1941 United States Senate special election in Texas

1941 United States Senate special election in Texas
	O'Daniel: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60%; Johnson: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% >90%; Mann: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60%; Dies: 20–30% 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
U.S. senator before election; Andrew Jackson Houston; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Pappy O'Daniel; Democratic

The 1941 United States Senate special election in Texas was held on June 28, 1941 to complete the unexpired term of Senator Morris Sheppard, who died in office on April 9. Interim Senator Andrew Jackson Houston did not run for re-election and died only two days before the election. The race was won by Governor Pappy O'Daniel with a plurality of the vote; no majority was required.

O'Daniel very narrowly defeated U.S. Representative Lyndon B. Johnson, who won the seat after O'Daniel's retirement in 1948.

Background

In April 1941, incumbent Senator Morris Sheppard died in office. Governor Pappy O'Daniel appointed Andrew Jackson Houston to fill the seat until a successor could be duly elected, with the election scheduled for June 28. The winner finished Sheppard's term ending in 1943.

Houston did not run to complete the term, only serving as a placeholder for Governor O'Daniel. He died in office only two days before the election.

Candidates

Major candidates

Martin Dies Jr., U.S. Representative from Lufkin and Chair of the House Un-American Activities Committee
Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. Representative from Gillespie County
Gerald Mann, Attorney General of Texas^[2]
Pappy O'Daniel, Governor of Texas

Minor candidates

None of these candidates received more than 0.30% of the popular vote.

Joseph C. Bean
John R. Brinkley
Homer Brooks
E. A. Calvin
Arlon Barton "Cyclone" Davis
Politte Elvins
Guy B. Fisher
Enoch Fletcher
W. E. Gilliland
A. E. Harding
Basil Muse Hatfield
Robert Grammer Head
O.F. Heath Sr.
Bubba Hicks
W. R. Jones
W. W. "Cap" King
Starl G. Newsome Jr.
Floyd E. Ryan
Walter A. Schulz
Charles L. Somerville
Joe Thompson
Edwin Waller III
W. C. Welch
John C. Williams

All of these candidates were Democrats except Evans (Republican), Fletcher (Republican), Jones (Independent), and Brooks (Communist).

Results

1941 U.S. Senate special election^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Pappy O'Daniel	175,590	30.49%
	Democratic	Lyndon B. Johnson	174,279	30.26%
	Democratic	Gerald Mann	140,807	24.45%
	Democratic	Martin Dies Jr.	80,653	14.01%
	Various	Minor candidates	4,548	0.79%
Total votes			575,877	100.00%

Notes

^ ^a ^b Among the top 4 candidates

References

^ Texas State Historical Association (1943). "Texas Almanac, 1943-1944". The Portal to Texas History. The Dallas Morning News. pp. 259–260. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
^ "Let Conscience Be Your Guide!". Friends of Gerald C. Mann. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. June 25, 1941. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
^ "TX US Senate – Special Election". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.

This Texas elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[top4-1] Among the top 4 candidates

[2] Texas State Historical Association (1943). "Texas Almanac, 1943-1944". The Portal to Texas History. The Dallas Morning News. pp. 259–260. Retrieved June 20, 2022.

[3] "Let Conscience Be Your Guide!". Friends of Gerald C. Mann. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. June 25, 1941. Retrieved February 18, 2022.

[4] "TX US Senate – Special Election". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved December 1, 2020.

[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]