1957 United States Senate elections

Democrat William Proxmire won a special election to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (R-WI). Also, Price Daniel (D-TX) left the Senate to become governor of Texas, and Democrat Ralph Yarborough won a special election for that Senate seat. The Democrats thus made a net gain of one seat. However, Congress was out of session at the time of the Democratic gain in Wisconsin, and the Republicans gained a Democratic-held seat only weeks after the next session started, when Republican John D. Hoblitzell Jr. was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Matthew M. Neely (D-WV).

## Race summary[edit]

Ordered by election date.

State  | Incumbent  | Results  | Candidates

|
|
|

Senator  | Party  | Electoral history
Texas
(Class 1)  | William A. Blakley | Democratic  | 1957 (Appointed) | Interim appointee retired when successor elected.
New senator elected April 2, 1957.
Democratic hold. |

* ▌Y Ralph Yarborough (Democratic) 38.1%
* ▌Martin Dies Jr. (Democratic) 30.4%
* ▌Thad Hutcheson (Republican) 22.9%[1][2]

Wisconsin
(Class 1)  | Joseph McCarthy | Republican  | 1946
1952 | Incumbent died May 2, 1957.
New senator elected August 28, 1957.
Democratic gain.  |

* ▌Y William Proxmire (Democratic) 56.4%
* ▌Walter J. Kohler Jr. (Republican) 40.5%
* ▌Howard J. Boyle (Constitution) 2.66%[3]

## Texas[edit]

1957 United States Senate special election in Texas

* * *

| <- 1952 | April 2, 1957 | 1958 ->

|
|

|  |  |  |

|
|
|

Nominee  | Ralph Yarborough | Martin Dies Jr. | Thad Hutcheson
Party  | Democratic | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 364,605 | 290,803  | 219,591
Percentage  | 38.09% | 30.38%  | 22.94%

* * *

County Results
Yarborough:  30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

Dies:  20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Hutcheson:  30–40% 40–50% 60–70%

Tie:  30–40%

* * *

| U.S. senator before election

William Blakley
Democratic

| Elected U.S. Senator

Ralph Yarborough
Democratic

|

Main article: 1957 United States Senate special election in Texas

See also: List of United States senators from Texas

One-term Democrat Price Daniel resigned January 14, 1957 to become Governor of Texas. Daniel appointed Democrat William A. Blakley January 15, 1957.

In 1956, Allan Shivers opted not to run for a fourth term as Governor of Texas; Senator Price Daniel, as a sitting U.S. Senator was elected Governor of Texas.

Like his gubernatorial predecessor Allan Shivers and Daniel, Blakley was an "Eisenhower Democrat" who had supported Dwight Eisenhower over the national Democratic Party candidate Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956.

Blakley, who had gained prominence in Texas politics for his business successes was, at the time, building a $125 million shopping center and a 1,000-room hotel in Dallas. Governor Shivers, who had been considering appointing a Republican candidate to the Senate seat, instead named Blakley to the United States Senate pending a special election for the seat.

Pressured by the Democratic Party in the interests of cooling tensions from the gubernatorial election, Blakley did not seek the remaining term as senator. He hence served for fewer than four months from January 15 to April 28. Ralph Yarborough succeeded him in the special election, winning with a plurality of the vote when the conservatives divided three ways.

Thereafter, Texas law was changed to require a runoff between the two leading candidates in a special election if no one had a majority in the first round). Blakley left the Senate saying "I shall go back to my boots and saddle and ride toward the Western sunset."[4]

Yarborough would be re-elected in 1958 and again in 1964.

Texas special election[5][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Democratic | Ralph W. Yarborough | 364,605  | 38.09%
| Democratic | Martin Dies Jr. | 290,803  | 30.38%
| Republican | Thad Hutcheson | 219,591  | 22.94%
| Democratic | Searcy Bracewell | 33,384  | 3.49%
| Democratic | James P. Hart | 19,739  | 2.06%
| Democratic | John C. White | 11,876  | 1.24%
| Democratic | Ralph W. Hammonds  | 2,372  | 0.25%
| Democratic | Elmer Adams  | 2,228  | 0.23%
| Democratic | M. T. Banks  | 2,153  | 0.23%
| Democratic | Frank G. Cortez  | 1,350  | 0.14%
| Democratic | Charles W. Hill  | 1,025  | 0.11%
| Democratic | Jacob Bergolofsky  | 890  | 0.09%
| Democratic | J. Cal Courtney  | 879  | 0.09%
| Democratic | Hugh Wilson  | 851  | 0.09%
Majority  | 73,802  | 7.71%
Turnout |  | 12.41% (total pop)
| Democratic hold

## Wisconsin[edit]

See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin

Two-term Republican Joseph McCarthy died May 2, 1957. In the summer of 1957, a special election was held to fill McCarthy's seat. In the primaries, voters in both parties turned away from McCarthy's legacy. The Republican primary was won by Walter J. Kohler Jr., who called for a clean break from McCarthy's approach; he defeated former Congressman Glenn Robert Davis, who charged that Eisenhower was soft on Communism.[7] The Democratic candidate, William Proxmire,[8] called the late McCarthy "a disgrace to Wisconsin, to the Senate, and to America". On August 27, Proxmire won the election, serving in the seat for 32 years.[9][10]

Proxmire would be re-elected five more times, serving until his retirement in 1989.

