The 1944 United States Senate special election in New Jersey was held on November 7, 1944.
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 County results Smith: 50–60% 60–70% Wene: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The election was held to fill the unexpired term of W. Warren Barbour, who died in November 1943. H. Alexander Smith was elected to the open seat over Democratic U.S. Representative Elmer H. Wene.
The incumbent Democratic appointee, Arthur Walsh, did not run.
Background
editIncumbent Senator W. Warren Barbour was elected in 1940 to a six-year term set to expire in 1947. He died on November 22, 1943, of a cerebral hemorrhage.
On November 26, Governor of New Jersey Charles Edison appointed Arthur Walsh to fill the vacant seat until a successor could be duly elected.[1]
A special election to complete the remainder of Barbour's unexpired term was scheduled for November 7, 1944, concurrent with the general election for presidential electors and U.S. House of Representatives.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Elmer H. Wene, U.S. Representative from Vineland
Declined
edit- Arthur Walsh, interim Senator
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 151,126 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 151,126 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- H. Alexander Smith, Princeton attorney and member of the Republican National Committee
- Andrew O. Wittreich, Tenafly resident
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | H. Alexander Smith | 187,190 | 82.55% | |
| Republican | Andrew O. Wittreich | 39,576 | 17.45% | |
| Total votes | 226,766 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- John C. Butterworth (Socialist Labor)
- George W. Ridout (Prohibition), Methodist minister
- Morris Riger (Socialist)
- H. Alexander Smith (Republican), Princeton attorney and member of the Republican National Committee
- Elmer H. Wene (Democratic), U.S. Representative from Vineland
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Howard Alexander Smith | 940,051 | 50.44% | |
| Democratic | Elmer H. Wene | 910,096 | 48.84% | |
| Prohibition | George W. Ridout | 9,873 | 0.53% | |
| Socialist Labor | John C. Butterworth | 1,997 | 0.11% | |
| Socialist | Morris Riger | 1,593 | 0.09% | |
| Majority | 29,955 | 1.60% | ||
| Turnout | 1,863,610 | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Edison Appoints Arthur Walsh To Succeed Barbour as Senator". The New York Times. November 27, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Secretary of the State of New Jersey. "Results of the Primary Election Held May 16th, 1944" (PDF). Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1944" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NJ US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 07, 1944".
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