The U.S. Senate election, 1964 was an election for the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of President Lyndon Baines Johnson by an overwhelming majority. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2004, this is the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, although with a Democratic president the ability to override a veto or impeach a President was not particularly relevant.
Democrats defeated Republican incumbents Edwin L. Mechem (R-NM), Kenneth B. Keating (R-NY), and James Glenn Beall (R-MD), while Republicans defeated incumbent Pierre Salinger (D-CA).
Notable freshmen included future Vice President and presidential candidate Walter Mondale (D-MN), appointed to the seat left vacant by newly elected Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, and future presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY), former attorney general and brother of the assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
In 1966, Republican Robert P. Griffin was appointed to the vacancy left by the death of Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI). This is not reflected in the party balances below.
Senate contests in 1964
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
|
| Arizona
| Barry Goldwater
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 51.4 - 48.6
| Paul Fannin (Republican)
Roy Elson (Democrat)
|
| California
| Pierre Salinger
| Democrat
| Defeated, 51.5 - 48.5
| George Murphy (Republican)
|
| Connecticut
| Thomas J. Dodd
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 64.6 - 35.3
| John Lodge (Republican)
|
| Delaware
| John J. Williams
| Republican
| Re-elected, 51.7 - 48.3
| Elbert N. Carvel (Democrat)
|
| Florida
| Spessard L. Holland
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 63.9 - 36.0
| Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (Republican)
|
| Hawaii
| Hiram L. Fong
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.0 - 46.4
| Thomas P. Gill (Democrat)
|
| Indiana
| Vance Hartke
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.3 - 45.3
| D. Russell Bontrager (Republican)
|
| Maine
| Edmund S. Muskie
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 66.6 - 33.4
| Clifford G. McIntyre (Republican)
|
| Maryland
| James Glenn Beall
| Republican
| Defeated, 62.8 - 37.2
| Joseph D. Tydings (Democrat)
|
| Massachusetts
| Edward M. Kennedy
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 74.3 - 25.4
| Howard Whitmore, Jr. (Republican)
|
| Michigan
| Philip A. Hart
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 64.4 - 35.3
| Elly M. Petersen (Republican)
|
| Minnesota
| Eugene J. McCarthy
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 60.3 - 39.3
| Wheelock Whitney (Republican)
|
| Mississippi
| John C. Stennis
| Democrat
| Re-elected, unopposed
|
|
| Missouri
| Stuart Symington
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 66.6 - 33.4
| Jean P. Bradshaw (Republican)
|
| Montana
| Mike Mansfield
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 64.5 - 35.5
| Alex Blewett (Republican)
|
| Nebraska
| Roman L. Hruska
| Republican
| Re-elected, 61.4 - 38.6
| Raymond W. Arndt (Democrat)
|
| Nevada
| Howard W. Cannon
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 50.0 - 50.0
| Paul Laxalt (Republican)
|
| New Jersey
| Harrison A. Williams, Jr.
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 61.9 - 37.3
| Bernard M. Shanley (Republican)
|
| New Mexico
| Edwin L. Mechem
| Republican
| Defeated, 54.7 - 45.3
| Joseph M. Montoya (Democrat)
|
| New York
| Kenneth B. Keating
| Republican
| Defeated, 53.5 - 43.4
| Robert F. Kennedy (Democrat)
|
| North Dakota
| Quentin N. Burdick
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 57.6 - 42.4
| Thomas S. Kleppe (Republican)
|
| Ohio
| Stephen M. Young
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 50.2 - 49.8
| Robert A. Taft, Jr. (Republican)
|
| Oklahoma1
| James H. Edmondson
| Democrat
| Defeated in primary: Democrat victory, 51.2 - 48.8
| Fred R. Harris (Democrat)
Bud Wilkinson (Republican)
|
| Pennsylvania
| Hugh Scott
| Republican
| Re-elected, 50.6 - 49.1
| Genevieve Blatt (Democrat)
|
| Rhode Island
| John O. Pastore
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 82.7 - 17.3
| Ronald R. Lagueux (Republican)
|
| Tennessee
| Albert Gore, Sr.
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 53.6 - 46.4
| Dan H. Kuykendall (Republican)
|
| Tennessee2
| Herbert S. Walters
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 52.1 - 47.4
| Ross Bass (Democrat)
Howard H. Baker, Jr. (Republican)
|
| Texas
| Ralph Yarborough
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 56.2 - 43.6
| George H. W. Bush (Republican)
|
| Utah
| Frank E. Moss
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 57.3 - 42.7
| Ernest L. Wilkinson (Republican)
|
| Vermont
| Winston L. Prouty
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.5 - 46.5
| Frederick J. Fayette (Democrat)
|
| Virginia
| Harry F. Byrd
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 63.8 - 19.0 - 10.3
| Richard A. May (Republican)
James W. Respess (Independent)
|
| Washington
| Henry M. Jackson
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 72.2 - 27.8
| Lloyd J. Andrews (Republican)
|
| West Virginia
| Robert C. Byrd
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 67.7 - 32.3
| Cooper P. Benedict (Republican)
|
| Wisconsin
| William Proxmire
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 53.3 - 46.6
| Wilbur N. Renk (Republican)
|
| Wyoming
| Gale McGee
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.0 - 46.0
| John S. Wold (Republican)
|
1 special election held due to death of Robert S. Kerr (D-OK)
2 special election held due to death of Estes Kefauver (D-TN)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
| 88th Congress Senate Composition
|
| 89th Congress Senate Composition
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last updated: 05-29-2005 00:16:02
