1956 United States Senate elections

November 6, 1956
35 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lyndon Johnson William Knowland Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1953 August 4, 1953 Leader's seat Texas California Seats before 49 47 Seats after 49 47 Seat change Popular vote 23,291,351[1][lower-alpha 1] 22,219,450[1] Percentage 50.7% 48.4% Seats up 18 17 Races won 18 17
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (Ky. & S. C.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Lyndon Johnson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson Democratic

The 1956 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate that coincided with the re-election of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 32 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections, and three special elections were held to fill vacancies. Although Democrats gained two seats in regular elections, the Republicans gained two seats in special elections, leaving the party balance of the chamber unchanged.

Democrats defeated incumbents Herman Welker (R-Idaho), George H. Bender (R-Ohio), and James H. Duff (R-Pennsylvania), as well as winning a Republican-held seat in Colorado. Republicans defeated incumbent Earle C. Clements (D-Kentucky) as well as winning Democratic-held seats in Kentucky, New York, and West Virginia. Thus, this election caused Kentucky's Senate delegation to flip from two Democrats to two Republicans.

During the next Congress, Republican John D. Hoblitzell Jr. was appointed to the seat of deceased Senator Matthew M. Neely (D-WV), while Democrat William Proxmire won a special election for the seat of deceased Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin). Also, Democrat Ralph Yarborough won a special election for the seat of Price Daniel (D-Texas), who had resigned from the Senate after being elected Governor of Texas. The net result was to leave the party balance unchanged.

Results summary

Colored shading indicates party with largest share of that row.

Parties					Total
		Democratic	Republican	Other
Before these elections		49	47	0	96
Not up		31	30	—	61
	Class 1 (1952)	11	20	—	31
	Class 2 (1954)	20	10	—	30
Up		18	17	—	35
	Class 3 (1950→1956)	15	17	—	32
	Special: Class 1	1	0	—	1
	Special: Class 2	2	0	—	2
Incumbent retired		5	1	—	6
	Held by same party	2	0	—	2
	Replaced by other party	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat 3 Democrats replaced by 3 Republicans		—	4
	Result	3	3	0	6
Incumbent ran		13	16	—	29
	Won re-election	12	13	—	25
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	4
	Lost renomination but held by same party	0	0	—	0
	Result	15	14	0	29
Total elected		18	17	0	35
Net change					0
Nationwide vote		23,291,351[lower-alpha 1]	22,219,450	406,207	45,917,008
	Share	50.72%	48.39%	0.88%	100%
Result		49	47	0	96

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

Gains, losses, and holds

Change in composition

Race summaries

Closest races

Fifteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Alabama

Senator J. Lister Hill

Arizona

Arizona election

Nominee Carl Hayden Ross F. Jones Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 170,816 107,447 Percentage 61.4% 38.6%

County results Hayden:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Carl Hayden Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Carl Hayden Democratic

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Idaho election

November 6, 1956

Nominee Frank Church Herman Welker Glen H. Taylor Party Democratic Republican Write-in Popular vote 149,096 102,781 13,415 Percentage 56.20% 38.74% 5.06%

U.S. senator before election Herman Welker Republican Elected U.S. Senator Frank Church Democratic

Illinois

Illinois election

Turnout	81.74%
Nominee Everett M. Dirksen Richard Stengel Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,307,552 1,949,883 Percentage 54.11% 45.72%
County results Dirksen:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Stengel:      50–60%
Senator before election Everett M. Dirksen Republican Elected Senator Everett M. Dirksen Republican

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Two elections in Kentucky converted both seats from Democratic to Republican. As a result, this marked the first time since 1916 that both Senate seats in a state flipped from one party to the other in a single election cycle.

Kentucky (special)

Senator John Sherman Cooper

Main article: 1956 United States Senate special election in Kentucky

Following the death of Alben Barkley on April 30, 1956, Robert Humphreys was appointed June 21, 1956 to continue the term, pending a special election.^[2] Humphreys did not run in the special election to finish the term that would end in 1961.

Republican former-senator John Sherman Cooper, who had twice won special elections to that seat in 1946 and 1952, was again elected to finish the term.

1956 United States Senate special election in Kentucky^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Sherman Cooper	538,505	53.23
	Democratic	Lawrence W. Wetherby	473,140	46.77
Majority			65,365	6.46
Turnout			1,011,645
	Republican gain from Democratic

This time, however, Cooper would be re-elected in 1960 and again in 1966, serving until his 1973 retirement.

