United States Senate elections, 1978

United States Senate elections, 1978

November 7, 1978
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate (plus 2 special elections) 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Robert Byrd Howard Baker Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1977 January 3, 1977 Leader's seat West Virginia Tennessee Seats before 61 38 Seats after 59 40 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 14,362,402 13,520,147 Percentage 50.6% 47.6% Swing 3.1% 6.1% Seats up 16 17 Races won 14 19   Third party   Party Independent Seats before 1 Seats after 1[1] Seat change Seats up 1 Races won 1
Results, with special elections      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Robert Byrd Democratic Elected Majority Leader Robert Byrd Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1978 in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. Thirteen seats changed hands between parties. The Democrats at first lost a net of two seats to the Republicans, and then one more in a special election. Democrats nevertheless retained a 58-41 majority.

Results summary

Parties		Total Seats			Popular Vote
		1976	1978	+/-	Vote	%
	Democratic Party	61	58	3	14,362,402	50.60%
	Republican Party	38	41	3	13,520,147	47.63%
	Independent	1	1		299,624	1.06%
	American Party	0	0		35,168	0.12%
	Prohibition Party	0	0		34,951	0.12%
	Socialist Worker's Party	0	0		29,796	0.10%
	Libertarian Party	0	0		25,071	0.09%
	Others	0	0		79,479	0.28%
Total		100	100		28,386,638	100.0%

Source: "Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives – via clerk.house.gov.

Gains and losses

Change in Senate composition

Race summary

Alabama

Incumbent Democratic Senator John Sparkman retired and was succeeded by Howell Heflin, the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. Heflin, the Democratic candidate, faced no Republican opponent in the general election, defeating Prohibition Party nominee Jerome B. Couch.

Alabama election

Nominee Howell Heflin Jerome B. Couch Party Democratic Prohibition Popular vote 547,054 34,951 Percentage 94% 6%

U.S. Senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Howell Heflin Democratic

Alabama (Special)

Following the death of Senator Jim Allen, his widow Maryon was appointed by governor George Wallace to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held. In this election, Democratic state senator Donald W. Stewart defeated former Republican Congressman James D. Martin to serve the remaining two years of the term.

Alabama election

Nominee Donald W. Stewart James D. Martin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 401,852 316,170 Percentage 55.1% 43.3%

U.S. Senator before election Maryon Pittman Allen Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Donald W. Stewart Democratic

Alaska

Incumbent Republican Senator Ted Stevens won reelection, defeating Democrat Donald Hobbs.

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Delaware election

Nominee Joe Biden James H. Baxter Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 93,930 66,479 Percentage 57.96% 41.02%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Joe Biden Democratic

Incumbent Democrat United States Senator Joe Biden won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican challenger James H. Baxter Jr., the Delaware Secretary of Agriculture.^[3]

Georgia

Georgia election

Nominee Sam Nunn (Incumbent) John Stokes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 536,320 108,808 Percentage 83.1% 16.9%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Sam Nunn Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Sam Nunn Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Sam Nunn won re-election to a second term.^[4]

Idaho

Idaho election

Nominee James A. McClure Dwight Jensen Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 194,412 89,635 Percentage 68.44% 31.56%

U.S. Senator before election James A. McClure Republican Elected U.S. Senator James A. McClure Republican

Incumbent Republican Senator James A. McClure was elected to a second term in office.

Illinois

Illinois election

Nominee Charles Percy Alex Seith Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,698,711 1,448,187 Percentage 53.34% 45.47%

U.S. Senator before election Charles H. Percy Republican Elected U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy Republican

Incumbent Republican Charles H. Percy ran for re-election to a third term in the United States Senate. Percy was opposed by Democratic nominee Alex Seith (D), attorney and former member of the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals. Though Percy had been expected to coast to re-election over Seith, a first-time candidate, the election quickly became competitive. In the last few days of the campaign, a desperate Percy ran a television advertisement that featured him apologizing and acknowledging that, "I got your message and you're right."^[6] Percy's last-ditch effort appeared to have paid off, as he was able to edge out Seith to win what would end up being his third and final term in the Senate.

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maine election

Nominee William Cohen William Hathaway Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 212,294 127,327 Percentage 56.59% 33.94%   Nominee Hayes Gahagan Party Independent Popular vote 27,824 Percentage 7.42%

U.S. Senator before election William Hathaway Democratic Elected U.S. Senator William Cohen Republican

Incumbent Democrat William Hathaway decided to run for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by William Cohen, the Republican nominee and the United States Congressman from Maine's 2nd congressional district and Hayes Gahagan, former Maine State Senator

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

Nominee Paul Tsongas Edward Brooke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,093,283 890,584 Percentage 55.06% 44.85%

Results by town. Red indicates towns carried by Edward Brooke, blue indicates towns carried by Paul Tsongas.

U.S. Senator before election Edward Brooke Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas Democratic

Incumbent Republican Senator Edward Brooke was defeated by Democratic Congressman Paul E. Tsongas.

