new state elections, the winners were seated with the new Congress on January 3, 1959. Ordered by election date. Elections leading to the next Congress In these regular elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1959; ordered by state. All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats. Alaska Alaska would become a new state January 3, 1959 and it elected two initial senators November 25, 1958, in advance of statehood. The Democratic Party thereby picked up 2 more seats. In their next elections, Alaska's senators would be elected to 6-year terms. The class 2 race, for the 2-year term ending in 1961, was between the Democratic incumbent territorial delegate Bob Bartlett, and the Republican Juneau attorney R. E. Robertson. Bartlett would be re-elected twice and serve until his death in 1968. The class 3 race, for the 4-year term ending in 1963, pitted two former territorial governors, Democrat Ernest Gruening against Republican Mike Stepovich. Gruening won a close race. Gruening would be re-elected in 1962 and serve until losing renomination in 1968. Arizona California Connecticut In Connecticut, Democrat Thomas J. Dodd defeated incumbent senator William A. Purtell who ran for a second term. Delaware Two-term Republican John J. Williams was re-elected to a third term. Williams would be re-elected in 1964, serving four terms until his 1970 retirement. Florida Incumbent Democrat Senator Holland, a conservative, was challenged by former senator Claude Pepper, who had been unseated in 1950. Holland had played a role in recruiting George A. Smathers to run against the liberal Pepper in that election. The two served as colleagues in the Senate from 1947 to 1951. Indiana Incumbent Republican William E. Jenner did not seek a second full term in office and was replaced by Democrat Vance Hartke, the mayor of Evansville. Hartke defeated incumbent Republican Governor of Indiana Harold W. Handley. Jenner resigned shortly before the election and urged Handley, Jenner's political protégé, to seek his seat. A plan was proposed whereby Handley would resign the governorship, his lieutenant would appoint him senator, and he would finish the term and run as an incumbent. When the plan was revealed to the party leadership, they strongly advised him to not implement it because they feared it would hurt the party and be perceived as a scandal. Handley did not resign from the governorship during his campaign and was widely criticized for the