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 County results Knowland: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Rogers: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The two1946 United States Senate elections in California were held concurrently on November 5, 1946.
After incumbentRepublican SenatorHiram Johnson died in office in August 1945, GovernorEarl Warren appointedU.S. ArmyMajor and formerState SenatorWilliam F. Knowland to finish Johnson's term until a successor could be duly elected. Knowland won both thespecial election to complete Johnson's term, and the regularly scheduled 1946 election, over formerU.S. RepresentativeWill Rogers Jr., both held on November 5.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William F. Knowland (inc.) | 514,667 | 64.80% | |
| Democratic | Will Rogers Jr. (cross-filing) | 203,436 | 25.61% | |
| Democratic | Ellis E. Patterson (cross-filing) | 76,151 | 9.59% | |
| Total votes | 794,254 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Will Rogers Jr. | 501,634 | 47.45% | |
| Democratic | Ellis Patterson | 286,812 | 27.13% | |
| Republican | William F. Knowland (inc.) (cross-filing) | 226,182 | 21.40% | |
| Democratic | Wayne McFarland | 17,774 | 1.68% | |
| Democratic | John S. Crowder | 17,156 | 1.62% | |
| Democratic | Adam C. Derkum | 7,578 | 0.72% | |
| Total votes | 1,057,136 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William F. Knowland (inc.) | 1,428,067 | 54.10% | |
| Democratic | Will Rogers Jr. | 1,167,161 | 44.22% | |
| Prohibition | Douglas Corrigan | 42,683 | 1.62% | |
| Socialist Labor | Herbert Steiner (write-in) | 156 | 0.01% | |
| Write-in | All others | 1,398 | 0.05% | |
| Total votes | 2,639,465 | 100.00% | ||
In a simultaneous special election for the remainder of Johnson's term, Knowland won easily. Notably, no candidates were listed on the ballot. Each vote was a write-in, making Knowland technically the first everwrite-in candidate elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1954,Strom Thurmond became the first candidate to win a Senate election by write-in where another candidate was actually listed on the ballot.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write-in | William F. Knowland (inc.) | 425,273 | 74.31% | |
| Write-in | Will Rogers Jr. | 90,723 | 15.85% | |
| Write-in | George H. McLain | 17,883 | 3.13% | |
| Write-in | Ellis E. Patterson | 3,889 | 0.68% | |
| Write-in | Douglas Corrigan | 2,464 | 0.43% | |
| Write-in | Vic Paulsen | 1,616 | 0.28% | |
| Write-in | Moody Staten | 1,494 | 0.26% | |
| Write-in | Hartley F. Peart | 1,383 | 0.24% | |
| Write-in | George C. Highley | 1,268 | 0.22% | |
| Write-in | James Moran | 918 | 0.16% | |
| Write-in | Ben Rinaldo | 765 | 0.13% | |
| Write-in | Aubrey D. Lewis | 519 | 0.09% | |
| Write-in | Frank Merriam | 507 | 0.09% | |
| Write-in | All others | 23,619 | 4.13% | |
| Total votes | 572,321 | 100.00% | ||
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