1918 United States Senate special election in Missouri
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The 1918 United States Senate special election in Missouri took place on November 5, 1918, in Missouri. Democrat William J. Stone was elected to the full term in 1914, but died on April 14, 1918. Xenophon P. Wilfley was appointed to the vacant seat on April 30, 1918. He lost the Democratic primary election to Joseph W. Folk, who was defeated by Republican Selden P. Spencer in the general election.
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 County results Spencer: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% 80â90% Folk: 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% 80â90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joseph W. Folk, former governor of Missouri
- Xenophon P. Wilfley, the incumbent Senator
- John C. Higdon, lawyer[1]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph W. Folk | 107,690 | 55.06 | |
| Democratic | Xenophon P. Wilfley | 80,009 | 40.90 | |
| Democratic | John C. Higdon | 7,907 | 4.04 | |
| Total votes | 195,606 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Selden P. Spencer, former circuit court judge[3] and former state representative for the St. Louis City-5th district[4]
- Jay L. Torrey, Rough Rider and former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Selden P. Spencer | 71,790 | 63.67 | |
| Republican | Jay L. Torrey | 40,956 | 36.33 | |
| Total votes | 112,746 | 100 | ||
Other candidates
Socialist
Socialist Labor
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Labor | William Wesley Cox | 48 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 48 | 100 | ||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Selden P. Spencer | 302,680 | 52.39% | +10.81 | |
| Democratic | Joseph W. Folk | 267,397 | 46.29% | â4.12 | |
| Socialist | Caleb Lipscomb | 6,725 | 1.16% | â1.60 | |
| Socialist Labor | William Wesley Cox | 904 | 0.16% | â0.04 | |
| Majority | 35,283 | 6.10% | |||
| Turnout | 577,706 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||