1938 United States Senate election in Colorado
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The 1938 United States Senate election in Colorado took place on November 8, 1938. Incumbent Democratic Senator Alva B. Adams ran for re-election to a second term. Adams faced Denver attorney Archibald A. Lee, the Republican nominee, in the general election. Despite the nationwide Republican landslide, including Republicans' landslide victory in the gubernatorial election that year, Adams's popularity translated into an easy re-election campaign. Adams ended up defeating Lee with 58% of the vote. However, Adams did not end up fully serving his second term; he died on December 1, 1941.
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November 8, 1938
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 Results by county Adams: 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% Lee: 40â50% 50â60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Alva B. Adams, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Benjamin C. Hilliard, Colorado Supreme Court Justice, former U.S. Congressman
Campaign
Early speculation swirled that State Supreme Court Justice Benjamin C. Hilliard would challenge Senator Alva B. Adams in the Democratic primary over Adams's tepid support for the New Deal.[1] Hilliard allowed his name to be placed into nomination at the state Democratic convention, but he failed to receive enough votes to be placed on the primary ballot.[2] As a result, Adams was nominated unopposed in the primary.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alva B. Adams (inc.) | 92,006 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 92,006 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Archibald A. Lee, Denver attorney
Campaign
Despite the nationwide trend in favor of Republicans, few were interested in challenging Senator Adams for re-election. In the leadup to the Republican convention, attorneys Archibald A. Lee and John R. Coen were discussed as possibilities,[4] but in the end, only Lee opted to run. He was nominated at the convention unopposed and was uncontested in the primary election.[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Archibald A. Lee | 57,410 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 57,410 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alva B. Adams (inc.) | 262,806 | 58.24% | +6.33% | |
| Republican | Archibald A. Lee | 181,297 | 40.18% | â5.32% | |
| Socialist | Carle Whitehead | 3,604 | 0.80% | â1.18% | |
| Independent Progressive | James Allander | 3,522 | 0.78% | â | |
| Majority | 81,509 | 18.06% | +11.65% | ||
| Turnout | 451,229 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||