Contents

1934 United States Senate elections

1934 United States Senate elections

← 1932 November 6, 1934[a] 1936 →
← 1933 (VA)
36 of the 96 seats in the United States Senate 49 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Joseph Robinson Charles McNary Party Democratic Republican Leader since December 3, 1923 March 4, 1933 Leader's seat Arkansas Oregon Seats before 60 35 Seats after 69 25 Seat change 9 10 Seats up 17 18 Races won 26 8   Third party Fourth party   Party Farmer–Labor Progressive Seats before 1 0 Seats after 1 1 Seat change 1 Seats up 1 0 Races won 1 1
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Progressive gain      Farmer–Labor hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Joseph Robinson Democratic Elected Majority Leader Joseph Robinson Democratic

The 1934 United States Senate elections were held in the middle of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first term. The 32 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, and special elections were held to fill vacancies. During the Great Depression, voters strongly backed Roosevelt's New Deal and his allies in the Senate, with Democrats picking up a net of nine seats, giving them a supermajority (which required 64 seats, two-thirds of the total 96 seats in 1934).^[1] Republicans later lost three more seats due to mid-term vacancies (one to Farmer-Labor and two to Democrats); however, a Democrat in Iowa died and the seat remained vacant until the next election. The Democrats entered the next election with a 70-22-2-1 majority.

This marked the first time that an incumbent president's party gained seats in both houses of Congress in midterm election cycles, followed by 1998 and 2002.^[2] This was also the second of three times in American history that the opposition party failed to flip any Senate seats, alongside 1914 and 2022.

Gains, losses, and holds[edit]

Retirements[edit]

Three Democrats and one Republican retired instead of seeking re-election.

Defeats[edit]

Eight Republicans and two Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

Party Switches[edit]

One Republican won re-election as a Progressive.

Post-election changes[edit]

Change in composition[edit]

Before the elections[edit]

At the beginning of 1934.

Elections result[edit]

Race summaries[edit]

Elections during the 73rd Congress[edit]

In these special elections, the winners were seated during 1934; ordered by election date then by state.

Elections leading to the 74th Congress[edit]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1935; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

Closest races[edit]

Ten races had a margin of victory under 10%:

Virginia was the tipping point state with a margin of 55.1%.

Arizona[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Arizona

← 1928 November 3, 1934 1940 →

Nominee Henry F. Ashurst Joseph Edward Thompson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 67,648 24,075 Percentage 72.03% 25.63%

County results Ashurst:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

United States Senator before election Henry F. Ashurst Democratic Elected United States Senator Henry F. Ashurst Democratic

California[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in California

← 1928 November 5, 1934 1940 →

Nominee Hiram Johnson George Ross Kirkpatrick Party Republican Socialist Alliance Democratic Popular vote 1,946,572 108,748 Percentage 94.66% 5.29%

County results Johnson:      90–100%

U.S. senator before election Hiram Johnson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson Republican

Connecticut[edit]

Delaware[edit]

Florida[edit]

Indiana[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Indiana

← 1928 November 6, 1934 1940 →

Nominee Sherman Minton Arthur Robinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 758,801 700,103 Percentage 51.46% 47.48%

County results Minton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Robinson:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Arthur Raymond Robinson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Sherman Minton Democratic

Maine[edit]

Maryland[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Maryland

← 1928 November 5, 1934 1940 →

Nominee George L. P. Radcliffe Joseph I. France Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 264,279 197,643 Percentage 56.10% 41.95%

County results France:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Radcliffe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Phillips Lee Goldsborough Republican Elected U.S. Senator George L. P. Radcliffe Democratic

Massachusetts[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

← 1928 November 6, 1934 1940 →

Nominee David I. Walsh Robert M. Washburn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 852,776 536,692 Percentage 59.39% 37.38%

Map key Walsh:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Washburn:      50–60%      60–70%

Senator before election David I. Walsh Democratic Elected Senator David I. Walsh Democratic

Michigan[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Michigan

← 1928 November 6, 1934 1940 →

Nominee Arthur Vandenberg Frank Picard Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 626,017 573,574 Percentage 51.32% 47.03%

County results Vandenberg:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Picard:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Arthur Vandenberg Republican Elected U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg Republican

Minnesota[edit]

1934 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1928 November 6, 1934 1940 →

Nominee Henrik Shipstead Einar Hoidale N. J. Holmberg Party Farmer–Labor Democratic Republican Popular vote 503,379 294,757 200,083 Percentage 49.87% 29.20% 19.82%

County results Shipstead   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Hoidale   30–40%   40–50%   50–60% Holmberg   30–40%

U.S. senator before election Henrik Shipstead Farmer–Labor Elected U.S. Senator Henrik Shipstead Farmer–Labor