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The 1970 United States Senate election was an election for the United States Senate which was a midterm election in the term of President Richard Nixon. Nixon's "Southern strategy" was effective at taking several seats from the Democrats, in spite of this being a midterm election. The Democrats lost a net of three seats, while the Republicans and the Conservative Party of New York picked up one net seat each, and former Democrat Harry F. Byrd, Jr. was re-elected as an independent.
The Republicans picked up one open seat in Ohio, and defeated incumbents Al Gore, Sr. of Tennessee, Joseph D. Tydings of Maryland, and Thomas J. Dodd of Connecticut (Dodd had been censured by the Senate for using campaign funds for personal use). Democrats picked up the seats of Ralph Tyler Smith of Illinois and George Murphy of California. Conservative James L. Buckley defeated Republican incumbent Charles E. Goodell of New York and a Democratic challenger.
[edit] Senate contests in 1970
| State |
Incumbent |
Party |
Status |
Opposing Candidates |
| Alaska1 |
Ted Stevens |
Republican |
Re-elected, 59.6% |
Wendell P. Kay (Democratic) 40.4% |
| Arizona |
Paul Fannin |
Republican |
Re-elected, 56.0% |
Sam Grossman (Democratic) 44.0% |
| California |
George Murphy |
Republican |
Defeated, 44.3% |
John V. Tunney (Democratic) 53.9%
Robert Scheer (Peace and Freedom) 1.8% |
| Connecticut |
Thomas J. Dodd |
Democratic |
Defeated, 24.5% |
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (Republican) 41.7%
Joseph Duffey (Democratic) 33.8% |
| Delaware |
John J. Williams |
Republican |
Retired, Republican victory |
William V. Roth, Jr. (Republican) 58.8%
Jacob Zimmerman (Democratic) 40.1% |
| Florida |
Spessard Holland |
Democratic |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 53.9%
William C. Cramer (Republican) 46.1% |
| Hawaii |
Hiram Fong |
Republican |
Re-elected, 51.6% |
Cecil Heftel (Democratic) 48.4% |
| Illinois2 |
Ralph Tyler Smith |
Republican |
Defeated, 42.2% |
Adlai Stevenson III (Democratic) 57.4% |
| Indiana |
Vance Hartke |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 50.1% |
Richard L. Roudebush (Republican) 49.9% |
| Maine |
Edmund Muskie |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 61.9% |
Neil S. Bishop (Republican) 38.3% |
| Maryland |
Joseph Tydings |
Democratic |
Defeated, 48.1% |
John Glenn Beall, Jr. (Republican) 50.7% |
| Massachusetts |
Ted Kennedy |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 62.1% |
Josiah A. Spaulding (Republican) 37.0% |
| Michigan |
Philip Hart |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 66.8% |
Lenore Romney (Republican) 32.9% |
| Minnesota |
Eugene McCarthy |
Democratic |
Retired, Democratic victory |
Hubert Humphrey (Democratic) 57.8%
Clark MacGregor (Republican) 41.6% |
| Mississippi |
John C. Stennis |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 88.4% |
William R. Thompson (Independent) 11.6% |
| Missouri |
Stuart Symington |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 51.1% |
John Danforth (Republican) 48.1%
Gene Chapman (American Independent) 0.8%
E. J. DiGirolamo (Independent) 0.04% |
| Montana |
Mike Mansfield |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 60.5% |
Harold E. Wallace (Republican) 39.5% |
| Nebraska |
Roman Hruska |
Republican |
Re-elected, 52.5% |
Frank B. Morrison (Democratic) 47.5% |
| Nevada |
Howard Cannon |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 57.7% |
William J. Raggio (Republican) 41.2% |
| New Jersey |
Harrison A. Williams |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 54.0% |
Nelson G. Gross (Republican) 42.2% |
| New Mexico |
Joseph Montoya |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 52.3% |
Anderson Carter (Republican) 46.6% |
| New York |
Charles Goodell |
Republican |
Defeated, 24.3% |
James L. Buckley (Conservative) 38.8%
Richard Ottinger (Democratic) 36.8% |
| North Dakota |
Quentin N. Burdick |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 61.3% |
Thomas S. Kleppe (Republican) 37.8% |
| Ohio |
Stephen M. Young |
Democratic |
Retired, Republican victory |
Robert A. Taft, Jr. (Republican) 49.7%
Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 47.5% |
| Pennsylvania |
Hugh Scott |
Republican |
Re-elected, 51.4% |
William G. Sesler (Democratic) 45.4% |
| Rhode Island |
John O. Pastore |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 67.5% |
John McLaughlin (Republican) 31.5% |
| Tennessee |
Al Gore, Sr. |
Democratic |
Defeated, 47.4% |
Bill Brock (Republican) 51.3% |
| Texas |
Ralph Yarborough |
Democratic |
Defeated in primary, Democratic victory |
Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 53.5%
George H. W. Bush (Republican) 46.4% |
| Utah |
Frank Moss |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 56.2% |
Laurence J. Burton (Republican) 42.5%
Clyde B. Freeman (American Independent) 1.4% |
| Vermont |
Winston L. Prouty |
Republican |
Re-elected, 58.9% |
Philip H. Hoff (Democratic) 40.2% |
| Virginia |
Harry F. Byrd, Jr. |
Independent |
Re-elected, 53.5% |
George C. Rawlings, Jr. (Democratic) 31.2%
Ray Garland (Republican) 15.3% |
| Washington |
Henry M. Jackson |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 82.4% |
Charles W. Elicker (Republican) 16.0%
Bill Massey (Socialist Workers) 0.9%
E.S. "Pinky" Fisk (Buffalo) 0.7% |
| West Virginia |
Robert Byrd |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 77.6% |
Elmer H. Dodson (Republican) 22.4% |
| Wisconsin |
William Proxmire |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 70.8% |
John E. Erickson (Republican) 28.5% |
| Wyoming |
Gale W. McGee |
Democratic |
Re-elected, 55.8% |
John S. Wold (Republican) 44.2% |
1 special election held due to death of Bob Bartlett (D-AK)
2 special election held due to death of Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL)
[edit] Getting out the vote
Nixon said that rather than violent protests, the best way for the American public to get their opinion heard is by voting.
- "The most powerful four letter word is a clean word, it’s the most powerful four letter word in the history of men, its called vote. V-O-T-E. My friends, I say that the answer to those that engage in disruption, to those that shout their filthy slogans, to those that try to shot down speakers, it's not to answer in kind, but go to the polls in election day, and in the quiet of that ballot box, stand up and be counted, the great silent majority of America." [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1970/Apollo-13/12303235577467-2/#title "1970 Election: 1970 Year in Review, UPI.com"
[edit] Senate composition before and after elections
1972 ›
