1946 United States Senate election in Montana

1946 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1940 November 5, 1946 1952 →
 
Nominee Zales Ecton Leif Erickson
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 101,901 86,476
Percentage 53.47% 45.38%

County results
Ecton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Erickson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
     No data

U.S. senator before election

Burton K. Wheeler
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Zales Ecton
Republican

The 1946 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 5, 1946. Incumbent United States Senator Burton K. Wheeler, who was first elected to the Senate in 1922, and was re-elected in 1928, 1934, and 1940, ran for re-election. He was challenged in the Democratic primary by Leif Erickson, the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, and, following a close election, was narrowly defeated by Erickson. In the general election, Erickson faced State Senator Zales Ecton, the Republican nominee. Ultimately, Ecton defeated Erickson by a fairly wide margin, winning his first and only term in the Senate. Another Republican would not be elected Senator from Montana until 42 years later, when Conrad Burns narrowly won the 1988 election.