United States Senate elections, 1964

United States Senate elections, 1964
1962 ←
 November 3, 1964
 → 1966
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate
51 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Mike Mansfield Everett Dirksen
Party Democratic Republican
Leader's seat Montana Illinois
Last election 66 seats 34 seats
Seats won 68 32
Seat change +2 -2
  Republican holds
  Republican pickups
  Democratic holds
  Democratic pickups
Majority Leader before election

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

 Elected Majority Leader

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

The United States Senate election in 1964 coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2008, this is the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, although with a Democratic president the ability to override a veto or to impeach a President was not particularly relevant. However, since invoking cloture still required a two-thirds majority, the Democratic majority was able to overcome any filibuster, providing that party loyalty held. (As it did not in the case of civil rights bills.)

Compared to the devastating House races, Republican losses in the Senate were relatively few. This was because only nine of the 35 seats up for election had Republican incumbents.

Democrats defeated Republican incumbents Edwin L. Mechem (R-NM), Kenneth B. Keating (R-NY), and James Glenn Beall (R-MD), while Republicans defeated incumbent Pierre Salinger (D-CA). In a close race in Nevada, Democratic incumbent Howard Cannon won reelection over Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt by fewer than 100 votes.

Notable freshmen included future presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY), former attorney general and brother of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Both RFK and his younger brother, Edward Kennedy were members of the 89th Congress.

Contents

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections
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 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
In the next Congress
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 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
Key:
D =Democratic
R =Republican
Majority
divider

Subsequent actions

In 1966, Republican Robert P. Griffin was appointed to the vacancy left by the death of Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI). This is not reflected in the party balances.

Complete list of races

Bold state indicates a separate article on that election.

Bold candidate indicates the winner.

