The 1964 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic Senator Stephen M. Young was re-elected to a second term in office, narrowly defeating Republican U.S. Representative Robert Taft, Jr. The result was considered an upset by the New York Times, as Taft's family name was "considered magic" in the state and Young's advanced age and polarizing attitude towards constituents were thought to be liabilities.[1]
Astronaut John Glenn resigned from NASA and entered the race on January 17, 1964. However, a little over one month later, he was injured after slipping and falling while repairing his bathroom mirror. He suffered a concussion and an inner ear injury and was hospitalized in Columbus, before being flown to Wilford Hall Air Force Hospital in Texas on March 6.[4]
After weeks in recovery, Glenn withdrew from the race on March 30 in a press conference from his hospital bed. He cited the medical advice of his doctors and his inability to campaign. “No man has a right to ask for a seat in either branch of the Congress merely because of a specific event such as orbiting the earth in a spacecraft, any more than he would have that right just by being a lawyer and having tried a few cases at the local courthouse,” Glenn said. "I will not run just asking the people of Ohio to vote for a name."[4]
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