1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

none March 2026 September 2023 January 2021 1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin Wisconsin 1913 presidential no 1940 United States Senate election in Wisconsin 1940 1952 United States Senate election in Wisconsin 1952 November 5, 1946 150x150px JosephMcCarthyMilitary.jpg Joseph McCarthy Republican Party (US) 620,430 61.28% McMurray for Senator Crop.jpg Howard J. McMurray Democratic Party (US) 378,772 37.41% U.S. Senator Robert La Follette, Jr. Progressive Party (Wisconsin) Joseph McCarthy Republican Party (US) 1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin results map by county.svg 250px County resultsMcCarthy: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18 80–90%McMurray: #7996e2 50–60% The 1946 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 5, 1946. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Robert La Follette, Jr. (who had until 1946 been a member of the Progressive Party) narrowly lost the primary election to Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy would go on to win the general election against Rep. Howard McMurray of Milwaukee in a landslide. McCarthy became the first person other than a La Follette to hold this seat since 1906. Background Robert M. La Follette Jr. had served as U.S. Senator since the special election held after his father's death. He and his brother Philip La Follette came to lead the Wisconsin Progressive Party which became one of the state's major parties, but declined in power by the early 1940s. La Follette Jr. would have to merge with one of the main parties in order to win re-election in 1946.Schmidt 1960 10 Henry A. Wallace wrote a letter to La Follette Jr. asking him and the Progressives "with their great tradition of liberal action come home to the party of Roosevelt, rather than return to the party of Hoover." However, they chose to join the Republicans, but a minority joined the Democrats.Schmidt 1960 10 Republican primary Candidates Nominee Joseph McCarthy, judge of Wisconsin's 10th Circuit Court Eliminated in primary Robert La Follette, Jr., incumbent U.S. Senator Perry J. Stearns, candidate for Senate in 1944 Campaign The Republican primary election was noted for its divisiveness and bitterness. The incumbent senator La Follette, who had just re-joined the Republican Party after the collapse of the Wisconsin Progressive Party earlier that year, was challenged by Judge Joe McCarthy of Appleton. Disbanding the Progressive Party and seeking election on the Republican ticket that same year cost him the support of many progressive supporters that belonged to the former, while the more conservative Republicans were also suspicious of La Follette, as he had previously run against them. La Follette ran an isolationist campaign against the United Nations and was critical of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Confident of victory, he remained in Washington to draft and win passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 rather than returning to Wisconsin to campaign for re-election. McCarthy campaigned aggressively and attacked La Follette for not enlisting during World War II, although La Follette had been 46 when Pearl Harbor was bombed and would have been too old to be accepted. McCarthy played up his own wartime service, using his wartime nickname, "Tail-Gunner Joe," and the slogan "Congress needs a tail-gunner." McCarthy also claimed that while he had been away fighting for his country, La Follette had made huge profits from investments; the suggestion that La Follette had been guilty of war profiteering was deeply damaging. While La Follette initially started with a large