The 1940 United States Senate election in Nebraska took place on November 5, 1940. Hugh A. Butler was elected for the first time, defeating Governor Robert Leroy Cochran. Edward R. Burke, the incumbent Senator, was defeated by Cochran in the primary. Butler performed on par with Wendell Willkie, who won the state with 57.2% in the presidential election.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Butler: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Cochran: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Edward R. Burke, the incumbent Senator
- Robert Leroy Cochran, Governor of Nebraska
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Leroy Cochran | 84,869 | 58.42 | |
| Democratic | Edward R. Burke (Incumbent) | 60,400 | 41.58 | |
| Total votes | 145,269 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Hugh A. Butler, Republican National committeeman for Nebraska[2]
- Albert W. Jefferis, former Representative for Nebraska's 2nd district
- Adam McMullen, former Governor of Nebraska
- Arthur J. Weaver, former Governor of Nebraska
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hugh A. Butler | 61,756 | 37.15 | |
| Republican | Arthur J. Weaver | 56,331 | 33.89 | |
| Republican | John H. Miller | 17,016 | 10.24 | |
| Republican | Adam McMullen | 16,359 | 9.84 | |
| Republican | Albert W. Jefferis | 14,765 | 8.88 | |
| Total votes | 166,227 | 100 | ||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hugh A. Butler | 340,250 | 57.00 | +14.14 | |
| Democratic | Robert Leroy Cochran | 247,659 | 41.49 | −13.81 | |
| By Petition | Albert F. Ruthven | 8,982 | 1.50 | N/A | |
| Majority | 92,591 | 15.51 | +3.07 | ||
| Turnout | 596,891 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska (primary election). Available at: https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/previous-elections
- ^ "BUTLER, Hugh Alfred". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska (general election). Available at: https://sos.nebraska.gov/elections/previous-elections