United States Senate elections, 1938

United States Senate elections, 1938

November 8, 1938
36 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Alben Barkley Charles McNary Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat Kentucky Oregon Last election 76 seats 16 seats Seats before 75 17 Seats won 68 23 Seat change 7 7   Third party Fourth party   Party Farmer–Labor Progressive Last election 2 seats 1 seat Seats before 2 1 Seats won 2 1 Seat change
Republican holds   Republican pickups   Democratic holds   Democratic pickups
Majority Leader before election Alben Barkley Democratic Elected Majority Leader Alben Barkley Democratic

The U.S. Senate elections of 1938 occurred in the middle of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's second term. This occurred six years after the Democratic landslide in the 1932 election, and so the opposition Republicans gained seven seats from the Democrats. However, the Democrats retained a commanding lead over the Republicans with more than two-thirds of the chamber.

Background

A contemporary account cited a number of reasons for the losses suffered by the Democrats. The first was the Recession of 1937, which had continued into the first half of 1938, and which had arguably weakened public confidence in the administration's New Deal economic policies. Controversy over the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937 (Roosevelt's "court-packing" plan) was also a major factor. There were, in addition, strains between the more liberal New Deal supporters and the conservative wing of the Democratic party centered in the Southern states. These strains were exacerbated by an effort led by President Roosevelt to target certain conservative senators for defeat in Democratic primaries, including Walter George of Georgia, Millard Tydings of Maryland and Ellison Smith of South Carolina, along with the chairman of the House Rules Committee, John J. O'Connor of New York. While a number of New Deal supporters won primary elections, such as Sen. Alben Barkley in Kentucky, who defeated future baseball commissioner Happy Chandler, Sen. James P. Pope of Idaho, a prominent New Deal supporter, lost his bid for re-nomination, as did California senator William McAdoo, though McAdoo's Democratic opponent Sheridan Downey had campaigned as a liberal New Dealer who would also do more to improve pension plans.

Given the high levels of Democratic success in the 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1936 elections, the Democrats were in a difficult position in defending a large number of seats, even without these pressures. Ironically, this was the first of five consecutive elections where the GOP made gains in the Senate.

Gains and losses

Overall, the Democrats lost 7 seats to Republicans

1. Augustine Lonergan (D-CT)
2. George McGill (D-KS), the last Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Kansas
3. Fred H. Brown (D-NH)
4. John Gerald Milton (D-NJ) had been appointed to replace A. Harry Moore (D), who resigned. Milton did not run in the special election to finish the current term (ending in 1941).
5. Robert J. Bulkley (D-OH)
6. Herbert Hitchcock (D-SD) had been appointed to replace Peter Norbeck (R), who died. Hitchock lost the Democratic primary both to finish the current term (ending in 1939) and for the new term (ending in 1945).
7. F. Ryan Duffy (D-WI)

Change in Senate composition

Senate composition before the elections

D8	D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28	D27	D26	D25	D24	D23	D22	D21	D20	D19
D29	D30	D31	D32	D33	D34	D35	D36	D37	D38
D48	D47	D46	D45	D44	D43	D42	D41	D40	D39
D49	← Majority
	D50	D51	D52	D53	D54	D55	D56	D57	D58
D68	D67	D66	D65	D64	D63	D62	D61	D60	D59
D69	D70	D71	D72	D73	D74	D75	V1	R16	R15
R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14
R4	R3	R2	R1	I1	P1	FL2	FL1

• V₁: New York seat: Royal Copeland (D) died June 17, 1938, and the seat was filled by special election in November.

Senate composition as a result of the elections

D8	D7	D6	D5	D4	D3	D2	D1
D9	D10	D11	D12	D13	D14	D15	D16	D17	D18
D28	D27	D26	D25	D24	D23	D22	D21	D20	D19
D29	D30	D31	D32	D33	D34	D35	D36	D37	D38
D48√	D47√	D46√	D45	D44	D43	D42	D41	D40	D39
D49√	← Majority
	D50√	D51√	D52√	D53√	D54√	D55√	D56√	D57√	D58√
D68O	D67O	D66O	D65O	D64√	D63√	D62√	D61√	D60√	D59√
D69O	R23+	R22+	R21+	R20+	R19+	R18+	R17+	R16O	R15√
R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13√	R14√
R4	R3	R2	R1	I1	P1	FL2	FL1

Key:	D =Democratic FL =Farmer–Labor P =Progressive R =Republican V =Vacant √ = Incumbent re-elected O = Party hold: New senator elected from same party + = Party gain: New senator elected from different party

Senate contests in 1938

Separate elections

Date	State	Incumbent	Party	Status	Opposing Candidates
January 10, 1938	Alabama Special: Class 2	Dixie Bibb Graves	Democratic	Appointee retired Winner elected to finish term ending January 3, 1939 Democratic hold	Lister Hill (Democratic)

