1958 United States Senate election in Indiana

none March 2026 September 2023 1958 United States Senate election in Indiana Indiana presidential no 1952 United States Senate election in Indiana 1952 1964 United States Senate election in Indiana 1964 November 4, 1958 File:Vance Hartke.jpg 150x150px Vance Hartke Democratic Party (United States) 973,636 56.46% File:Harold W. Handley (Indiana Governor) 2.jpg Harold W. Handley Republican Party (United States) 731,635 42.42% 1958 United States Senate election in Indiana results map by county.svg 160px County resultsHartke: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70%Handley: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% U.S. Senator William E. Jenner Republican Party (United States) Vance Hartke Democratic Party (United States) The 1958 United States Senate election in Indiana was held on November 4, 1958. Outgoing Senator William E. Jenner, a Republican, retired and was succeeded by Democrat Vance Hartke, the mayor of Evansville, Indiana. Hartke defeated Harold W. Handley, the conservative Governor of Indiana and a close friend of Jenner. This was one of 15 seats held by Republicans gained by the Democratic Party in the 1958 United States Senate elections. General election Campaign When Jenner elected to forgo a third full term in office ahead of the 1958 election, he intended his friend and protégé Governor Harold W. Handley to be his successor. With the help of Lieutenant Governor Crawford F. Parker, they hatched a plan for both Jenner and Handley to resign before the election; Parker would then become governor and appoint Handley to the vacant Senate seat. Handley's rivals within the party predicted the scheme would "set the Republican Party back an entire generation." The plan was never implemented, and Jenner served out the remainder of his term.Gugin, Linda C. St. Clair, James E The Governors of Indiana Indiana Historical Society Press Indianapolis, Indiana 2006 0-87195-196-7 registration https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780871951960 334–35 Handley had been elected governor only two years before and had pledged during that campaign to serve the duration of his four-year term. Campaigning for the Senate was perceived as a violation of that pledge, as Handley would be forced to resign the governorship early if elected. Handley was hurt as well by another broken campaign promise, a significant tax increase he had ushered through the Indiana General Assembly. High unemployment coupled with Handley's tacit endorsement of the state right-to-work law damaged his standing with working class and union voters. Hartke, the Democratic nominee, ran a disciplined campaign that capitalized on Handley's weaknesses. On election day, he took 56.5% of the statewide vote, winning the first of three terms he would serve between 1959 and 1977. Results General election resultshttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=262070 Our Campaigns OurCampaigns 7 January 2019 Democratic Party (United States) Vance Hartke 973,636 56.46% 9.64 Republican Party (United States) Harold W. Handley 731,635 42.42% 10.02 Prohibition Party (United States) John R. Stelle 19,327 1.12% 0.47 1,724,598 100.00% N/A Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) See also 1958 United States Senate elections References 1958 Indiana United States Senate