1970 United States Senate elections

Arizona election
← 1964 1976 →
	Results map.; Counties won by Fannin; Counties won by Grossman
U.S. senator before election; Paul Fannin; Republican	Elected U.S. senator ; Paul Fannin; Republican

Alaska special election
← 1966 1972 →
U.S. senator before election; Ted Stevens; Republican	Elected U.S. senator ; Ted Stevens; Republican

1970 United States Senate elections
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate; 51 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic gain Democratic hold; Republican gain Republican hold; Independent gain; Conservative gain; No election
Majority Leader before election; Mike Mansfield; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Mike Mansfield; Democratic

The 1970 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate. It took place on November 3, with the 33 seats of Class 1 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. These races occurred in the middle of Richard Nixon's first term as president. 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.

This was the first time that Republicans gained Senate seats while losing House seats, which also occurred in 2018. This also occurred for Democrats in 1914, 1962, and 2022.^[3]

This was the most recent election in which a third party won a seat in the Senate until 2006. As of 2024^[update], this is also the most recent cycle in which Democrats won Senate elections in Utah and Wyoming, and the most recent in which Republicans won a Senate election in Hawaii.

Results summary

↓
54	1	1	44
Democratic	I	C	Republican

Parties		Democratic	Republican	Conservative	Independent	Other	Total
Parties							Total
Last elections (1968)		58	42	0	0	0	100
Before these elections		57	43	0	0	0	100
Not up		32	33	—	0	—	65

Up		25	10	—	—	—	35
Class 1 (1964→1970)		25	8	—	—	—	33
Special: Class 2		0	1	—	0	—	1
Special: Class 3		0	1	—	0	—	1

Incumbent retired		3	1	—	0	—	4
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	1
	Result	2	2	0	0	0	4
Incumbent ran		22^[b]^[c]	9^[c]	—	—	—	31
	Won re-election	17	6^[d]	—	—	—	23
	Won re-election but changed party	1 Democrat re-elected as an Independent				—	1
	Lost re-election	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 3 Democrats replaced by 3 Republicans 1 Republican replaced by 1 Conservative			—	—	6
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	1	0	—	—	—	1
	Result	20	9	1	1	0	31

Total elected		22	11	1	1	0	35
Net gain/loss		3	1	1	1		2
Nationwide vote		25,435,247	19,373,972^[a]	2,183,572	516,149	1,049,884	48,558,824
	Share	52.38%	39.90%	4.50%	1.06%	2.16%	100%
Result		54	44	1	1	0	100

Source: Office of the Clerk^[1]

Getting out the vote

President Nixon said that rather than violent protests, the best way for the American public to get their opinion heard was 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, it's 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 shout 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.
— Richard Nixon, "1970 Election: 1970 Year in Review". UPI.com.

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

One Republican and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Delaware	John J. Williams	William Roth
Florida	Spessard Holland	Lawton Chiles
Minnesota	Eugene McCarthy	Hubert Humphrey
Ohio	Stephen M. Young	Robert Taft Jr.

Defeats

Three Republicans and four Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
California	George Murphy	John V. Tunney
Connecticut	Thomas J. Dodd	Lowell Weicker
Illinois	Ralph Tyler Smith	Adlai Stevenson III
Maryland	Joseph Tydings	J. Glenn Beall Jr.
New York	Charles Goodell	James L. Buckley
Tennessee	Albert Gore Sr.	Bill Brock
Texas	Ralph Yarborough	Lloyd Bentsen

Independent gain

One Democrat ran as an Independent in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd Jr.	Harry F. Byrd Jr.

Post-election changes

State	Senator	Replaced by
Georgia	Richard Russell Jr.	David H. Gambrell
Louisiana	Allen J. Ellender	Elaine Edwards
Vermont	Winston L. Prouty	Robert Stafford

Change in composition

Before the elections

D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀
D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉	D₃₀
D₄₀ Minn. Retired	D₃₉ Mich. Ran	D₃₈ Mass. Ran	D₃₇ Md. Ran	D₃₆ Maine Ran	D₃₅ Ind. Ran	D₃₄ Fla. Retired	D₃₃ Conn. Ran	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁ Miss. Ran	D₄₂ Mo. Ran	D₄₃ Mont. Ran	D₄₄ Nev. Ran	D₄₅ N.J. Ran	D₄₆ N.M. Ran	D₄₇ N.D. Ran	D₄₈ Ohio Ran	D₄₉ R.I. Ran	D₅₀ Tenn. Ran
Majority →									D₅₁ Texas Ran
R₄₁ N.Y. Ran	R₄₂ Pa. Ran	R₄₃ Vt. Ran	D₅₁ Va. Ran	D₅₆ Wyo. Ran	D₅₅ Wis. Retired	D₅₄ W.Va. Ran	D₅₃ Wash. Ran	D₅₂ Utah Ran	D₅₁ Texas Ran
R₄₀ Neb. Ran	R₃₉ Ill. (sp) Ran	R₃₈ Hawaii Ran	R₃₇ Del. Retired	R₃₆ Calif. Ran	R₃₅ Ariz. Ran	R₃₄ Alaska (sp) Ran	R₃₃	R₃₂	R₃₁
R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅	R₂₆	R₂₇	R₂₈	R₂₉	R₃₀
R₂₀	R₁₉	R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁
R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈	R₉	R₁₀

