Close Races Leave Senate Control Uncertain; Herter, Saltonstall Leading in Massachusetts

Neither party appeared to have won firm control over the United States Senate according to late returns at 5:30 a.m. today.

Late Republican comebacks in Massachusetts and Montana seemed to invalidate Democratic predictions of control of the Senate. Earlier in the evening Democrats had estimated that they would have at least 49 seats, but at press time the elections were so close that Senate Majority Leader Knowland reported a Republican majority.

The Democrats needed a net gain of two seats on election day, but incomplete returns coupled with the extremely close races everywhere made predictions impossible.

The Democrats have been promised the vote of Independent Wayne Morse of Oregon in the Senate.

In New Jersey Charles R. Howell, aided by a split in the Republican ranks, appeared to have defeated liberal Republican Clifford Case. Case had not conceded, however, and was only 1,000 votes behind at press time.

In other hotly contested elections, incumbent Democrat Paul Douglas won a qualified concession from his isolationist opponent in Illinois, Joseph Meek.

Republican incumbent Guy Cordon of Oregon was building up a sizeable lead over his liberal Democratic opponent Richard Neuberger. This was an election hard fought over the issue of private versus public power. Very late reports from Oregon quoted Democrats as being optimistic over Neuberger's chances.

Although Republican candidate George H. Bender held a slight lead over Democratic incumbent Thomas Burke, Cleveland experts predicted that a late surge of industrial voting would give Burke the late Senator Taft's old seat in this close contest.

In Michigan GOP Senator Homer Ferguson and his Democratic opponent McNamara exchanged the lead constantly throughout the night. At press time, however, Ferguson had failed to get the necessary strength in Wayne Country and both sides expected McNamara to win.

Wyoming gave Democratic candidate Joseph O'Mahoney a slight lead over William Harrison, but the returns were indecisive. In Colorado Gordon Allcott was barely ahead of John Carroll.

In a major upset, Republican Thomas Martin defeated Democratic Senator Guy Gillette in Iowa. Gillette had been considered almost a sure winner by Democratic officials.

Republicans lost Senate seats in both Nevada and Kentucky. In the former, Democrat Alan Bible, a protege of the late Senator Pat McCarran, defeated the Republican Senator Ernest Brown. And in Kentucky former Vice-President Alben Barkley unseated liberal Republican John Sherman Cooper.

For the first time a write-in vote sent a man to the Senate--from South Carolina, where Strom Thurmond defeated the nominal Democratic candidate Brown.

In expected results, Hubert Humphrey (D.) was reelected in Minnesota; Theodore Green (D.) in Rhode Island; Thomas Kuchel (R.) in California; Henry Dworshak (R.) in Idaho; Styles Bridges (R.) in New Hampshire; and Clinton Anderson (D) in New Mexico.

Prediction of the final Senate seatings was virtually impossible at 5 a.m. as races in five states were virtually dead-looked. New Jersey, Wyoming, Ohio, Michigan, and Montana ballotings were so close that, in many cases, a two percent shift would reverse the early morning results.