United States Senate elections, 1948

United States Senate elections, 1948
1946 ←
 November 2, 1948
 → 1950
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate
49 seats were needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Scott Lucas Ken Wherry
Party Democratic Republican
Leader's seat Illinois Nebraska
Last election 45 seats 51 seats
Seats won 54 42
Seat change +9 -9
  Republican holds
  Republican pickups
  Democratic holds
  Democratic pickups
Majority Leader before election

Wallace White
Republican

 Elected Majority Leader

Scott Lucas
Democratic

The U.S. Senate election, 1948 was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the election of Democratic President Harry Truman for a full term. Truman had campaigned against an "obstructionist" Congress that had blocked many of his initiatives, and in addition the U.S. economy recovered from the postwar recession of 1946-1947 by election day. Thus Truman was rewarded with a Democratic gain of nine seats in the Senate, enough to give them control of the chamber.

In addition to gaining an open seat in Oklahoma, the Democrats defeated the following eight Republican incumbents:

Contents

Prominent freshmen

Notable members of the new intake were future President and Vice President, Democrats Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey. Also worth noting Estes Kefauver who would become widely known for his hearings on organized crime, and Margaret Chase Smith the first Republican woman and also the first woman in the senate who did not succeed her husband.

Complete list of races

State Incumbent Party Result Opposing Candidates
Alabama John Sparkman Democratic Re-elected, 84.0 - 16.0 Paul G. Parsons (Republican)
Arkansas John L. McClellan Democratic Re-elected, 93.3 - 6.7 R. Walter Tucker (Independent)
Colorado Edwin C. Johnson Democratic Re-elected, 66.8 - 32.4 Will F. Nicholson (Republican)
Delaware Clayton D. Buck Republican Lost re-election, 50.9 - 48.3
Democratic gain		 J. Allen Frear, Jr. (Democratic)
Georgia Richard Russell, Jr. Democratic Re-elected, unopposed
Idaho Henry C. Dworshak Republican Lost re-election, 50.0 - 48.5
Democratic gain		 Bert H. Miller (Democratic)
Illinois C. Wayland Brooks Republican Lost re-election, 55.1 - 44.6
Democratic gain		 Paul Douglas (Democratic)
Iowa George A. Wilson Republican Lost re-election, 57.8 - 41.6
Democratic gain		 Guy M. Gillette (Democratic)
Kansas Arthur Capper Republican Retired
Republican hold, 54.9 - 42.7		 Andrew F. Schoeppel (Republican)
George McGill (Democratic)
Kentucky John S. Cooper Republican Lost re-election, 51.4 - 48.3
Democratic gain		 Virgil Chapman (Democratic)
Louisiana Allen J. Ellender Democratic Re-elected, unopposed
Louisiana
Special (class 3)		 William C. Feazel Democratic Interim appointee retired
Democratic hold, 74.9 - 25.1		 Russell B. Long (Democratic)
Clem S. Clarke (Republican)
Maine Wallace H. White, Jr. Republican Retired
Republican hold, 71.3 - 28.7		 Margaret C. Smith (Republican)
Adrian H. Scolten (Democratic)
Massachusetts Leverett Saltonstall Republican Re-elected, 53.0 - 46.4 John I. Fitzgerald (Democratic)
Michigan Homer Ferguson Republican Re-elected, 50.7 - 48.5 Frank E. Hook (Democratic)
Minnesota Joseph H. Ball Republican Lost re-election, 59.9 - 39.7
Democratic gain		 Hubert Humphrey (Democratic)
Mississippi James O. Eastland Democratic Re-elected, unopposed
Montana James E. Murray Democratic Re-elected, 56.7 - 42.7 Tom J. Davis (Republican)
Nebraska Kenneth S. Wherry Republican Re-elected, 56.7 - 43.3 Terry Carpenter (Democratic)
New Hampshire Styles Bridges Republican Re-elected, 58.1 - 41.2 Alfred E. Fortin (Democratic)
New Jersey Albert W. Hawkes Republican Retired
Republican hold, 50.0 - 47.3		 Robert C. Hendrickson (Republican)
Archibald S. Alexander (Democratic)
New Mexico Carl A. Hatch Democratic Retired
Democratic hold, 57.2 - 42.4		 Clinton P. Anderson (Democratic)
Patrick J. Hurley (Republican)
North Carolina J. Melville Broughton Democratic Re-elected, 70.7 - 28.8 John A. Wilkinson (Republican)
Oklahoma Edward H. Moore Republican Retired
Democratic gain, 62.3 - 37.4		 Robert S. Kerr (Democratic)
Ross Rizley (Republican)
Oregon Guy Cordon Republican Re-elected, 60.0 - 40.0 Manley J. Wilson (Democratic)
Rhode Island Theodore F. Green Democratic Re-elected, 59.3 - 40.7 Thomas P. Hazard (Republican)
South Carolina Burnet R. Maybank Democratic Re-elected, unopposed
South Dakota
Special (class 2)		 Vera C. Bushfield Republican Interim appointee retired
Republican hold, 59.3 - 40.7		 Karl E. Mundt (Republican)
John A. Engel (Democratic)
Tennessee A. Thomas Stewart Democratic Lost re-nomination, 65.3 - 33.5
Democratic hold		 Estes Kefauver (Democratic)
B. Carroll Reece (Republican)
Texas W. Lee O'Daniel Democratic Retired
Democratic hold, 66.2 - 32.9 - 0.8		 Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic)
Jack Porter (Republican)
Samuel N. Morris (Prohibition)
Virginia A. Willis Robertson Democratic Re-elected, 65.6 - 30.8 Robert H. Woods (Republican)
West Virginia Chapman Revercomb Republican Lost re-election, 57.0 - 43.0
Democratic gain		 Matthew M. Neely (Democratic)
Wyoming Edward V. Robertson Republican Lost re-election, 57.1 - 42.9
Democratic gain		 Lester C. Hunt (Democratic)

Senate composition before and after elections

80th Congress Senate Composition   81st Congress Senate Composition
  D D D D D D D D   D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D D R R R D D D D D D D D D D
D D D D D D
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
  R R R R R R R R   R R R R R R R R
Color Key
D = Democratic
R = Republican

See also

Pre-17th Amendment
Post-17th Amendment