After the elections

D₁	D₂	D₃	D₄	D₅	D₆	D₇	D₈	D₉	D₁₀
D₂₀	D₁₉	D₁₈	D₁₇	D₁₆	D₁₅	D₁₄	D₁₃	D₁₂	D₁₁
D₂₁	D₂₂	D₂₃	D₂₄	D₂₅	D₂₆	D₂₇	D₂₈	D₂₉	D₃₀
D₄₀ Mo. Re-elected	D₃₉ Miss. Re-elected	D₃₈ Minn. Hold	D₃₇ Mich. Re-elected	D₃₆ Mass. Re-elected	D₃₅ Maine Re-elected	D₃₄ Ind. Re-elected	D₃₃ Fla. Hold	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁ Mont. Re-elected	D₄₂ Nev. Re-elected	D₄₃ N.J. Re-elected	D₄₄ N.M. Re-elected	D₄₅ N.D. Re-elected	D₄₆ R.I. Re-elected	D₄₇ Texas Hold	D₄₈ Utah Re-elected	D₄₉ Wash. Re-elected	D₅₀ W.Va. Re-elected
Majority →									D₅₁ Wis. Re-elected
R₄₁ Conn. Gain	R₄₂ Md. Gain	R₄₃ Ohio Gain	R₄₄ Tenn. Gain	C₁ N.Y. Gain^[e]	I₁ Va. Re-elected/Gain	D₅₄ Ill. (sp) Gain^[e]	D₅₃ Calif. Gain	D₅₂ Wyo. Re-elected	D₅₁ Wis. Re-elected
R₄₀ Vt. Re-elected	R₃₉ Pa. Re-elected	R₃₈ Neb. Re-elected	R₃₇ Hawaii Re-elected	R₃₆ Del. Hold	R₃₅ Ariz. Re-elected	R₃₄ Alaska (sp) Elected^[f]	R₃₃	R₃₂	R₃₁
R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅	R₂₆	R₂₇	R₂₈	R₂₉	R₃₀
R₂₀	R₁₉	R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁
R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈	R₉	R₁₀

Key:

C_#	Conservative (New York)
D_#	Democratic
R_#	Republican
I_#	Independent

Race summary

Special elections during the 91st Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1970 or before January 3, 1971; ordered by election date, then state.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alaska (Class 2)	Ted Stevens	Republican	1968 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 3, 1970.	▌Y Ted Stevens (Republican) 59.6% ▌Wendell P. Kay (Democratic) 40.4%
Illinois (Class 3)	Ralph Tyler Smith	Republican	1969 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected November 3, 1970. Democratic gain.	▌Y Adlai Stevenson III (Democratic) 57.4% ▌Ralph Tyler Smith (Republican) 42.2%

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1971; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Arizona	Paul Fannin	Republican	1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Paul Fannin (Republican) 56.0% ▌Sam Grossman (Democratic) 44.0%
California	George Murphy	Republican	1964 1964 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain Incumbent resigned January 1, 1971 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed January 2, 1971.	▌Y John V. Tunney (Democratic) 53.9% ▌George Murphy (Republican) 44.3% ▌Robert Scheer (Peace and Freedom) 0.9% ▌Charles C. Ripley (American Independent) 0.9%
Connecticut	Thomas J. Dodd	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent lost renomination, then ran as an Independent candidate but lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Lowell Weicker (Republican) 41.7% ▌Joseph Duffey (Democratic) 33.8% ▌Thomas J. Dodd (Independent) 24.5%
Delaware	John J. Williams	Republican	1946 1952 1958 1964	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 31, 1970 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed January 1, 1971.	▌Y William Roth (Republican) 58.8% ▌Jacob Zimmerman (Democratic) 40.1%
Florida	Spessard Holland	Democratic	1946 (Appointed) 1946 1952 1958 1964	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 53.9% ▌William C. Cramer (Republican) 46.1%
Hawaii	Hiram Fong	Republican	1959 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Hiram Fong (Republican) 51.6% ▌Cecil Heftel (Democratic) 48.4%
Indiana	Vance Hartke	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Vance Hartke (Democratic) 50.1% ▌Richard L. Roudebush (Republican) 49.9%
Maine	Edmund Muskie	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Edmund Muskie (Democratic) 61.9% ▌Neil S. Bishop (Republican) 38.3%
Maryland	Joseph Tydings	Democratic	1964	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y J. Glenn Beall Jr. (Republican) 50.7% ▌Joseph Tydings (Democratic) 48.1%
Massachusetts	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	1962 (special) 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 62.1% ▌Josiah Spaulding (Republican) 37.0%
Michigan	Philip Hart	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Philip Hart (Democratic) 66.8% ▌Lenore Romney (Republican) 32.9%
Minnesota	Eugene McCarthy	DFL^[4]	1958 1964	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. DFL hold.	▌Y Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 57.8% ▌Clark MacGregor (Republican) 41.6%
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Democratic	1947 (special) 1952 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John C. Stennis (Democratic) 88.4% ▌William R. Thompson (Independent) 11.6%
Missouri	Stuart Symington	Democratic	1952 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Stuart Symington (Democratic) 51.1% ▌John Danforth (Republican) 48.1% Others ▌Gene Chapman (American Independent) 0.8% ▌E. J. DiGirolamo (Independent) 0.04%
Montana	Mike Mansfield	Democratic	1952 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mike Mansfield (Democratic) 60.5% ▌Harold E. Wallace (Republican) 39.5%
Nebraska	Roman Hruska	Republican	1954 (special) 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Roman Hruska (Republican) 52.5% ▌Frank B. Morrison (Democratic) 47.5%
Nevada	Howard Cannon	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Howard Cannon (Democratic) 57.7% ▌William Raggio (Republican) 41.2%
New Jersey	Harrison A. Williams	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Harrison A. Williams (Democratic) 54.0% ▌Nelson G. Gross (Republican) 42.2%
New Mexico	Joseph Montoya	Democratic	1964 (special) 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joseph Montoya (Democratic) 52.3% ▌Anderson Carter (Republican) 46.6%
New York	Charles Goodell	Republican	1968 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected. Conservative gain.	▌Y James L. Buckley (Conservative) 38.8% ▌Richard Ottinger (Democratic) 36.8% ▌Charles Goodell (Republican) 24.3%
North Dakota	Quentin Burdick	Democratic-NPL	1960 (special) 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Quentin Burdick (Democratic-NPL) 61.3% ▌Thomas S. Kleppe (Republican) 37.8%
Ohio	Stephen M. Young	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Robert Taft Jr. (Republican) 49.7% ▌Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 47.5%
Pennsylvania	Hugh Scott	Republican	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Hugh Scott (Republican) 51.4% ▌William Sesler (Democratic) 45.4%
Rhode Island	John Pastore	Democratic	1950 (special) 1952 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Pastore (Democratic) 67.5% ▌John McLaughlin (Republican) 31.5%
Tennessee	Albert Gore Sr.	Democratic	1952 1958 1964	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Bill Brock (Republican) 51.3% ▌Albert Gore Sr. (Democratic) 47.4%
Texas	Ralph Yarborough	Democratic	1957 (special) 1958 1964	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 53.5% ▌George H. W. Bush (Republican) 46.4%
Utah	Frank Moss	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Frank Moss (Democratic) 56.2% ▌Laurence J. Burton (Republican) 42.5% ▌Clyde B. Freeman (American Independent) 1.4%
Vermont	Winston L. Prouty	Republican	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Winston L. Prouty (Republican) 58.9% ▌Philip H. Hoff (Democratic) 40.2%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd Jr.	Democratic	1965 (Appointed) 1966 (special)	Incumbent ran as an Independent and was re-elected. Independent gain.	▌Y Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Independent) 53.5% ▌George Rawlings (Democratic) 31.2% ▌Ray Garland (Republican) 15.3%
Washington	Henry M. Jackson	Democratic	1952 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Henry M. Jackson (Democratic) 82.4% ▌Charles W. Elicker (Republican) 16.0% Others ▌Bill Massey (Socialist Workers) 0.9% ▌E.S. "Pinky" Fisk (Buffalo) 0.7%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert Byrd (Democratic) 77.6% ▌Elmer H. Dodson (Republican) 22.4%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	1957 (special) 1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Proxmire (Democratic) 70.8% ▌John E. Erickson (Republican) 28.5%
Wyoming	Gale W. McGee	Democratic	1958 1964	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Gale W. McGee (Democratic) 55.8% ▌John S. Wold (Republican) 44.2%

