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 County results Ecton: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Erickson: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The1946 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 5, 1946. Incumbent United States SenatorBurton K. Wheeler, who was first elected to the Senate in1922, and was re-elected in1928,1934, and1940, ran for re-election. He was challenged in theDemocratic primary byLeif Erickson, theChief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, and, following a close election, was narrowly defeated by Erickson. In the general election, Erickson facedState SenatorZales Ecton, theRepublican nominee. Ultimately, Ecton defeated Erickson by a fairly wide margin, winning his first and only term in the Senate. Another Republican would not be elected Senator from Montana until 42 years later, whenConrad Burns narrowly won the 1988 election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Leif Erickson | 49,419 | 52.61 | |
| Democratic | Burton K. Wheeler (incumbent) | 44,513 | 47.39 | |
| Total votes | 93,932 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Zales Ecton | 22,731 | 66.94 | |
| Republican | R. E. Skeen | 11,226 | 33.06 | |
| Total votes | 33,957 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Zales Ecton | 101,901 | 53.47% | +26.91% | |
| Democratic | Leif Erickson | 86,476 | 45.38% | −28.06% | |
| Socialist | Floyd P. Jones | 2,189 | 1.15% | ||
| Majority | 15,425 | 8.09% | −38.78% | ||
| Turnout | 190,566 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
In the Republican column the two candidates for U.S. senator were Ecton, Manhattan rancher and Republican state senator, and R. E. Skeen, Billings railroad brakeman who entered the race "on a dare."
