The U.S. Senate election, 1934 was an election for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term. In the middle of the Great Depression, voters strongly backed Roosevelt's New Deal and his allies in the Senate.
The Democrats took nine Republican seats, including an open seat in Maryland and the seats of eight incumbents:
- Frederic C. Walcott (R-CT)
- Arthur R. Robinson (R-IN)
- Roscoe C. Patterson (R-MO)
- Hamilton F. Kean (R-NJ)
- Simeon D. Fess (R-OH)
- David A. Reed (R-PA)
- Felix Hebert (R-RI)
- Henry D. Hatfield (R-WV)
Further, Robert M. La Follette, Jr. (R-WI) left the Republican Party to join the Progressive Party.
Senate contests in 1934
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
|
| Arizona
| Henry F. Ashurst
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 72.0 - 25.6
| J. E. Thompson (Republican)
|
| California
| Hiram W. Johnson
| Republican
| Re-elected, 94.5 - 5.3
| George R. Kirkpatrick (Socialist)
|
| Connecticut
| Frederic C. Walcott
| Republican
| Defeated, 51.8 - 48.3
| Francis T. Maloney (Democrat)
|
| Delaware
| John G. Townsend, Jr.
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.3 - 46.2
| Wilbur L. Adams (Democrat)
|
| Florida
| Park Trammell
| Democrat
| Re-elected, unopposed
|
|
| Indiana
| Arthur R. Robinson
| Republican
| Defeated, 51.5 - 47.5
| Sherman Minton (Democrat)
|
| Maine
| Frederick Hale
| Republican
| Re-elected, 50.1 - 49.7
| F. Harold Dubord (Democrat)
|
| Maryland
| Phillips Lee Goldsborough
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 56.1 - 42.0
| George L. P. Radcliffe (Democrat)
Joseph I. France (Republican)
|
| Massachusetts
| David I. Walsh
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 59.4 - 37.4
| Robert M. Washburn (Republican)
|
| Michigan
| Arthur H. Vandenberg
| Republican
| Re-elected, 51.3 - 47.0
| Frank A. Picard (Democrat)
|
| Minnesota
| Henrik Shipstead
| Farmer-Labor
| Re-elected, 49.9 - 29.2 - 19.8
| Einar Holdale (Democrat)
N. J. Holmberg (Republican)
|
| Mississippi
| Hubert D. Stephens
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, unopposed
| Theodore G. Bilbo (Democrat)
|
| Missouri
| Roscoe C. Patterson
| Republican
| Defeated, 59.5 - 39.7
| Harry S. Truman (Democrat)
|
| Montana
| Burton K. Wheeler
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 70.1 - 28.7
| George M. Bourquin (Republican)
|
| Montana1
| John E. Erickson
| Democrat
| Defeated in primary: Democrat victory, 59.6 - 39.5
| James E. Murray (Democrat)
Scott Leavitt (Republican)
|
| Nebraska
| Richard C. Hunter
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 55.3 - 42.9
| Edward R. Burke (Democrat)
Robert G. Simmons (Republican)
|
| Nevada
| Key Pittman
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 64.5 - 33.4
| George W. Malone (Republican)
|
| New Jersey
| Hamilton F. Kean
| Republican
| Defeated, 57.9 - 40.9
| A. Harry Moore (Democrat)
|
| New Mexico
| Bronson M. Cutting
| Republican
| Re-elected, 40.2 - 49.4
| Dennis Chavez (Democrat)
|
| New Mexico2
| Carl A. Hatch
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.5 - 45.0
| Richard C. Dillon (Republican)
|
| New York
| Royal S. Copeland
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 55.3 - 36.9 - 5.3
| E. Harold Cluett (Republican)
Norman Thomas (Socialist)
|
| North Dakota
| Lynn J. Frazier
| Republican
| Re-elected, 58.2 - 40.2
| Henry Holt (Democrat)
|
| Ohio
| Simeon D. Fess
| Republican
| Defeated, 60.0 - 39.4
| Vic Donahey (Democrat)
|
| Pennsylvania
| David A. Reed
| Republican
| Defeated, 50.8 - 46.5
| Joseph F. Guffey (Democrat)
|
| Rhode Island
| Felix Hebert
| Republican
| Defeated, 57.1 - 42.9
| Peter G. Gerry (Democrat)
|
| Tennessee
| Kenneth D. McKellar
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 63.4 - 35.8
| Ben W. Hooper (Republican)
|
| Tennessee3
| Nathan L. Bachman
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 80.1 - 19.9
| John R. Neal (Independent)
|
| Texas
| Tom Connally
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 96.7
|
|
| Utah
| William H. King
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 53.1 - 45.4
| Don B. Colton (Republican)
|
| Vermont
| Warren R. Austin
| Republican
| Re-elected, 51.0 - 48.4
| Fred C. Martin (Democrat)
|
| Vermont4
| Ernest W. Gibson
| Republican
| Re-elected, 58.2 - 41.8
| Harry W. Witters (Democrat)
|
| Virginia
| Harry F. Byrd
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 76.0 - 20.9
| Lawrence C. Page (Republican)
|
| Washington
| Clarence C. Dill
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 60.9 - 34.0
| Lewis B. Schwellenbach (Democrat)
Reno Odlin (Republican)
|
| West Virginia
| Henry D. Hatfield
| Republican
| Defeated, 55.1 - 44.4
| Rush D. Holt (Democrat)
|
| Wisconsin
| Robert M. La Follette, Jr.
| Progressive
| Re-elected, 47.8 - 24.2 - 22.8
| John M. Callahan (Democrat)
John B. Chapple (Republican)
|
| Wyoming
| Joseph C. O'Mahoney
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 56.6 - 43.0
| Vincent Carter (Republican)
|
1 special election held due to death of Thomas J. Walsh (D-MT)
2 special election held due to death of Sam G. Bratton (D-NM)
3 special election held due to resignation of Cordell Hull (D-TN), who was appointed Secretary of State
4 special election held due to death of Porter H. Dale (R-VT)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
