1958 United States Senate election in Connecticut
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Senate election of 1958 in Connecticut was held on November 4, 1958. Democratic Thomas J. Dodd defeated incumbent senator William A. Purtell who ran for a second term.
 | |||||||||||||||||
November 4, 1958
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
  Dodd: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Purtell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
This was one of ten 15 Democrats gained from the Republican Party in 1958, part of a record swing.
General election
Candidates
- Thomas J. Dodd, U.S. Representative from Old Lyme (Democratic)
- Vivien Kellems, industrialist, inventor, and tax protester (Independent)
- William A. Purtell, incumbent Senator since 1953 (Republican)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas J. Dodd | 554,841 | 57.29% | ||
| Republican | William A. Purtell (incumbent) | 410,622 | 42.40% | ||
| Independent | Vivien Kellems | 3,043 | 0.31% | ||
| Total votes | 968,506 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
