1958 United States Senate election in Minnesota
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The 1958 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 1958. Democratic U.S. Representative Eugene McCarthy defeated incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Edward John Thye, who sought a third term. With his victory, McCarthy became the first Democrat ever to be popularly elected to Minnesota's Class 1 Senate seat, and marked the first time since 1859 that Democrats held both Senate seats in the state.
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November 4, 1958
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 County results McCarthy: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Thye: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic–Farmer-Labor primary
Eugene McCarthy was nominated. Governor Orville Freeman was considered as a candidate for U.S. Senate. Freeman said there was a 'superabundance of good candidates' and refused to run. McCarthy announced his candidacy within a day of Freeman's decline. Karl Rolvaag and Miles Lord were considered as potential candidates.[1]
- Eugene J. McCarthy, U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 4th congressional district since 1949
- Hans R. Miller
- Hjalmar Petersen, 23rd Governor of Minnesota (1936–1937) and 28th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota (1935–1936)
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Eugene J. McCarthy | 279,796 | 75.65% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Hjalmar Petersen | 76,340 | 20.64% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Hans R. Miller | 13,736 | 3.71% | |
| Total votes | 369,872 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
- Mrs. Peder P. Schmidt
- Edward C. Slettedahl
- Edward John Thye, Incumbent U.S. Senator since 1947
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Edward John Thye (incumbent) | 224,833 | 91.81% | |
| Republican | Edward C. Slettedahl | 13,734 | 5.61% | |
| Republican | Mrs. Peder P. Schmidt | 6,332 | 2.58% | |
| Total votes | 244,899 | 100.00% | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Eugene J. McCarthy | 608,847 | 52.95% | |
| Republican | Edward John Thye (incumbent) | 535,629 | 46.58% | |
| Socialist Workers | William M. Curran | 5,407 | 0.47% | |
| Total votes | 1,149,883 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican | ||||