Kentucky (regular)

Senator Thruston B. Morton

Main article: 1956 United States Senate election in Kentucky

First-term Democrat Earle Clements lost re-election to Republican Thruston B. Morton, who was Eisenhower's Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.

1956 United States Senate election in Kentucky^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thruston B. Morton	506,903	50.35
	Democratic	Earle Clements (Incumbent)	499,922	49.65
Majority			6,981	0.70
Turnout			1,006,825
	Republican gain from Democratic

Louisiana

Maryland

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New York

New York election

Nominee Jacob Javits Robert F. Wagner Jr. Party Republican Democratic Alliance Liberal Popular vote 3,723,933 3,265,159 Percentage 53.27% 46.71%

County results

U.S. senator before election Herbert H. Lehman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jacob Javits Republican

In New York, the Republican state convention met on September 10 at Albany, New York, and nominated New York State Attorney General Jacob K. Javits.^[3] The Democratic state convention met on September 10 at Albany, New York, and nominated Mayor of New York City Robert F. Wagner Jr., for the U.S. Senate.^[4] The Liberal Party endorsed the Democratic nominee, Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., for the U.S. Senate.^[5] On October 1, a movement was launched to vote for General of the Army Douglas MacArthur as a write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate.^[6] On October 2, MacArthur disavowed the campaign, and stated that he was not a candidate.^[7]

The Republican candidate was elected.

North Carolina

North Dakota

North Dakota election

Nominee Milton Young Quentin Burdick Party Republican Democratic–NPL Popular vote 155,305 87,919 Percentage 63.61% 36.01%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes those won by Young.   Young—40-50%   Young—50-60%   Young—60-70%   Young—70-80%   Young—80-90%

U.S. senator before election Milton Young Republican Elected U.S. Senator Milton Young Republican

In North Dakota, the incumbent, Republican Milton Young, sought and received re-election to his third term, defeating North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party candidate Quentin N. Burdick, son of North Dakota congressman Usher L. Burdick.^[8]

Only Young filed as a Republican, and the endorsed Democratic candidate was Quentin Burdick, the son of well-known politician Usher Burdick, and former candidate for Governor of North Dakota. Young and Burdick won the primary elections for their respective parties.

One independent candidate, Arthur C. Townley, also filed before the deadline. Townley would later seek the state's other senate seat in 1958, and was known for creating the National Non-Partisan League.

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Oregon election

Nominee Wayne Morse Douglas McKay Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 396,849 335,405 Percentage 54.20% 45.80%

U.S. Senate election results map. Blue denotes counties won by Morse. Red denotes those won by McKay.   Morse—50-60%   Morse—60-70%   McKay—50-60%

Senator before election Wayne Morse Democratic Elected Senator Wayne Morse Democratic

In Oregon, Republican-turned-Independent-turned-Democrat Wayne Morse decided to seek re-election for his first full term as a Democrat. Morse defeated Republican candidate Douglas McKay in the hotly contested general election.^[9]

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

Nominee Joseph S. Clark, Jr. James H. Duff Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,268,641 2,250,671 Percentage 50.1% 49.7%

U.S. Senate election results map. Blue denotes counties won by Clark Jr. Red denotes those won by Duff.   Clark Jr.—50-60%   Clark Jr.—60-70%   Duff—40-50%   Duff—50-60%   Duff—60-70%   Duff—70-80%

U.S. senator before election James H. Duff Republican Elected U.S. Senator Joseph S. Clark, Jr. Democratic

In Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican U.S. senator James H. Duff sought re-election to another term, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Joseph S. Clark Jr.

South Carolina

In South Carolina the regular election was held simultaneously with the special election.

