1944 United States Senate election in Louisiana

The 1944 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on November 7, 1944. Incumbent Democratic Senator John H. Overton was elected to a third term in office.

1944 Democratic Senate primary election in Louisiana

← 1938 September 12, 1944 1948 (special) →

Nominee John H. Overton E. A. Stephens Griffin Hawkins Party Democratic Democratic Democratic Popular vote 151,886 68,408 19,067 Percentage 61.64% 27.76% 7.74%

Parish results Overton:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Stephens:      40–50%      50-60%      70–80% Hawkins:      40-50%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election John H. Overton Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John H. Overton Democratic

On September 12, Overton won the Democratic primary with 61.64% of the vote.

At this time, Louisiana was a one-party state (no other party had run a candidate for Senate since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment), and the Democratic nomination was tantamount to victory. Overton won the November general election without an opponent.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Charles S. Gerth, New Orleans businessman^[1]
• Griffin T. Hawkins, Lake Charles district attorney^[1]
• John H. Overton, incumbent Senator since 1933
• E. A. Stephens, candidate for Senate in 1942^[2]

Campaign

E. A. Stephens criticized Overton for having been "an isolationist before Pearl Harbor."^[1]

Griffin Hawkins campaigned for the preservation of white supremacy, using the slogans "Insure White Supremacy" and "Protect Our Future."^[3]

On the night before the primary, Senator Overton held a radio address to rebut attacks on his record.^[1] Both Hawkins and Gerth predicted that no candidate would receive a majority and the primary would require a runoff; Hawkins thought he would lead the field and Gerth, more humbly, said he would finish second to Overton. Stephens expressed confidence that he would win the nomination outright, and Overton confidently projected that he would win a majority of two to one against the field.^[1]

Results

1944 United States Senate Democratic primary^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (incumbent)	151,886	61.64%
	Democratic	E. A. Stephens	68,408	24.76%
	Democratic	Griffin T. Hawkins	19,067	7.74%
	Democratic	Charles S. Gerth	7,069	2.87%
Total votes			246,430	100.00%

General election

1944 United States Senate election^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John H. Overton (incumbent)	287,365	100.00%	0.16
Total votes			287,365	100.00%