1976 United States Senate election in Missouri
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 County Results Danforth: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Hearnes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Missouri |
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The 1976 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Stuart Symington decided to retire, instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican John Danforth won the open seat, defeating Democrat Warren Hearnes. (Jerry Litton had won the Democratic nomination earlier, but died in a plane crash on the night of the primary election, and Hearnes was chosen by the party committee.)
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Warren Hearnes, former Governor of Missouri
- Horace Kingery
- Jerry Litton, U.S. Representative from Chilicothe
- Terry Richards
- Lee Sutton, former State Representative
- James W. Symington, U.S. Representative from Ladue and son of incumbent Senator Stuart Symington
- William McKinley Thomas, perennial candidate
- Norman L. Tucker
- Jim C. Tyler
- Charles Wheeler, Mayor of Kansas City
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry Litton | 401,822 | 45.40% | |
| Democratic | Warren Hearnes | 140,446 | 23.90% | |
| Democratic | James Symington | 222,681 | 12.86% | |
| Democratic | Charles Wheeler | 10,894 | 1.23% | |
| Democratic | William McKinley Thomas | 4,865 | 0.55% | |
| Democratic | Lee C. Sutton | 4,784 | 0.54% | |
| Democratic | Norman Tucker | 1,923 | 0.22% | |
| Democratic | Jim Tyler | 1,923 | 0.22% | |
| Democratic | Terry Richards | 1,425 | 0.16% | |
| Democratic | Horace Kingery | 1,207 | 0.14% | |
| Total votes | 885,068 | 100.00% | ||
On primary night, Representative Litton and his entire family died in a plane crash en route to his victory party.[2] To replace Litton on the general election ticket, the Missouri Democratic State Committee held a meeting and elected runner-up Warren Hearnes as the party's nominee. He was chosen over State Treasurer of Missouri Jim Spainhower.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Warren Hearnes | 38 | 63.33% | |
| Democratic | Jim Spainhower | 22 | 36.67% | |
| Total votes | 60 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Danforth, Attorney General of Missouri and nominee for Senate in 1970
- Gregory Hansman, candidate for Lt. Governor in 1972 and Senate in 1974
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Danforth | 284,025 | 93.48% | |
| Republican | Gregory Hansman | 19,796 | 6.52% | |
| Total votes | 303,821 | 100.00% | ||
Independents and third parties
Independent
- Lawrence "Red" Petty, unsuccessful candidate for the American Party nomination for Senate in 1970
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Danforth | 1,090,067 | 56.94% |  8.79
| |
| Democratic | Warren E. Hearnes | 813,571 | 42.50% |  8.54
| |
| Independent | Lawrence "Red" Petty | 10,822 | 0.57% | N/A | |
| Turnout | 1,914,460 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
See also
References
- ^ "MO US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ Rep. Litton dies in plane crash, as he wins voting
- ^ "MO US Senate - D Replacement Nominee". OurCampaigns. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "MO US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1976election.pdf