1954 United States Senate special election in Ohio

1954 United States Senate special election in Ohio

← 1950 November 6, 1954 1956 →
 
Nominee George H. Bender Thomas A. Burke
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,257,874 1,254,904
Percentage 50.06% 49.94%

County results
Bender:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Burke:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Thomas A. Burke
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

George H. Bender
Republican

The United States Senate special election in Ohio of 1954 was held on November 2, 1954 to complete the unexpired term of late Senator Robert A. Taft, who died in office on July 31, 1953. Interim Senator Thomas A. Burke ran to complete the term in office but was narrowly defeated by U.S. Representative George Bender.

Background

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On July 31, 1953, incumbent Republican Senator Robert A. Taft died in office. His term was scheduled to expire in 1957. Governor Frank Lausche appointed Thomas A. Burke, the Democratic Mayor of Cleveland, to fill his seat until a successor could be duly elected.

The special election was scheduled for November 2, 1954, concurrent with the regularly scheduled state and federal elections. Burke ran to complete the term.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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1954 Republican Senate special primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican George H. Bender 254,390 57.40%
Republican William B. Saxbe 188,783 42.60%
Total votes 443,173 100.00%

General election

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1954 United States Senate special election in Ohio[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican George Bender 1,257,874 50.06% Decrease7.48
Democratic Thomas A. Burke (incumbent) 1,254,904 49.94% Increase7.48
Total votes 2,512,778 100.0%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Republican Primary: May 4, 1954 - Ohio Secretary of State". www.sos.state.oh.us.
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1954" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - OH US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 02, 1954". www.ourcampaigns.com.