1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
The 1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 5, 1946.
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Elections in Wisconsin |
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Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Robert La Follette, Jr. (who had until 1946 been a member of the Progressive Party) narrowly lost the primary election to Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy would go on to win the general election against Rep. Howard McMurray of Milwaukee in a landslide. McCarthy became the first person other than a La Follette to hold this seat since 1906.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Robert La Follette, Jr., incumbent U.S. Senator
- Joseph McCarthy, judge of Wisconsin's 10th Circuit Court
- Perry J. Stearns, candidate for Senate in 1944
Campaign
The Republican primary election was noted for its divisiveness and bitterness.
The incumbent Senator La Follette, who had just re-joined the Republican Party after the collapse of the Wisconsin Progressive Party earlier that year, was challenged by Judge Joe McCarthy of Appleton. Disbanding the Progressive Party and seeking election on the Republican ticket that same year cost him the support of many progressive supporters that belonged to the former, while the more conservative Republicans were also suspicious of La Follette, as he had previously run against them.
La Follette ran an isolationist campaign against the United Nations and was critical of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Confident of victory, he remained in Washington to draft and win passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 rather than returning to Wisconsin to campaign for re-election.
McCarthy campaigned aggressively and attacked La Follette for not enlisting during World War II, although La Follette had been 46 when Pearl Harbor was bombed and would have been too old to be accepted. McCarthy played up his own wartime service, using his wartime nickname, "Tail-Gunner Joe," and the slogan "Congress needs a tail-gunner". McCarthy also claimed that while he had been away fighting for his country, La Follette had made huge profits from investments; the suggestion that La Follette had been guilty of war profiteering was deeply damaging.
While La Follette initially started with a large lead in the polls, that lead gradually dwindled, and on the primary election day, the results of the final county to report polls tipped the scales in McCarthy's favor. La Follette sent a one-word telegram saying "Congratulations" to McCarthy.
Results
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Joseph McCarthy | 207,935 | 47.25% | |
Republican | Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (incumbent) | 202,557 | 46.03% | |
Republican | Perry J. Stearns | 29,605 | 6.73% | |
Total votes | 440,097 | 100.00% |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Howard J. McMurray, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 5th congressional district
Results
McMurray was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Independents and third parties
Socialist
- Edwin Knappe, candidate for Wisconsin's 5th congressional district in 1942 and 1944
Socialist Labor
- Georgia Cozzini, nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1942
General election
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Joseph McCarthy | 620,430 | 61.28% | ![]() | |
Democratic | Howard J. McMurray | 378,772 | 37.41% | ![]() | |
Socialist | Edwin Knappe | 11,750 | 1.16% | ![]() | |
Socialist Labor | Georgia Cozzini | 1,552 | 0.15% | ![]() | |
None | Scattering | 2,090 | 0.21% | N/A | |
Majority | 241,658 | 23.82% | |||
Total votes | 1,014,594 | 100.00% | |||
Republican hold |
Results by county