Closest races

Fourteen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Indiana	Democratic	0.2%
New York	Conservative (flip)	2.0%
Ohio	Republican (flip)	2.2%
Maryland	Republican (flip)	2.6%
Missouri	Democratic	3.0%
Hawaii	Republican	3.2%
Tennessee	Republican (flip)	3.9%
Nebraska	Republican	5.0%
New Mexico	Democratic	5.7%
Pennsylvannia	Republican	6.0%
Texas	Democratic	7.1%
Florida	Democratic	7.8%^[g]
Connecticut	Republican (flip)	7.9%
California	Democratic (flip)	9.6%

Alaska (special)

Republican Ted Stevens was appointed December 24, 1968 to finish the term of Democrat Bob Bartlett, who had died in office. The open primary was held August 25, 1970, in which Stevens received 40,411 votes (55.91%), Key received 29,459 votes (23.94%), State senator Joe Josephson received 12,730 votes (18.22%) and Fritz Singer (R) received 1,349 votes (1.93%).^[5]^[6] In the November 3, 1970 special election to finish the term, he ran against the Democratic Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives Wendell P. Kay. Stevens easily won with almost 60% of the vote.^[7]

1970 United States Senate special election in Alaska^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ted Stevens (Incumbent)	47,908	59.61
	Democratic	Wendell P. Kay	32,456	40.39
Majority			14,452	18.22
Turnout			80,364
	Republican hold

Arizona

Incumbent Republican Paul Fannin decided to run for re-election to a second term, running unopposed in the Republican primary. Fannin defeated Democratic businessman Sam Grossman in the general election.

Democratic primary results^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Grossman	78,006	65.24
	Democratic	John Kruglick, Doctor	27,324	22.85
	Democratic	H. L. Kelly	14,238	11.91
Total votes			119,568	100.00

1970 United States Senate election in Arizona^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul Fannin (Incumbent)	228,284	55.98
	Democratic	Sam Grossman	179,512	44.02
Majority			48,772	11.96
Turnout			407,796
	Republican hold

California

California election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	John V. Tunney	George Murphy
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	3,496,558	2,877,617
Percentage	53.86%	44.33%

County results
Tunney: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Murphy: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

George Murphy
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

John V. Tunney
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in California^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John V. Tunney	3,496,558	53.86
	Republican	George Murphy (Incumbent)	2,877,617	44.32
	Peace and Freedom	Robert Scheer	61,251	0.94
	American Independent	Charles C. Ripley	56,731	0.87
Majority			618,941	9.54
Turnout			6,492,157
	Democratic gain from Republican

Connecticut

Connecticut election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Lowell P. Weicker Jr.	Joseph Duffey	Thomas J. Dodd
Party	Republican	Democratic	Independent
Popular vote	454,721	368,111	266,497
Percentage	41.74%	33.79%	24.46%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Thomas J. Dodd
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Lowell P. Weicker Jr.
Republican

Republican Lowell P. Weicker Jr. defeated Democrat Joseph Duffey and incumbent Thomas J. Dodd who ran this time as an independent. Dodd entered the race at the last minute and split the Democratic vote, allowing Weicker to win with only 42% of the vote.

Connecticut general election^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lowell P. Weicker Jr.	454,721	41.74
	Democratic	Joseph Duffey	368,111	33.79
	Independent	Thomas J. Dodd (Incumbent)	266,497	24.46
Majority			86,610	7.95
Turnout			1,089,329
	Republican hold

Delaware

1970 United States Senate election in Delaware

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	William Roth	Jacob W. Zimmerman
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	94,979	64,740
Percentage	58.83%	40.10%

County Results
Roth: 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

John J. Williams
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

William Roth
Republican

Four-term Republican John J. Williams decided to retire, rather than run for re-election. Republican William Roth easily defeated Democrat Jacob Zimmerman by a margin of eighteen percentage points, and went on to serve thirty years in the Senate.

