The 1956 United States Senate special election in Colorado took place on November 6, 1956. Incumbent Republican Senator Eugene Millikin declined to seek re-election to a third term and a competitive election ensued. Former Congressman John A. Carroll, in his third consecutive bid for the Senate, narrowly defeated former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan in the Democratic primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced Governor Dan Thornton, the Republican nominee. Despite Democratic presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson's poor performance in Colorado, state-level Democrats fared much better. Carroll ended up narrowly defeating Thornton, winning his only term in the U.S. Senate.
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 Results by county Carroll: 50–60% 60–70% Thornton: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- John A. Carroll, former U.S. Congressman from Colorado's 1st congressional district, 1950 and 1954 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate
- Charles F. Brannan, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Carroll | 62,688 | 50.81 | |
| Democratic | Charles F. Brannan | 60,701 | 49.19 | |
| Total votes | 123,389 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Dan Thornton, former Governor
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Thornton | 79,349 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 79,349 | 100.00 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Carroll | 319,872 | 50.22% | +3.47% | |
| Republican | Dan Thornton | 317,102 | 49.78% | −3.47% | |
| Majority | 2,770 | 0.43% | −6.07% | ||
| Turnout | 636,974 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Baker, George J. (1956). State of Colorado Abstract of Votes Cast at the Primary Election Held on the Eleventh Day of September, A. D. 1956 and at the General Election Held on the Sixth Day of November, A. D. 1956 (PDF). Denver, Colorado: Colorado Secretary of State.