SkipCaptcha
35,519
edits
Changes
→U.S. Senate
===U.S. Senate===
===U.S. Senate===
After the death of incumbent senator Thomas Walsh, Montana governor John Erickson resigned and was appointed by his successor as an interim to the seat.<ref name=knoxvillefocus/> Erickson faced outrage from constituents who suspected cronyism, and Murray was encouraged to run for the seat in the 1934 special election. In an upset, he won the primary in a field of six candidates with a plurality of 25%,<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=501302 MT US Senate - D Primary Race - Jul 17, 1934]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref><ref>July 19, 1934. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/19/archives/erickson-is-third-in-montana-primary-james-e-murray-takes-lead-for.html ERICKSON IS THIRD IN MONTANA PRIMARY; James E. Murray Takes Lead for Senatorship -- Wheeler Defeats His Opponent.]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref> and easily defeated [[Republican]] opponent Scott Leavitt in the general election.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=267909 MT US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 06, 1934]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref> Two years later, Murray only barely defeated a primary challenger and proceeded to win re-election for a full Senate term.<ref name=knoxvillefocus/>
After the death of incumbent senator Thomas Walsh, Montana governor John Erickson resigned and was appointed by his successor as an interim to the seat.<ref name=knoxvillefocus/> Erickson faced outrage from constituents who suspected cronyism, and Murray was encouraged to run for the seat in the 1934 special election. In an upset, he won the primary in a field of six candidates with a plurality of 25%,<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=501302 MT US Senate - D Primary Race - Jul 17, 1934]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref><ref>July 19, 1934. [https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/19/archives/erickson-is-third-in-montana-primary-james-e-murray-takes-lead-for.html ERICKSON IS THIRD IN MONTANA PRIMARY; James E. Murray Takes Lead for Senatorship -- Wheeler Defeats His Opponent.]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref> and easily defeated [[Republican]] opponent Scott Leavitt in the general election.<ref>[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=267909 MT US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 06, 1934]. ''Our Campaigns''. Retrieved August 2, 2021.</ref> Two years later, Murray only barely defeated a primary challenger and proceeded to win re-election for a full Senate term.<ref name=knoxvillefocus/>
When the U.S. Senate took up the [[Anti-Lynching Bill of 1935]], Southern Democrats filibustered the bill, and among them, the Majority Leader [[Joseph T. Robinson]] led motions to adjourn the chamber to indefinitely stall the legislation into defeat. Although the initial attempt resulted in a narrow failure for the anti–civil rights forces, eventual political trading resulted, within about a week, of the chamber voting to adjourn, effectively killing the Act; Murray was among the votes which switched to support adjourning.<ref>Greenbaum, Fred (1967). [https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-human-relations_third-quarter-1967_15_3 "The Anti-Lynching Bill of 1935: The Irony of "Equal Justice—Under Law"]," p. 83. Internet Archive. Retrieved December 3, 2022.</ref>
[[File:Murray and Ashurst 1937.png|thumb|left|310px|Murray (left) and Henry F. Ashurst (right) in 1937.]]
[[File:Murray and Ashurst 1937.png|thumb|left|310px|Murray (left) and Henry F. Ashurst (right) in 1937.]]