1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

none March 2026 September 2023 1946 United States Senate election in Massachusetts Massachusetts 1908 presidential no 1940 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1940 1952 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1952 November 5, 1946 150x150px HenryCabotLodgeJr (1).jpg Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Republican Party (United States) 989,736 59.55% File:Sen. David I. Walsh 1939 (cropped).jpg David I. Walsh Democratic Party (United States) 660,200 39.72% 300px County results 300px| Municipality results 1 250px Lodge: #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 90–100%Walsh: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% U.S. Senator David I. Walsh Democratic Party (United States) Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Republican Party (United States) 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 termWalsh had served three consecutive terms since 1929 in addition to a fourth nonconsecutive term from 1917 to 1923. in office, but was defeated by Republican former Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who returned from service in World War II. 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.Kennedy versus Lodge: The 1952 Massachusetts Senate Race Whalen Thomas J. Northeastern University Press 2000 51 David I. Walsh had served four terms in office since his election as an ally of Woodrow Wilson in 1918 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 an official Federal Bureau of Investigation report failed to reveal any wrongdoing, the investigation did find substantial "derogatory information" regarding Walsh, and the scandal hung over his head.Whalen 2000 51 Democratic primary Candidates David I. Walsh, incumbent Senator since 1926Walsh Walsh had previously served in the Senate from 1919 to 1925. Given his poor relationship with President Harry S. Truman, Walsh anticipated that the White House might support an opponent in a Democratic primary,Hanify, Edward B., Memories of a Senator: The Honorable David I. Walsh (Boston, Mass., 1994), pp. 2627 but no opponent materialized. Results 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.State PAC Votes to Back Tobin, Walsh and Dever The Berkshire Eagle 23 Sep 1946 14 https://www.newspapers.com/image/532373035/ subscription 5 Oct 2022 1946 Democratic U.S. Senate primaryElection Statistics, 1946 https://archive.org/stream/electionstatisti19461948mass#page/n69/mode/2up Democratic Party (United States) David I. Walsh (incumbent) 194,323 99.99% 28 0.01% None Blank votes 93,302 – 287,653 100.00 Republican primary Candidates Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., former Senator (1937–1944) 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.Lodge Papers Circulating for Republican Senate Nomination The Berkshire Eagle 15 Apr 1946 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/532445665/ 5 Oct 2022 subscription 1946 Republican U.S. Senate primaryElection Statistics, 1946 https://archive.org/stream/electionstatisti19461948mass#page/n161/mode/2up Republican Party (United States) Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 186,376 100.00% 8 0.00% None Blank votes 24,331 – 210,715 100.00 General election Candidates Henning A. Blomen, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor) Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., former Senator (1937–1944) (Republican) Mark R. Shaw, temperance activist and pastor from Beverly (Prohibition) David I. Walsh, incumbent Senator since 1926Walsh 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".Whalen 2000 52 Results United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1946http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=147415 Our Campaigns - MA US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1946Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election statistics https://archive.org/details/electionstatisti19461948mass/page/n259/mode/2up Internet Archive UMass Amherst Libraries 24 March 2022 Republican Party (United States) Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 989,736 59.55% 17.17 Democratic Party (United States) David I. Walsh (incumbent) 660,200 39.72% 15.92 Socialist Labor Party of America Henning A. Blomen 9,221 0.56% 0.35 Prohibition Party (United States) Mark R. Shaw 2,898 0.17% 0.32 1,662,055 100.0% Lodge carried every county and the city of Boston.Whalen 2000 52 Aftermath Five months after leaving office, Walsh died following a cerebral hemorrhage in Boston on June 11, 1947.The New York Times: "Ex-Senator Walsh Dies at Age of 74", June 12, 1947, accessed October 30, 2010 Notes References Massachusetts 1946 Category:1946 Massachusetts elections