Wikipedia

1952 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

The 1952 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 4, 1952.

1952 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
← 1946 November 4, 1952 1957 (special) →
 
Nominee Joseph McCarthy Thomas E. Fairchild
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 870,444 731,402
Percentage 54.23% 45.57%
County results
McCarthy:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Fairfield:      50–60%      60–70%
U.S. senator before election

Joseph McCarthy
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Joseph McCarthy
Republican

Incumbent Senator Joseph McCarthy was elected to a second term in office over Democrat Thomas E. Fairchild. McCarthy did not complete his term; he died on May 2, 1957, and was succeeded by William Proxmire in a special election.

As of 2024, this is the last time that a Republican has won the Class 1 Senate seat in Wisconsin.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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  • Edward J. Finan
  • Andrew G. Jacobson
  • Edmund Kerwer
  • Joseph McCarthy, incumbent senator since 1947
  • Leonard Schmitt, attorney and candidate for governor in 1950
  • Perry J. Stearns, candidate for Senate in 1944 and 1946

Results

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1952 Republican U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Joseph McCarthy (incumbent) 515,481 67.89%
Republican Leonard Schmitt 213,701 28.15%
Republican Andrew G. Jacobson 11,639 1.53%
Republican Perry J. Stearns 10,353 1.36%
Republican Edmund Kerwer 4,078 0.54%
Republican Edward J. Finan 4,021 0.53%
Total votes 759,273 100.00%

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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  • Thomas E. Fairchild, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, former Wisconsin attorney general, and nominee for governor in 1950
  • Henry S. Reuss, Milwaukee County prosecutor and former anti-McCarthy Republican

Results

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1952 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas E. Fairchild 97,321 50.77%
Democratic Henry S. Reuss 94,379 49.23%
Total votes 191,700 100.00%

General election

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Candidates

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  • James E. Boulton (Socialist Labor)
  • Alfred L. Easterday (Honest Government)
  • Thomas E. Fairchild, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin (Democratic)
  • Joseph McCarthy, incumbent senator since 1947 (Republican)

Results

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1952 U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Joseph McCarthy (incumbent) 870,444 54.23%  7.05
Democratic Thomas E. Fairchild 731,402 45.57%  8.16
Independent Alfred L. Easterday 1,879 0.12% N/A
Socialist Workers James E. Boulton 1,442 0.09% N/A
Total votes 1,605,167 100.00%
Republican hold

The 1952 race was much closer than McCarthy's 1946 victory, and he trailed Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower by around 100,000 votes in the state.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954" (PDF). p. 656. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1952" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954" (PDF). Our Campaigns. p. 671. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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