1956 United States Senate elections
Races leading to the 85th Congress
In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1956; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

1956 United States Senate elections

Section Title: Races leading to the 85th Congress
Table Section Text: In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1956; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent	Results	Candidates

Senator	Party	Electoral history

Alabama	Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed) 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Lister Hill (Democratic) Unopposed

Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Carl Hayden (Democratic) 61.4% Ross F. Jones (Republican) 38.6%

Arkansas	J. William Fulbright	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ J. William Fulbright (Democratic) 83.0% Ben C. Henley (Republican) 17.0%

California	Thomas H. Kuchel	Republican	1953 (Appointed) 1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Thomas H. Kuchel (Republican) 54.0% Richard Richards (Democratic) 45.6% Ray Gourley (Prohibition) 0.4%

Colorado	Eugene D. Millikin	Republican	1941 (Appointed) 1942 (Special) 1944 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ John A. Carroll (Democratic) 50.2% Dan Thornton (Republican) 49.8%

Connecticut	Prescott S. Bush	Republican	1952 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Prescott S. Bush (Republican) 54.8% Thomas J. Dodd (Democratic) 43.1%

Florida	George A. Smathers	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ George A. Smathers (Democratic) Unopposed

Georgia	Walter F. George	Democratic	1922 (Special) 1926 1932 1938 1944 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	√ Herman E. Talmadge (Democratic) Unopposed

Idaho	Herman Welker	Republican	1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Frank Church (Democratic) 56.2% Herman Welker (Republican) 38.7%

Illinois	Everett M. Dirksen	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Everett M. Dirksen (Republican) 54.1% W. Richard Stengel (Democratic) 45.7%

Indiana	Homer E. Capehart	Republican	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Homer E. Capehart (Republican) 55.2% Claude R. Wickard (Democratic) 44.4%

Iowa	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Republican	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Bourke B. Hickenlooper (Republican) 53.9% R. M. Evans (Democratic) 46.1%

Kansas	Frank Carlson	Republican	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Frank Carlson (Republican) 57.9% George Hart (Democratic) 40.5%

Kentucky	Earle C. Clements	Democratic	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	√ Thruston Morton (Republican) 50.4% Earle C. Clements (Democratic) 49.7%

Louisiana	Russell B. Long	Democratic	1948 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Russell B. Long (Democratic) Unopposed

Maryland	John M. Butler	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ John M. Butler (Republican) 53.0% George P. Mahoney (Democratic) 47.0%

Missouri	Thomas C. Hennings, Jr.	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Thomas C. Hennings, Jr. (Democratic) 56.4% Herbert Douglas (Republican) 43.6%

Nevada	Alan Bible	Democratic	1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Alan Bible (Democratic) 52.6% Cliff Young (Republican) 47.4%

New Hampshire	Norris Cotton	Republican	1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Norris Cotton (Republican) 64.1% Laurence M. Pickett (Democratic) 35.9%

New York	Herbert H. Lehman	Democratic	1950 (Special) 1950	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	√ Jacob K. Javits (Republican) 53.3% Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (Democratic) 46.7%

North Carolina	Sam J. Ervin, Jr.	Democratic	1954 (Appointed) 1954 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Sam J. Ervin, Jr. (Democratic) 66.6% Joel A. Johnson (Republican) 33.4%

North Dakota	Milton R. Young	Republican	1945 (Appointed) 1946 (Special) 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Milton R. Young (Republican) 63.6% Quentin N. Burdick (Democratic) 36.0%

Ohio	George H. Bender	Republican	1954 (Special)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Frank J. Lausche (Democratic) 52.9% George H. Bender (Republican) 47.1%

Oklahoma	Mike Monroney	Democratic	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Mike Monroney (Democratic) 55.4% Douglas McKeever (Republican) 44.7%

Oregon	Wayne Morse	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Wayne Morse (Democratic) 54.2% Douglas McKay (Republican) 45.8%

Pennsylvania	James H. Duff	Republican	1950	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Joseph S. Clark (Democratic) 50.1% James H. Duff (Republican) 49.7%

South Carolina	Olin B. Johnston	Democratic	1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Olin B. Johnston (Democratic) Unopposed

South Dakota	Francis Case	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Francis Case (Republican) 50.8% Kenneth Holum (Democratic) 49.2%

Utah	Wallace F. Bennett	Republican	1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Wallace F. Bennett (Republican) 54.0% Alonzo F. Hopkin (Democratic) 46.0%

Vermont	George D. Aiken	Republican	1940 (Special) 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ George D. Aiken (Republican) 66.4% Bernard G. O'Shea (Democratic) 33.6%

Washington	Warren G. Magnuson	Democratic	1944 (Appointed) 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Warren G. Magnuson (Democratic) 61.1% Arthur B. Langlie (Republican) 38.9%

Wisconsin	Alexander Wiley	Republican	1938 1944 1950	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Alexander Wiley (Republican) 58.6% Henry W. Maier (Democratic) 41.2%

Sentence(s)

In Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James H. Duff sought re-election, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Joseph S. Clark.

final_sentence: In Pennsylvania, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator James H. Duff sought re-election, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Joseph S. Clark.