- United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962
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United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962 1958 ← November 6, 1962 → 1964 Nominee Ted Kennedy George C. Lodge Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,162,611 877,668 Percentage 55.44% 41.85%
Senator before election
Elected Senator
The United States Senate special election of 1962 in Massachusetts was held on November 6, 1962.
Contents
History
Senator John F. Kennedy resigned the seat to become President of the United States after winning the presidential election in 1960. Benjamin A. Smith II, a Kennedy family friend, was appointed to succeed Kennedy, serving as a placeholder for Ted Kennedy, who at the time was too young to be constitutionally eligible for the seat.[1]
Ted Kennedy first faced a Democratic Party primary challenge from Edward J. McCormack, Jr., the state Attorney General. Kennedy's slogan was "He can do more for Massachusetts", the same one John had used in his first campaign for the seat ten years earlier.[2] McCormack had the support of many liberals and intellectuals, who thought Kennedy inexperienced ("I back Jack but Teddy ain't ready") and knew of his suspension from Harvard, a fact which subsequently became public during the race.[3] Kennedy also faced the notion that with one brother President and another U.S. Attorney General, "Don't you think that Teddy is one Kennedy too many?"[1] But Kennedy proved to be an effective street-level campaigner.[1] In a televised debate, McCormack said "The office of United States senator should be merited, and not inherited," and said that if his opponent's name was Edward Moore rather than Edward Moore Kennedy, his candidacy "would be a joke."[3] Voters thought McCormack's performance overbearing; combined with the family political machine's finally getting fully behind him, Kennedy won the September 1962 primary by a two-to-one margin.[1]
In the Republican primary, George C. Lodge, a former member of the Eisenhower administration and the son of Henry Cabot Lodge, defeated Laurence Curtis, the Representative from Massachusetts's 10th congressional district in the Republican primary. [4]
In the November special election, Kennedy defeated Lodge, whose father had lost this seat to John F. Kennedy in 1952 U.S. Senate election. In winning, Kennedy gained 55 percent of the vote.[1][5]
Results
Primaries
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Democratic primary for the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Ted Kennedy 559,303 69.33 Democratic Edward J. McCormack, Jr. 247,403 30.67 Majority Turnout Republican primary for the United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962 [6] Party Candidate Votes % ±% Republican George Cabot Lodge 244,921 55.49 Republican Laurence Curtis 196,444 44.51 General election
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic Ted Kennedy 1,162,611 55.44 Republican George Cabot Lodge II 877,668 41.85 Independent H. Stuart Hughes 50,013 2.38 Socialist Labor Lawrence Gilfedder 5,330 0.25 Prohibition Mark R. Shaw 1,439 0.07 Majority Turnout Democratic hold - Source: [7]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Teddy & Kennedyism". Time. 1962-09-28. http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,940066,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ Barone, Michael; Cohen, Richard E. (2008). The Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group. p. 791. ISBN 0-89234-116-0.
- ^ a b Swidey, Neil (2009-02-16). "Chapter 2: The Youngest Brother: Turbulence and tragedies eclipse early triumphs". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/02/16/chapter_2_the_youngest_brother/. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=24510
- ^ "Edward Kennedy (Dem)". The Washington Times. 2006-05-05.
- ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=24510
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1962election.pdf
Ted Kennedy February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009Electoral history 1962 Senate · 1964 Senate · 1970 Senate · 1976 Senate · 1980 Presidential · 1982 Senate · 1988 Senate · 1994 Senate · 2000 Senate · 2006 SenateBooks My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C. · True CompassFamily Joan Bennett Kennedy (first wife) · Victoria Reggie Kennedy (second wife) · Kara Kennedy Allen (daughter) · Ted Kennedy, Jr. (son) · Patrick Joseph Kennedy II (son) · Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. (father) · Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy (mother) · Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. (brother) · John Fitzgerald Kennedy (brother) · Robert Francis Kennedy (brother)Related topics Awards and honors · Political positions · Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate · Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act · Chappaquiddick incident · Mary Jo KopechneCategories:- United States Senate elections, 1962
- United States Senate elections in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts stubs
- United States election stubs
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