1957 United States Senate special election in Texas

none March 2026 September 2023 1957 United States Senate special election in Texas Texas presidential no 1952 United States Senate election in Texas 1952 1958 United States Senate election in Texas 1958 April 2, 1957 File:RalphYarborough.jpg 150x150px Ralph Yarborough Democratic Party (United States) 364,605 38.09% File:Martin-Dies-Jr.jpg Martin Dies Jr. Democratic Party (United States) 290,803 30.38% File:Thad Hutcheson.jpg Thad Hutcheson Republican Party (United States) 219,591 22.94% U.S. Senator William Blakley Democratic Party (United States) Ralph Yarborough Democratic Party (United States) Yarborough: #bdd3ff 30–40% #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% Dies: #c0f0c0 20–30% #aae5aaff 30–40% #87de87ff 40–50% #5bc75bff 50–60% #41b742ff 60–70% #309a30ff 70–80% Hutcheson: #ffccd0 30–40% #f2b3be 40–50% #cc2f4a 60–70% Tie: #b4dcd5 30–40% 310px County results 310px Congressional district results 1 The 1957 United States Senate special election in Texas was held on April 2, 1957, to complete the unexpired term of Senator Price Daniel, who resigned to become Governor of Texas. Interim Senator William Blakley did not run in the special election. Ralph Yarborough won the race with a plurality of the vote; no majority was required. Background In November 1956, incumbent senator Price Daniel was elected Governor of Texas. He had announced his resignation that September after winning the Democratic nomination, but it only became effective after he took office in January 1957.September 23, 1956 Daniel Says Resignation Ready Soon A1 The Austin American https://www.proquest.com/docview/1615399537 April 30, 2023 1615399537 Outgoing Governor Allan Shivers appointed William Blakley to fill the seat until a successor could be elected. At the time of his appointment, Blakley was mum about which party he would vote with in the Senate; he had never held political office before. Soon after, he announced that he would serve as a Democrat, ensuring Democratic control in the narrowly divided Senate.Irwin Don January 16, 1957 New Senator From Texas is Democrat: Blakley, Named to Seat Yacated By Gov. Daniel, Ends Speculation 2 New York Herald Tribune https://www.proquest.com/docview/1327322545 April 30, 2023 1327322545 The special election was scheduled for April 2.January 19, 1957 TEXAS ELECTION APRIL 2; At Stake Is Senate Seat Held Temporarily by Blakley en-US 11 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1957/01/19/archives/texas-election-april-2-at-stake-is-senate-seat-held-temporarily-by.html April 30, 2023 0362-4331 Blakley declined to run in the special election.January 18, 1957 NEW SENATOR IS SWORN; Blakley of Texas Takes Oath --Johnson Extols Him en 14 The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/01/18/87263591.html?pageNumber=14 April 30, 2023 The winner would finish Daniel's term ending in 1959. Candidates Major candidates Searcy Bracewell (Democratic), state senator from Houston and President pro tempore of the Texas Senate Martin Dies Jr. (Democratic), U.S. Representative from Lufkin (representing Texas at-large) James P. Hart (Democratic), former justice of the Texas Supreme Court Thad Hutcheson (Republican), Houston attorney John Coyle White (Democratic), Texas Agriculture Commissioner since 1951 Ralph Yarborough (Democratic), Travis County District Judge and candidate for governor in 1952, 1954, and 1956 Minor candidates None of these candidates received more than 0.25% of the popular vote. 10em Elmer Adams H.J. Antoine M. T. Banks Jacob Bergolofsky John C. Burns H. Frank Connally Frank G. Cortez J. Cal Courtney R. Waire Currin Charles O. Foerster Jr. Curtis Ford Charles W. Hill Walter S. McNutt J. Perrin Willis Hugh Wilson Campaign At the time, Texas held its special elections in a nonpartisan fashion, where all candidates appeared on the ballot in alphabetical order regardless of party affiliation.March 27, 1957 Senate Control Hinges On Tuesday's Election 4 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613454178 April 30, 2023 1613454178 This had allowed former senator W. Lee O'Daniel to win a previous special election in 1941 with a plurality of only 30% of the vote.Drummond Jim July 3, 1941 Is W. Lee Politically Dead? Big Question At Crossroads Despite Apparent Victory 1 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1563445880 April 30, 2023 1563445880 The Democratic-controlled Texas Legislature introduced a bill in January to alter the election's rules to require a candidate to earn a majority of the vote to win, with a runoff being called if no candidate does so in the first round.January 29, 1957 Runoff Bill Gets Priority 1 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613436427 April 30, 2023 1613436427 Attorney Thad Hutcheson was the only major Republican candidate in the race, so Republicans saw the crowded Democratic field as an opportunity to win the seat with a plurality of the vote.March 3, 1957 G.O.P. SENATE HOPE GAINING IN TEXAS; Bill for a Run-Off Election Fails, Improving Chance of Republican Entry en-US 41 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1957/03/03/archives/gop-senate-hope-gaining-in-texas-bill-for-a-runoff-election-fails.html April 30, 2023 0362-4331 As such, Republicans vehemently opposed the passage of the bill.The Capitol Staff January 8, 1957 Republicans Protesting Election Code Revision 9 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613431904 April 30, 2023 1613431904 Several East Texas county judges also opposed the bill due to the additional costs of holding a second election.February 3, 1957 Campaigns Stepping Up For