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  NH US Senate - R Primary
RACE DETAILS
Parents > United States > New Hampshire > Senate Class III
OfficeSenate
HonorificSenator - Abbr: Sen.
TypeRepublican Primary Election
Filing Deadline June 01, 1950 - 12:00pm Central
Polls Open September 12, 1950 - 12:00pm Central
Polls Close September 12, 1950 - 12:00pm Central
Term Start January 03, 1951 - 12:00pm
Term End January 03, 1957 - 12:00pm
ContributorChronicler
Last ModifiedChronicler January 10, 2008 07:30pm
Data SourcesNew York Times 9/21/1950
Description During the Truman administration, New Hampshire's two Republican U.S. Senators often voted against each other. Sen. Styles Bridges generally supported conservative measures while Sen. Tobey generally supported liberal measures. Still, it came as a shock when Bridges's administrative assistant, Wesley Powell, filed to run against Tobey in the Republican primary.

Powell ran an aggressive campaign against the veteran Tobey, who had never lost an election. He accused Tobey of being a "Truman Republican," particularly in his support of SOS Atcheson and SOD Johnson. A frequently mentioned factor in the race was that Tobey was 70 years old, or twice the age of Powell (who was 34). [NYT 9/10/1950]

Tobey underestimated Powell's challenge, as at the time NH voters preferred to elevate candidates from lower offices. Tobey had risen through the ranks from town selectman through the legislature and governorship to the U.S. Senate, while Powell had never previously been a candidate. As the campaign progressed, it became clear that the state Republican Party was not going to assist Tobey in the race, so the Senator began to return home more frequently to campaign. [NYT 9/10/1950]

On primary day, it appeared that Powell had scored a major upset. His precincts reported fist, and he led by as much as 1,200 votes at one point. Tobey began to cut into Powell's lead as the evening progressed, and it was only after midnight that Tobey took the lead. [NYT 9/13/1950]
LAST GENERAL ELECTION
  PartyRepublican Won11/07/1944
NameCharles W. Tobey Votes110,549 (50.93%)
Term01/04/1945 - 01/03/1951 Margin4,041 (+1.86%)
NEXT GENERAL ELECTION
  PartyRepublican Won11/07/1950
NameCharles W. Tobey Votes106,142 (55.70%)
Term01/03/1951 - 07/24/1953 Margin33,669 (+17.67%)
NEXT GENERAL ELECTION
RaceNH US Senate 11/07/1950

CANDIDATES
Photo  
Name (I) Sen. Charles W. Tobey Wesley Powell  
PartyRepublican Republican  
Campaign Logo  
Certified Votes 39,203 (50.85%) 37,893 (49.15%)  
Margin0 (0.00%) -1,310 (-1.70%)  
Predict Avg.0.00% 0.00%  
Cash On Hand $-- $--  
Website  
Entry Date -- --  
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