The 1958 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on November 4, 1958. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator George W. Malone ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Democrat Howard Cannon.
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 County results Cannon: 50–60% 70–80% Malone: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- George W. Malone, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
editSenator Malone was unopposed for re-nomination by the Republican Party.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Fred Anderson, surgeon from Reno and member of the University of Nevada Board of Regents
- Howard Cannon, City Attorney of Las Vegas
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Howard Cannon | 22,787 | 51.66% | |
| Democratic | Fred Anderson | 21,319 | 48.34% | |
| Total votes | 44,106 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCampaign
editThis campaign was considered one of the most competitive and highly watched in the nation in 1958. Senator Malone was known nationally as a leader within the Republican Party's right wing and held key appointments on the Senate Finance and Interior Committees.[2]
Malone campaigned on his experience and seniority in the Senate, using the slogan "He Knows Nevada Best." He received support from Eisenhower cabinet secretaries Fred Seaton and Ezra Taft Benson. Benson, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was especially influential among Nevada's large Mormon population. His endorsement was seen as particularly important in light of Cannon's Mormon faith. Late in the campaign, Malone published full-page ads touting his effort to save Nevada from a federal gambling tax.[2]
Cannon focused his attacks on Malone's absentee record in the Senate and his reputation on Capitol Hill as an unpopular extremist.[2]
Results
editCannon easily won the election owing to his overwhelming support in his native Clark County, which contained 47 percent of the state's registered voters. He was the first candidate from southern Nevada elected to the United States Senate.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Howard Cannon | 48,732 | 57.65% |  7.63
| |
| Republican | George W. Malone (incumbent) | 35,760 | 42.32% |  9.35
| |
| Majority | 12,972 | 15.35% | +12.00% | ||
| Turnout | 84,492 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ "NV US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Driggs, Don W. (March 1959). "The 1958 Election in Nevada". The Western Political Quarterly. 12 (1): 317–321. doi:10.2307/444059. JSTOR 444059.
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1958" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 20.