1962 United States Senate election in Florida

1962 United States Senate election in Florida

November 6, 1962

Nominee George Smathers Emerson Rupert Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 657,633 281,381 Percentage 70.02% 29.96%

County results Smathers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election George Smathers Democratic Elected U.S. Senator George Smathers Democratic

The 1962 United States Senate election in Florida took place on November 6, 1962. Incumbent Democratic Senator George Smathers won re-election to a third term. As of 2023, this is the last time that a winning United States Senate candidate carried all counties in Florida for the Class 3 Senate seat from Florida and the last time that a winning United States Senate candidate carried all counties in Florida for a Senate seat from Florida until 1994.

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on May 8, 1962.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Roger L. Davis, lawyer^[1]
• George Smathers, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Douglas Randolph Voorhees, real estate salesman^[1]

20.5% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Smathers (incumbent)	587,562	84.18
	Democratic	Roger L. Davis	74.565	10.68
	Democratic	Douglas Randolph Voorhees	35,832	5.13
Total votes			697,959

Republican primary

Candidates

• Emerson H. Rupert, businessman,^[7] unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for Governor in 1960

Results

Republican primary results^[3]^[4]^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Emerson H. Rupert	unopposed

General election

Results

1962 United States Senate election in Florida^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Smathers (Incumbent)	657,633	70.02
	Republican	Emerson Rupert	281,381	29.96
	None	Scattering	193	0.02
Majority			376,252	40.06
Turnout			939,207
	Democratic hold

See also

• 1962 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Smathers Gets 5-to-1 Victory; Pepper Wins". Evening star. Washington, D.C. May 9, 1962. p. A-11. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
2. Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 26.
3. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 113.
4. America Votes 5, p. 81.
5. "FL US Senate, 1962 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
6. Florida Secretary of State 196162, p. 258.
7. "Runoff Is Seen In Florida Race". Evening star. Washington, D.C. May 4, 1960. p. A-11. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
8. Florida Secretary of State 196162, p. 283.
9. Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 84.
10. America Votes 5, p. 73.
11. "FL US Senate, 1962". Our Campaigns. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
12. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (March 16, 1963). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1962" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
13. Florida Secretary of State 196162, p. 297.

Works cited

• Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
• Adams, Tom (1963). Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Florida for the Period Beginning January 1, 1961 and Ending December 31, 1962. Tallahassee: Office of the Secretary of State for Florida.
• Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1964). America Votes 5: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1962. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.
• Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.