lead in the polls, that lead gradually dwindled, and on the primary election day, the results of the final county to report polls tipped the scales in McCarthy's favor. La Follette sent a one-word telegram saying "Congratulations" to McCarthy. Results thumb|center|GOP primary results by county #ffb2b2 McCarthy 40–50% #e27f7f McCarthy 50–60% #d75d5d McCarthy 60–70% #c6e9af La Follette 40–50% #aade87 La Follette 50–60% #8dd35f La Follette 60–70% #71c837 La Follette 70–80% 1946 Republican U.S. Senate primary WI US Senate - R Primary https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=46920 OurCampaigns 16 August 2019 Republican Party (United States) Joseph McCarthy 207,935 47.25% Republican Party (United States) Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (incumbent) 202,557 46.03% Republican Party (United States) Perry J. Stearns 29,605 6.73% 440,097 100.00% Democratic primary Candidates Howard J. McMurray, U.S. Representative from Milwaukee Results McMurray was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. General election Candidates Georgia Cozzini, candidate for governor in 1946 (Socialist Labor) Edwin Knappe, former state assemblyman (1919–21) (Socialist) Joseph McCarthy, judge of Wisconsin's 10th Circuit Court (Republican) Howard J. McMurray, U.S. Representative from Milwaukee (Democratic) Results General election results http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1946election.pdf Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1946 Clerk.house.gov 16 August 2019 WI US Senate https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=46903 Our Campaigns 16 August 2019 Republican Party (United States) Joseph McCarthy 620,430 61.28% 19.90 Democratic Party (United States) Howard J. McMurray 378,772 37.41% 24.21 Socialist Party of America Edwin Knappe 11,750 1.16% 1.16 Socialist Labor Party (United States) Georgia Cozzini 1,552 0.15% 0.07 None Scattering 2,090 0.21% N/A 241,658 23.82% 1,014,594 100.00% Republican Party (United States) Results by county County Joseph Raymond McCarthyRepublican Howard Johnstone McMurrayDemocratic Edwin W. KnappeSocialist Georgia Olive CozziniSocialist Labor Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % Adams 1,336 63.11% 769 36.32%90.43% 3 0.14% 567 26.78% 2,117 Ashland 3,144 56.18% 2,416 43.17%230.41% 13 0.23% 728 13.01% 5,596 Barron 5,093 64.45% 2,778 35.16%310.39% 0 0.00% 2,315 29.30% 7,902 Bayfield 2,412 56.75% 1,811 42.61%190.45% 8 0.19% 601 14.14% 4,250 Brown 20,089 65.25% 10,660 34.62%350.11% 4 0.01% 9,429 30.63% 30,788 Buffalo 2,877 70.41% 1,177 28.81%210.51% 11 0.27% 1,700 41.61% 4,086 Burnett 1,644 60.91% 1,040 38.53%100.37% 5 0.19% 604 22.38% 2,699 Calumet 4,432 71.97% 1,706 27.70%190.31% 1 0.02% 2,726 44.27% 6,158 Chippewa 7,201 62.55% 4,236 36.80%530.46% 22 0.19% 2,965 25.76% 11,512 Clark 5,818 67.42% 2,721 31.53%830.96% 8 0.09% 3,097 35.89% 8,630 Columbia 6,589 66.94% 3,212 32.63%400.41% 2 0.02% 3,377 34.31% 9,843 Crawford 3,805 65.86% 1,964 34.00%50.09% 3 0.05% 1,841 31.87% 5,777 Dane 23,222 47.38% 25,200 51.42%5571.14% 30 0.06% -1,978 -4.04% 49,009 Dodge 10,556 71.41% 4,151 28.08%720.49% 3 0.02% 6,405 43.33% 14,782 Door 4,751 84.37% 864 15.34%120.21% 4 0.07% 3,887 69.03% 5,631 Douglas 7,389 52.74% 6,522 46.56%720.51% 26 0.19% 867 6.19% 14,009 Dunn 4,549 67.41% 2,149 31.85%350.52% 15 0.22% 2,400 35.57% 6,748 Eau Claire 8,615 56.36% 6,610 43.24%570.37% 5 0.03% 2,005 13.12% 15,287 Florence 668 63.56% 375 35.68%80.76% 0 0.00% 293 27.88% 1,051 Fond du Lac 14,023 69.72% 5,967 29.67%880.44% 34 0.17% 8,056 40.06% 20,112 Forest 1,491 51.65% 1,384 47.94%80.28% 4 0.14% 107 3.71% 2,887 Grant 9,115 72.26% 3,440 27.27%400.32% 20 0.16% 5,675 44.99% 12,615 Green 4,079 68.32% 