United States Senate elections, 1954

United States Senate elections, 1954

November 2, 1954[1]
38 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Lyndon Johnson Bill Knowland Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1953 August 4, 1953 Leader's seat Texas California Seats before 46 49 Seats won 48 47 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 11,402,106 8,839,779 Percentage 55.5% 43.0% Swing 10.8% 8.9% Seats up 20 12 Races won 23 10   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats won 1 Seat change Seats up 0 Races won 0
Results including special elections      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Bill Knowland Republican Elected Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson Democratic

The United States Senate elections of 1954 was a midterm election in the first term of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency. Eisenhower's Republican party lost a net of two seats to the Democratic opposition. This small change was just enough to give Democrats control of the chamber with the support of an Independent (Wayne Morse of Oregon) who caucused with them.

The elections resulted in a divided government that continued to the end of Eisenhower's presidency and a Democratic majority that would last until 1981.

Incumbents defeated

Democrats defeated incumbents John S. Cooper (R-KY), Homer Ferguson (R-MI), Ernest S. Brown (R-NV), and Guy Cordon (R-OR).

Republicans took the seats of incumbents Guy M. Gillette (D-IA) and Thomas A. Burke (D-OH).

Open seat gains

Democrats took an open seat in Wyoming.

Republicans took an open seat in Colorado.

Change in Senate composition

Race summaries

Massachusetts

United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1954

Nominee Leverett Saltonstall Foster Furcolo Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 956,605 927,899 Percentage 50.54% 49.03%

Senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican

In Massachusetts, Republican Incumbent Leverett Saltonstall defeated his challengers.

Democrat Foster Furcolo (Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts since 1952 and member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district from 1949-1952) beat John I. Fitzgerald (former member of the Boston City Council and Democratic candidate for Senate in 1948) and Joseph L. Murphy (former member of the Massachusetts Senate).

Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall (United States Senator since 1945 and Governor of Massachusetts from 1939-1945) was renominated. Other nominees included Socialist Workers Thelma Ingersoll (ran for Senate in 1952.^[3]) and Prohibition Harold J. Ireland (candidate for Treasurer and Receiver-General in 1948 and 1952).

Montana

In Montana incumbent senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936, 1942, and 1948, ran for re-election.

Murray won the Democratic primary against trivial opponents (farmer Ray E. Gulick and Sam G. Feezell).

Republican Wesley A. D'Ewart United States Congressman from Montana's 2nd congressional district beat Robert Yellowtail, former Superintendent of the Crow Indian Reservation, for the GOP nomination.

A contentious and close election ensued, but ultimately, Murray was able to narrowly win re-election over D'Ewart to a final term in the Senate.

Nebraska

Nebraska had three Senate elections on the ballot. Both Senators had died in the span of three months, leading to appointments and special elections.

1. Dwight P. Griswold (R) died April 12, 1954, and Eva Bowring (R) was appointed April 16 to continue the term. In November, Hazel Abel (R) was elected to finish the term.
2. Although elected to finish the term, Abel did not run for the next term, and Carl Curtis (R) was elected in November to the next term. On December 31, 1954 Abel resigned and Curtis was appointed January 1, 1955, two days ahead of his elected term.
3. Hugh A. Butler (R) died July 1, 1954 and Samuel W. Reynolds (R) was appointed July 3, 1954 to continue the term. Reynolds was did not run to finish the term, and Roman Hruska (R) won the seat in November to finish the term ending in 1959.

North Carolina

Like Nebraska, North Carolina had three Senate elections on the ballot. Both Senators had died during the 83rd Congress, leading to appointments and special elections.

