The 1946 United States Senate election in Nevada took place on November 5, 1946. Berkeley L. Bunker, who had defeated appointed incumbent senator Edward P. Carville in the Democratic primary, lost to Republican challenger George W. Malone.
After Senator Key Pittman's death shortly after he won the 1940 Senate election, Governor Edward P. Carville appointed Berkeley L. Bunker to the seat. However, Bunker lost the Democratic primary in the 1942 Senate special election to James G. Scrugham, who won the special election. Then, Scrugham died in 1945 before he could run for a full term, so Governor Carville resigned to have his lieutenant governor, Vail Pittman, appoint him to the seat. However, Carville lost the primary to Berkeley L. Bunker, as many people didn't like the move of effectively appointing himself. The Democrats' "fourteen-year itch" along with voters being affected by Carville's move to basically appoint himself senator caused Republican George W. Malone to win.
Primary elections Primary elections were held on September 3, 1946.
Democratic primary This Senate election's Democratic primary was very similar to the one in the special election four years earlier. In both cases, an appointed incumbent senator lost renomination to the representative from Nevada's at-large congressional district. Candidates Edward P. Carville, appointed incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor of Idaho (1939-1945) Berkeley L. Bunker, U.S. Representative from the at-large district (1945-1947) and former appointed U.S. Senator
Results
Republican primary Candidates George W. Malone, engineer and candidate for this seat in 1934 and Nevada's other Senate seat in 1944 George E. Marshall Kendrick Johnson, candidate for Nevada's other Senate seat in 1944 James A. Caughman, former member of the Nevada state legislature
Results
General election Results
References