1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

The 1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Democratic Senator David I. Walsh ran for re-election to a fifth term[lower-alpha 1] in office, but was defeated by Republican former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who returned from service in World War II.

1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
November 5, 1946
 
Nominee Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. David I. Walsh
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 989,736 660,200
Percentage 59.6% 39.7%
Map key
Lodge:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
U.S. senator before election

David I. Walsh
Democratic

 Elected U.S. Senator

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Republican

A Republican would not hold this Senate seat until Scott Brown, who was elected to serve a partial term in 2010. As of 2023, this remains the last time that a Republican has won a full term in this seat.

Background

Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was elected to two terms in the U.S. Senate in 1936 and 1942, but resigned during his second term to serve in World War II. With the completion of the war in Europe, Lodge returned to Massachusetts and to politics.[1]

David I. Walsh had served four terms in office since his election as an ally of Woodrow Wilson in 1916 but had alienated New Deal supporters by opposing the labor and social reform measures of the Second New Deal. He was also embroiled in a personal scandal after the owner of a Brooklyn homosexual brothel allegedly frequented by German spies had sworn under oath that Walsh was his client. Though J. Edgar Hoover cleared Walsh of any wrongdoing, the scandal hung over his head.[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Senator Walsh was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Despite the brothel scandal, he faced no opposition at the Democratic convention, which was the shortest recorded. The convention started at 2 P.M., to allow delegates to attend the funeral of Walsh's sister Hannah, and finished by 5 P.M. Walsh did not attend and there was no debate over his nomination, though Attorney General nominee Paul Dever devoted his own speech to praising Walsh's record.[3]

1946 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David I. Walsh (incumbent) 194,323 99.99%
Write-in 28 0.01%
None Blank votes 93,302 –
Turnout 287,653 100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Lodge was unopposed for the Republican nomination. He was heavily recruited by the state Republican Party, which sought to counter the supposed popularity of Walsh and Governor Maurice J. Tobin. A formal declaration of candidacy was submitted to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in April.[5]

1946 Republican U.S. Senate primary[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 186,376 100.00%
Write-in 8 0.00%
None Blank votes 24,331 –
Turnout 210,715 100.00

General election

Candidates

Campaign

Lodge, who considered Walsh a family friend, avoided mentioning his opponent's alleged homosexuality or impropriety. He centered his campaign on criticism of postwar economic conditions, arguing that inflation, labor strife, and consumer goods shortages were leading the country toward "another depression".[7]

Results

[8]

United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1946[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 989,736 59.55% Increase17.17
Democratic David I. Walsh (incumbent) 660,200 39.72% Decrease15.92
Socialist Labor Henning A. Blomen 9,221 0.56% Increase0.35
Prohibition Mark R. Shaw 2,898 0.17% Decrease0.32
Total votes 1,662,055 100.0%

Lodge carried every county and the city of Boston.[7]

Notes
  1. Walsh had served three consecutive terms since 1929 in addition to a fourth nonconsecutive term from 1917 to 1923.
  2. Walsh had previously served in the Senate from 1917 to 1923.

References
  1. Whalen, Thomas J. (2000). Kennedy versus Lodge: The 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race. Northeastern University Press. p. 51.
  2. Whalen 2000, p. 51.
  3. "State PAC Votes to Back Tobin, Walsh and Dever". The Berkshire Eagle. September 23, 1946. p. 14. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  4. Election Statistics, 1946.
  5. "Lodge Papers Circulating for Republican Senate Nomination". The Berkshire Eagle. April 15, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  6. Election Statistics, 1946.
  7. Whalen 2000, p. 52.
  8. Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth. "Election statistics". Internet Archive. UMass Amherst Libraries. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946".


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