Senate A1 The Austin American https://www.proquest.com/docview/1615467907 April 30, 2023 1615467907 Conservative Democrats argued that the bill was necessary to prevent a Republican takeover of the Senate, which had the potential to lead to the passage of civil rights legislation. Many saw the bill as an attempt to not only defeat Hutcheson, but also to defeat Ralph Yarborough, the only prominent liberal Democrat in the race.February 7, 1957 Candidates' Views Vary On Runoff A1 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613442040 April 30, 2023 1613442040 These efforts failed, however, as the Texas Senate did not give the bill the supermajority vote required for it to go into effect prior to the election. The Democratic Party had won a 49–47 majority in the U.S. Senate in the 1956 elections, but a Republican victory in this election would have given Republicans control of the chamber through Vice President Richard Nixon's tiebreaking vote.Stokes Thomas L. March 23, 1957 Senate Is at Stake In Texas Election 4 The Atlanta Constitution https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613229256 April 30, 2023 1613229256 Because of this, Republicans from across the country campaigned for Hutcheson, who drew the endorsements of Nixon and President Dwight Eisenhower. January 29, 1957 PRESIDENT HELPS TEXAS CANDIDATE; Urges Election of Hutcheson for Senate--April 2 Vote Crucial to G.O.P. en-US 23 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1957/01/29/archives/president-helps-texas-candidate-urges-election-of-hutcheson-for.html April 30, 2023 0362-4331 Most major Texas newspapers endorsed Martin Dies, but other prominent Texas Democrats like interim-Senator Blakley and Senate majority leader Lyndon Johnson did not endorse any candidate.March 31, 1957 Nixon Endorses GOP Hopeful in Key Texas Vote B1 Daily Boston Globe https://www.proquest.com/docview/845385471 April 30, 2023 845385471 Barnes Lorraine March 29, 1957 Blakley Stays Mum On Election 1 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613454410 April 30, 2023 1613454410 Each candidate's views on regulations for the oil and gas industry emerged as a primary campaign issue. Republicans campaigned on President Eisenhower's inclusion of a natural gas bill in his budget for the year, while Democrats argued that they would be better at managing the industry, as both of their congressional leaders, Johnson and House Speaker Sam Rayburn, were from Texas.Stokes Thos L. March 25, 1957 Texas Election Exciting Washington's Observers 4 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613454219 April 30, 2023 1613454219 Results Ralph Yarborough won the race with a plurality of 38% of the vote. The results mirrored several previous races Yarborough had participated in: conflicts between the liberal and conservative branches of the Democratic Party. Yarborough had previously run for governor and attorney general, and he had been defeated both times in the Democratic primary by conservative Democrats. Despite fears that the long list of Democratic candidates in the race would split the vote to allow the Republican Hutcheson to win, Dies emerged as the conservative Democratic frontrunner and placed second, with Hutcheson placing third. No other candidate won a significant portion of the vote. Yarborough's victory ensured that Democrats would maintain control of the U.S. Senate.April 3, 1957 Yarborough Wins In Texas; Democrats Keep Senate Control 1 Daily Boston Globe https://www.proquest.com/docview/845383822 April 30, 2023 845383822 Yarborough became the second person since World War II to win election to the Senate with under 40% of the vote.Ostermeier Dr Eric 2016-10-11 Murkowski Could Become 1st US Senator with Three Plurality Victories https://smartpolitics.lib.umn.edu/2016/10/11/murkowski-could-become-1st-us-senator-with-three-plurality-victories/ 2023-02-07 Smart Politics en-US Conservative Democrats decried his vote share for being even lower than his performances in his previous gubernatorial runs. They claimed that he had only won because of divisions in the conservative vote. At the same time, Hutcheson performed better than most previous Republican candidates for statewide office. April 4, 1957 NEW FEUD BREWS IN TEXAS POLITICS; Yarborough Tops Republican by 135,000–Foes of Victor Discount the Decision en-US 1, 22 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1957/04/04/archives/new-feud-brews-in-texas-politics-yarborough-tops-republican-by.html April 30, 2023 0362-4331 After the election, the Texas Legislature approved the runoff requirement for special elections to the U.S. Senate.April 25, 1957 Dope Bill Is Signed By Daniel A1 The Austin Statesman https://www.proquest.com/docview/1613461857 April 30, 2023 1613461857 This requirement would first come into play in 1961, and then again in 1993.1957 U.S. Senate special electionTexas State Historical Association The Dallas Morning News 1957 Texas Almanac, 1958-1959 https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117139/m1/459/ 2022-06-26 The Portal to Texas History 457–458 Ralph W. Yarborough Democratic Party (United States) 364,605 38.09% Martin Dies Jr. Democratic Party (United States) 290,803 30.38% Thad Hutcheson Republican Party (United States) 219,591 22.94% Searcy Bracewell Democratic Party (United States) 33,384 3.49% James P. Hart Democratic Party (United States) 19,739 2.06% John C. White Democratic Party (United States) 11,876 1.24% Minor candidates Various 17,300 1.81% 957,298 100.00% See also 1957 United States Senate elections Notes References collapsed 1957 Texas United States Senate Texas 1957 Texas 1957 United States Senate 1957