1. Willis Smith (D) died June 26, 1953 and Alton A. Lennon (D) was appointed July 10, 1953 to continue the term. In November, Lennon lost the nomination to W. Kerr Scott (D) to finish the term. Scott took office November 29, 1954.
2. W. Kerr Scott (D) was also elected to the next term, which would begin January 3, 1955.
3. Clyde R. Hoey (D) died May 12, 1954 and Sam Ervin (D) was appointed June 5, 1954 to continue the term. In November, Ervin was elected to finish the term.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, Senator Burnet R. Maybank did not face a primary challenge in the summer and was therefore renominated as the Democratic Party's nominee for the election in the fall. However, his death on September 1 left the Democratic Party without a nominee and the executive committee decided to nominate state Senator Edgar A. Brown as their candidate for the election. Many South Carolinians were outraged by the party's decision to forgo a primary election and former Governor Strom Thurmond entered the race as a write-in candidate. He easily won the election and became the first U.S. Senator to be elected by a write-in vote (William Knowland of California in 1946 was technically the first, but the ballots in that election were blank with no candidates listed, so essentially every candidate was running a write-in campaign).^[7]

Sitting Senator Burnet R. Maybank entered the 1954 contest without a challenge in the Democratic primary nor in the general election. His unexpected death on September 1 caused panic and confusion within the hierarchy of the state Democratic party because the state law required that a party's nominee be certified by September 3. Hours after Maybank's funeral, the state Democratic executive committee met in secret and chose state Senator Edgar A. Brown of Barnwell County as the party's nominee for the general election. Not only was Brown a part of the "Barnwell Ring", but he was also a member of the executive committee.

The state Democratic Party's decision to choose a candidate without holding a special primary election drew widespread criticism across the state. On September 3, The Greenville News ran an editorial advocating that a primary election be called and several newspapers across the state followed suit. At least six county Democratic committees repudiated the action by the state committee and called for a primary election. Despite repeated calls for a primary, the state executive committee voted against holding a primary because they did not think that there was enough time before the general election to hold a primary election.

Immediately after the executive committee voted against holding a primary election, former Governor Strom Thurmond and lumberman Marcus Stone announced their intention to run as Democratic write-in candidates. Thurmond and his supporters stated that the executive committee had several legal alternatives as opposed to the outright appointment of state Senator Brown. In addition, Thurmond promised that if he were elected he would resign in 1956 so that the voters could choose a candidate in the regular primary for the remaining four years of the term.

Thurmond received support from Governor James F. Byrnes and from those who backed his Presidential bid as a Dixiecrat in the 1948 Presidential election. Thurmond framed the race as a "moral issue: democracy versus committee rule"^[8] and his write-in campaign was repeatedly assisted by every newspaper in the state, except for those in Anderson. For instance, The News and Courier devoted its front page on November 2 to show voters a sample ballot and it also provided detailed instructions on how to cast a write-in vote. Not only that, but the newspaper also printed an editorial on the front page giving precise reasons why voters should vote for Thurmond instead of Brown.

On the other hand, Brown was supported by the Democratic party regulars and he also gained the endorsement of Senator Olin D. Johnston. Brown based his campaign entirely on the issue of party loyalty, stressing that Thurmond was a Republican ally because he had voted for President Eisenhower in 1952.

Marcus A. Stone, a lumberman in Florence and Dillon, was a candidate in previous Democratic primaries for governor and senator. He did very little campaigning for the general election.

Virginia

United States Senate election in Virginia, 1954

Nominee Absalom Willis Robertson Charles W. Lewis, Jr. Clarke T. Robb Party Democratic Independent Democratic Social Democratic Popular vote 244,844 32,681 28,922 Percentage 79.9% 10.7% 9.4%

U.S. Senator before election Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Absalom Willis Robertson Democratic

In Virginia, Democratic incumbent Senator Absalom Willis Robertson defeated Independent Democrat Charles Lewis and Social Democrat Clarke Robb and was re-elected to a second term in office.

See also

• United States elections, 1954
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1954
• 83rd United States Congress
• 84th United States Congress

Notes

References

• "A New Test For S.C. Voters". The News and Courier. November 2, 1954. p. 1A.
• "Brown Faces Thurmond In Write-In Race". The News and Courier. November 2, 1954. p. 1A.
• Lander, Jr., Ernest McPherson (1970). A History of South Carolina, 1865-1960. University of South Carolina Press. pp. 182–184. ISBN 0-87249-169-2.
• "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. Volume I. Columbia, SC: 1955, pp. 4–5.
• U.S. Senate Biography of Strom Thurmond