1942 United States Senate election in Nebraska

← 1936

November 3, 1942

1948 →


Nominee	Kenneth Wherry	George Norris	Foster May
Party	Republican	Independent	Democratic
Popular vote	186,207	108,899	83,763
Percentage	48.97%	28.64%	22.03%

County Results

U.S. senator before election

George W. Norris
Independent

Elected U.S. Senator

Kenneth Wherry
Republican

The 1942 United States Senate election in Nebraska was held on November 3, 1942.

Incumbent Independent George W. Norris lost re-election to a sixth term to Republican Kenneth Wherry.

Norris, a former Republican, was quoted as remarking, “I would rather go down to my political grave with a clear conscience than ride in the chariot of victory.” In part for his honesty with constituents even if it meant defeat, Norris was later featured in John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage.^[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Hugh Ashmore
Voyle Rector
Kenneth Wherry, former state senator and mayor of Pawnee City; candidate for U.S. Senate in 1934 and governor in 1932

Results

General election results^[2]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Kenneth Wherry	61,915	66.29%
Republican	Hugh Ashmore	20,868	22.34%
Republican	Voyle Rector	10,624	11.37%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Terry Carpenter, former U.S. Representative from Scottsbluff, nominee for Senator in 1936, and perennial candidate
Harry B. Coffee, U.S. Representative from Chadron
Foster May, radio newsman and candidate for U.S. Representative in 1936
Lawrence Moore
John C. Mullin
George Olsen
William Ritchie

Results

General election results^[3]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Foster May	36,684	41.10%
Democratic	Harry Coffee	25,953	29.08%
Democratic	Terry Carpenter	13,752	15.41%
Democratic	William Ritchie	5,774	6.47%
Democratic	John C. Mullen	5,211	5.84%
Democratic	George W. Olsen	1,105	1.24%
Democratic	Lawrence W. Moore	784	0.88%

Independents

George W. Norris, incumbent senator first elected in 1912
Albert F. Ruthven

General election

Results

General election results^[4]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Kenneth Wherry	186,207	48.97%
Independent	George W. Norris (incumbent)	108,899	28.64%
Democratic	Foster May	83,763	22.03%
Independent	Albert F. Ruthven	1,348	0.36%

References

^ "U.S. Senate: George Norris".
^ "NE US Senate – R Primary, 1942". OurCampaigns. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^ "NE US Senate – D Primary, 1942". OurCampaigns. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
^ "NE US Senate, 1942". OurCampaigns. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

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Portal:Politics Third party (U.S. politics) List of third-party and independent performances in United States elections Third-party and independent members of the United States Congress

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Independents

General election

Results

See also

References