Joseph Bates

U.S. Representative
Born
October 29, 1893
Died
September 10, 1965
Age at death
71
Home state
Kentucky
Party
Democratic
On the ballot
1938–1950
7-0
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Bates295,818
Opponents222,678
7
Elections run

Between 1938 and 1950, Joseph Bates ran in 7 U.S. House elections, winning all 7. Bates's biggest single-election total was 61,881 votes, in the 1940 U.S. House election in Kentucky's District 8. Bates's closest win came in the 1946 U.S. House election in Kentucky's District 8, decided by 3,281 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in Kentucky's District 8 or all 1950 U.S. House races.

How many votes has Joseph Bates received?

Joseph Bates has received 295,818 popular votes across 7 U.S. elections, with a career record of 7–0.

Election history

Joseph Bates’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1950U.S. HouseKentuckyWon37,72760.5%Phil Roberts
1948U.S. HouseKentuckyWon52,32858.61%Hubert Counts
Evelyn Jarvis
1946U.S. HouseKentuckyWon33,40852.58%Ray Schmauch
1944U.S. HouseKentuckyWon48,96954.26%Thomas S Yates
H A Mastin
1942U.S. HouseKentuckyWon22,49956.05%F A Easterling
1940U.S. HouseKentuckyWon61,88158.04%H Clell Hayes (head-to-head)
1938U.S. HouseKentuckyWon39,00658.82%H Clell Hayes (head-to-head)
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (B000237) and Wikidata (Q1691325). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Joseph Bates: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/joseph-bates. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.