1948 United States Senate elections


The 1948 United States Senate elections were elections which coincided with the election of Democratic President Harry S. 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 1946–47 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.

Gains and losses

In addition to gaining an open seat in Oklahoma, the Democrats defeated eight Republican incumbents:
  1. C. Douglass Buck
  2. Henry Dworshak
  3. Charles W. Brooks
  4. George A. Wilson
  5. John Sherman Cooper
  6. Joseph H. Ball
  7. Chapman Revercomb
  8. Edward V. Robertson

    Change in composition

Before the elections

Election results

Race summaries

Special elections during the 80th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1948 or before January 3, 1949; ordered by election date.

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1949; ordered by state.
All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

Alabama

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

General

Special

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Montana

Incumbent United States Senator James E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 1934 and was re-elected in 1936 and 1942, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he faced Tom J. Davis, an attorney and the Republican nominee, in the general election. Following a narrow re-election in 1936, Murray significantly expanded his margin of victory and comfortably won re-election over Davis, winning his fourth term and his third full term in the Senate.

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Carolina

General

Special

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Senator Burnet R. Maybank was opposed in the Democratic primary by U.S. Representative William Jennings Bryan Dorn and three other candidates. Maybank obtained over 50% in the primary election on August 10 to avoid a runoff election.
Since the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the Democratic Party dominated the politics of South Carolina and its statewide candidates were never seriously challenged. Maybank did not campaign for the general election as there was no chance of defeat.

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

Incumbent Democratic Senator Absalom Willis Robertson defeated Republican Robert H. Woods and was re-elected to his first full term in office.

West Virginia

Wyoming