1934 United States Senate special election in Montana
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 County results Murray:40-50%50–60%60–70%70–80% Leavitt:50–60% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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The1934 United States Senate special election in Montanatook place on November 6, 1934. Incumbent United States SenatorJohn E. Erickson,who, as governor, had appointed himself to the seat in 1933 upon the death ofThomas J. Walsh,ran for re-election. However, he was defeated in theDemocraticprimary byJames E. Murray,who was the formerSilver Bow CountyAttorney and the Chairman of the State Advisory Board of thePublic Works Administration.In the general election, Murray defeatedScott Leavitt,a former United States Congressman who had representedMontana's 2nd congressional district,and anindependentcandidate in a landslide to win his first term in the Senate.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- James E. Murray,Chairman of the State Advisory Board of thePublic Works Administration,formerSilver Bow CountyAttorney
- James F. O'Connor,former Speaker of theMontana House of Representatives
- John E. Erickson,incumbent United States Senator
- Louis P. Donovan
- John A. Lovelace
- W. W. Hamilton
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James E. Murray | 19,640 | 24.89% | |
| Democratic | James F. O'Connor | 18,194 | 23.05% | |
| Democratic | John E. Erickson(incumbent) | 17,440 | 22.10% | |
| Democratic | Louis P. Donovan | 10,212 | 12.94% | |
| Democratic | John A. Lovelace | 8,649 | 10.96% | |
| Democratic | W. W. Hamilton | 4,788 | 6.07% | |
| Total votes | 78,923 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- Scott Leavitt,formerUnited States CongressmanfromMontana's 2nd congressional district
- Wellington D. Rankin,formerUnited States Attorney for the District of Montana,formerAttorney General of Montana
- Leonard C. Young
- James A. Jergenson
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Scott Leavitt | 25,479 | 47.03% | |
| Republican | Wellington D. Rankin | 18,150 | 33.50% | |
| Republican | Leonard C. Young | 6,202 | 11.45% | |
| Republican | James A. Jergenson | 4,344 | 8.02% | |
| Total votes | 54,175 | 100.00% | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James E. Murray | 116,965 | 59.66% | -0.67% | |
| Republican | Scott Leavitt | 77,307 | 39.43% | +1.56% | |
| Socialist | John F. Duffy | 1,779 | 0.91% | +0.34% | |
| Majority | 39,658 | 20.23% | -2.22% | ||
| Turnout | 196,051 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ab"Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election, Held in the State of Montana, July 17, 1934".Montana Secretary of State.RetrievedJuly 2,2014.
- ^"Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1934"(PDF).Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.RetrievedJuly 2,2014.