1970 United States Senate election in Delaware^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Roth	94,979	58.83%
	Democratic	Jacob W. Zimmerman	64,740	40.10%
	American Independent	Donald G. Gies	1,720	1.07%
Majority			30,239	18.73%
Turnout			161,439
	Republican hold

Florida

1970 United States Senate election in Florida

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Lawton Chiles	Bill Cramer
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	902,438	772,817
Percentage	53.9%	46.1%

County results

Chiles: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

Cramer: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Spessard Holland
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Lawton Chiles
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Spessard Holland retired instead of seeking a fifth term. During the Democratic primary, former Governor C. Farris Bryant and State senator Lawton Chiles advanced to a run-off, having received more votes than Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Frederick H. Schultz, attorney Alcee Hastings, and State Representative Joel T. Daves, III. Chiles soundly defeated Bryant in the run-off election, scoring a major upset due to his comparatively small name recognition prior to the election. To acquire name recognition and media coverage, Chiles walked about 1,003 miles (1,614 km) across the state of Florida and was given the nickname "Walkin' Lawton".

The Republican primary exposed an in-party feud between Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. and U.S. Representative William C. Cramer. In the election, Cramer handily defeated G. Harrold Carswell and body shop owner George Balmer; the former was a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge favored by Kirk and had been rejected as a Supreme Court of the United States nominee a few months prior to the primary. Chiles won the election by a relatively small margin of 7.8%, receiving 902,438 votes against Cramer's 772,817 votes.

Incumbent Spessard Holland, who served in the Senate since 1946, decided to retire rather than seek a fifth term.^[11] Although the Democratic Party had dominated state elections since the Reconstruction Era, Claude R. Kirk Jr. and Edward Gurney, both Republicans, were elected senator and Governor in 1966 and 1968, respectively.^[12]

Democratic Party primary results^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	C. Farris Bryant	240,222	32.90
	Democratic	Lawton Chiles	188,300	25.79
	Democratic	Frederick H. Schultz	175,745	24.07
	Democratic	Alcee Hastings	91,948	12.59
	Democratic	Joel Daves	33,939	4.65
Total votes			730,154	100.00

Democratic Party primary runoff results^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lawton Chiles	474,420	65.74
	Democratic	Farris Bryant	247,211	34.26
Total votes			721,631	100.00

Republican Primary results^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William C. Cramer	220,553	62.52
	Republican	G. Harrold Carswell	121,281	34.38
	Republican	George Balmer, body shop owner	10,947	3.10
Total votes			352,781	100.00

1970 United States Senate election in Florida^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lawton Chiles	902,438	53.87	−10.09%
	Republican	William C. Cramer	772,817	46.13	+10.09%
Majority			129,621	7.74	−20.17%
Turnout			1,675,255	[?]	[?]
	Democratic hold		Swing

Hawaii

1970 United States Senate election in Hawaii

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Hiram Fong	Cec Heftel
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	124,163	116,597
Percentage	51.57%	48.43%

Fong: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Hiram Fong
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Hiram Fong
Republican

1970 United States Senate election in Hawaii^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hiram Fong (Incumbent)	124,163	51.57
	Democratic	Cecil Heftel	116,597	48.43
Majority			7,566	3.14
Turnout			240,760
	Republican hold

Illinois (special)

Illinois special election

← 1968

1974 →

Turnout

67.43%


Nominee	Adlai Stevenson III	Ralph Tyler Smith
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,065,054	1,519,718
Percentage	57.37%	42.22%

County Results
Stevenson: 50–60% 60–70%
Smith: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Ralph Tyler Smith
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Adlai Stevenson III
Democratic

A special election was held to fill the remainder of the term of Republican Everett Dirksen, who had died in office. Republican Ralph Tyler Smith had been appointed to fill the seat after Dirksen's death, and he lost the special election to Democrat Adlai Stevenson III.

1970 United States Senate special election in Illinois^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adlai Stevenson III	2,065,054	57.37
	Republican	Ralph Tyler Smith (Incumbent)	1,519,718	42.22
	Socialist Workers	Lynn Henderson	8,859	0.25
	Socialist Labor	Louis Fisher	5,564	0.15
	None	Scattering	77	0.00
Majority			545,336	15.15
Turnout			3,599,272
	Democratic gain from Republican

Indiana

Indiana election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Vance Hartke	Richard Roudebush
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	870,990	866,707
Percentage	50.12%	49.88%

County Results
Hartke: 50–60% 60–70%
Roudebush: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Vance Hartke
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Vance Hartke
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Indiana^[1]^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Vance Hartke (Incumbent)	870,990	50.12
	Republican	Richard L. Roudebush	866,707	49.88
Majority			4,283	0.24
Turnout			1,737,697
	Democratic hold

Maine

Maine election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Edmund Muskie	Neil S. Bishop
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	199,954	123,906
Percentage	61.74%	38.26%

County results

Muskie: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Bishop: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Edmund Muskie
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Edmund Muskie
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Maine^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edmund S. Muskie (Incumbent)	199,954	61.74
	Republican	Neil S. Bishop	123,906	38.26
Majority			76,048	23.48
Turnout			323,860
	Democratic hold

Maryland

Maryland election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	J. Glenn Beall Jr.	Joseph Tydings
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	484,960	460,422
Percentage	50.71%	48.14%

County results
Beall: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Tydings: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Joseph Tydings
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

J. Glenn Beall Jr.
Republican

1970 United States Senate election in Maryland^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Glenn Beall Jr.	484,960	50.71
	Democratic	Joseph D. Tydings (Incumbent)	460,422	48.14
	American Independent	Harvey Wilder	10,988	1.15
Majority			24,538	2.57
Turnout			956,370
	Republican gain from Democratic

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Ted Kennedy	Josiah Spaulding
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,202,856	715,978
Percentage	62.2%	37.0%

Results by town.
Red indicates towns won by Spaulding.
Blue indicates towns won by Kennedy.

U.S. senator before election

Ted Kennedy
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Ted Kennedy
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy defeated his challengers. This was Kennedy's first election run since the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident. Kennedy won 62.2%, down from 74.3% that he won in the previous election in 1964; this decrease was due to numerous factors including Chappaquiddick and a far more favorable environment for the Republicans than the Democratic landslide year of 1964.

