1958 United States Senate election in Maine
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The 1958 United States Senate election in Maine was held on September 8, 1958, to elect a United States senator. Incumbent Republican Senator Frederick G. Payne lost re-election to a second term, losing by a wide margin to Democrat Edmund Muskie, the popular incumbent Governor of Maine.
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September 8, 1958
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 County results Muskie: 50–60% 60–70% Payne: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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This was one of a record 15 seats Democrats gained from the Republican Party in the 1958 United States Senate elections. This was the first time Democrats won a Senate race in Maine since the 1910 election for this seat, thus this was the first time a Democrat was popularly elected to the Senate from Maine.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Frederick G. Payne, incumbent Senator
- Herman D. Sahagian, former member of the Maine Republican Committee[1]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frederick G. Payne (incumbent) | 82,448 | 83.64% | |
| Republican | Herman D. Sahagian | 16,133 | 16.37% | |
| Total votes | 98,581 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Governor Muskie was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edmund Muskie | 39,202 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 39,202 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Edmund Muskie | 172,704 | 60.76% |  25.90 | |
| Republican | Frederick G. Payne (incumbent) | 111,522 | 39.24% |  19.46 | |
| Total votes | 284,226 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||