Election to the United States Senate in 1948

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The election to the United States Senate in 1948 for the 81st United States Congress took place on November 2nd. It was part of the election in the United States that day and coincided with the presidential election in which President Harry S. Truman was surprisingly re-elected.

The 32 class II seats were available for election , and a by-election was held in Louisiana for a senator who left office prematurely. The Class II Senator from North Carolina was also not elected, only appointed, in both cases the elected successors took their Senate seats during the term of the 80th Congress in December.

Of the 33 seats available for election, 15 were occupied by Democrats and 18 by Republicans . 15 incumbents were re-elected, including 10 Democrats and 5 Republicans. The Democrats were able to win 9 seats previously held by Republicans, the Republicans did not win any seat. The Republicans lost their majority of 51 seats and fell to 42 seats, the Democrats were able to improve from 45 to 54 seats and thus achieve a solid majority.

In June 1949, the Democratic Senator of New York Robert F. Wagner died . The Republican John Foster Dulles , who later became Secretary of State, was appointed to succeed him . This was defeated in November 1949 by the Democrat Herbert H. Lehman in a by-election, so that at the end of the 81st Congress the party ratio in the Senate was again 54 to 42 in favor of the Democrats.

blue: Democrats, red: Republicans, lighter shade: profits

Results

Country Acting Senator Political party Result New senator
Alabama John Sparkman democrat re-elected John Sparkman
Arkansas John L. McClellan democrat re-elected John L. McClellan
Colorado Edwin C. Johnson democrat re-elected Edwin C. Johnson
Delaware C. Douglass Buck republican Gain democrats J. Allen Frear
Georgia Richard B. Russell democrat re-elected Richard B. Russell
Idaho Henry Dworshak republican Gain democrats Bert H. Miller
Illinois Charles W. Brooks republican Gain democrats Paul Howard Douglas
Iowa George A. Wilson republican Gain democrats Guy Gillette
Kansas Arthur Capper republican held by Republicans Andrew Schoeppel
Kentucky John Sherman Cooper republican Gain democrats Virgil Chapman
Louisiana , Class III William C. Feazel , appointed democrat held by Democrats Russell B. Long
Louisiana Allen J. Ellender democrat re-elected Allen J. Ellender
Maine Wallace H. White republican held by Republicans Margaret Chase Smith
Massachusetts Leverett Saltonstall republican re-elected Leverett Saltonstall
Michigan Homer S. Ferguson republican re-elected Homer S. Ferguson
Minnesota Joseph H. Ball republican Gain democrats Hubert H. Humphrey
Mississippi James Eastland democrat re-elected James Eastland
Montana James Edward Murray democrat re-elected James Edward Murray
Nebraska Kenneth S. Wherry republican re-elected Kenneth S. Wherry
New Hampshire Styles Bridges republican re-elected Styles Bridges
New Jersey Albert W. Hawkes republican held by Republicans Robert C. Hendrickson
New Mexico Carl Hatch democrat held by Democrats Clinton Presba Anderson
North Carolina William B. Umstead , appointed democrat held by Democrats J. Melville Broughton
Oklahoma Edward H. Moore republican Gain democrats Robert S. Kerr
Oregon Guy Cordon republican re-elected Guy Cordon
Rhode Island Theodore F. Green democrat re-elected Theodore F. Green
South carolina Burnet R. Maybank democrat re-elected Burnet R. Maybank
South Dakota Vera C. Bushfield republican held by Republicans Karl Earl Mundt
Tennessee Tom Stewart democrat held by Democrats Estes Kefauver
Texas W. Lee O'Daniel democrat held by Democrats Lyndon B. Johnson
Virginia Absalom Willis Robertson democrat re-elected Absalom Willis Robertson
West Virginia W. Chapman Revercomb republican Gain democrats Matthew M. Neely
Wyoming Edward V. Robertson republican Gain democrats Lester C. Hunt
  • Appointed: Senator was appointed by the governor to replace a retired Senator, by-election required
  • re-elected: an elected incumbent was re-elected