1958 Elections in the United States - United States Senate Elections, 1958 (Paperback)

Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Republican pickups Democratic holds Democratic pickups The U.S. Senate election, 1958 was an election for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. As is common in midterm elections, the party in the White House lost seats, but in this year it was on a huge scale, perhaps due to the Recession of 1958 which caused high unemployment. The Eisenhower Administration's position on right-to-work issues galvanized labor unions which supported Democrats. The launch of Sputnik may also have been a factor. The Democratic party took thirteen Republican seats, as well as winning both 1959 Senate elections in the new state of Alaska. Senate elections in 1959 in the new state of Hawaii were split between the two parties, yielding an aggregate gain of 16 seats for the Democrats and giving a party balance of 65-35. Democrats gained three open seats in California, Indiana, and New Jersey, and defeated ten Republican incumbents: West Virginia's delegation thus changed from two Republicans to two Democrats in the same election night. Notable freshmen were future Democratic presidential contenders Eugene McCarthy (D-MN) and Ed Muskie (D-ME), as well as future Democratic Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), who as of 2010 is the longest-serving Senator in the history of the Senate making this the least recent election to still have a member of congress. special election held due to Alaska's admission as a state. special election held due to Alaska's admission as a state. special election held due to death of William Kerr Scott (D-Ne special election held due to death of Matthew M. Neely (D-WV) ... More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1178059