1,864 31.22%270.45% 0 0.00% 2,215 37.10% 5,970 Green Lake 3,789 80.22% 925 19.59%50.11% 4 0.08% 2,864 60.64% 4,723 Iowa 4,418 67.82% 2,084 31.99%110.17% 1 0.02% 2,334 35.83% 6,514 Iron 1,687 51.59% 1,561 47.74%160.49% 6 0.18% 126 3.85% 3,270 Jackson 2,666 64.40% 1,440 34.78%240.58% 10 0.24% 1,226 29.61% 4,140 Jefferson 8,379 66.83% 4,105 32.74%500.40% 3 0.02% 4,274 34.09% 12,537 Juneau 3,717 74.64% 1,237 24.84%250.50% 1 0.02% 2,480 49.80% 4,980 Kenosha 12,912 50.64% 12,411 48.67%1310.51% 44 0.17% 501 1.96% 25,498 Kewaunee 3,737 71.05% 1,519 28.88%40.08% 0 0.00% 2,218 42.17% 5,260 La Crosse 11,092 66.18% 5,547 33.09%990.59% 23 0.14% 5,545 33.08% 16,761 Lafayette 3,764 63.05% 2,179 36.50%230.39% 4 0.07% 1,585 26.55% 5,970 Langlade 4,299 60.30% 2,811 39.43%160.22% 3 0.04% 1,488 20.87% 7,129 Lincoln 4,405 71.51% 1,689 27.42%510.83% 15 0.24% 2,716 44.09% 6,160 Manitowoc 12,615 60.77% 8,063 38.84%660.32% 14 0.07% 4,552 21.93% 20,758 Marathon 12,231 55.02% 9,676 43.53%3091.39% 14 0.06% 2,555 11.49% 22,230 Marinette 6,132 68.56% 2,759 30.85%410.46% 12 0.13% 3,373 37.71% 8,944 Marquette 2,035 81.47% 450 18.01%110.44% 2 0.08% 1,585 63.45% 2,498 Milwaukee 151,104 54.74% 117,163 42.44%6,9102.50% 873 0.32% 33,941 12.30% 276,050 Monroe 5,250 69.08% 2,305 30.33%420.55% 3 0.04% 2,945 38.75% 7,600 Oconto 5,116 72.23% 1,920 27.11%400.56% 7 0.10% 3,196 45.12% 7,083 Oneida 3,238 58.20% 2,288 41.12%320.58% 6 0.11% 950 17.07% 5,564 Outagamie 16,606 70.11% 6,929 29.25%1230.52% 29 0.12% 9,677 40.85% 23,687 Ozaukee 4,627 69.38% 2,018 30.26%230.34% 1 0.01% 2,609 39.12% 6,669 Pepin 1,500 70.49% 624 29.32%40.19% 0 0.00% 876 41.17% 2,128 Pierce 4,726 73.94% 1,600 25.03%500.78% 16 0.25% 3,126 48.90% 6,392 Polk 4,070 61.94% 2,464 37.50%360.55% 1 0.02% 1,606 24.44% 6,571 Portage 5,802 50.40% 5,689 49.42%200.17% 1 0.01% 113 0.98% 11,512 Price 3,229 63.18% 1,812 35.45%541.06% 16 0.31% 1,417 27.72% 5,111 Racine 18,175 52.06% 16,461 47.15%2290.66% 45 0.13% 1,714 4.91% 34,910 Richland 4,187 75.40% 1,353 24.37%130.23% 0 0.00% 2,834 51.04% 5,553 Rock 17,409 65.71% 8,890 33.55%1780.67% 17 0.06% 8,519 32.15% 26,494 Rusk 3,340 66.64% 1,641 32.74%250.50% 6 0.12% 1,699 33.90% 5,012 Sauk 7,463 68.75% 3,151 29.03%2332.15% 9 0.08% 4,312 39.72% 10,856 Sawyer 2,551 70.86% 1,002 27.83%310.86% 16 0.44% 1,549 43.03% 3,600 Shawano 6,125 74.49% 2,065 25.11%260.32% 7 0.09% 4,060 49.37% 8,223 Sheboygan 13,330 54.65% 10,283 42.16%7573.10% 22 0.09% 3,047 12.49% 24,392 St. Croix 4,938 63.49% 2,799 35.99%340.44% 6 0.08% 2,139 27.50% 7,777 Taylor 3,153 61.41% 1,750 34.09%2264.40% 5 0.10% 1,403 27.33% 5,134 Trempealeau 4,189 62.82% 2,446 36.68%250.37% 8 0.12% 1,743 26.14% 6,668 Vernon 4,509 66.06% 2,299 33.68%90.13% 9 0.13% 2,210 32.38% 6,826 Vilas 2,098 66.99% 1,015 32.41%90.29% 10 0.32% 1,083 34.58% 3,132 Walworth 8,896 79.83% 2,212 19.85%310.28% 4 0.04% 6,684 59.98% 11,143 Washburn 1,818 62.09% 1,099 37.53%90.31% 2 0.07% 719 24.56% 2,928 Washington 7,789 74.69% 2,597 24.90%390.37% 4 0.04% 5,192 49.78% 10,429 Waukesha 17,606 73.31% 6,227 25.93%1620.67% 20 0.08% 11,379 47.38% 24,015 Waupaca 7,930 79.06% 2,072 20.66%240.24% 4 0.04% 5,858 58.40% 10,030 Waushara 3,362 81.25% 760 18.37%150.36% 1 0.02% 2,602 62.88% 4,138 Winnebago 16,329 67.48% 7,756 32.05%980.40% 16 0.07% 8,573 35.43% 24,199 Wood 9,189 66.36% 4,610 33.29%370.27% 11 0.08% 4,579 33.07% 13,847Totals620,43061.28%378,77237.41%11,7501.16%1,5520.15%241,65823.87%1,012,504 See also 1946 United States Senate elections McCarthyism References Works cited Schmidt Karl Henry A. Wallace: Quixotic Crusade 1948 Syracuse University Press 1960 978-0-8156-0020-6 https://archive.org/details/henryawallacequi0000karl 1946 Wisconsin United States Senate Category:Joseph McCarthy