Michigan

Michigan election

Nominee Carl Levin Robert P. Griffin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,484,193 1,362,165 Percentage 52.1% 47.9%

U.S. Senator before election Robert P. Griffin Republican Elected U.S. Senator Carl Levin Democratic

Incumbent Republican Robert P. Griffin ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by the Democratic candidate, and former Michigan Attorney General Carl Levin.

Minnesota

Minnesota election

Nominee Rudy Boschwitz Wendell Anderson Party Independent-Republican DFL Popular vote 894,092 638,375 Percentage 56.57% 40.39%

U.S. Senator before election Wendell Anderson DFL Elected U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz Independent-Republican

Incumbent Democrat Wendell Anderson was defeated by Republican challenger businessman Rudy Boschwitz.

In 1978, all three key statewide races in Minnesota were up for election—the Governorship, and both Senate Seats (the other Senate seat belonged to Hubert Humphrey, who died in 1978). But, there was a particular oddity to the three races—all three had incumbents who were never elected to the office in the first place. This became a well played issue by the Republicans—a billboard put up across the state read, "The DFL is going to face something scary -- an election".

When Walter Mondale ascended to the Vice Presidency in 1976, sitting Governor Wendell Anderson appointed himself to the open seat. This act did not sit well with the electorate. Plywood magnate Rudy Boschwitz campaigned as a liberal Republican and spent freely of his own money, but all that seemed to really matter was that he was neither a DFLer or Wendell Anderson in an election cycle where both were rejected by the voters. The end result was not even close—the challenger Boschwitz won in a 16-point landslide as all three statewide offices switched into Republican hands.

Minnesota (Special)

Minnesota special election

Nominee David Durenberger Bob Short Party Independent-Republican DFL Popular vote 957,908 538,675 Percentage 61.47% 34.57%

U.S. Senator before election Muriel Humphrey DFL Elected U.S. Senator David Durenberger Independent-Republican

Incumbent Muriel Humphrey retired. Democratic candidate Bob Short was defeated by Republican candidate David Durenberger.

In 1978, all three key statewide races in Minnesota were up for election—the Governorship, and both Senate Seats (the other Senate seat belonged to Wendell Anderson, who, as Governor of Minnesota, appointed himself to fill the seat vacated by Walter Mondale, when Mondale ascended to the Vice Presidency in 1976). But, there was a particular oddity to the three races—all three had incumbents who were never elected to the office in the first place. This became a well played issue by the Republicans—a billboard put up across the state read, "The DFL is going to face something scary -- an election".

When Hubert H. Humphrey died in office in January 1978, sitting Governor Rudy Perpich appointed Humphrey's widow, Muriel to sit until a special election could be held later that year. However, Muriel Humphrey opted not to seek election to the seat in her own right, and the DFL nominated former Texas Rangers owner Bob Short to run in the subsequent special election. The Independent-Republicans, on their part, nominated the liberal Republican David Durenberger, creating an unusual race in which the DFL candidate was positioned to the right of the Independent-Republican candidate. In addition to the general sense of dissatisfaction voters felt for the DFL, the DFL also had to contend with a large number of liberal members of the DFL, who were dissatisfied with Short's positions on hot button issues such as abortion, motorboat usage in the Boundary Waters Canoe area, and government spending, crossing party lines to vote for Durenberger. As a result, Durenberger won in a 26.9-percent landslide as the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats switched into Republican hands.

Mississippi

Mississippi election

Nominee Thad Cochran Maurice Dantin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 267,302 187,541 Percentage 45.3% 31.8%   Nominee Charles Evers Party Independent Popular vote 133,646 Percentage 22.6%

U.S. Senator before election James Eastland Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Thad Cochran Republican

Incumbent Democrat James Eastland decided to retire. Republican Thad Cochran won the open seat over Democrat Maurice Dantin, former District Attorney^[13] and Independent Charles Evers, Mayor of Fayette.

Evers was the first African American elected since the Reconstruction era to be mayor in any Mississippi city in 1969. He ran as an independent, and as a result his campaign divided the Democrats and allowed Cochran to win the senate seat with a 45 percent plurality.^[14] This made him the first Republican to win a statewide election in Mississippi in a century.^[15] Eastland resigned on December 27, 1978 to give Cochran a seniority advantage over new incoming senators.^[16]

Montana

Montana election

Nominee Max Baucus Larry R. Williams Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 160,353 127,589 Percentage 55.69% 44.31%

U.S. Senator before election Paul G. Hatfield Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Max Baucus Democratic

Following the death of Senator Lee Metcalf on January 12, 1978, Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul G. Hatfield was appointed to serve for the remainder of Metcalf's term. Hatfield opted to run for re-election, but was overwhelmingly defeated in the Democratic primary by Congressman Max Baucus of the 1st congressional district. Baucus advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Larry R. Williams, an author and the Republican nominee. Baucus ended up defeating Williams by a solid margin to win his first term in the Senate, and, following Hatfield's resignation on December 12, 1978, he began serving his first term in the Senate.

