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 County results Bender: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Burke: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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TheUnited States Senate special election in Ohio of 1954 was held on November 2, 1954 to complete the unexpired term of late SenatorRobert A. Taft, who died in office on July 31, 1953. SenatorThomas A. Burke (who was appointed as Taft's successor) ran to complete the term in office but was narrowly defeated by U.S. RepresentativeGeorge Bender.The next special election for the senate in Ohio would occur in 2026 for this seat.
On July 31, 1953, incumbent Republican SenatorRobert A. Taft died in office. His term was scheduled to expire in 1957. GovernorFrank Lausche appointed Thomas A. Burke, the Democratic Mayor of Cleveland, to fill his seat until a successor could be duly elected.
The special election was scheduled for November 2, 1954, concurrent with the regularly scheduled state and federal elections. Burke ran to complete the term. This was the last U.S. Senate special election in Ohio until the one to this seat in2026.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George H. Bender | 254,390 | 57.40% | |
| Republican | William B. Saxbe | 188,783 | 42.60% | |
| Total votes | 443,173 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George Bender | 1,257,874 | 50.06% |  7.48 | |
| Democratic | Thomas A. Burke (incumbent) | 1,254,904 | 49.94% |  7.48 | |
| Total votes | 2,512,778 | 100.0% | |||
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