The 1938 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 8, 1938. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator F. Ryan Duffy ran for a second term in office. In a three way race, Alexander Wiley defeated Duffy and Lieutenant Governor Herman L. Ekern.
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County results Wiley: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ekern: 40–50% Duffy: 30–40% 40–50% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on September 20. Senator Duffy was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. The Republican primary was a rematch of the 1936 gubernatorial primary; Wiley defeated John B. Chapple, who had been nominated in the previous two Senate races. After losing, Chapple entered the general election as a candidate advocating for the Townsend Act. In the Progressive primary, Ekern defeated Thomas R. Amlie by roughly 9,091 votes.[1]
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- F. Ryan Duffy, incumbent senator since 1933
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | F. Ryan Duffy (incumbent) | 109,129 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 109,129 | 100.00% |
Progressive primary
editCandidates
edit- Thomas R. Amlie, U.S. Representative from Beloit
- Herman L. Ekern, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressive | Herman L. Ekern | 79,885 | 53.02% | |
Progressive | Thomas R. Amlie | 70,794 | 46.98% | |
Total votes | 150,679 | 100.00% |
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- William J. Campbell, nominee for U.S. House from Oshkosh in 1934
- John B. Chapple, nominee for Senate in 1932 and 1934 and candidate for governor in 1936
- Stephen J. McMahon, former judge of the United States Board of Tax Appeals
- Edward J. Samp, former University of Wisconsin–Madison football star and candidate for Treasurer in 1930
- William Henry Stafford, U.S. Representative from Milwaukee
- Alexander Wiley, nominee for governor in 1936
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Alexander Wiley | 70,400 | 32.91% | |
Republican | John B. Chapple | 56,403 | 26.37% | |
Republican | William Henry Stafford | 26,533 | 12.40% | |
Republican | Edward J. Samp | 25,669 | 12.00% | |
Republican | William J. Campbell | 23,790 | 11.12% | |
Republican | Stephen J. McMahon | 11,111 | 5.19% | |
Total votes | 213,906 | 100.00% |
General election
editCandidates
edit- Fred Basset Blair, bookseller and perennial candidate (Communist)
- John B. Chapple, perennial candidate (Townsend Republican)
- F. Ryan Duffy, incumbent senator since 1933 (Democratic)
- Herman L. Ekern, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (Progressive)
- Joseph Ehrhardt, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
- Alexander Wiley, nominee for governor in 1936 (Republican)
Results
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Alexander Wiley | 446,770 | 47.66% | +11.46% | |
Progressive | Herman L. Ekern | 249,209 | 26.58% | +26.58% | |
Democratic | F. Ryan Duffy (incumbent) | 231,976 | 24.74% | −32.24% | |
Independent Republican | John B. Chapple | 7,251 | 0.77% | — | |
Communist | Fred B. Blair | 1,283 | 0.14% | −0.13% | |
Socialist Labor | Joseph Ehrhardt | 1,014 | 0.11% | — | |
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Parties and Elections: The Primary Election". Wisconsin Blue Book, 1940. p. 541. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (1939). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1938" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.