November elections

State	Incumbent		Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party
Alabama	Lister Hill	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Lister Hill (Democratic) 86.4% J. M. Pennington (Republican) 13.6%
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Carl Hayden (Democratic) 76.5% B. H. Clingan (Republican) 23.5%
Arkansas	Hattie W. Caraway	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Hattie W. Caraway (Democratic) 89.6% C. D. Atkinson (Republican) 10.4%
California	William G. McAdoo	Democratic	Lost renomination Democratic hold	√ Sheridan Downey (Democratic) 54.4% Philip Bancroft (Republican) 44.7% Lillain Symes Clements (Socialist) 0.9%
Colorado	Alva B. Adams	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Alva B. Adams (Democratic) 58.2% Archibald A. Lee (Republican) 40.2%
Connecticut	Augustine Lonergan	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	√ John A. Danaher (Republican) 42.9% Augustine Lonergan (Democratic) 40.0% Bellani Trombley (Socialist) 15.8%
Florida	Claude Pepper	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Claude Pepper (Democratic) 82.5% Thomas E. Swanson (Republican) 17.6%
Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Walter F. George (Democratic), Unopposed
Idaho	James P. Pope	Democratic	Lost renomination Democratic hold	√ D. Worth Clark (Democratic) 54.7% Donald A. Callahan (Republican) 44.9%
Illinois	William H. Dieterich	Democratic	Retired Democratic hold	√ Scott W. Lucas (Democratic) 51.3% Richard J. Lyons (Republican) 48.3%
Indiana	Frederick Van Nuys	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Frederick Van Nuys (Democratic) 49.8% Raymond E. Willis (Republican) 49.5% Herman L. Seeger (Prohibition) 0.4% Louis E. Roebuck (Socialist) 0.1% Miles Blansett (Communist) 0.1%
Iowa	Guy M. Gillette	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Guy M. Gillette (Democratic) 49.7% Lester J. Dickinson (Republican) 49.4%
Kansas	George McGill	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	√ Clyde M. Reed (Republican) 56.2% George McGill (Democratic) 43.8%
Kentucky	Alben W. Barkley	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Alben W. Barkley (Democratic) 62.0% John P. Haswell (Republican) 38.0%
Louisiana	John H. Overton	Democratic	Re-elected, 99.8	√ John H. Overton (Democratic)
Maryland	Millard E. Tydings	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Millard E. Tydings (Democratic) 68.3% Oscar Lesser (Republican) 29.3%
Missouri	Bennett Champ Clark	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Bennett Champ Clark (Democratic) 60.7% Harry S. Caulfield (Republican) 39.2%
Nevada	Patrick A. McCarran	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Patrick A. McCarran (Democratic) 59.0% Tasker L. Oddie (Republican) 41.0%
New Hampshire	Fred H. Brown	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	√ Charles W. Tobey (Republican) 54.2% Fred H. Brown (Democratic) 45.8%
New Jersey (Special: Class 1)	John G. Milton	Democratic	Retired Republican gain	√ W. Warren Barbour (Republican) 53.0% William H. J. Ely (Democratic) 45.7%
New York (Special: Class 1)	Vacant		Royal S. Copeland (D) died June 17, 1938 Democratic hold	√ James M. Mead (Democratic) 53.6% Edward F. Corsi (Republican) 45.8%
New York (General: Class 3)	Robert F. Wagner	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Robert F. Wagner (Democratic) 54.5% John L. O'Brian (Republican) 45.0%
North Carolina	Robert R. Reynolds	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Robert R. Reynolds (Democratic) 63.8% Charles A. Jonas (Republican) 36.2%
North Dakota	Gerald P. Nye	Republican	Re-elected	√ Gerald P. Nye (Republican) 50.1% William Langer (Independent) 42.6% J. J. Nygard (Democratic) 7.3%
Ohio	Robert J. Bulkley	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	√ Robert A. Taft (Republican) 53.6% Robert J. Bulkley (Democratic) 46.4%
Oklahoma	Elmer Thomas	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Elmer Thomas (Democratic) 65.4% Harry G. Glasser (Republican) 33.9%
Oregon (Special: Class 3)	Alfred E. Reames	Republican	Appointee retired Winner of special election finished term. Winner of general election served next term Republican hold	Alexander G. Barry (Republican)
Oregon (General: Class 3)				Rufus C. Holman (Republican) 54.9% Willis Mahoney (Democratic) 45.1%
Pennsylvania	James J. Davis	Republican	Re-elected	√ James J. Davis (Republican) 54.7% George H. Earle (Democratic) 44.4%
South Carolina	Ellison D. Smith	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Ellison D. Smith (Democratic), Unopposed
South Dakota (Special: Class 3)	Herbert E. Hitchcock	Democratic	Appointee lost elections to finish term and to next terms Republican gain	Gladys Pyle (Republican) 58.1% John T. McCullen (Democratic) 41.9%
South Dakota (General: Class 3)				Chandler Gurney (Republican) 52.5% Tom Berry (Democratic) 47.5%
Tennessee (Special: Class 1)	George L. Berry	Democratic	Lost renomination Democratic hold	√ Tom Stewart (Democratic) 70.5% Harley G. Fowler (Republican) 26.2%
Utah	Elbert D. Thomas	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Elbert D. Thomas (Democratic) 55.8% Franklin S. Harris (Republican) 44.2%
Vermont	Ernest W. Gibson	Republican	Re-elected	√ Ernest W. Gibson (Republican) 65.7% John McGrath (Democratic) 34.3%
Washington	Homer T. Bone	Democratic	Re-elected	√ Homer T. Bone (Democratic) 62.6% Ewing D. Colvin (Republican) 37.1% Eugene Solie (Socialist Labor) 0.3%
Wisconsin	F. Ryan Duffy	Democratic	Lost re-election Republican gain	√ Alexander Wiley (Republican) 47.7% Herman L. Ekern (Progressive) 26.6% F. Ryan Duffy (Democratic) 24.7%

Further reading

• Dunn, Susan. Roosevelt's Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party (2010) excerpt and text search
• Hixson, Walter L. "The 1938 Kentucky Senate Election: Alben W. Barkley, "Happy" Chandler, and The New Deal." Register of the Kentucky Historical Society (1982): 309-329. in JSTOR
• Plesur, Milton. "The Republican Congressional Comeback of 1938", Review of Politics Vol. 24, No. 4 (Oct. 1962), pp. 525–562 in JSTOR

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections, 1938

References

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