Nebraska

Nebraska election

Nominee J. James Exon Donald Eugene Shasteen Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 334,096 159,708 Percentage 67.7% 32.3%

U.S. Senator before election Carl Curtis Republican Elected U.S. Senator J. James Exon Democratic

Incumbent Republican Carl Curtis decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. In the elections, Democratic nominee J. James Exon won the open seat over Republican Donald Eugene Shasteen.

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New Mexico election

Nominee Pete Domenici Toney Anaya Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 183,442 160,045 Percentage 53.4% 46.6%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Pete Domenici Republican Elected U.S. Senator Pete Domenici Republican

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Pete Domenici successfully ran for re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Toney Anaya, Attorney General of New Mexico.

North Carolina

North Carolina election

Nominee Jesse Helms John Ingram Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 619,151 516,663 Percentage 54.5% 45.5%

U.S. Senator before election Jesse Helms Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jesse Helms Republican

The general election was fought between the Republican Incumbent Jesse Helms and Democrat John Ingram. Helms won re-election, by a slightly wider margin than in 1972.

Jesse Helms won the Republican Party's nomination unopposed.

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

Nominee Claiborne Pell James G. Reynolds Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 229,557 76,061 Percentage 75.1% 24.9%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Claiborne Pell Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Claiborne Pell successfully sought re-election, defeating Republican James G. Reynolds.

South Carolina

South Carolina election

Nominee Strom Thurmond Charles D. Ravenel Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 351,733 281,119 Percentage 55.6% 44.4%

U.S. Senator before election Strom Thurmond Republican Elected U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond Republican

Popular incumbent Republican Strom Thurmond defeated Democratic challenger Charles D. Ravenel.

The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, 1978. Charles D. Ravenel, an unsuccessful candidate in the 1974 gubernatorial contest, originally planned to run for governor again in 1978, but was convinced by Vice President Walter Mondale in 1977 to run for senator. He garnered over 50% of the vote in the primary and avoided a runoff election.

Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election.

Thurmond generally ignored Ravenel on the campaign and refused to debate him. When they did cross paths, Thurmond criticized Ravenel for never having held a political office. Ravenel did not help his cause by his actions in the 1974 gubernatorial race when he refused to endorse the Democratic nominee after he had been disqualified. This irritated many Democrats and they also accused him of being nothing more than a liberal New Yorker. Age was beginning to become an issue with Thurmond, so to combat perceptions of old age, Thurmond often appeared with his children on the campaign trail. While 1978 was generally a Democratic year, Thurmond was able to pull off a commanding victory over Ravenel.

South Dakota

Tennessee

Tennessee election

Nominee Howard Baker Jane Eskind Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 642,644 466,228 Percentage 55.54% 40.30%

U.S. Senator before election Howard Baker Republican Elected U.S. Senator Howard Baker Republican

Two-term popular incumbent Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, ran for reelection against first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind.

In the August 3 Democratic primary Eskind won in an open primary against eight other candidates:^[23]

• Eskind - 196,156 (34.52%)
• Bruce - 170,795 (30.06%)
• Lee - 89,939 (15.83%)
• Boyd - 48,458 (8.53%)
• Bradley - 22,130 (3.90%)
• Heinsohn - 17,787 (3.13%)
• Foster - 10,671 (1.88%)
• Nyabongo - 7,682 (1.35%)
• Vick - 4,414 (0.78%)
• Write-in - 147 (0.03%)

In the Republican primary, also held August 3, Baker easily emerged as the winner:^[24]

• Baker - 205,680 (83.44%)
• Howard - 21,154 (8.58%)
• Boles - 8,899 (3.61%)
• Patty - 3,941 (1.60%)
• Seiler - 3,831 (1.55%)
• Trapp - 2,994 (1.22%)

Baker won with a 15-point margin in the general election, held on November 7:^[25]

Texas

Texas election

Nominee John G. Tower Bob Krueger Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,151,376 1,139,149 Percentage 49.8% 49.3%

U.S. Senator before election John G. Tower Republican Elected U.S. Senator John G. Tower Republican

Republican U.S. Senator John G. Tower won re-election to a fourth term over Democrat Bob Krueger, U.S. Congressman of Texas's 21st congressional district.

Virginia

Virginia election

Nominee John Warner Andrew P. Miller Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 613,232 608,511 Percentage 50.2% 49.8%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes counties/districts won by Warner. Blue denotes those won by Miller.

U.S. Senator before election William L. Scott Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Warner Republican

Incumbent William L. Scott retired. Former Secretary of the Navy Republican John Warner beat Attorney General of Virginia Andrew P. Miller. Scott then resigned January 1, 1979 and Warner was appointed January 2, 1979 for early seniority purposes.

West Virginia

Wyoming

See also

• United States elections, 1978
  • United States gubernatorial elections, 1978
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1978
• 95th United States Congress
• 96th United States Congress

References

• Bass, Jack; Marilyn W. Thompson (1998). Ol' Strom: An Unauthorized Biography of Strom Thurmond. Longstreet. pp. 290–292.
• State Election Commission (1979). Report of the South Carolina State Election Commission. Columbia, SC: State Election Commission. p. 54.
• "Challenging a Southern Legend". Time. October 16, 1978. Retrieved February 9, 2008.