The U.S. Senate election, 1962 was an election for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of John F. Kennedy's term. His Democratic Party made a net gain of four seats from the Republicans, maintaining control of the Senate, with Democrats having about 2/3 of the Senate seats.
Democrats took open seats in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maryland and defeated Republican incumbents Joseph H. Bottum (R-SD), Homer E. Capehart (R-IN), and Alexander Wiley (R-WI). Republicans defeated incumbents John A. Carroll (D-CO) and John J. Hickey (D-WY).
The appointment of Republican Edwin L. Mechem to replace deceased Dennis Chavez (D-NM) on November 30, 1962, combined with the party switch by Strom Thurmond (D-SC) to the Republicans, reduced the Democratic gain to 3 seats.
Notable freshmen included the President's brother, Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), elected to the seat left vacant by the President, and future presidential candidate George McGovern (D-SD).
Senate contests in 1962
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
|
| Alabama
| Lister Hill
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 50.9 - 49.1
| James D. Martin (Republican)
|
| Alaska
| Ernest Gruening
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 58.1 - 41.9
| Ted Stevens (Republican)
|
| Arizona
| Carl Hayden
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.9 - 45.1
| Evan Mecham (Republican)
|
| Arkansas
| J. William Fulbright
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 68.7 - 31.3
| Kenneth Jones (Republican)
|
| California
| Thomas H. Kuchel
| Republican
| Re-elected, 56.3 - 43.4
| Richard Richards (Democrat)
|
| Colorado
| John A. Carroll
| Democrat
| Defeated, 53.6 - 45.6
| Peter H. Dominick (Republican)
|
| Connecticut
| Prescott S. Bush
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 51.3 - 48.8
| Abraham A. Ribicoff (Democrat)
Horace Seely-Brown (Republican)
|
| Florida
| George A. Smathers
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 70.0 - 30.0
| Emerson Rupert (Republican)
|
| Georgia
| Herman E. Talmadge
| Democrat
| Re-elected, unopposed
|
|
| Hawaii
| Oren E. Long
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 69.4 - 30.6
| Daniel K. Inouye (Democrat)
Ben Dillingham (Republican)
|
| Idaho1
| Len B. Jordan
| Republican
| Re-elected, 51.0 - 49.0
| Gracie Pfost (Democrat)
|
| Idaho
| Frank Church
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.7 - 45.3
| Jack Hawley (Republican)
|
| Illinois
| Everett M. Dirksen
| Republican
| Re-elected, 52.9 - 47.1
| Sidney R. Yates (Democrat)
|
| Indiana
| Homer E. Capehart
| Republican
| Defeated, 50.3 - 49.7
| Birch Bayh (Democrat)
|
| Iowa
| Bourke B. Hickenlooper
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.4 - 46.6
| E. B. Smith (Democrat)
|
| Kansas2
| James B. Pearson
| Republican
| Re-elected, 56.2 - 42.5
| Paul L. Aylward (Democrat)
|
| Kansas
| Frank Carlson
| Republican
| Re-elected, 62.4 - 35.9
| K. L. Smith (Democrat)
|
| Kentucky
| Thruston B. Morton
| Republican
| Re-elected, 52.8 - 47.2
| Wilson W. Wyatt (Democrat)
|
| Louisiana
| Russell B. Long
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 75.6 - 24.4
| Taylor W. O'Hearn (Republican)
|
| Maryland
| John M. Butler
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 62.0 - 38.0
| Daniel B. Brewster (Democrat)
Edward T. Miller (Republican)
|
| Massachusetts3
| Benjamin A. Smith
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 55.4 - 41.9
| Edward M. Kennedy (Democrat)
George C. Lodge (Republican)
|
| Missouri
| Edward V. Long
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.6 - 45.4
| Crosby Kemper (Republican)
|
| Nevada
| Alan Bible
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 65.3 - 34.7
| William B. Wright (Republican)
|
| New Hampshire4
| Maurice J. Murphy, Jr.
| Republican
| Defeated in primary: Democrat victory, 52.3 - 47.7
| Thomas J. McIntyre (Democrat)
Perkins Bass (Republican)
|
| New Hampshire
| Norris Cotton
| Republican
| Re-elected, 59.7 - 40.3
| Alfred Catalfo, Jr. (Democrat)
|
| New York
| Jacob K. Javits
| Republican
| Re-elected, 57.4 - 40.1
| James B. Donovan (Democrat)
|
| North Carolina
| Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 60.5 - 39.6
| Claude L. Greene, Jr. (Republican)
|
| North Dakota
| Milton R. Young
| Republican
| Re-elected, 60.7 - 39.4
| William Lanier (Democrat)
|
| Ohio
| Frank J. Lausche
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 61.6 - 38.4
| John M. Briley (Republican)
|
| Oklahoma
| A. S. Mike Monroney
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 53.2 - 46.3
| B. Hayden Crawford (Republican)
|
| Oregon
| Wayne Morse
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 54.2 - 45.8
| Sig Unander (Republican)
|
| Pennsylvania
| Joseph S. Clark
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 51.1 - 48.7
| James E. Van Zandt (Republican)
|
| South Carolina
| Olin B. Johnston
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 57.2 - 42.8
| W. D. Workman, Jr. (Republican)
|
| South Dakota
| Joseph H. Bottum
| Republican
| Defeated, 50.1 - 49.9
| George S. McGovern (Democrat)
|
| Utah
| Wallace F. Bennett
| Republican
| Re-elected, 52.4 - 47.6
| David S. King (Democrat)
|
| Vermont
| George D. Aiken
| Republican
| Re-elected, 66.9 - 33.1
| W. Robert Johnson (Democrat)
|
| Washington
| Warren G. Magnuson
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 52.1 - 47.3
| Richard G. Christensen (Republican)
|
| Wisconsin
| Alexander Wiley
| Republican
| Defeated, 52.6 - 47.2
| Gaylord Nelson (Democrat)
|
| Wyoming5
| John J. Hickey
| Democrat
| Defeated, 57.8 - 42.2
| Milward Simpson (Republican)
|
1 special election held due to death of Henry C. Dworshak (R-ID)
2 special election held due to death of Andrew F. Schoeppel (R-KS)
3 special election held due to election of John F. Kennedy (D-MA) to the office of President in 1960
4 special election held due to death of Henry Styles Bridges (R-NH)
5 special election held due to death of Keith Thomson (Republican Senator-elect)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
| 87th Congress Senate Composition
|
| 88th Congress Senate Composition
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