South Carolina (regular)

South Carolina election

November 6, 1956

Nominee Olin D. Johnston Leon P. Crawford Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 230,150 49,695 Percentage 82.2% 17.8%

County results Johnston:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Olin D. Johnston Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Olin D. Johnston Democratic

Main article: 1956 United States Senate election in South Carolina

Incumbent Democrat Olin D. Johnston handily defeated Republican mayor of Clemson Leon P. Crawford. Olin D. Johnston, the incumbent Senator, faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election. Leon P. Crawford, the mayor of the town of Clemson in the Upstate, faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election. Crawford campaigned as a defender of states' rights and denounced Johnston for backing the New Deal and the Fair Deal. The state Republican Party believed that Crawford could have a chance in the election if he galvanized the 128,000 registered black voters, although they were weary of being labeled as the black party. In the end, Johnston remained highly popular with the voters who were still leery of the Republican party and he easily defeated Crawford in the general election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1956

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Olin D. Johnston (Incumbent)	230,150	82.21	-17.69%
	Republican	Leon P. Crawford	49,695	17.75	+17.75%
	Write-in	Write-Ins	124	0.04	-0.1%
Majority			180,455	64.46	-35.34%
Turnout			279,969	36.8
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Carolina (special)

Senator Strom Thurmond

Main article: 1956 United States Senate special election in South Carolina

The special election resulted from the resignation of Senator Strom Thurmond on April 4, 1956, who was keeping a campaign pledge he had made in the 1954 election. Thurmond was unopposed in his bid to complete the remaining four years of the term. Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election. There was a possibility that Governor George Bell Timmerman Jr. might enter the race, but Thurmond was held in such high regard by the voters that there would have been no chance of defeating Thurmond. With no challenge to the remainder of the term, Thurmond did not conduct a campaign and rejoined his old law firm in Aiken until he returned to the Senate after the general election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Special Election, 1956^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Strom Thurmond	245,371	100.0	+36.9%
Majority			245,371	100.0	+73.7%
Turnout			245,371	32.2	+5.9%
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Dakota

Utah

Vermont

1956 United States Senate election in Vermont

November 6, 1956 (1956-11-06)

Nominee George Aiken Bernard O'Shea Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 103,101 52,184 Percentage 66.4% 33.6%

U.S. senator before election George Aiken Republican Elected U.S. Senator George Aiken Republican

In Vermont, incumbent Republican George Aiken ran successfully for re-election to another term in the United States Senate, defeating Democratic challenger Bernard G. O'Shea.

Washington

Washington Election

Nominee Warren Magnuson Arthur B. Langlie Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 685,565 436,652 Percentage 61.09% 38.91%

County results

U.S. senator before election Warren G. Magnuson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson Democratic

West Virginia (special)

1956 United States Senate election in West Virginia

November 6, 1956

Nominee Chapman Revercomb William C. Marland Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 432,123 373,051 Percentage 53.67% 46.33%

Election results by county Red denotes those won by Revercomb Blue denotes counties won by Marland   Revercomb—50-60%   Revercomb—60-70%   Revercomb—70-80%   Revercomb—80-90%   Marland—60-70%   Marland—50-60%   Marland—40-50%

U.S. senator before election William Laird III Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Chapman Revercomb Republican

Following the death of Harley M. Kilgore on February 28, 1956, William Laird III was appointed to fill this seat and assumed office on March 13, 1956.^[2] Laird did not opt to run in the special election to fill the remainder of Kilgore's term through the end of the 85th Congress on January 3, 1959. As of 2024, this is the last time the Republicans have won West Virginia's Class 1 seat. This was also the last time until 2014 that the Republicans won a U.S. Senate election in the state.

Wisconsin

Incumbent Republican Senator Alexander Wiley easily won reelection to a fourth and final term, defeating the Democratic candidate, Henry W. Maier, by a margin of 17.4%. This would be the last time a Republican would win a Senate race in Wisconsin until Bob Kasten in 1980, and the last time a Republican would win more than 2 terms until Ron Johnson's victory in 2022.

See also

• 1956 United States elections
  • 1956 United States presidential election
  • 1956 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1956 United States gubernatorial elections
• 84th United States Congress
• 85th United States Congress

Notes

References

Sources

• 1956 U.S. Senate Election results
• Times, Warren Weaver Jr Special To the New York (December 11, 1956). "STATE ELECTORS TO VOTE MONDAY; But Harriman Will Not Hold Reception for Republicans --Final Tally Listed Dewey Held Receptions 4.3 Million for Eisenhower". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
• Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina. Reports and Resolutions of South Carolina to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Vol. I. Columbia, South Carolina. 1957. pp. 8–9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Kalk, Bruce H. (2001). The Origins of the Southern Strategy: Two-Party Competition in South. Lexington Books. pp. 30, 33.
• Bass, Jack; Thompson, Marilyn W. (1998). Ol' Strom: An Unauthorized Biography of Strom Thurmond. Longstreet. p. 155.