The 1934 United States Senate special election in Montana took place on November 6, 1934. Incumbent United States Senator John E. Erickson, who, as governor, had appointed himself to the seat in 1933 upon the death of

Thomas J. Walsh Thomas James Walsh (June 12, 1859March 2, 1933) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician from Helena, Montana who represented Montana in the US Senate from 1913 to 1933. He was initially elected by the state legislature, and from 1 ...

, ran for re-election. However, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by

James E. Murray James Edward Murray (May 3, 1876March 23, 1961) was an American politician and United States Senator from Montana, and a liberal leader of the Democratic Party. He served in the United States Senate from 1934 until 1961. Background Born on a f ...

, who was the former

Silver Bow County Silver Bow County is a county in the U.S. state Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,133. Its county seat is Butte. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the single entity of Butte-Silver Bow. Additional ...

Attorney and the Chairman of the State Advisory Board of the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

. In the general election, Murray defeated

Scott Leavitt Scott Leavitt (June 16, 1879 – October 19, 1966) was a U.S. Representative from Montana. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs. Early life Scott Leavitt was born in Elk Rapids, Michigan in 1879 to Roswell Leavitt, a ...

, a former United States Congressman who had represented

Montana's 2nd congressional district Montana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 elections for a seat in the 118th Uni ...

, and an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate in a landslide to win his first term in the Senate.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, Chairman of the State Advisory Board of the

, former

Attorney *

James F. O'Connor James Francis O'Connor (May 7, 1878 – January 15, 1945) was a U.S. Representative from Montana. Biography O'Connor was born on a farm near California Junction, Iowa, and attended grade school and normal school in Iowa. He graduated from the ...

, former Speaker of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

* John E. Erickson, incumbent United States Senator *Louis P. Donovan *John A. Lovelace *W. W. Hamilton

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

, former United States Congressman from

Wellington D. Rankin Wellington D. Rankin (September 16, 1884 – June 4, 1966) was a Republican public official from the state of Montana. He was born Wellington Duncan Rankin on September 16, 1884 in Missoula, Montana, the son of John and Olive (née Pickeri ...

, former United States Attorney for the District of Montana, former

Attorney General of Montana The Montana Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency of Montana. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. The Montana Attorney General, currently Republican Austin Knudsen, heads the agen ...

*Leonard C. Young *James A. Jergenson

Results

General election

Results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Senate Special Election In Montana, 1934

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1934 Montana elections Montana 1934 Montana Senate (Class II) United States Senate 1934