The Republican nominee was Josiah Spaulding, a businessman and Republican leader in Massachusetts. He led a group of delegates at the 1968 Republican National Convention who unsuccessfully sought to nominate Nelson A. Rockefeller over Richard Nixon.^[15]

Other candidates were Lawrence Gilfedder (Socialist Labor) and Mark R. Shaw (Prohibition), a former Prohibition Party candidate for U.S. senator from Massachusetts in 1946, 1952, 1958, 1969, 1962, and 1966. He was the party's candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 1948 and 1956. In 1964, he was the Prohibition Party's candidate for vice-president of the United States.^[16]

General election^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edward M. Kennedy (Incumbent)	1,202,856	62.16	−12.1
	Republican	Josiah Spaulding	715,978	37.00	+11.58
	Socialist Labor	Lawrence Gilfedder	10,378	0.54	+0.33
	Prohibition	Mark R. Shaw	5,944	0.31	+0.19
	None	Scattering	451	0.02	+0.02
Majority			486,878	25.16
Turnout			1,935,607
	Democratic hold		Swing

Michigan

1970 United States Senate election in Michigan^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Philip Hart (Incumbent)	1,744,672	66.83
	Republican	Lenore Romney	858,438	32.88
	Socialist Workers	Paul Ludieu	3,861	0.15
	Socialist Labor	James Sim	3,254	0.12
	None	Scattering	538	0.02
Majority			886,234	33.95
Turnout			2,610,763
	Democratic hold

Minnesota

1970 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Hubert H. Humphrey	Clark MacGregor
Party	Democratic (DFL)	Republican
Popular vote	788,256	568,025
Percentage	57.75%	41.62%

County results
Humphrey: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
MacGregor: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

Eugene J. McCarthy
Democratic (DFL)

Elected U.S. Senator

Hubert H. Humphrey
Democratic (DFL)

Incumbent Democrat Eugene McCarthy retired instead of seeking a third term. Former Democratic U.S. senator, Vice President and 1968 presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey defeated Republican U.S. Representative Clark MacGregor.

Democratic primary election results^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert H. Humphrey	338,705	79.25
	Democratic (DFL)	Earl D. Craig	88,709	20.76

Republican primary election results^[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clark MacGregor	220,353	93.31
	Republican	John D. Baucom	15,797	6.69

General election results^[20]^[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert H. Humphrey	788,256	57.75
	Republican	Clark MacGregor	568,025	41.62
	Socialist Workers	Nancy Strebe	6,122	0.45
	Industrial Government	William Braatz	2,484	0.18
Majority			220,231	16.13
Turnout			1,364,887
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Mississippi

1970 United States Senate election in Mississippi

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	John C. Stennis	William Richard Thompson
Party	Democratic	Independent
Popular vote	286,622	37,593
Percentage	88.40%	11.60%

County results
Stennis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%

U.S. senator before election

John C. Stennis
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John C. Stennis
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Mississippi^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John C. Stennis (Incumbent)	286,622	88.40
	Independent	William Richard Thompson	37,593	11.60
Majority			249,029	76.80
Turnout			324,215
	Democratic hold

Missouri

1970 United States Senate election in Missouri

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Stuart Symington	John Danforth
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,090,067	813,571
Percentage	51.03%	48.15%

County Results
Symington: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Danforth: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%

U.S. senator before election

Stuart Symington
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Stuart Symington
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Missouri^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stuart Symington (Incumbent)	654,831	51.03
	Republican	John C. Danforth	617,903	48.15
	American Independent	Gene Chapman	10,065	0.78
	Independent	E. J. DiGirolamo	513	0.04
Majority			36,928	2.88
Turnout			1,283,312
	Democratic hold

Montana

1970 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Mike Mansfield	Harold E. Wallace
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	150,060	97,809
Percentage	60.54%	39.46%

County results
Mansfield: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Wallace: 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

Democratic incumbent Mike Mansfield, the Senate Majority Leader who was first elected to the Senate in 1952, and was re-elected in 1958 and 1964, ran for re-election. Mansfield won the primary against several opponents, and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Harold E. Wallace, a sporting goods salesman and the Republican nominee. While his margin of victory decreased slightly from 1964, Mansfield still managed to defeat Wallace overwhelmingly, winning his fourth and (what would turn out to be his) final term in the Senate.

Democratic Party primary results^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Mansfield (Incumbent)	68,146	77.17
	Democratic	Tom McDonald	10,773	12.20
	Democratic	John W. Lawlor	19,384	10.63
Total votes			88,303	100.00

Republican Primary results^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Harold E. Wallace	45,549	100.00
Total votes			45,549	100.00

1970 United States Senate election in Montana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Mike Mansfield (Incumbent)	150,060	60.54	−3.97%
	Republican	Harold E. Wallace	97,809	39.46	+3.97%
Majority			52,251	21.08	−7.95%
Turnout			247,869
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

1970 United States Senate election in Nebraska

← 1964

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Roman Hruska	Frank B. Morrison
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	240,894	217,681
Percentage	52.49%	47.43%

County results
Hruska: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Morrison: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Roman Hruska
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Roman Hruska
Republican

The incumbent Republican Roman Hruska was re-elected.

1970 United States Senate election in Nebraska^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roman Hruska (Incumbent)	240,894	52.49
	Democratic	Frank B. Morrison	217,681	47.43
	None	Scattering	391	0.09
Majority			23,213	5.06
Turnout			458,966
	Republican hold

Nevada

Nevada election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Howard Cannon	William Raggio
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	85,187	60,838
Percentage	57.7%	41.2%

U.S. senator before election

Howard Cannon
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Howard Cannon
Democratic

Democrat Howard Cannon, the incumbent since 1959, won re-election to a third term over William Raggio, the Washoe County District Attorney.

In the Senate, Cannon was known as a moderate in the Democratic Party. He served as chairman of several committees, including the rules committee and the inaugural arrangements committee. Cannon was nearly defeated for re-election in 1964 by Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt in one of the closest election in history. However, he became more popular over the next few years and defeated D.A. William Raggio, whose 1970 senate campaign began his long political career. Raggio ran for the Nevada Senate in 1972 and won. He then served there for decades to come.

