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1954 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

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1954 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
Flag of Oklahoma (1941–1988).svg
← 1948 November 2, 1954 1960 →
  Robert S. Kerr (OK).png No image.svg
Nominee Robert S. Kerr Fred M. Mock
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 335,127 262,013
Percentage 55.84% 43.66%

U.S. senator before election

Robert S. Kerr
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Robert S. Kerr
Democratic

The 1954 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 2, 1954. Incumbent Democratic Senator Robert S. Kerr ran for re-election to a second term. He faced strong competition in the Democratic primary from former Governor Roy J. Turner, and though he won a sizable victory over Turner in the primary, he fell shy of an outright majority. Turner, however, withdrew from the race before a runoff election could be held. On the Republican side, U.S. Attorney Fred Mock won the nomination following a runoff against newspaper publisher Raymond Fields. In the general election, Kerr ended up easily defeating Mock, but with a significantly reduced victory from 1948.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robert S. Kerr (inc.) 238,543 49.00%
Democratic Roy J. Turner 205,241 42.16%
Democratic David C. Shapard 11,071 2.27%
Democratic George H. Hunt 10,014 2.06%
Democratic Jess L. Pullen 6,267 1.29%
Democratic Henry Harding 6,154 1.26%
Democratic A. B. McDonald 3,745 0.77%
Democratic Jeff McHenry 2,934 0.60%
Democratic Sooner Singleton 2,896 0.59%
Total votes 486,865 100.00%

Following the Democratic primary, Kerr had a sizable lead over Turner, but fell just short of a majority, thereby triggering a runoff election. However, several weeks after the primary, Turner withdrew from the runoff, announcing that he would not be able to adequately finance his campaign.[3] After Turner's withdrawal, David C. Shapard, who placed a distant third in the primary, announced that he would attempt to force a runoff with Kerr.[1] The State Election Board denied Kerr's request, and he appealed to the state Supreme Court,[4] which quickly denied his appeal, concluding that his claim had no "apparent merit."[5]

Runoff election results

Democratic primary runoff[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robert S. Kerr (inc.) 318,862 100.00%
Total votes 318,862 100.00%

Discover more about Democratic primary related topics

Republican primary

Candidates

  • Fred M. Mock, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma[6]
  • Raymond H. Fields, newspaper publisher, 1950 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate[7]
  • Ernest G. Albright
  • Frank A. Anderson

Results

Republican primary[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Raymond H. Fields 23,339 41.53%
Republican Fred M. Mock 17,062 30.36%
Republican Ernest G. Albright 11,521 20.50%
Republican Frank A. Anderson 4,270 7.60%
Total votes 56,192 100.00%

Runoff election results

Republican primary runoff[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Fred M. Mock 22,340 53.43%
Republican Raymond H. Fields 19,471 46.57%
Total votes 41,811 100.00%

General election

Results

1954 United States Senate election in Oklahoma[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Robert S. Kerr (inc.) 335,127 55.84% -6.46%
Republican Fred M. Mock 262,013 43.66% +6.26%
Independent George V. Fried 1,563 0.26%
Independent George H. Brasier 1,417 0.24%
Majority 73,114 12.18% -12.71%
Turnout 600,120
Democratic hold

Discover more about General election related topics

Democratic Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s, with both parties being big tents of competing and often opposing viewpoints. Modern American liberalism — a variant of social liberalism — is the party's majority ideology. The party also has notable centrist, social democratic, and left-libertarian factions.

Robert S. Kerr

Robert S. Kerr

Robert Samuel Kerr was an American businessman and politician from Oklahoma. Kerr formed a petroleum company before turning to politics. He served as the 12th governor of Oklahoma from 1943 to 1947 and was elected three times to the United States Senate. Kerr worked natural resources, and his legacy includes water projects that link the Arkansas River via the Gulf of Mexico. He was the first Oklahoma governor born in the territory of the state.

Incumbent

Incumbent

The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-election or not. In some situations, there may not be an incumbent at time of an election for that office or position, in which case the office or position is regarded as vacant or open. In the United States, an election without an incumbent is referred to as an open seat or open contest.

Republican Party (United States)

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which allowed for the potential expansion of chattel slavery into the western territories. It has been the main political rival of the Democratic Party since the mid-1850s. Like them, the Republican Party is a big tent of competing and often opposing ideologies. Presently, the Republican Party contains prominent conservative, centrist, populist, and right-libertarian factions.

Voter turnout

Voter turnout

In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford University political scientists Adam Bonica and Michael McFaul, there is a consensus among political scientists that "democracies perform better when more people vote."

Source: "1954 United States Senate election in Oklahoma", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, July 9th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_United_States_Senate_election_in_Oklahoma.

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References
  1. ^ a b "Shapard Wants Chance to Meet Kerr in Run-Off". Seminole Producer. Seminole, Okla. July 13, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "1952-1956 Election Results" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "Turner Withdraws From Senate Race Against Bob Kerr". Rogers County News. Claremore, Okla. July 13, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Shapard To Take Request Before Supreme Court". Okmulgee Daily Times. Okmulgee, Okla. July 14, 1954. p. 5. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "Shapard Is Denied A Place on Ballot". Miami News-Record. Miami, Okla. July 19, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "U.S. Attorney In Senate Race". Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Okla. April 22, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "Raymond Fields Is Inclined Run For U. S. Senator". Alva Review-Courier. Alva, Okla. March 15, 1954. p. 2. Retrieved June 17, 2021.

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