| Elections in Wisconsin |
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The 1940 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 5, 1940.
Incumbent Progressive U.S. Senator Robert La Follette Jr. was elected to a third term in office over Republican Fred H. Clausen and Democrat James E. Finnegan.
Progressive primary
Candidates
- Robert M. La Follette Jr., incumbent Senator since 1925
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Robert M. La Follette Jr. (incumbent) | 144,692 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 144,692 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Walter B. Chilsen, former State Assemblyman (1919–21) and editor of the Merrill Daily Herald
- Fred H. Clausen, farming equipment manufacturer[2]
- Michael G. Eberlein
- Glenn Frank, former President of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- John P. Koehler, Health Commissioner of Milwaukee
- William C. Maas
- Reuben W. Peterson, former State Assemblyman (1937–39)
Campaign
Frank died two days before the primary, on September 15, but remained on the ballot.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fred H. Clausen | 109,293 | 31.23% | |
| Republican | John P. Koehler | 64,774 | 18.51% | |
| Republican | Glenn Frank (deceased) | 47,885 | 13.68% | |
| Republican | Michael G. Eberlein | 43,784 | 12.51% | |
| Republican | William C. Maas | 29,940 | 8.56% | |
| Republican | Reuben W. Peterson | 29,331 | 8.38% | |
| Republican | Walter B. Chilsen | 24,928 | 7.12% | |
| Total votes | 349,935 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- William D. Carroll, former State Senator (1933–37)
- John Cudahy, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Irish Free State (write-in)
- James E. Finnegan, former Wisconsin Attorney General (1933–37)
- James J. Kerwin
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James E. Finnegan | 55.145 | 42.79% | |
| Democratic | William D. Carroll | 36,306 | 28.17% | |
| Democratic | James J. Kerwin | 22,642 | 17.57% | |
| Democratic | John Cudahy (write-in) | 14,773 | 11.46% | |
| Total votes | 128,866 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Fred H. Clausen, farming equipment manufacturer (Republican)
- James E. Finnegan, former Wisconsin Attorney General (Democratic)
- Ted Furman (Communist)
- Robert M. La Follette Jr., incumbent Senator since 1925 (Progressive)
- Adolf Wiggert (Socialist Labor)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Robert M. La Follette Jr. (incumbent) | 805,609 | 45.26% |  2.52
| |
| Republican | Fred H. Clausen | 553,692 | 41.38% |  18.54
| |
| Democratic | James E. Finnegan | 176,688 | 13.20% | 11.04
| |
| Communist | Ted Furman | 1,308 | 0.10% | N/A | |
| Socialist Labor | Adolf Wiggert | 838 | 0.06% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,538,135 | 100.00% | |||
| Progressive hold | |||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954" (PDF). p. 517. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Clausen, Frederick Harold 1875 - 1944". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 8, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1940" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1954" (PDF). Our Campaigns. p. 599. Retrieved June 17, 2021.