The 1952 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 4, 1952. Incumbent Democratic Senator and President pro tempore of the Senate Kenneth D. McKellar ran for re-election to a seventh term in office but was defeated in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative Al Gore Sr. Gore easily won the general election against Republican Hobart Atkins.
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 County results Gore: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Atkins: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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In the primary, Incumbent Senator McKellar stood for a seventh term (the first Senator to do so), despite being 83. He was opposed for renomination by Middle Tennessee Congressman Albert Gore. McKellar's re-election slogan was "Thinking Feller? Vote McKellar," which Gore countered with "Think Some More – Vote for Gore." Gore defeated McKellar for the Democratic nomination in August in what was widely regarded as an upset.[1]
McKellar's defeat was part of a statewide trend of change in 1952. That year, the incumbent governor, Gordon Browning, was defeated by Frank G. Clement in the primary.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Kenneth McKellar, incumbent Senator since 1917 and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
- Albert Gore Sr., U.S. Representative from Carthage
- John Randolph Neal Jr., attorney, academic, and perennial candidate
- Herman H. Ross, independent candidate for Senate in 1946
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Albert Gore Sr. | 334,957 | 56.54% | |
| Democratic | Kenneth McKellar (incumbent) | 245,054 | 41.36% | |
| Democratic | John Randolph Neal Jr. | 7,181 | 1.21% | |
| Democratic | Herman H. Ross | 4,950 | 0.84% | |
| Democratic | James Patrick Sutton (write-in) | 293 | 0.05% | |
| Total votes | 592,435 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Hobart F. Atkins, nominee for Senate in 1952 (Republican)
- Richard M. Barber (Independent)
- Albert Gore Sr., incumbent Senator since 1953 (Democratic)
- John Randolph Neal Jr., attorney, academic, and perennial candidate (Good Government & Clean Elections)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Albert Gore Sr. | 545,432 | 74.19% |  7.59 | |
| Republican | Hobart F. Atkins | 153,479 | 20.88% |  5.29 | |
| Independent | Richard M. Barber | 22,169 | 3.02% | N/A | |
| Independent | John Randolph Neal Jr. | 14,132 | 1.92% | 3.35 | |
| Total votes | 735,219 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||