
	Socialist	Spender Anderson	6,033	0.73%
Majority			38,968	4.71%
Turnout			828,497
	Democratic gain from Republican

Florida

Florida election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claude Pepper (Incumbent)	335,685	71.28%
	Republican	Miles H. Draper	135,258	28.72%
Majority			200,427	42.56%
Turnout			470,943
	Democratic hold

Georgia

Georgia election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter F. George (Incumbent)	272,569	99.00%
	None	Scattering	4	0.00%
Majority			272,565	100.00%
Turnout			272,573
	Democratic hold

Idaho

Idaho election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Glen H. Taylor	107,096	51.13%
	Republican	C. A. Bottolfsen	102,373	48.87%
Majority			4,723	2.26%
Turnout			209,469
	Democratic hold

Illinois

1944 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Scott W. Lucas	Richard J. Lyons
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,059,023	1,841,793
Percentage	52.61%	47.06%

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

Senator before election

Scott W. Lucas
Democratic

Elected Senator

Scott W. Lucas
Democratic

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

Indiana

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

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

Indiana (special)

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

Indiana (regular)

1944 United States Senate election in Indiana

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Homer Capehart	Henry F. Schricker
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	829,489	807,766
Percentage	50.23%	48.91%

County results
Capehart: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Schricker: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Samuel D. Jackson
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Homer Capehart
Republican

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

Iowa

1944 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Guy M. Gillette
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	523,963	494,229
Percentage	51.28%	48.37%

Hickenlooper: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Gillette: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Guy M. Gillette
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Bourke B. Hickenlooper
Republican

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

Kansas

Kansas election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clyde M. Reed (Incumbent)	387,090	57.84%
	Democratic	Thurman Hill	272,053	40.65%
	Prohibition	L. B. Dubbs	7,674	1.15%
	Socialist	Arthur Goodwin Billings	2,374	0.35%
Majority			115,037	17.19%
Turnout			669,191
	Republican hold

Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 1938

1950 →


Nominee	Alben W. Barkley	James Park
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	464,053	380,425
Percentage	54.81%	44.93%

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

U.S. senator before election

Alben W. Barkley
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Alben W. Barkley
Democratic

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

Louisiana

Louisiana election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (Incumbent)	287,365	99.99%
	Independent	Maurice E. Clark	26	0.01%
Majority			287,339	99.98%
Turnout			287,391
	Democratic hold

Maryland

1944 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Millard Tydings	Blanchard Randall
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	344,725	213,705
Percentage	61.73%	38.27%

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

U.S. senator before election

Millard Tydings
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Millard Tydings
Democratic

Maryland election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Millard Tydings (Incumbent)	344,725	61.73%
	Republican	Blanchard Randall Jr.	213,705	38.27%
Majority			131,020	23.44%
Turnout			558,430
	Democratic hold

Massachusetts (special)

1944 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts

← 1942

November 7, 1944

1948 →


Nominee	Leverett Saltonstall	John H. Corcoran
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,228,754	667,086
Percentage	64.29%	34.90%

U.S. senator before election

Sinclair Weeks
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Leverett Saltonstall
Republican

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

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

Missouri

1944 United States Senate election in Missouri

← 1938

1950 →


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

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

U.S. senator before election

Bennett Champ Clark
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Forrest C. Donnell
Republican

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

Nevada

Nevada election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pat McCarran (Incumbent)	30,595	58.38%
	Republican	George W. Malone	21,816	41.62%
Majority			8,779	16.76%
Turnout			52,411
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire

New Hampshire election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles W. Tobey (Incumbent)	110,549	50.93%
	Democratic	Joseph J. Betley	106,508	49.07%
Majority			4,041	1.86%
Turnout			217,057
	Republican hold

New Jersey (special)

1944 United States Senate special election in New Jersey

← 1940

November 7, 1944

1946 →


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

County results
Smith: 50–60% 60–70%
Wene: 50–60% 60–70%

Senator before election

Arthur Walsh
Democratic

Elected Senator

H. Alexander Smith
Republican

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

New York

1944 United States Senate election in New York

← 1938

November 8, 1944

1949 (special) →


Nominee	Robert F. Wagner	Thomas J. Curran
Party	Democratic	Republican
Alliance	Parties American Labor Liberal
Popular vote	3,294,576	2,899,497
Percentage	53.06%	46.70%

County Results
Wagner: 50–60% 60–70%
Curran: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Senator before election

