1948 United States Senate elections

1948 United States Senate elections
← 1946 November 2, 1948 1950 →
33 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate
49 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Alben Barkley
(resigned after being elected vice president) 		Wallace White
(retired)
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since July 22, 1937 February 25, 1944
Leader's seat Kentucky Maine
Seats before 45 51
Seats after 54 42
Seat change Increase 9 Decrease 9
Popular vote 13,056,944 9,764,384
Percentage 56.5% 42.3%
Seats up 15 18
Races won 24 9
1948 United States Senate special election in Louisiana1948 United States Senate election in Alabama1948 United States Senate election in Arkansas1948 United States Senate election in Colorado1948 United States Senate election in Delaware1948 United States Senate election in Georgia1948 United States Senate election in Idaho1948 United States Senate election in Illinois1948 United States Senate election in Iowa1948 United States Senate election in Kansas1948 United States Senate election in Kentucky1948 United States Senate election in Louisiana1948 United States Senate election in Maine1948 United States Senate election in Massachusetts1948 United States Senate election in Michigan1948 United States Senate election in Minnesota1948 United States Senate election in Mississippi1948 United States Senate election in Montana1948 United States Senate election in Nebraska1948 United States Senate election in New Hampshire1948 United States Senate election in New Jersey1948 United States Senate election in New Mexico1948 United States Senate election in North Carolina1948 United States Senate election in Oklahoma1948 United States Senate election in Oregon1948 United States Senate election in Rhode Island1948 United States Senate election in South Carolina1948 United States Senate election in South Dakota1948 United States Senate election in Tennessee1948 United States Senate election in Texas1948 United States Senate election in Virginia1948 United States Senate election in West Virginia1948 United States Senate election in Wyoming
Results of the elections:
     Democratic gain      Democratic hold
     Republican hold
     No election
Rectangular inset (Louisiana): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election

Wallace White
Republican

Elected Majority Leader

Scott Lucas
Democratic

The 1948 United States Senate elections were held concurrently with the election of Democratic President Harry S. Truman for a full term. The 32 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections, and one special election was held to fill a vacancy. Truman campaigned against an "obstructionist" Congress that had blocked many of his initiatives, and additionally, the U.S. economy recovered from the postwar recession of 1946–1947 by election day. Thus, Truman was rewarded with a Democratic gain of nine seats in the Senate, enough to give them control of the chamber.[1][2] This was the last time until 2020 that Democrats flipped a chamber of Congress in a presidential election cycle.

  1. ^ William S. White (November 4, 1948). "SWEEP IN CONGRESS – Democrats Obtain 54-42 Margin in Senate by Winning 9 G.O.P. Seats". New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Truman Sweep". New York Times. November 7, 1948. Retrieved April 8, 2014.