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The United States Senate election, 1976 was an election for the United States Senate that coincided with Democratic Jimmy Carter's election to the presidency. Almost half of the seats being decided in this election changed parties, but Carter's narrow victory did not produce decisive gains for the Democrats, and the balance of the chamber remained the same.
Democrats took open seats in Arizona, Hawaii, Nebraska, and defeated incumbents John Glenn Beall, Jr. of Maryland, James L. Buckley of New York's Conservative Party, Robert Taft, Jr. of Ohio, and Bill Brock of Tennessee. Republicans took open seats in Missouri and Rhode Island, and defeated five incumbents: John V. Tunney of California, Vance Hartke of Indiana, Joseph Montoya of New Mexico, Frank Moss of Utah, and Gale McGee of Wyoming.
[edit] Senate contests in 1976
A bolded state name indicates an article about that state's election.
| State |
Incumbent |
Party |
Status |
Opposing Candidates |
| Arizona |
Paul Fannin |
Republican |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Dennis DeConcini (Democratic) 54.0%
Sam Steiger (Republican) 43.3%
Allan Norwitz (Libertarian) 1.0% |
| California |
John V. Tunney |
Democratic |
Defeated, 46.9% |
S. I. Hayakawa (Republican) 50.2% |
| Connecticut |
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. |
Republican |
Re-elected, 57.7% |
Gloria Schaffer (Democratic) 41.2% |
| Delaware |
William V. Roth, Jr. |
Republican |
Re-elected, 55.8% |
Thomas C. Maloney (Democratic) 43.6% |
| Florida |
Lawton Chiles |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 63.0% |
John Grady (Republican) 37.0% |
| Hawaii |
Hiram Fong |
Republican |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Spark Matsunaga (Democratic) 53.7%
William F. Quinn (Republican) 40.6% |
| Indiana |
Vance Hartke |
Democratic |
Defeated, 40.5% |
Richard Lugar (Republican) 58.8% |
| Maine |
Edmund Muskie |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 60.2% |
Robert A. G. Monks (Republican) 39.8% |
| Maryland |
John Glenn Beall, Jr. |
Republican |
Defeated, 38.8% |
Paul Sarbanes (Democratic) 56.5% |
| Massachusetts |
Ted Kennedy |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 69.3% |
Michael S. Robertson (Republican) 29.0%
Carol Henderson Evans (Socialist Workers) 1.1%
H. Graham Lowry (U.S. Labor) 0.6% |
| Michigan |
Philip Hart |
Democratic |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (Democratic) 52.5%
Marvin L. Esch (Republican) 46.8% |
| Minnesota |
Hubert Humphrey |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 67.5% |
Gerald W. Brekke (Republican) 25.0%
Paul Helm (Independent) 6.6% |
| Mississippi |
John C. Stennis |
Democratic |
Unopposed |
|
| Missouri |
Stuart Symington |
Democratic |
Retired, Republican victory |
John Danforth (Republican) 56.9%
Warren E. Hearnes (Democratic) 42.5%
Lawrence Petty (Independent) 0.6% |
| Montana |
Mike Mansfield |
Democratic |
Retired, Democratic victory |
John Melcher (Democratic) 64.2%
Stanley C. Burger (Republican) 35.8% |
| Nebraska |
Roman Hruska |
Republican |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Edward Zorinsky (Democratic) 52.4%
John Y. McCollister (Republican) 47.5% |
| Nevada |
Howard Cannon |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 63.0% |
David Towell (Republican) 31.4% |
| New Jersey |
Harrison A. Williams |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 60.7% |
David A. Norcross (Republican) 38.0% |
| New Mexico |
Joseph Montoya |
Democratic |
Defeated, 42.7% |
Harrison Schmitt (Republican) 56.8% |
| New York |
James L. Buckley |
Republican1 |
Defeated, 44.9% |
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democratic) 54.2% |
| North Dakota |
Quentin N. Burdick |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 62.1% |
Robert Stroup (Republican) 36.6% |
| Ohio |
Robert Taft, Jr. |
Republican |
Defeated, 46.5% |
Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 49.5% |
| Pennsylvania |
Hugh Scott |
Republican |
Retired, Republican victory |
H. John Heinz III (Republican) 52.4%
William J. Green, III (Democratic) 46.8% |
| Rhode Island |
John O. Pastore |
Democratic |
Retired, Republican victory |
John Chafee (Republican) 57.7%
Richard P. Lorber (Democratic) 42.0% |
| Tennessee |
Bill Brock |
Republican |
Defeated, 47.0% |
Jim Sasser (Democratic) 52.5% |
| Texas |
Lloyd Bentsen |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 56.8% |
Alan Steelman (Republican) 42.2% |
| Utah |
Frank Moss |
Democratic |
Defeated, 44.8% |
Orrin Hatch (Republican) 53.7% |
| Vermont |
Robert Stafford |
Republican |
Re-elected, 50.0% |
Thomas P. Salmon (Democratic) 45.3% |
| Virginia |
Harry F. Byrd, Jr. |
Independent |
Re-elected, 57.2% |
Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. (Democratic) 38.3% |
| Washington |
Henry M. Jackson |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 71.8% |
George M. Brown (Republican) 24.2% |
| West Virginia |
Robert Byrd |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 99.9% |
|
| Wisconsin |
William Proxmire |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 72.2% |
Stanley York (Republican) 27.0% |
| Wyoming |
Gale W. McGee |
Democratic |
Defeated, 45.4% |
Malcolm Wallop (Republican) 54.7% |
1Buckley was actually part of the Conservative Party of New York, but ran in this election as a Republican.
[edit] See also
[edit] Senate composition before and after elections
1978 ›