General election results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Howard Cannon (Incumbent)	85,187	57.65	+7.63%
	Republican	William Raggio	60,838	41.17	−8.81%
	American Independent	Harold G. DeSellem	1,743	1.18
Majority			24,349	16.48	+16.44%
Turnout			147,768
	Democratic hold		Swing

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Harrison A. Williams	Nelson G. Gross
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,157,074	903,026
Percentage	54.02%	42.16%

County Results
Williams: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Gross: 40–50% 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

Harrison A. Williams
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Harrison A. Williams
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in New Jersey^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams (Incumbent)	1,157,074	56.17
	Republican	Nelson G. Gross	903,026	43.83
Majority			254,048	12.34
Turnout			2,060,100
	Democratic hold

New Mexico

New Mexico election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Joseph Montoya	Anderson Carter
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	151,486	135,004
Percentage	52.3%	46.6%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Joseph Montoya
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Joseph Montoya
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Joseph Montoya successfully ran for re-election to a second term, defeating Republican Anderson Carter.

Democratic primary results^[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Montoya, Incumbent	85,285	73.10
	Democratic	Richard B. Edwards	31,381	26.90
Majority			53,904	46.20
Total votes			116,666	100.00

Republican primary results^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Anderson Carter	32,122	57.76
	Republican	David Cargo, Governor of New Mexico	16,951	32.28
	Republican	Harold G. Thompson	5,544	9.97
Majority			14,171	25.48
Total votes			55,617	100.00

General election results^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Montoya, Incumbent	151,486	52.26
	Republican	Anderson Carter	135,004	46.57
	People's Constitutional	William Higgs	3,382	1.17
Majority			16,482	5.69
Total votes			289,872	100.00
	Democratic hold

New York

New York election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	James L. Buckley	Richard Ottinger	Charles Goodell
Party	Conservative	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	2,288,190	2,171,232	1,404,472
Percentage	38.95%	36.96%	23.91%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Charles Goodell
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

James L. Buckley
Conservative

Incumbent Republican Charles Goodell, who was recently appointed to the seat by Governor Nelson Rockefeller after senator Bobby Kennedy (D) was assassinated, ran for a full term, but was defeated by the Conservative Party of New York nominee James L. Buckley. Other candidates included: Richard Ottinger, U.S. Congressman (1965–1971, 1975–1985), Kevin P. McGovern, Paul O'Dwyer, Former New York City Council Member from Manhattan, Ted Sorensen, Former Advisor and Speechwriter to President John F. Kennedy, Richard D. McCarthy, U.S. Congressman (1965-1971).

Conservative Party Convention results^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	James L. Buckley	37,940	91.38
	Conservative	Kevin P. McGovern	3,580	8.62
Total votes			41,520	100.00

Democratic Party Primary results^[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Ottinger	366,789	39.61
	Democratic	Paul O'Dwyer	302,438	32.66
	Democratic	Ted Sorensen	154,434	16.68
	Democratic	Richard D. McCarthy	102,224	11.04
Total votes			925,885	100.00

Republican Party Convention results^[26]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles Goodell (Incumbent)	311	86.39
		Abstaining	49	13.61
Total votes			360	100.00

Liberal Party Convention results^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Charles Goodell (Incumbent)	201	67.00
	Liberal	Paul O'Dwyer	48	16.00
	Liberal	Richard D. McCarthy	33	11.00
	Liberal	Richard Ottinger	12	4.00
	Liberal	Ted Sorensen	6	2.00
Total votes			300	100.00

General election results^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	James L. Buckley	2,288,190	38.95
	Democratic	Richard Lawrence Ottinger	2,171,232	36.96
	Republican	Charles Goodell (Incumbent)	1,178,679
	Liberal	Charles Goodell (Incumbent)	225,793
	total	Charles Goodell (Incumbent)	1,404,472	23.91
	Communist	Arnold Johnson	4,097	0.07
	Socialist Workers	Kipp Dawson	3,549	0.06
	Socialist Labor	John Emanuel	3,204	0.06
Majority			116,958	1.99
Turnout			5,904,744
	Conservative gain from Republican

North Dakota

North Dakota election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Quentin Burdick	Thomas Kleppe
Party	Democratic–NPL	Republican
Popular vote	134,519	82,996
Percentage	61.27%	37.80%

U.S. Senate election results map.
Blue denotes counties won by Burdick.
Red denotes those won by Kleppe.

Burdick: 50-60%

Burdick: 60-70%

Burdick: 70-80%

Kleppe: 50-60%

Kleppe: 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

Quentin Burdick
Democratic–NPL

Elected U.S. Senator

Quentin Burdick
Democratic–NPL

Incumbent Democratic-NPL Party Senator Quentin N. Burdick was re-elected to his third term, defeating Republican candidate Thomas S. Kleppe, who later became the United States Secretary of the Interior.^[1]

Only Burdick filed as a Dem-NPLer, and the endorsed Republican candidate was Thomas S. Kleppe, who was finishing his second and final term as a Representative for North Dakota's second congressional district. Burdick and Kleppe won the primary elections for their respective parties.

One independent candidate, Russell Kleppe, also filed before the deadline.

1970 United States Senate election in North Dakota^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic–NPL	Quentin Burdick (Incumbent)	134,519	61.27
	Republican	Thomas S. Kleppe	82,996	37.80
	Independent	Russell Kleppe	2,045	0.93
Majority			51,523	23.47
Turnout			219,560
	Democratic hold

Ohio

1970 United States Senate election in Ohio^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Taft Jr.	1,565,682	49.68
	Democratic	Howard M. Metzenbaum	1,495,262	47.45
	American Independent	Richard B. Kay	61,261	1.94
	Socialist Labor	John O'Neill	29,069	0.92
Majority			70,420	2.23
Turnout			3,151,274
	Republican gain from Democratic

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Hugh Scott	William Sesler
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,874,106	1,653,774
Percentage	51.4%	45.4%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Hugh Scott
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Hugh Scott
Republican

Incumbent Republican Hugh Scott won re-election, defeating Democratic nominee State senator William Sesler.

