United States Senate elections, 1964

United States Senate elections, 1964

November 3, 1964
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate, plus 2 mid-term vacancies 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield Everett Dirksen Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1961 January 3, 1959 Leader's seat Montana Illinois Seats before 66 34 Seats after 68 32 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 30,217,130 22,654,661 Percentage 56.3% 42.2% Swing 5.9% 6.8% Seats up 26 9 Races won 28 7
Results including special elections      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1964 coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority, to a full term. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2018, this is the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which would have hypothetically allowed the Senate Democrats to override a veto, convict and expel certain officials, or invoke cloture without any votes from Republicans. The Senate election coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.

Notably, of the 34 seats up for election this year, 25 were held by Democrats, who managed to retain 24 of them. A party defending two-thirds of the seats up for election would not make net gains in the Senate again until 2012. Coincidentally, it would be the same Senate class, class 1.

Retirements

There were no net party changes from retirements.

Incumbents who lost elections

Democrats had a two-seat net gain from beating incumbents.

Other races

In a close race in Nevada, Democratic incumbent Howard Cannon won re-election over Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt by fewer than 100 votes. Laxalt joined Cannon in the Senate when he won Nevada's other seat in 1974.

Subsequent gains

1. Michigan: Patrick V. McNamara (D) died April 30, 1966, and was replaced May 11, 1966 by appointee Robert P. Griffin (R).

Change in Senate composition

Race summary

Arizona

Arizona election

Nominee Paul Fannin Roy Elson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 241,089 227,712 Percentage 51.43% 48.57%

Red: counties won by Fannin, Blue: counties won by Elson.

U.S. Senator before election Barry Goldwater Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Fannin Republican

Incumbent Barry Goldwater decided not to run for re-election to a third term, instead running for President of the United States as the Republican Party nominee against Lyndon B. Johnson.^[2] Governor of Arizona Paul Fannin ran unopposed in the Republican primary, and defeated Democratic nominee Roy Elson, who was a staff member for U.S. Senator Carl Hayden until Hayden's retirement in 1969. Despite a landslide loss throughout the country, and Goldwater only able to obtain 50.45% of the vote in his home state of Arizona, Fannin managed to prevail in the state's Senate election.

California

Connecticut

Connecticut election

Nominee Thomas J. Dodd John Davis Lodge Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 781,008 426,939 Percentage 64.66% 35.34%

U.S. Senator before election Thomas J. Dodd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Thomas J. Dodd Democratic

Democrat Thomas J. Dodd was re-elected and served a second term. John Davis Lodge, grandson of Henry Cabot Lodge was defeated by almost 30%.

Delaware

Florida

Hawaii

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

Nominee Ted Kennedy Howard J. Whitmore Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,716,907 587,663 Percentage 74.26% 25.42%

County Results

U.S. Senator before election Ted Kennedy Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy defeated his challengers. Much of the campaign-appearance burden on behalf of Ted Kennedy fell on his wife, Joan, because of Ted's serious back injury in a plane crash.

Candidates:

• Ted Kennedy - Incumbent Senator elected in 1962 to the unexpired term of John F. Kennedy.
• Howard J. Whitmore, Jr. - Member of Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1947–53 and mayor of Newton, Massachusetts from 1954-60. Served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II.^[6]
• Lawrence Gilfedder - Candidate for Lt. Governor in 1948. Ran for Governor in 1952 and 1954. Ran for Senate in 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1970.^[7]
• Grace F. Luder - Candidate for the Massachusetts's 9th congressional district seat in 1950 and Massachusetts's 14th congressional district seat in 1952.^[8]

Michigan

Minnesota

Minnesota election

Nominee Eugene J. McCarthy Wheelock Whitney, Jr. Party DFL Republican Popular vote 931,363 605,933 Percentage 60.34% 39.26%

U.S. Senator before election Eugene J. McCarthy DFL Elected U.S. Senator Eugene J. McCarthy DFL

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy defeated Republican challenger Wheelock Whitney, Jr., to win a second term.

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Montana election

Nominee Mike Mansfield Alex Blewett Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 180,643 99,367 Percentage 64.51% 35.49%

U.S. Senator before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Mike Mansfield, who was first elected to the Senate in 1952 and was re-elected in 1958, ran for re-election. Mansfield won the Democratic primary in a landslide, and advanced to the general election, where he faced Alex Blewett, the Majority Leader of the Montana House of Representatives and the Republican nominee. Though Mansfield's margin was significantly reduced from 1958, he still overwhelmingly defeated Blewett and won his third term in the Senate.

Nebraska

Nevada

Nevada election

Nominee Howard Cannon Paul Laxalt Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 67,336 67,288 Percentage 50.02% 49.98%

U.S. Senator before election Howard Cannon Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Howard Cannon Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Howard Cannon won re-election to a second term by a slim margin of only 48 votes.

New Jersey

New Mexico

New Mexico election

Nominee Joseph Montoya Edwin L. Mechem Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 178,209 147,562 Percentage 54.7% 45.3%

U.S. Senator before election Edwin L. Mechem Republican Elected U.S. Senator Joseph Montoya Democratic

Incumbent Republican Edwin L. Mechem sought re-election to a full term, but was defeated by Democrat Joseph Montoya.

