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 County results Metcalf: 50–60% 60–70% Fjare: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The1960 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 8, 1960. Incumbent United States SenatorJames E. Murray, who was first elected to the Senate in a special election in1934 and was re-elected in1936,1942, and1948, and1954, declined to seek re-election, creating an open seat. United States CongressmanLee Metcalf won out in a crowdedDemocratic primary and faced off against former United States CongressmanOrvin B. Fjare, who won in a similarly crowdedRepublican primary. Following a close general election, Metcalf narrowly defeated Fjare to win his first term in the Senate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lee Metcalf | 45,339 | 35.16% | |
| Democratic | John W. Bonner | 33,246 | 25.78% | |
| Democratic | LeRoy H. Anderson | 26,152 | 20.28% | |
| Democratic | John W. Mahan | 24,208 | 18.77% | |
| Total votes | 75,798 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Orvin B. Fjare | 25,899 | 38.71% | |
| Republican | Sumner Gerard | 17,932 | 26.80% | |
| Republican | Wayne Montgomery | 13,527 | 20.22% | |
| Republican | James H. Morrow | 5,261 | 7.86% | |
| Republican | Fred J. Martin | 2,804 | 4.19% | |
| Republican | L. A. Wilson | 1,482 | 2.22% | |
| Total votes | 66,905 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lee Metcalf | 140,331 | 50.73% | +0.35% | |
| Republican | Orvin B. Fjare | 136,281 | 49.27% | −0.35% | |
| Majority | 4,050 | 1.46% | +0.70% | ||
| Turnout | 276,612 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
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