General election results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Hugh Scott (Incumbent)	1,874,106	51.43	+0.84%
	Democratic	William Sesler	1,653,774	45.38	−3.74%
	Constitution	Frank W. Gaydosh	85,813	2.36	+2.36%
	American Independent	W. Henry McFarland	18,275	0.50	+0.50%
	Socialist Labor	Herman A. Johnson	4,375	0.12	−0.02%
	Socialist Workers	Robin Maisel	3,970	0.11	−0.04%
	Consumer	William R. Mimms	3,932	0.11	+0.11%
	N/A	Other	60	0.00	N/A
Majority			220,332	6.05
Turnout			3,644,305
	Republican hold		Swing

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	John Pastore	John McLaughlin
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	230,469	107,351
Percentage	67.5%	31.5%

County results

U.S. senator before election

John Pastore
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John Pastore
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Rhode Island^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John O. Pastore (Incumbent)	230,469	67.54
	Republican	John McLaughlin	107,351	31.46
	Peace and Freedom	David N. Fenton	2,406	0.71
	Socialist Workers	Daniel B. Fein	996	0.29
Majority			123,118	36.08
Turnout			341,222
	Democratic hold

Tennessee

1970 United States Senate election in Tennessee

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Bill Brock	Albert Gore Sr.
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	562,645	519,858
Percentage	51.29%	47.39%

U.S. senator before election

Albert Gore Sr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Bill Brock
Republican

Republican Bill Brock defeated incumbent senator Albert Gore Sr.

1970 United States Senate election in Tennessee^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bill Brock	562,645	51.29
	Democratic	Albert Gore Sr. (Incumbent)	519,858	47.39
	American Independent	Cecil Pitard	8,691	0.79
	Independent	Dan R. East	5,845	0.53
	None	Scattering	2	0.00
Majority			42,787	3.90
Turnout			1,097,041
	Republican hold

Texas

1970 United States Senate election in Texas

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Lloyd Bentsen	George H. W. Bush
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,194,069	1,035,794
Percentage	53.3%	46.6%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Ralph Yarborough
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Lloyd Bentsen
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Ralph Yarborough was defeated by former Representative Lloyd Bentsen in the Democratic primary. Bentsen then defeated Representative George H. W. Bush in the general election. When Bush was running for President in 1988, his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, selected Bentsen as his vice presidential running mate.

1970 United States Senate election in Texas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lloyd Bentsen	1,226,568	53.34
	Republican	George H. W. Bush	1,071,234	46.58
	None	Scattering	1,808	0.08
Majority			155,334	6.76
Turnout			2,299,610
	Democratic hold

Utah

1970 United States Senate election in Utah^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Moss (Incumbent)	210,207	56.16
	Republican	Laurence J. Burton	159,004	42.48
	American Independent	Clyde B. Freeman	5,092	1.36
Majority			51,203	13.68
Turnout			374,303
	Democratic hold

Vermont

Vermont election

← 1964

1972 (special) →


Nominee	Winston L. Prouty	Philip H. Hoff
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	91,198	62,271
Percentage	58.9%	40.2%

County results
Prouty: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Winston L. Prouty
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Winston L. Prouty
Republican

1970 United States Senate election in Vermont^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Winston L. Prouty (Incumbent)	91,198	58.88
	Democratic	Philip H. Hoff	62,271	40.20
	Liberty Union	William H. Meyer	1,416	0.91
	None	Scattering	14	0.01
Majority			28,927	18.68
Turnout			154,899
	Republican hold

Virginia

Virginia election

← 1966 (special)

1976 →


Nominee	Harry F. Byrd Jr.	George Rawlings
Party	Independent	Democratic
Popular vote	506,237	294,582
Percentage	53.5%	31.2%


Nominee	Ray L. Garland
Party	Republican
Popular vote	144,765
Percentage	15.3%

U.S. Senate election results map. Gray denotes counties/districts won by Byrd. Blue denotes those won by Rawlings. Red denotes those won by Garland.

U.S. senator before election

Harry F. Byrd Jr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Harry F. Byrd Jr.
Independent

Incumbent Harry F. Byrd Jr. was re-elected to his first full term after winning a race 4 years earlier to finish the remainder of his father's term. He beat George C. Rawlings Jr. (D), a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and Ray L. Garland (R), a member of Virginia House of Delegates.

1970 United States Senate election in Virginia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Incumbent)	506,237	53.54	+53.54%
	Democratic	George Rawlings	294,582	31.15	−22.15%
	Republican	Ray L. Garland	144,765	15.31	−22.07%
	Write-ins		30	<0.01	−0.02%
Majority			211,655	22.38	+6.46%
Turnout			945,614
	Independent gain from Democratic

Washington

Washington Election

← 1964

1976 →


Nominee	Henry M. Jackson	Charles W. Elicker
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	879,385	170,790
Percentage	82.43%	16.01%

U.S. senator before election

Henry M. Jackson
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Henry M. Jackson
Democratic

1970 United States Senate election in Washington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry M. Jackson (Incumbent)	879,385	82.43
	Republican	Charles W. Elicker	170,790	16.01
	Socialist Workers	Bill Massey	9,255	0.87
	Buffalo	Edison S. 'Pinky' Fisk	7,377	0.69
Majority			708,595	66.42
Turnout			1,066,807
	Democratic hold

West Virginia

1970 United States Senate election in West Virginia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert C. Byrd (Incumbent)	345,965	77.64
	Republican	Elmer H. Dodson	99,658	22.36
Majority			246,307	54.28
Turnout			445,623
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

