Wikipedia

1961 United States Senate special election in Texas

The 1961 United States Senate special election in Texas was held on May 27, 1961. The election was held to replace outgoing Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who had been elected Vice President of the United States.

1961 United States Senate special election in Texas
← 1960 April 4, 1961 (first round)
May 27, 1961 (runoff)		 1966 →
 
Candidate John Tower William A. Blakley Jim Wright
Party Republican Democratic Democratic
First round 327,308
30.93% 		190,818
18.03% 		171,328
16.19%
Runoff 448,217
50.58% 		437,874
49.42% 		Eliminated
 
Candidate Will Wilson Maury Maverick Jr. Henry B. González
Party Democratic Democratic Democratic
First round 121,961
11.53% 		104,992
9.92% 		97,659
9.23%
Runoff Eliminated Eliminated Eliminated
Tower:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Blakley:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Wright:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Wilson:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Maverick:      20–30%      30–40%
Gonzalez:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      80–90%      >90%

Tie:      50%
U.S. senator before election

William A. Blakley
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Tower
Republican

Republican John Tower, who had been the nominee for the regularly scheduled election in 1960, defeated 70 other candidates to become the first Republican to represent Texas in the Senate since Reconstruction in 1877. Tower was also the first Republican to be popularly elected to the Senate in any former Confederate state.

Because Texas had been a Solid South state, the loss of Johnson's Senate seat would be seen as a stinging defeat for the Kennedy administration and the Democratic Party, given that the Civil Rights Movement was getting off the ground and the increasing sympathy for it amongst increasingly influential liberal Democrats.

One of the Democrats who were defeated in the first round was congressman Jim Wright, who went on to briefly serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in the late 1980s.

Primary election

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Candidates

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Seventy-one candidates were on the ballot for the primary election. At the time, the filing fee for ballot access was only $50 ($528 in 2024 when adjusted for inflation).

The primary was held on April 4.

Major candidates

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Minor candidates

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None of these candidates received more than 0.5% of the popular vote.

  • G. H. Allen
  • Jim W. Amos
  • Dale Baker
  • Mali Barraco
  • Tom E. Barton
  • R. G. Becker
  • Jacob Bergolofsky
  • Ted Bisland
  • G. E. Blewett
  • Joyce Bradshaw
  • Chester D. Brooks
  • William L. Burlison
  • Ronald J. Byers
  • Joseph M. Carter
  • George A. Davisson
  • Winnie K. Derrick
  • Harry R. Diehl
  • Harvill O. Eaton
  • Jonnie Mae Eckman
  • Paul F. Eix
  • Ben H. Faber
  • H. E. Fanning
  • Charles O. Foerster Jr.
  • Harold Franklin
  • George N. Gallagher Jr.
  • Richard J. Gay
  • Van T. George Jr.
  • Arthur Glover
  • Delbert E. Granstaff
  • Curtis E. Hill
  • Willard Park Holland
  • John N. Hopkins
  • Mary Hazel Houston
  • Ben M. Johnson
  • Guy Johnson
  • Morgan H. Johnson
  • C. B. Kennedy
  • H. Springer Knoblauch
  • Lloyd Layne
  • Hugh O. Lea
  • V. C. Logan
  • Frank A. Matera
  • Brown McCallum
  • James E. McKeen
  • Steve Nemecek
  • George E. Noyes
  • Cecil D. Perkins
  • William H. Posey
  • George Red
  • Wesley Roberts
  • D. T. Sampson
  • Eristus Sams
  • A. Dale Savage
  • Carl Schrade
  • Albert Roy Smith
  • Homer H. Stalarow
  • Frank Stanford
  • John B. Sypert
  • Martha Tredway
  • S. S. Vela
  • Bill Whitten
  • Hugh Wilson
  • Hoyt G. Wilson
  • Marcos Zertuche
1961 U.S. Senate special election primary[1][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Tower 327,308 30.93%
Democratic William Blakley (incumbent) 190,818 18.03%
Democratic Jim Wright 171,328 16.19%
Democratic Will Wilson 121,961 11.53%
Democratic Maury Maverick Jr. 104,992 9.92%
Democratic Henry B. Gonzalez 97,659 9.23%
Various Minor candidates 44,058 4.16%
Total votes 1,058,124 100.00%


Runoff election

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Results

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1961 U.S. Senate special election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican John Tower 448,217 50.58%  9.46
Democratic William A. Blakley (incumbent) 437,874 49.42%  8.56
Total votes 886,091 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ "TX US Senate - Special Primary". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Numan V., Bartley; Graham, Hugh D. (1978). Southern Elections: County and Precinct Data, 1950-1972. Baton Rouge and London: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 299–304. ISBN 0-8071-0278-4.
  3. ^ "TX US Senate - Special". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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