State Incumbent Party Result Other candidates
Arizona Barry Goldwater Republican Retired
Republican hold		 Paul Fannin (Republican) 51.4%
Roy Elson (Democratic) 48.6%
California Pierre Salinger Democratic Appointee lost election to next term
Republican gain		 George Murphy (Republican) 51.5%
Pierre Salinger (Democratic) 48.5%
Connecticut Thomas J. Dodd Democratic Re-elected Thomas J. Dodd (Democratic) 64.6%
John Davis Lodge (Republican) 35.3%
Delaware John J. Williams Republican Re-elected John J. Williams (Republican) 51.7%
Elbert N. Carvel (Democratic) 48.3%
Hollen (Socialist Labor) 0.03%
Florida Spessard Holland Democratic Re-elected Spessard Holland (Democratic) 63.9%
Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (Republican) 36.0%
Hawaii Hiram L. Fong Republican Re-elected Hiram L. Fong (Republican) 53.0%
Thomas P. Gill (Democratic) 46.4%
Lawrence Domine (Independent) 0.6%
Indiana Vance Hartke Democratic Re-elected Vance Hartke (Democratic) 54.3%
D. Russell Bontrager (Republican) 45.3%
J. Ralston Miller (Prohibition) 0.3%
Casimer Kanczuzewski (Socialist Labor) 0.06%
Maine Edmund S. Muskie Democratic Re-elected Edmund S. Muskie (Democratic) 66.6%
Clifford McIntire (Republican) 33.4%
Maryland James Glenn Beall Republican Lost re-election
Democratic gain		 Joseph D. Tydings (Democratic) 62.8%
James Glenn Beall (Republican) 37.2%
Massachusetts Ted Kennedy Democratic Re-elected Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 74.3%
Howard Whitmore, Jr. (Republican) 25.4%
Lawrence Gilfedder (Socialist Labor) 0.2%
Grace F. Luder (Prohibition) 0.1%
Michigan Philip A. Hart Democratic Re-elected Philip A. Hart (Democratic) 64.4%
Elly M. Petersen (Republican) 35.3%
Ernest C. Smith (Freedom Now) 0.1%
Evelyn Sell (Socialist Workers) 0.09%
James Sim (Socialist Labor) 0.05%
Minnesota Eugene McCarthy Democratic Re-elected Eugene McCarthy (Democratic) 60.3%
Wheelock Whitney (Republican) 39.3%
William Braatz (Industrial Government) 0.3%
Everett E. Luoma (Socialist Workers) 0.1%
Mississippi John C. Stennis Democratic Re-elected John C. Stennis (Democratic) unopposed
Missouri Stuart Symington Democratic Re-elected Stuart Symington (Democratic) 66.6%
Jean P. Bradshaw (Republican) 33.4%
Montana Mike Mansfield Democratic Re-elected Mike Mansfield (Democratic) 64.5%
Alex Blewett (Republican) 35.5%
Nebraska Roman L. Hruska Republican Re-elected Roman L. Hruska (Republican) 61.4%
Raymond W. Arndt (Democratic) 38.6%
Nevada Howard W. Cannon Democratic Re-elected Howard W. Cannon (Democratic) 50.0%
Paul Laxalt (Republican) 50.0%
New Jersey Harrison A. Williams, Jr. Democratic Re-elected Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (Democratic) 61.9%
Bernard M. Shanley (Republican) 37.3%
New Mexico Edwin L. Mechem Republican Lost re-election
Democratic gain		 Joseph M. Montoya (Democratic) 54.7%
Edwin L. Mechem (Republican) 45.3%
New York Kenneth B. Keating Republican Lost re-election
Democratic gain		 Robert F. Kennedy (Democratic) 53.5%
Kenneth B. Keating (Republican) 43.4%
North Dakota Quentin N. Burdick Democratic Re-elected Quentin N. Burdick (Democratic) 57.6%
Thomas S. Kleppe (Republican) 42.4%
Ohio Stephen M. Young Democratic Re-elected Stephen M. Young (Democratic) 50.2%
Robert A. Taft, Jr. (Republican) 49.8%
Oklahoma
Special: Class 2		 J. Howard Edmondson Democratic Appointee lost nomination to finish term
Democratic hold		 Fred R. Harris (Democratic) 51.2%
Bud Wilkinson (Republican) 48.8%
Pennsylvania Hugh Scott Republican Re-elected Hugh Scott (Republican) 50.6%
Genevieve Blatt (Democratic) 49.1%
Rhode Island John O. Pastore Democratic Re-elected John O. Pastore (Democratic) 82.7%
Ronald R. Lagueux (Republican)
Tennessee Albert Gore, Sr. Democratic Re-elected Albert Gore, Sr. (Democratic) 53.6%
Dan H. Kuykendall (Republican) 46.4%
Tennessee
Special: Class 2		 Herbert S. Walters Democratic Appointee retired
Democratic hold		 Ross Bass (Democratic) 52.1%
Howard H. Baker, Jr. (Republican) 47.4%
Texas Ralph Yarborough Democratic Re-elected Ralph Yarborough (Democratic) 56.2%
George H. W. Bush (Republican) 43.6%
Utah Frank E. Moss Democratic Re-elected Frank E. Moss (Democratic) 57.3%
Ernest L. Wilkinson (Republican) 42.7%
Vermont Winston L. Prouty Republican Re-elected Winston L. Prouty (Republican) 53.5%
Frederick J. Fayette (Democratic) 46.5%
Virginia Harry F. Byrd Democratic Re-elected Harry F. Byrd (Democratic) 63.8%
Richard A. May (Republican) 19.0%
James W. Respess (Independent) 10.3%
Washington Henry M. Jackson Democratic Re-elected Henry M. Jackson (Democratic) 72.2%
Lloyd J. Andrews (Republican) 27.8%
West Virginia Robert C. Byrd Democratic Re-elected Robert C. Byrd (Democratic) 67.7%
Cooper P. Benedict (Republican) 32.3%
Wisconsin William Proxmire Democratic Re-elected William Proxmire (Democratic) 53.3%
Wilbur N. Renk (Republican) 46.6%
Wyoming Gale McGee Democratic Re-elected Gale McGee (Democratic) 54.0%
John S. Wold (Republican) 46.0%

See also

External link

Pre-17th Amendment
Post-17th Amendment