1970 United States Senate election in Wisconsin^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Proxmire (Incumbent)	948,445	70.83
	Republican	John E. Erickson	381,297	28.48
	American Independent	Edmond E. Hou-Seye	6,137	0.46
	Independent	Elizabeth (Betty) Boardman	2,022	0.15
	Socialist Workers	Martha M. Quinn	580	0.04
	Socialist Labor	Adolf Wiggert	428	0.03
	None	Scattering	58	0.00
Majority			567,148	42.35
Turnout			1,338,967
	Democratic hold

Wyoming

1970 United States Senate election in Wyoming^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gale W. McGee (Incumbent)	67,207	55.78
	Republican	John S. Wold	53,279	44.22
Majority			13,928	11.56
Turnout			120,486
	Democratic hold

Notes

^ ^a ^b The Liberal Party in New York nominated Charles Goodell, a Republican, but the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives did not tabulate their votes, totaling 225,793, into the national Republican total.^[1]
^ In Texas, Ralph Yarborough lost renomination for another term, Lloyd Bentsen became the party's new nominee.
^ ^a ^b Includes three interim appointees who ran for election.
^ Includes the interim appointee who won election to finish the term.
^ ^a ^b Appointee defeated
^ Appointee elected
^ Florida was the "tipping-point state".

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1971-05-01). "STATISTICS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 3, 1970" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. p. 1, 39. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
^ Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (VA), was an Independent who caucused with the Democrats. In some circles, he is called an "Independent Democrat", but his actual registration was listed as "Independent". See, e. g., United States Congress. "Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. (id: B001209)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
^ Kane, Paul (13 October 2018). "Stark political divide points to a split decision in midterm elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
^ The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is affiliated nationally with the Democratic Party (United States).
^ "AK US Senate - Special Open Primary". Retrieved June 23, 2018 – via OurCampaigns.com.
^ "Josephson in Senate seat race". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. August 17, 1970. p. 19. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^ "AK US Senate - Special". Retrieved June 23, 2018 – via Our Campaigns.
^ "AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - September 8, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "AZ US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ Our Campaigns - CT US Senate Race - November 3, 1970
^ "Spessard Lindsey Holland". Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Department of State. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
^ "Cramer v. Kirk," p. 403
^ ^a ^b ^c "Tabulation of Official Votes, Florida Primary Election, Democratic and Republican, September 8, 1970 and September 29, 1970" (PDF). Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
^ "Our Campaigns - IN US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1970". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
^ Josiah Spaulding at ourcampaigns.com
^ Mark R. Shaw at ourcampaigns.com
^ Massachusetts race details at ourcampaigns.com
^ "MN US Senate- D Primary Race - September 15, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "MN US Senate- R Primary Race - September 15, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "Minnesota Legislative Manual - General Election Returns, November 3, 1970" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature. 1971–1972.
^ "MN US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 2, 1970". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
^ "NM US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^ "NM US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^ "NM US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "NY US Senate - C Convention Race - April 7, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NY US Senate - D Primary Race - June 23, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NY US Senate - L Convention Race - May 11, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NY US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[NY_alliance-2] The Liberal Party in New York nominated Charles Goodell, a Republican, but the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives did not tabulate their votes, totaling 225,793, into the national Republican total.^[1]

[5] In Texas, Ralph Yarborough lost renomination for another term, Lloyd Bentsen became the party's new nominee.

[Appointees-6] Includes three interim appointees who ran for election.

[7] Includes the interim appointee who won election to finish the term.

[Appointee_defeated-8] Appointee defeated

[Appointee_elected-9] Appointee elected

[11] Florida was the "tipping-point state".

[Clerk-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1971-05-01). "STATISTICS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION OF NOVEMBER 3, 1970" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. p. 1, 39. Retrieved 22 November 2020.

[ByrdDem-3] Harry F. Byrd, Jr. (VA), was an Independent who caucused with the Democrats. In some circles, he is called an "Independent Democrat", but his actual registration was listed as "Independent". See, e. g., United States Congress. "Harry Flood Byrd, Jr. (id: B001209)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

[4] Kane, Paul (13 October 2018). "Stark political divide points to a split decision in midterm elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2020.

[10] The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is affiliated nationally with the Democratic Party (United States).

[12] "AK US Senate - Special Open Primary". Retrieved June 23, 2018 – via OurCampaigns.com.

[13] "Josephson in Senate seat race". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. August 17, 1970. p. 19. Retrieved 4 October 2021.

[14] "AK US Senate - Special". Retrieved June 23, 2018 – via Our Campaigns.

[15] "AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - September 8, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[16] "AZ US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[17] Our Campaigns - CT US Senate Race - November 3, 1970

[18] "Spessard Lindsey Holland". Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Department of State. Retrieved October 6, 2016.

[Cramer_v._Kirk_p._403-19] "Cramer v. Kirk," p. 403

[Florida_Primary-20] "Tabulation of Official Votes, Florida Primary Election, Democratic and Republican, September 8, 1970 and September 29, 1970" (PDF). Florida Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2015.

[21] "Our Campaigns - IN US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1970". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.

[22] Josiah Spaulding at ourcampaigns.com

[23] Mark R. Shaw at ourcampaigns.com

[24] Massachusetts race details at ourcampaigns.com

[25] "MN US Senate- D Primary Race - September 15, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[26] "MN US Senate- R Primary Race - September 15, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[27] "Minnesota Legislative Manual - General Election Returns, November 3, 1970" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature. 1971–1972.

[28] "MN US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[Primary_election_results-29] "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 2, 1970". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 4, 2014.

[30] "NM US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.

[31] "NM US Senate - R Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.

[32] "NM US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.

[ourcampaigns1-33] "NY US Senate - C Convention Race - April 7, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[34] "NY US Senate - D Primary Race - June 23, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[35] "NY US Senate - L Convention Race - May 11, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[36] "NY US Senate Race - November 3, 1970". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.

[1]

[a]

[2]

[3]

[b]

[c]

[d]

[e]

[f]

[4]

[g]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

Results summary

Getting out the vote

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Independent gain

Post-election changes

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the elections

Race summary

Special elections during the 91st Congress

Elections leading to the next Congress

Closest races

Alaska (special)

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Hawaii

Illinois (special)

Indiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Dakota

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

Notes

References