United States Senate elections, 1964

The Senate elections in the United States in 1964 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. In parallel, he was elected House of Representatives and the presidential election in 1964. A total of 35 mandates were proposed.

Choice and earnings

The elections took place one year after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and proceeded generally unfavorable to the opposition Republicans. The Democrats were able to extend their previously clear majority of 66 seats to 68 seats of the 100 -member Congress chamber. The Democrats were thus a two-thirds majority in the Senate. It was to this day the last time that a party has brought such a majority to pass. The Democrats gained three new seats from the Republicans, in the states of New York, New Mexico and Maryland. Only in California, the Republican George Murphy was able to prevail narrowly to the incumbent Pierre Salinger. However, it was a by-election because Salinger was first appointed mid-year by the California Governor Pat Brown to the Senate, to occupy a vacant seat.

The election result meant that the confirmed in office, President Lyndon B. Johnson had a large majority to push through his reform program the Great Society.

The newly elected Senate was constituted provided on the third day of the following January, so on January 3, 1965 as required by the Constitution.