County | Joseph Raymond McCarthy Republican |
Howard Johnstone McMurray Democratic |
Edwin W. Knappe Socialist |
Georgia Olive Cozzini Socialist Labor |
Margin | Total votes cast[3] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Adams | 1,336 | 63.11% | 769 | 36.32% | 9 | 0.43% | 3 | 0.14% | 567 | 26.78% | 2,117 |
Ashland | 3,144 | 56.18% | 2,416 | 43.17% | 23 | 0.41% | 13 | 0.23% | 728 | 13.01% | 5,596 |
Barron | 5,093 | 64.45% | 2,778 | 35.16% | 31 | 0.39% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,315 | 29.30% | 7,902 |
Bayfield | 2,412 | 56.75% | 1,811 | 42.61% | 19 | 0.45% | 8 | 0.19% | 601 | 14.14% | 4,250 |
Brown | 20,089 | 65.25% | 10,660 | 34.62% | 35 | 0.11% | 4 | 0.01% | 9,429 | 30.63% | 30,788 |
Buffalo | 2,877 | 70.41% | 1,177 | 28.81% | 21 | 0.51% | 11 | 0.27% | 1,700 | 41.61% | 4,086 |
Burnett | 1,644 | 60.91% | 1,040 | 38.53% | 10 | 0.37% | 5 | 0.19% | 604 | 22.38% | 2,699 |
Calumet | 4,432 | 71.97% | 1,706 | 27.70% | 19 | 0.31% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,726 | 44.27% | 6,158 |
Chippewa | 7,201 | 62.55% | 4,236 | 36.80% | 53 | 0.46% | 22 | 0.19% | 2,965 | 25.76% | 11,512 |
Clark | 5,818 | 67.42% | 2,721 | 31.53% | 83 | 0.96% | 8 | 0.09% | 3,097 | 35.89% | 8,630 |
Columbia | 6,589 | 66.94% | 3,212 | 32.63% | 40 | 0.41% | 2 | 0.02% | 3,377 | 34.31% | 9,843 |
Crawford | 3,805 | 65.86% | 1,964 | 34.00% | 5 | 0.09% | 3 | 0.05% | 1,841 | 31.87% | 5,777 |
Dane | 23,222 | 47.38% | 25,200 | 51.42% | 557 | 1.14% | 30 | 0.06% | -1,978 | -4.04% | 49,009 |
Dodge | 10,556 | 71.41% | 4,151 | 28.08% | 72 | 0.49% | 3 | 0.02% | 6,405 | 43.33% | 14,782 |
Door | 4,751 | 84.37% | 864 | 15.34% | 12 | 0.21% | 4 | 0.07% | 3,887 | 69.03% | 5,631 |
Douglas | 7,389 | 52.74% | 6,522 | 46.56% | 72 | 0.51% | 26 | 0.19% | 867 | 6.19% | 14,009 |
Dunn | 4,549 | 67.41% | 2,149 | 31.85% | 35 | 0.52% | 15 | 0.22% | 2,400 | 35.57% | 6,748 |
Eau Claire | 8,615 | 56.36% | 6,610 | 43.24% | 57 | 0.37% | 5 | 0.03% | 2,005 | 13.12% | 15,287 |
Florence | 668 | 63.56% | 375 | 35.68% | 8 | 0.76% | 0 | 0.00% | 293 | 27.88% | 1,051 |
Fond du Lac | 14,023 | 69.72% | 5,967 | 29.67% | 88 | 0.44% | 34 | 0.17% | 8,056 | 40.06% | 20,112 |
Forest | 1,491 | 51.65% | 1,384 | 47.94% | 8 | 0.28% | 4 | 0.14% | 107 | 3.71% | 2,887 |
Grant | 9,115 | 72.26% | 3,440 | 27.27% | 40 | 0.32% | 20 | 0.16% | 5,675 | 44.99% | 12,615 |
Green | 4,079 | 68.32% | 1,864 | 31.22% | 27 | 0.45% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,215 | 37.10% | 5,970 |
Green Lake | 3,789 | 80.22% | 925 | 19.59% | 5 | 0.11% | 4 | 0.08% | 2,864 | 60.64% | 4,723 |
Iowa | 4,418 | 67.82% | 2,084 | 31.99% | 11 | 0.17% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,334 | 35.83% | 6,514 |
Iron | 1,687 | 51.59% | 1,561 | 47.74% | 16 | 0.49% | 6 | 0.18% | 126 | 3.85% | 3,270 |
Jackson | 2,666 | 64.40% | 1,440 | 34.78% | 24 | 0.58% | 10 | 0.24% | 1,226 | 29.61% | 4,140 |
Jefferson | 8,379 | 66.83% | 4,105 | 32.74% | 50 | 0.40% | 3 | 0.02% | 4,274 | 34.09% | 12,537 |
Juneau | 3,717 | 74.64% | 1,237 | 24.84% | 25 | 0.50% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,480 | 49.80% | 4,980 |
Kenosha | 12,912 | 50.64% | 12,411 | 48.67% | 131 | 0.51% | 44 | 0.17% | 501 | 1.96% | 25,498 |
Kewaunee | 3,737 | 71.05% | 1,519 | 28.88% | 4 | 0.08% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,218 | 42.17% | 5,260 |
La Crosse | 11,092 | 66.18% | 5,547 | 33.09% | 99 | 0.59% | 23 | 0.14% | 5,545 | 33.08% | 16,761 |
Lafayette | 3,764 | 63.05% | 2,179 | 36.50% | 23 | 0.39% | 4 | 0.07% | 1,585 | 26.55% | 5,970 |
Langlade | 4,299 | 60.30% | 2,811 | 39.43% | 16 | 0.22% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,488 | 20.87% | 7,129 |
Lincoln | 4,405 | 71.51% | 1,689 | 27.42% | 51 | 0.83% | 15 | 0.24% | 2,716 | 44.09% | 6,160 |
