Wikipedia

1946 United States Senate special election in Kentucky

The 1946 United States Senate special election in Kentucky was held on November 5, 1946, to complete the unexpired term of Senator Happy Chandler, who resigned to become Commissioner of Baseball. Interim Senator William A. Stanfill did not run for the full term. Republican John Sherman Cooper defeated Democratic former U.S. Representative John Y. Brown to complete the term.

1946 United States Senate special election in Kentucky
← 1942 November 5, 1946 1948 →
 
Nominee John Sherman Cooper John Y. Brown
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 327,652 285,829
Percentage 53.27% 46.47%
County results
Cooper:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Brown:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
U.S. senator before election

William A. Stanfill
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

John Sherman Cooper
Republican

This was the first of seven consecutive elections to this seat (three special and four regular) in twenty years for which Cooper was the Republican nominee.

Background

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Incumbent Senator Happy Chandler resigned to become Commissioner of Baseball on November 1, 1945. Governor Simeon Willis appointed William A. Stanfill to fill the vacant seat until a successor could be duly elected. The special election was scheduled for November 5, 1946, concurrent with the general election.

Primary elections

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Democratic primary

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Candidates

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  • Philip P. Ardery
  • John Y. Brown, former U.S. Congressmember
  • James Delk
  • Blakey Helm
  • Tom Logan
  • George T. Smith
  • Henry C. Stephens, Jr.
  • John J. Thobe
  • Norris Brooks Vincent

Results

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Primary results by county
  Brown
  •   30%–40%
  •   40%–50%
  •   50%–60%
  •   60%–70%
  •   70%–80%
  •   80%–90%
  •   90–100%
  Ardery
  •   30%–40%
  •   40%–50%
  •   50%–60%
  •   60%–70%
  •   70%–80%
  •   80%–90%
  Other
  •   30%–40%
  •   40%–50%
  •   50%–60%
  •   60%–70%
  •   70%–80%
  •   80%–90%
  •   90–100%
Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Y. Brown 55,297 43.64
Democratic Philip P. Ardery 42,423 33.48
Democratic Blakey Helm 9,864 7.79
Democratic Norris Brooks Vincent 7,253 5.72
Democratic Tom Logan 4,690 3.70
Democratic George T. Smith 2,444 1.93
Democratic John J. Thobe 1,826 1.44
Democratic Henry C. Stephens, Jr. 1,656 1.31
Democratic James Delk 1,245 0.98
Total votes 126,698 100.00

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Primary results by county
  Cooper
  •   60%–70%
  •   70%–80%
  •   80%–90%
  •   90–100%
  Douglas
  •   60%–70%
Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Sherman Cooper 48,092 85.85
Republican Roscoe Conklin Douglas 7,927 14.15
Total votes 56,019 100.00

General election

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Candidates

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Results

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1946 U.S. Senate special election in Kentucky[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican John Sherman Cooper 327,652 53.27%
Democratic John Young Brown 285,829 46.47%
Socialist W. E. Sandefur 1,638 0.27%
Total votes 615,119 100.00%
Republican hold Swing

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Jewell, Malcolm E. (1963). Kentucky Votes. Vol. 1. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 50–51. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  2. ^ Jewell, Malcolm E. (1963). Kentucky Votes. Vol. 1. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 52–53. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  3. ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1947). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1946" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
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