1984 United States Senate election in Tennessee

Popular three-term Republican incumbent Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Majority Leader since 1981 (Minority Leader from 1977 to 1981) decided not to seek re-election in order to concentrate on a planned bid for 1988 Republican presidential nomination (which did not happen, as he later accepted a White House Chief of Staff position under President Ronald Reagan). This made the seat open.

Democrats nominated Representative and future Vice President of the United States Al Gore, whose father Albert Gore, Sr. once held the other Tennessee Senate seat.

Candidates:

• State Senator Victor Ashe
• Jack McNeil
• Hubert David Patty

In primary, held on August 2, Ashe easily emerged as a winner:[1]

• Ashe - 145,744 (86.47%)
• McNeil - 17,970 (10.66%)
• Patty - 4,777 (2.83%)
• Write-in - 49 (0.03%)

Al Gore 1984 campaign poster

Although the Senate election coincided with the landslide re-election of President Reagan, who carried Tennessee by a wide margin, this time his victory did not have any coattails, as it did in 1980, and Democrats picked up three Republican seats. One of the Democratic gains was in Tennessee, where conservative Democrat Gore won in a landslide:[2]

• United States Senate elections, 1984