1954 United States Senate election in Massachusetts
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The 1954 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 2. Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall was narrowly reelected to a third term in office over Massachusetts treasurer Foster Furcolo.
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November 2, 1954
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Saltonstall: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Furcolo: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent U.S. senator since 1945
Results
Senator Saltonstall was unopposed for re-nomination. He received the unanimous support of all 1,378 delegates to the Republican state convention in Worcester.[1][2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Foster Furcolo, treasurer and receiver-general of Massachusetts
- John I. Fitzgerald, former member of the Boston City Council and nominee for Senate in 1948
- Joseph L. Murphy, former state senator from South Boston
Withdrew
- Mark J. Dalton, Boston lawyer[3]
Campaign
Furcolo received the party endorsement at the state convention in Worcester in June.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Foster Furcolo | 207,232 | 59.13% | |
| Democratic | Joseph L. Murphy | 79,463 | 22.68% | |
| Democratic | John I. Fitzgerald | 63,752 | 18.19% | |
| Total votes | 350,447 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Foster Furcolo, treasurer and receiver-general of Massachusetts (Democratic)
- Thelma Ingersoll, nominee for Senate in 1952 (Socialist Workers)
- Harold J. Ireland, nominee for treasurer and receiver-general in 1948 and 1952 (Prohibition)
- Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent U.S. senator since 1945 (Republican)
Campaign
In October, Furcolo suffered a significant setback when junior senator John F. Kennedy declined to endorse his candidacy after the candidates fought over a television appearance Kennedy made for Furcolo and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Robert F. Murphy. The script called for Kennedy to say, "I wish you both and the entire Democratic ticket every success in November." Instead, Kennedy delivered the line as "I wish you, Bob, and the entire Democratic ticket every success in November."[5] According to Kennedy aide Francis X. Morrissey, Kennedy intentionally omitted Furcolo after an exchange of words between the two men prior to the appearance, in which Furcolo unsuccessfully pressed Kennedy to attack Saltonstall's record during the program.[5][6] Republican state chairman Elmer Nelson cited Kennedy's decision as "verification that higher type Democratic candidates and voters" supported Saltonstall.[5]
Furcolo was also denied the endorsement of the Massachusetts chapter of Americans for Democratic Action; he had addressed the chapter the prior fall and urged it to disband for the good of the Democratic Party.[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leverett Saltonstall (incumbent) | 956,605 | 50.54% |  2.41 | |
| Democratic | Foster Furcolo | 927,899 | 49.03% |  2.60 | |
| Socialist Labor | Thelma Ingersoll | 5,353 | 0.28% | 0.17 | |
| Prohibition | Harold J. Ireland | 2,832 | 0.15% | 0.03 | |
| Total votes | 1,892,689 | 100.00% | |||
