1961 United States Senate special election in Texas

The 1961 United States Senate special election in Texas was held on May 27, 1961. The election was held to replace outgoing Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been elected Vice President of the United States.

1961 United States Senate special election in Texas

May 27, 1961
 
Nominee John Tower William A. Blakley
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 448,217 437,874
Percentage 50.58% 49.42%

County results
Tower:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Blakley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      

U.S. senator before election

William A. Blakley
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Tower
Republican

Republican John Tower, who had been the nominee for the regularly scheduled election in 1960, defeated seventy other candidates to become the first Republican to represent Texas in the Senate since Reconstruction. Tower was also the first post-Reconstruction Republican to win a statewide election in Texas, the first to win any popular election in a former Confederate state, and the third to win any election to the Senate from the former Confederacy.

Primary election

Candidates

Seventy-one candidates were on the ballot for the primary election. At the time, the filing fee for ballot access was only $50.

The primary was held on April 4.

Major candidates

Minor candidates

None of these candidates received more than 0.5% of the popular vote.

  • G. H. Allen
  • Jim W. Amos
  • Dale Baker
  • Mali Barraco
  • Tom E. Barton
  • R. G. Becker
  • Jacob Bergolofsky
  • Ted Bisland
  • G. E. Blewett
  • Joyce Bradshaw
  • Chester D. Brooks
  • William L. Burlison
  • Ronald J. Byers
  • Joseph M. Carter
  • George A. Davisson
  • Winnie K. Derrick
  • Harry R. Diehl
  • Harvill O. Eaton
  • Jonnie Mae Eckman
  • Paul F. Eix
  • Ben H. Faber
  • H. E. Fanning
  • Charles O. Foerster Jr.
  • Harold Franklin
  • George N. Gallagher Jr.
  • Richard J. Gay
  • Van T. George Jr.
  • Arthur Glover
  • Delbert E. Granstaff
  • Curtis E. Hill
  • Willard Park Holland
  • John N. Hopkins
  • Mary Hazel Houston
  • Ben M. Johnson
  • Guy Johnson
  • Morgan H. Johnson
  • C. B. Kennedy
  • H. Springer Knoblauch
  • Lloyd Layne
  • Hugh O. Lea
  • V. C. Logan
  • Frank A. Matera
  • Brown McCallum
  • James E. McKeen
  • Steve Nemecek
  • George E. Noyes
  • Cecil D. Perkins
  • William H. Posey
  • George Red
  • Wesley Roberts
  • D. T. Sampson
  • Eristus Sams
  • A. Dale Savage
  • Carl Schrade
  • Albert Roy Smith
  • Homer H. Stalarow
  • Frank Stanford
  • John B. Sypert
  • Martha Tredway
  • S. S. Vela
  • Bill Whitten
  • Hugh Wilson
  • Hoyt G. Wilson
  • Marcos Zertuche
1961 U.S. Senate special election primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Tower 327,308 30.93%
Democratic William Blakely (incumbent) 190,818 18.03%
Democratic Jim Wright 171,328 16.19%
Democratic Will Wilson 121,961 11.53%
Democratic Maury Maverick Jr. 104,992 9.92%
Democratic Henry B. Gonzalez 97,659 9.23%
Various Minor candidates 44,058 4.16%
Total votes 1,058,124 100.00%


Runoff election

Results

1961 U.S. Senate special election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican John Tower 448,217 50.58% 9.46
Democratic William A. Blakley (incumbent) 437,874 49.42% 8.56
Total votes 886,091 100.00%

References

  1. "TX US Senate - Special Primary". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. "TX US Senate - Special". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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