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

Elected Senator

Robert F. Wagner
Democratic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

North Carolina

North Carolina election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clyde R. Hoey	533,813	70.25%
	Republican	A. I. Ferree	226,037	29.75%
Majority			307,776	40.50%
Turnout			759,850
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

1944 United States Senate election in North Dakota

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1946 (special) →


Nominee	John Moses	Gerald Nye	Lynn Stambaugh
Party	Democratic	Republican	Independent Republican
Popular vote	95,102	69,530	44,596
Percentage	45.20%	33.04%	21.19%

County results
Moses:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Nye:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      80–90%
Stambaugh:      30–40%

U.S. senator before election

Gerald Nye
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

John Moses
Democratic

North Dakota election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Moses	95,102	45.20%
	Republican	Gerald Nye (Incumbent)	69,530	33.04%
	Independent	Lynn U. Stumbaugh	44,596	21.19%
	Independent	Bernard J. O’Laughlin	705	0.34%
	Prohibition	L. D. Harris	489	0.23%
Majority			25,572	12.16%
Turnout			210,422
	Democratic gain from Republican

Ohio

1944 United States Senate election in Ohio

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Robert A. Taft	William Pickrel
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,500,609	1,482,610
Percentage	50.30%	49.70%

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

U.S. senator before election

Robert A. Taft
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Robert A. Taft
Republican

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

Oklahoma

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

Oregon

Oregon (special)

Oregon special election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Guy Cordon (Incumbent)	260,631	57.54%
	Democratic	Willis Mahoney	192,305	42.46%
Majority			68,326	15.08%
Turnout			452,936
	Republican hold

Oregon (regular)

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

Oregon election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wayne Morse	269,095	60.71%
	Democratic	Edgar W. Smith	174,140	39.29%
Majority			94,955	21.42%
Turnout			443,235
	Republican hold

Pennsylvania

1944 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


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

County results
Myers: 50–60% 60–70%
Davis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

James J. Davis
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Francis J. Myers
Democratic

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

South Carolina

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1944
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Olin D. Johnston	94,556	92.94%
	Republican	James B. Gaston	3,807	3.74%
	Progressive Democratic	Osceola E. McKaine	3,214	3.16%	3.16%
	Prohibition	B. L. Hendrix	141	0.14%
	No party	Write-Ins	18	0.00%	0.00%
Majority			90,749	89.20%
Turnout			101,736
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Dakota

1944 United States Senate election in South Dakota

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Chan Gurney	George M. Bradshaw
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	145,248	82,199
Percentage	63.86%	36.14%

County results
Gurney: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Bradshaw: 50–60% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Chan Gurney
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Chan Gurney
Republican

South Dakota election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Chandler Gurney (Incumbent)	145,248	63.86%
	Democratic	George M. Bradshaw	82,199	36.14%
Majority			63,049	27.72%
Turnout			227,447
	Republican hold

Utah

Incumbent Democratic Senator Elbert D. Thomas won a third term. As of 2024, this is the last time that a Democrat was elected to Utah's class 3 Senate seat.

Utah election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Elbert D. Thomas (Incumbent)	148,748	59.91%
	Republican	Adam S. Bennion	99,532	40.09%
Majority			49,216	19.82%
Turnout			248,280
	Democratic hold

Vermont

1944 United States Senate election in Vermont^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	81,094	65.80%
	Democratic	Harry W. Witters	42,136	34.19%
	None	Scattering	18	0.01%
Majority			38,958	31.61%
Turnout			123,248
	Republican hold

Washington

1944 United States Senate election in Washington

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Warren Magnuson	Harry P. Cain
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	397,719	342,464
Percentage	55.13%	44.44%

Results by county
Magnuson: 50–60% 60–70%
Cain: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Homer Bone^[c]
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Warren Magnuson
Democratic

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

Wisconsin

1944 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

← 1938

November 7, 1944

1950 →


Nominee	Alexander Wiley	Howard J. McMurray	Harry Sauthoff
Party	Republican	Democratic	Progressive
Popular vote	634,513	537,144	73,089
Percentage	50.50%	42.75%	5.82%

County results
Wiley: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
McMurray: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Alexander Wiley
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Alexander Wiley
Republican

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

Notes

References

[1]

[a]

[b]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[c]

1944 United States Senate elections

Results summary

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Post election changes

Change in composition

Before the elections

Election results

Race summaries

Special elections during the 78th Congress

Races leading to the 79th Congress

Closest races

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Indiana (special)

Indiana (regular)

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts (special)

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey (special)

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Oregon (special)

Oregon (regular)

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

Utah

Vermont

Washington

Wisconsin

See also

Notes

References