Manitowoc | 12,615 | 60.77% | 8,063 | 38.84% | 66 | 0.32% | 14 | 0.07% | 4,552 | 21.93% | 20,758 |
Marathon | 12,231 | 55.02% | 9,676 | 43.53% | 309 | 1.39% | 14 | 0.06% | 2,555 | 11.49% | 22,230 |
Marinette | 6,132 | 68.56% | 2,759 | 30.85% | 41 | 0.46% | 12 | 0.13% | 3,373 | 37.71% | 8,944 |
Marquette | 2,035 | 81.47% | 450 | 18.01% | 11 | 0.44% | 2 | 0.08% | 1,585 | 63.45% | 2,498 |
Milwaukee | 151,104 | 54.74% | 117,163 | 42.44% | 6,910 | 2.50% | 873 | 0.32% | 33,941 | 12.30% | 276,050 |
Monroe | 5,250 | 69.08% | 2,305 | 30.33% | 42 | 0.55% | 3 | 0.04% | 2,945 | 38.75% | 7,600 |
Oconto | 5,116 | 72.23% | 1,920 | 27.11% | 40 | 0.56% | 7 | 0.10% | 3,196 | 45.12% | 7,083 |
Oneida | 3,238 | 58.20% | 2,288 | 41.12% | 32 | 0.58% | 6 | 0.11% | 950 | 17.07% | 5,564 |
Outagamie | 16,606 | 70.11% | 6,929 | 29.25% | 123 | 0.52% | 29 | 0.12% | 9,677 | 40.85% | 23,687 |
Ozaukee | 4,627 | 69.38% | 2,018 | 30.26% | 23 | 0.34% | 1 | 0.01% | 2,609 | 39.12% | 6,669 |
Pepin | 1,500 | 70.49% | 624 | 29.32% | 4 | 0.19% | 0 | 0.00% | 876 | 41.17% | 2,128 |
Pierce | 4,726 | 73.94% | 1,600 | 25.03% | 50 | 0.78% | 16 | 0.25% | 3,126 | 48.90% | 6,392 |
Polk | 4,070 | 61.94% | 2,464 | 37.50% | 36 | 0.55% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,606 | 24.44% | 6,571 |
Portage | 5,802 | 50.40% | 5,689 | 49.42% | 20 | 0.17% | 1 | 0.01% | 113 | 0.98% | 11,512 |
Price | 3,229 | 63.18% | 1,812 | 35.45% | 54 | 1.06% | 16 | 0.31% | 1,417 | 27.72% | 5,111 |
Racine | 18,175 | 52.06% | 16,461 | 47.15% | 229 | 0.66% | 45 | 0.13% | 1,714 | 4.91% | 34,910 |
Richland | 4,187 | 75.40% | 1,353 | 24.37% | 13 | 0.23% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,834 | 51.04% | 5,553 |
Rock | 17,409 | 65.71% | 8,890 | 33.55% | 178 | 0.67% | 17 | 0.06% | 8,519 | 32.15% | 26,494 |
Rusk | 3,340 | 66.64% | 1,641 | 32.74% | 25 | 0.50% | 6 | 0.12% | 1,699 | 33.90% | 5,012 |
Sauk | 7,463 | 68.75% | 3,151 | 29.03% | 233 | 2.15% | 9 | 0.08% | 4,312 | 39.72% | 10,856 |
Sawyer | 2,551 | 70.86% | 1,002 | 27.83% | 31 | 0.86% | 16 | 0.44% | 1,549 | 43.03% | 3,600 |
Shawano | 6,125 | 74.49% | 2,065 | 25.11% | 26 | 0.32% | 7 | 0.09% | 4,060 | 49.37% | 8,223 |
Sheboygan | 13,330 | 54.65% | 10,283 | 42.16% | 757 | 3.10% | 22 | 0.09% | 3,047 | 12.49% | 24,392 |
St. Croix | 4,938 | 63.49% | 2,799 | 35.99% | 34 | 0.44% | 6 | 0.08% | 2,139 | 27.50% | 7,777 |
Taylor | 3,153 | 61.41% | 1,750 | 34.09% | 226 | 4.40% | 5 | 0.10% | 1,403 | 27.33% | 5,134 |
Trempealeau | 4,189 | 62.82% | 2,446 | 36.68% | 25 | 0.37% | 8 | 0.12% | 1,743 | 26.14% | 6,668 |
Vernon | 4,509 | 66.06% | 2,299 | 33.68% | 9 | 0.13% | 9 | 0.13% | 2,210 | 32.38% | 6,826 |
Vilas | 2,098 | 66.99% | 1,015 | 32.41% | 9 | 0.29% | 10 | 0.32% | 1,083 | 34.58% | 3,132 |
Walworth | 8,896 | 79.83% | 2,212 | 19.85% | 31 | 0.28% | 4 | 0.04% | 6,684 | 59.98% | 11,143 |
Washburn | 1,818 | 62.09% | 1,099 | 37.53% | 9 | 0.31% | 2 | 0.07% | 719 | 24.56% | 2,928 |
Washington | 7,789 | 74.69% | 2,597 | 24.90% | 39 | 0.37% | 4 | 0.04% | 5,192 | 49.78% | 10,429 |
Waukesha | 17,606 | 73.31% | 6,227 | 25.93% | 162 | 0.67% | 20 | 0.08% | 11,379 | 47.38% | 24,015 |
Waupaca | 7,930 | 79.06% | 2,072 | 20.66% | 24 | 0.24% | 4 | 0.04% | 5,858 | 58.40% | 10,030 |
Waushara | 3,362 | 81.25% | 760 | 18.37% | 15 | 0.36% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,602 | 62.88% | 4,138 |
Winnebago | 16,329 | 67.48% | 7,756 | 32.05% | 98 | 0.40% | 16 | 0.07% | 8,573 | 35.43% | 24,199 |
Wood | 9,189 | 66.36% | 4,610 | 33.29% | 37 | 0.27% | 11 | 0.08% | 4,579 | 33.07% | 13,847 |
Totals | 620,430 | 61.28% | 378,772 | 37.41% | 11,750 | 1.16% | 1,552 | 0.15% | 241,658 | 23.87% | 1,012,504 |
References
- "WI US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1946" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- "WI US Senate". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 16 August 2019.