Lindholm Company Blog

Wayne Morse 49% (Red)
Rufus Holman 42% (Blue)
The map shows the net margin between the top two candidates.

This was the 2nd Republican Senate primary in 1944. For the other results, please see: http://lindholmcompanyblog.com/?p=4006.

The 1944 Oregon Republican Senate Primary for the long-term seat saw University of Oregon Law School Dean Wayne Morse challenging incumbent U. S. Senator, Rufus Holman.

Morse won solidly.

There was a clear geographic pattern to the returns. Morse was from Lane County. Holman was from Multnomah County.

An interesting back story, that has to wait for another time, is that Holman, earlier in his career, had been a consistent opponent of KKK-backed politicians in Portland. 

Source of election returns: Oregon Blue Book, 1945-46 Edition.

Guy Cordon 48% (Red)
Charles Sprague 44% ((Blue)
The map shows the net margin between the top two candidates.

This was one of two major Republican primaries for U. S. Senate in 1944.

The 1944 Oregon Republican Senate Primary for the short-term seat saw former Governor Charles Sprague challenging incumbent, newly appointed U. S. Senator, Guy Cordon. Cordon had been appointed to replace Charles McNary who had died a few months earlier. McNary had been the Republican nominee for Vice President in 1940. McNary had been the Senate Republican leader.

Cordon won solidly.

There was a clear geographic pattern to the returns. Cordon was from Douglas County. Sprague was from Marion County. Cordon did extremely well in southern Oregon and did well enough in the rest of the state.

This was the 2nd straight Republican Primary that Sprague lost. As Governor, he lost his re-election bid in 1942: http://lindholmcompanyblog.com/?p=4003.

Source of election returns: Oregon Blue Book, 1945-46 Edition.

Earl Snell 58% (Red)
Charles Sprague 42% (Blue)
The map shows the net margin between the top two candidates.

The 1942 Oregon Republican Gubernatorial Primary saw incumbent Secretary of State Earl Snell challenging incumbent Governor Charles Sprague. Snell won in a huge landslide.

There was a geographic pattern to the returns. Snell was from Gilliam County. Sprague was from Marion County. Sprague published what is now the Statesman Journal. Sprague did best in Lane County. Surprisingly, Sprague’s support was not centered on Marion County.

Sprague was the 2nd straight Oregon Governor to be defeated in his own party’s primary after just one term. Charles Martin had lost the same way four year earlier. See http://lindholmcompanyblog.com/?p=4000 for the voting geography of that contest.

Source of election returns: Oregon Blue Book, 1943-44 Edition.

Henry Hess 49% (Red)
Charles Martin 44% (Blue)
The map shows the net margin between the top two candidates.

The 1938 Oregon Democratic Gubernatorial Primary saw Henry Hess challenging Governor Charles Martin. Hess ran as a New Deal Democrat. Martin, a former Republican and retired Major General, was one of Franklin Roosevelt’s staunchest foes. Hess won the Primary, but lost in November to Salem newspaper publisher Charles Sprague. Hess was just too liberal for Oregon.

There was a clear geographic pattern to the returns. Hess was from Union County, in the heart of the Democrat’s traditional stronghold, such as it was, in Oregon. Martin was from Multnomah County, which was on the way to becoming the Democratic stronghold we know today.

Source of election returns: Oregon Blue Book, 1939-40 Edition.

Source: Oregon Blue Book, 1939-40 Edition.

Democrat strength in Portland is clearly visible in this map.

Source of data: Oregon Secretary of State. Source of map: Metro RLIS.

Democratic turnout was strongest in the City of Portland. The old Democratic stronghold of eastern Clackamas, in the mountains, is still visible. However, there are not very many people in those parts.

Source of data: Oregon Secretary of State. Source of map: Metro RLIS.

The Democrat stronghold of Eugene-Springfield is clearly visible in this map.

Source of data: Oregon Secretary of State. Source of map: Lane Council of Governments.

The partisan Democrat strength in the cities and the old strength in the moutains is visible.

Source of data: Oregon Secretary of State. Source of map: Lane Council of Governments.

Kitzhaber’s strength in Portland and Dudley’s strength in the suburbs is clearly seen.

Source of data: Clackamas County Elections, Multnomah County Elections, and Washington County Elections. Source of map: Metro RLIS.

Kitzhaber’s strength in Portland and Dudley’s strength in the suburbs and rural areas is clearly visible in this map. This is the typical Democratic/Republican split one seens in almost every Oregon election.

Source of data: Clackamas County Elections, Multnomah County Elections, and Washington County Elections. Source of map: Metro RLIS.