1940 United States Senate election in California
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The United States Senate election in California of 1940 was held on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Republican Senator Hiram Johnson was re-elected to his fifth term in office, though he would die in office in 1945.
By cross-filing and winning the Democratic and Progressive primaries, Johnson eliminated his strongest competition and handily won the general election with only nominal opposition from the Prohibition Party.
Primaries
Primaries were held on August 27.
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Anson Ford, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for District 3 (cross-filing)
- Hiram Johnson, incumbent Senator
- Ellis E. Patterson, Lieutenant Governor (cross-filing)
- Sam Yorty, State Assemblyman (cross-filing)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hiram Johnson (incumbent) | 612,561 | 82.02% | |
| Democratic | Ellis E. Patterson | 54,834 | 7.34% | |
| Democratic | John Anson Ford | 46,310 | 6.20% | |
| Democratic | Sam Yorty | 33,142 | 4.44% | |
| Total votes | 1,007,926 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Anson Ford, member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for District 3
- Hiram Johnson, incumbent Senator (cross-filing)
- James D. Meredith
- Richard S. Otto
- Ellis E. Patterson, Lieutenant Governor
- Sam Yorty, State Assemblyman
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hiram Johnson (incumbent) | 507,389 | 50.34% | |
| Democratic | Ellis E. Patterson | 206,479 | 20.49% | |
| Democratic | John Anson Ford | 175,110 | 17.37% | |
| Democratic | Sam Yorty | 74,332 | 7.38% | |
| Democratic | James D. Meredith | 26,425 | 2.62% | |
| Democratic | Richard S. Otto | 18,191 | 1.81% | |
| Total votes | 746,847 | 100.00% | ||
Progressive primary
Candidates
- Hiram Johnson, incumbent Senator (cross-filing)
- Richard S. Otto
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hiram Johnson (incumbent) | 2,060 | 61.40% | |
| Democratic | Richard S. Otto | 1,295 | 38.60% | |
| Total votes | 3,355 | 100.00% | ||
Prohibition primary
Candidates
- Fred Dyster
- Hiram Johnson, incumbent Senator (write-in)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prohibition | Fred Dyster | 1,314 | 77.66% | |
| Republican | Hiram Johnson (incumbent) (write-in) | 378 | 22.34% | |
| Total votes | 1,692 | 100.00% | ||
Third parties and independents
Communist
- Anita Whitney, women's rights activist, perennial candidate, and member of the Field family
Independent
A write-in bid was launched in support of John Anson Ford.
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hiram Johnson (incumbent) | 2,238,899 | 82.62% |  12.04 | |
| Prohibition | Fred Dyster | 366,044 | 13.51% | N/A | |
| Communist | Anita Whitney | 97,478 | 3.60% | N/A | |
| Independent | John Anson Ford (write-in) | 7,415 | 0.27% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,709,836 | 100.00% | |||
See also
References
- ^ "CA US Senate – R Primary, 1940". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "CA US Senate – D Primary, 1940". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "CA US Senate – PR Primary, 1940". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "CA US Senate – PR Primary, 1940". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "CA US Senate, 1940". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
