1944 United States Senate election in California
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 Downey: 50–60% 60–70% Houser: 50–60% 60–70% Tie: 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1944 United States Senate election in California was held on November 7, 1944.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Sheridan Downey was re-elected to a second term in office over Republican Lieutenant Governor Frederick F. Houser.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Justus F. Craemer
- Irene Dockweiler
- Sheridan Downey, incumbent Senator since 1939
- John J. Taheney
- Jack B. Tenney, singer and anti-communist State Senator from Banning
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheridan Downey (inc.) | 510,069 | 54.75% | |
| Republican | Frederick F. Houser (cross-filing) | 132,376 | 14.21% | |
| Republican | William G. Bonelli (cross-filing) | 60,080 | 6.45% | |
| Republican | Philip Bancroft (cross-filing) | 53,094 | 5.70% | |
| Republican | Charles G. Johnson (cross-filing) | 45,325 | 4.87% | |
| Unknown[a] | Jack B. Tenney | 40,859 | 4.39% | |
| Democratic | Irene M. Dockweiler | 39,364 | 4.23% | |
| Unknown | Justus F. Craemer | 23,167 | 2.49% | |
| Unknown | John J. Taheney | 13,898 | 1.49% | |
| Democratic | John S. Crowder | 9,292 | 1.00% | |
| Republican | Roland C. Casad (cross-filing) | 4,106 | 0.44% | |
| Total votes | 931,630 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Philip Bancroft, 1938 Republican nominee for Senate
- William G. Bonelli, former member of the California Board of Equalization, former Los Angeles City Councilman, and State Representative
- Roland C. Casad, perennial candidate
- Justus F. Craemer
- John S. Crowder
- Frederick F. Houser, Lieutenant Governor of California
- Charles G. Johnson, California State Treasurer
- Alonzo J. Riggs
- John J. Taheney
- Jack B. Tenney, singer and anti-communist State Senator from Banning
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frederick F. Houser | 315,828 | 43.99% | |
| Democratic | Sheridan Downey (inc.) (cross-filing) | 119,412 | 16.63% | |
| Republican | Philip Bancroft | 106,463 | 14.83% | |
| Republican | William G. Bonelli | 54,078 | 7.53% | |
| Republican | Charles G. Johnson | 48,014 | 6.69% | |
| Unknown | Justus F. Craemer | 41,786 | 5.82% | |
| Unknown[a] | Jack B. Tenney | 19,341 | 2.69% | |
| Unknown | John J. Taheney | 6,953 | 0.97% | |
| Republican | Alonzo J. Riggs | 3,446 | 0.48% | |
| Republican | Roland C. Casad | 2,629 | 0.37% | |
| Total votes | 717,950 | 100.00 | ||
Prohibition primary
Candidates
- Sheridan Downey, incumbent Senator since 1939 (cross-filing)
- Frederick F. Houser, Lieutenant Governor of California (cross-filing)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frederick F. Houser | 196 | 50.78% | |
| Democratic | Sheridan Downey (inc.) (cross-filing) | 190 | 49.22% | |
| Total votes | 386 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
Shift by county
Trend by county Legend
- Republican — >15%
- Republican — +12.5−15%
- Republican — +10−12.5%
- Republican — +7.5−10%
- Republican — +5−7.5%
- Republican — +2.5−5%
- Republican — +0−2.5%
- Democratic — +0−2.5%
- Democratic — +2.5−5%
- Democratic — +5−7.5%
- Democratic — +7.5-10%
- Democratic — +10−12.5%
- Democratic — +12.5−15%
- Democratic — >15%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sheridan Downey (inc.) | 1,728,155 | 52.29% |  2.14 | |
| Republican | Frederick F. Houser | 1,576,553 | 47.71% | 3.04 | |
| Total votes | 3,304,708 | 100.00% | |||
See also
References
- ^ a b c "State of California statement of vote". Sacramento : Secretary of State. June 20, 1940 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "CA US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "CA US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1944". OurCampaigns. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
Notes
- ^ a b It is unclear whether Tenney was a member of the Republican or Democratic Party at this point. He was elected as a Democratic candidate in 1938, but also won the Republican primary. At some point, he switched to the Republican Party.
