United States Senate election, 1958
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The U.S. Senate election, 1958 was an election for the United States Senate which
occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. As is common in midterm elections, the ruling party lost seats, but in this year it was on a huge scale, perhaps due to high unemployment. The Democratic party took thirteen Republican seats, as well as winning both Senate elections in the new state of Alaska. Senate elections in 1959 in the new state of Hawaii were split between the two parties, yielding an aggregate gain of 16 seats for the Democrats and giving a party balance of 65-35.
Democrats gained three open seats in California, Indiana, and New Jersey, and defeated ten Republican incumbents:
Notable freshmen were future Democratic contenders
Eugene McCarthy (D-MN) and
Ed Muskie (D-ME), as well as
Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), who as of
2006 is the longest-serving Senator.
Senate contests in 1958
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
|
| Alaska1
| None
|
| Democratic victory, 83.8 - 15.0
| Bob Bartlett (Democrat)
R. E. Robertson (Republican)
|
| Alaska2
| None
|
| Democratic victory, 52.6 - 47.4
| Ernest Gruening (Democrat)
Mike Stepovich (Republican)
|
| Arizona
| Barry Goldwater
| Republican
| Re-elected, 56.1 - 43.9
| Ernest W. McFarland (Democrat)
|
| California
| William F. Knowland
| Republican
| Retired: Democratic victory, 57.0 - 42.9
| Clair Engle (Democrat)
Goodwin J. Knight (Republican)
|
| Connecticut
| William A. Purtell
| Republican
| Defeated, 57.5 - 42.5
| Thomas J. Dodd (Democrat)
|
| Delaware
| John J. Williams
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.3 - 46.7
| Elbert N. Carvel (Democrat)
|
| Florida
| Spessard Holland
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 71.2 - 28.8
| Leland Hyzer (Republican)
|
| Indiana
| William E. Jenner
| Republican
| Retired: Democratic victory, 56.5 - 42.4
| Vance Hartke (Democrat)
Harold W. Handley (Republican)
|
| Maine
| Frederick G. Payne
| Republican
| Defeated, 60.8 - 39.2
| Edmund S. Muskie (Democrat)
|
| Maryland
| James Glenn Beall
| Republican
| Re-elected, 51.0 - 49.0
| Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. (Democrat)
|
| Massachusetts
| John F. Kennedy
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 73.2 - 26.2
| Vincent J. Celeste (Republican)
|
| Michigan
| Charles E. Potter
| Republican
| Defeated, 53.6 - 46.1
| Philip A. Hart (Democrat)
|
| Minnesota
| Edward J. Thye
| Republican
| Defeated, 52.9 - 46.6
| Eugene J. McCarthy (Democrat)
|
| Mississippi
| John C. Stennis
| Democrat
| Re-elected, unopposed
|
|
| Missouri
| Stuart Symington
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 66.5 - 33.6
| Hazel Palmer (Republican)
|
| Montana
| Mike Mansfield
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 76.2 - 23.8
| Lou W. Welch (Republican)
|
| Nebraska
| Roman L. Hruska
| Republican
| Re-elected, 55.6 - 44.4
| Frank B. Morrison (Democrat)
|
| Nevada
| George W. Malone
| Republican
| Defeated, 57.7 - 42.3
| Howard W. Cannon (Democrat)
|
| New Jersey
| H. Alexander Smith
| Republican
| Retired: Democratic victory, 51.4 - 46.9
| Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (Democrat)
Robert W. Kean (Republican)
|
| New Mexico
| Dennis Chavez
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 62.7 - 37.3
| Forrest S. Atchley (Republican)
|
| New York
| Irving M. Ives
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 50.8 - 48.4
| Kenneth B. Keating (Republican)
Frank S. Hogan (Democrat)
|
| North Carolina3
| Benjamin Everett Jordan
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 70.0 - 30.0
| Richard C. Clarke, Jr. (Republican)
|
| North Dakota
| William Langer
| Republican
| Re-elected, 57.2 - 41.5
| Raymond Vensdel (Democrat)
|
| Ohio
| John W. Bricker
| Republican
| Defeated, 52.5 - 47.5
| Stephen M. Young (Democrat)
|
| Pennsylvania
| Edward Martin
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 51.2 - 48.4
| Hugh Scott (Republican)
George M. Leader (Democrat)
|
| Rhode Island
| John O. Pastore
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 64.5 - 35.5
| Bayard Ewing (Republican)
|
| Tennessee
| Albert Gore, Sr.
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 79.0 - 19.0
| Hobart F. Atkins (Republican)
|
| Texas
| Ralph Yarborough
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 74.6 - 23.6
| Roy Whittenburg (Republican)
|
| Utah
| Arthur V. Watkins
| Republican
| Defeated, 38.7 - 34.8 - 26.4
| Frank E. Moss (Democrat)
J. Bracken Lee (Independent)
|
| Vermont
| Ralph E. Flanders
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 52.2 - 47.8
| Winston L. Prouty (Republican)
Frederick J. Fayette (Democrat)
|
| Virginia
| Harry F. Byrd
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 69.3 - 26.3
| Louise Wensel (Independent)
|
| Washington
| Henry M. Jackson
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 67.3 - 31.4
| William B. Bantz (Republican)
|
| West Virginia
| Chapman Revercomb
| Republican
| Defeated, 59.2 - 40.8
| Robert C. Byrd (Democrat)
|
| West Virginia4
| John D. Hoblitzell, Jr.
| Republican
| Defeated, 59.3 - 40.7
| Jennings Randolph (Democrat)
|
| Wisconsin
| William Proxmire
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 57.1 - 42.7
| Roland J. Steinle (Republican)
|
| Wyoming
| Frank A. Barrett
| Republican
| Defeated, 50.8 - 49.2
| Gale McGee (Democrat)
|
1 special election held due to Alaska's admission as a state.
2 special election held due to Alaska's admission as a state.
3 special election held due to death of William Kerr Scott (D-NC)
4 special election held due to death of Matthew M. Neely (D-WV)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
(Note that there are 24 columns at left (pre-Alaska and Hawaii) and 25 at right)
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