1940 United States Senate election in Delaware
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The 1940 United States Senate election in Delaware took place on November 5, 1940. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John G. Townsend Jr. ran for re-election to a third term in office, but was defeated by Democrat James M. Tunnell. This was the only seat that Democrats flipped during this cycle. This was the last time Democrats won Delaware's Class 1 Senate seat until Tom Carper's victory over Senator William Roth in 2000.
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November 5, 1940
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 County results Tunnell: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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General election
Candidates
- William F. Allen, former U.S. Representative from Seaford (Liberal Democratic)
- James M. Tunnell, Georgetown lawyer, banker and candidate for Senate in 1924 (Democratic)
- John G. Townsend Jr., incumbent Senator since 1929 (Republican)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James M. Tunnell | 68,294 | 50.63% |  4.47 | |
| Republican | John G. Townsend Jr. (incumbent) | 63,799 | 47.30% |  5.97 | |
| Liberal Democratic | William F. Allen | 2,786 | 2.07% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 134,879 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||