1956 United States Senate election in California
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The 1956 United States Senate election in California was held on November 6, 1956. Republican incumbent Thomas Kuchel was elected to a second term (and first full term) in office over Democratic state senator Richard B. Richards.
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November 6, 1956
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 County results Kuchel: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Richards: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Tilden W. Johnson
- Thomas Kuchel, incumbent U.S. senator since 1953
- Raymond R. Pritchard
- Sam Yorty, former U.S. representative from Los Angeles and Democratic nominee for this seat in 1954 (cross-filing)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (incumbent) | 1,332,074 | 80.45% | |
| Democratic | Sam Yorty (cross-filing) | 247,300 | 13.66% | |
| Republican | Raymond R. Pritchard | 47,515 | 3.23% | |
| Republican | Tilden W. Johnson | 30,243 | 2.05% | |
| Total votes | 1,472,745 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Thomas Kuchel, incumbent U.S. senator since 1953 (cross-filing)
- Richard B. Richards, state senator from San Gabriel
- Sam Yorty, former U.S. representative from Los Angeles and nominee for this seat in 1954
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Richard B. Richards | 1,004,336 | 53.36% | |
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (inc.) (cross-filing) | 494,066 | 26.25% | |
| Democratic | Sam Yorty | 383,813 | 20.39% | |
| Total votes | 1,882,215 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Ray Gourley (Prohibition)
- Thomas Kuchel, incumbent U.S. senator since 1953 (Republican)
- Richard B. Richards, state senator from San Gabriel (Democratic)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kuchel (incumbent) | 2,892,918 | 53.96% |  0.75 | |
| Democratic | Richard B. Richards | 2,445,816 | 45.62% | 0.11 | |
| Prohibition | Ray Gourley | 22,410 | 0.42% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 5,361,144 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
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