1957 United States Senate special election in Wisconsin

* * *

| <- 1952 | August 28, 1957 | 1958 ->

|
|

|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | William Proxmire | Walter Kohler |
Party  | Democratic | Republican
Popular vote  | 435,985 | 312,931
Percentage  | 56.44% | 40.51%

* * *

County results

Proxmire:  40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Kohler:  40–50% 50–60%

* * *

| U.S. senator before election

Joseph McCarthy
Republican

| Elected U.S. Senator

William Proxmire
Democratic

|

Wisconsin Special U.S. Senate Election, 1957[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Democratic | William Proxmire | 435,985  | 56.44%  | +15.22%
| Republican | Walter Kohler | 312,931  | 40.51%  | -18.08%
| Constitution Party (United States, 1952) | Howard Boyle  | 20,581  | 2.66%  |
| Independent | Donald Wheaton  | 2,288  | 0.30%  |
| Socialist Labor | Georgia Cozzini  | 704  | 0.09%  |
Majority  | 123,054 | 15.93% |
Turnout | 772,489 |  |
| Democratic gain from Republican

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2020)

|

## See also[edit]

* 1957 United States House of Representatives elections

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate - Special Election Race - Apr 02, 1957". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
2. ^ Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections. 1975. p. 505. ISBN 087187072X.
3. ^ "1957 Senatorial Special Election Results - Wisconsin". Retrieved June 24, 2020.
4. ^ Time (magazine)
5. ^ Texas State Historical Association (1957). "Texas Almanac, 1958-1959". The Portal to Texas History. The Dallas Morning News. pp. 457–458. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
6. ^ Register of Elected and Appointed State and County Officials 1956–1959. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. pp. 443–448, 461–466, 491–498
7. ^ "Our Campaigns - WI US Senate - Special R Primary Race - Jul 30, 1957". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
8. ^ "Our Campaigns - WI US Senate - Special D Primary Race - Jul 30, 1957". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
9. ^ "Our Campaigns - WI US Senate Race - Aug 28, 1957". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
10. ^ Nichols, John (July 31, 2007). "In 1957, a McCarthy-free morning in America". The Capital Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009.
11. ^ Johnson, Ruth (December 17, 2002). "Election Results: GENERAL ELECTION - November 05, 2002 (United States Senator 6 Year Term (1) Position)". Michigan Department of State. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013.

* v
* t
* e

(1956<-)  1957 United States elections (->1958)

U.S.
Senate|

* Texas (Special)
* Wisconsin (Special)

U.S. House|

* Illinois
* 7th sp
* New Jersey
* 2nd sp
* New Mexico
* Pennsylvania
* 13th sp

Governors|

* New Jersey
* Virginia

Mayors|

* Los Angeles, CA
* Manchester, NH
* New York City, NY
* Pittsburgh, PA
* Springfield, MA

* v
* t
* e

United States Senate elections

1788–1913
(elected by state
legislatures)|

* 1788–89
* 1790–91
* 1792–93
* 1794–95
* 1796–97
* 1798–99
* 1800–01
* 1802–03
* 1804–05
* 1806–07
* 1808–09
* 1810–11
* 1812–13
* 1814–15
* 1816–17
* 1818–19
* 1820–21
* 1822–23
* 1824–25
* 1826–27
* 1828–29
* 1830–31
* 1832–33
* 1834–35
* 1836–37
* 1838–39
* 1840–41
* 1842–43
* 1844–45
* 1846–47
* 1848–49
* 1850–51
* 1852–53
* 1854–55
* 1856–57
* 1858–59
* 1860–61
* 1862–63
* 1864–65
* 1866–67
* 1868–69
* 1870–71
* 1872–73
* 1874–75
* 1876–77
* 1878–79
* 1880–81
* 1882–83
* 1884–85
* 1886–87
* 1888–89
* 1890–91
* 1892–93
* 1894–95
* 1896–97
* 1898–99
* 1900–01
* 1902–03
* 1904–05
* 1906–07
* 1908–09
* 1910–11
* 1912–13

1914–present
(popular election)|

| Regulars
and
even-year
specials|

* 1914
* 1916
* 1918
* 1920
* 1922
* 1924
* 1926
* 1928
* 1930
* 1932
* 1934
* 1936
* 1938
* 1940
* 1942
* 1944
* 1946
* 1948
* 1950
* 1952
* 1954
* 1956
* 1958
* 1960
* 1962
* 1964
* 1966
* 1968
* 1970
* 1972
* 1974
* 1976
* 1978
* 1980
* 1982
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024
* 2026
* 2028

|

Odd-year
specials|

* 1921
* 1923
* 1925
* 1931
* 1933
* 1937
* 1941
* 1947
* 1949
* 1957
* 1959
* 1961
* 1974–75
* 1983
* 1991
* 1993
* 2013
* 2017
* List of all specials

Elections by state|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

* Special elections
* Election disputes
* Results by state
* List of US elections
* House elections
* Presidential elections
* Gubernatorial elections

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template