Montoya was Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico (1947–1951 and 1955–1957) and a four-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1957–1964).

New Mexico (Special)

Montoya was also elected to finish the term ending January 3, 1965.

New York

New York election

Nominee Robert F. Kennedy Kenneth Keating Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,823,749 3,104,056 Percentage 53.5% 43.4%

County Results

U.S. Senator before election Kenneth Keating Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy Democratic

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Kenneth Keating ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Robert F. Kennedy.

The Socialist Labor state convention met on March 29 and nominated John Emanuel.^[16] The Republican state convention met on August 31, and re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator Kenneth B. Keating.^[17] The Conservative state convention met on August 31 at Saratoga Springs, New York, and nominated Prof. Henry Paolucci.^[18] The Democratic state convention met on September 1, and nominated U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy on the first ballot with 968 votes against 153 for Congressman Samuel S. Stratton.^[19] The Liberal Party met on September 1, and endorsed the Democratic nominee, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.^[20] The Socialist Workers Party filed a petition to nominate candidates on September 7. Richard Garza was nominated.^[21]

John English, a Nassau County leader who helped John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential election, encouraged Robert Kennedy to oppose Keating. At the time, Samuel S. Stratton, a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York's 35th congressional district, was considered the most likely Democratic candidate. At first, Kennedy resisted. After President Kennedy's assassination, Robert Kennedy remained as Attorney General for Lyndon B. Johnson. However, Johnson and Kennedy feuded. Kennedy decided to run for the Senate in New York in August, and resigned from the Cabinet on September 3, 1964. While many reform Democrats resisted Kennedy, support from Robert F. Wagner, Jr., and party bosses like Charles A. Buckley, of The Bronx, and Peter J. Crotty,^[22] of Buffalo, helped Kennedy win the nomination at the party convention.^[23]

During the campaign, Kennedy was frequently met by large crowds. Keating accused Kennedy of being a carpetbagger from Massachusetts. Kennedy responded to these charges in a televised town meeting by saying, "If the senator of the state of New York is going be selected on who's lived here the longest, then I think people are going vote for my opponent. If it's going be selected on who's got the best New York accent, then I think I'm probably out too. But I think if it's going be selected on the basis of who can make the best United States senator, I think I'm still in the contest."^[24]

The Democratic/Liberal candidate was elected. Campaign help from President Lyndon B. Johnson, as well as the Democratic landslide after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, helped carry Kennedy into office, as Kennedy polled about 1.1 million votes less in New York than Johnson did. The incumbent Keating was defeated.

For Total Votes, the Democratic and Liberal votes for Kennedy are combined.

North Dakota

Senator Quentin Burdick

Incumbent Dem-NPL Senator Quentin Burdick sought and received re-election to his second term, defeating Republican candidate Thomas S. Kleppe, who later became the United States Secretary of the Interior.^[14]

Only Burdick filed as a Dem-NPLer, and the endorsed Republican candidate was Thomas S. Kleppe, who would go on to serve two terms as a Representative for North Dakota's second congressional district from 1967 to 1971. Burdick and Kleppe won the primary elections for their respective parties.

Ohio

Oklahoma (Special)

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

Nominee Hugh Scott Genevieve Blatt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,429,858 2,359,223 Percentage 50.6% 49.1%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Hugh Scott Republican Elected U.S. Senator Hugh Scott Republican

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Hugh Scott successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Democratic nominee Genevieve Blatt.

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Tennessee (Special)

Texas

Texas election

Nominee Ralph Yarborough George H. W. Bush Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,463,958 1,134,337 Percentage 56.2% 43.6%

U.S. Senator before election Ralph Yarborough Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Ralph Yarborough defeated future President of the United States George H. W. Bush.

Although Yarborough won this election, he would lose the Democratic Primary six years later, in 1970, to Lloyd Bentsen. Bush later went on to win an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1966; he was elected vice president of the United States in 1980 and was elected president in 1988.

Utah

Vermont

Vermont election

Nominee Winston L. Prouty Frederick J. Fayette Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 87,879 76,457 Percentage 53.4% 46.5%

U.S. Senator before election Winston L. Prouty Republican Elected U.S. Senator Winston L. Prouty Republican

Incumbent Republican Winston L. Prouty successfully ran for re-election, defeating Democratic candidate Frederick J. Fayette.

Virginia

Virginia election

Nominee Harry F. Byrd Richard A. May James W. Respess Party Democratic Republican Independent Popular vote 592,270 176,624 95,526 Percentage 63.8% 19.0% 10.3%

U.S. Senator before election Harry F. Byrd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Democratic

Incumbent Harry F. Byrd was re-elected to a sixth term, defeating Republican Richard A. May and independent James W. Respess.

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

• United States elections, 1964
  • United States gubernatorial elections, 1964
  • United States presidential election, 1964
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1964
• 88th United States Congress
• 89th United States Congress

References

External links

• "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1964" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1965.
• Official result in New York City: Canvass Shows Conservatives Rivaled Liberals in City Vote in NYT on November 26, 1964 (subscription required)
• Images from the Robert Kennedy campaign