1978 United States Senate elections

Alabama special election
← 1974 1980 →
	County results; Stewart: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%; Martin: 50–60% 60–70%
U.S. senator before election; Maryon Pittman Allen; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Donald W. Stewart; Democratic

Alabama general election
← 1972 1984 →
	County results; Heflin: 80–90% >90%
U.S. senator before election; John Sparkman; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Howell Heflin; Democratic

1978 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 Republican gain; Democratic hold Republican hold; No electionRectangular inset (Ala. & Minn.): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election; Robert Byrd; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Robert Byrd; Democratic

The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.

Thirteen seats changed hands between parties, resulting in a net gain of three seats for the Republicans allowing them to break the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority. Democrats nevertheless retained a 58–41 majority.

Results summary

↓
58	1	41
Democratic	I	Republican

Parties		Democratic	Republican	Independent	Other	Total
Parties						Total
Last elections (1976) Before these elections		61	38	1	0	100
Not up		43	21	1	0	65

Up		18	17	0	—	35
	Class 2 (1972→1978)	16	17	—	—	33
	Special: Class 1	1	—	—	—	1
	Special: Class 3	1	—	—	—	1

Incumbent retired		5^[b]	5	—	—	10
	Held by same party	2	3	—	—	5
	Replaced by other party	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 3 Democrats replaced by 3 Republicans		—	—	5
	Result	4	6	—	—	10
Incumbent ran		13^[b]^[c]^[d]	12^[e]	—	—	25
	Won re-election	6	9	—	—	15
	Lost re-election	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 5 Democrats replaced by 5 Republicans		—	—	7
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	2	0	—	—	2
	Lost renomination, and party lost	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat		—	—	1
	Result	11	14	0	0	25

Total elected		15	20	0	0	35
Net gain/loss		3	3			3
Nationwide vote		15,302,929	14,794,225	299,624	278,078	30,674,856
	Share	49.89%	48.23%	0.98%	0.91%	100%
Result		58	41	1	0	100

Source: Clerk of the United States House of Representatives^[1]

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Five Republicans and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election. One Democrat retired instead of seeking election to finish the unexpired term and one Democrat retired instead of seeking election to a full term.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Alabama (regular)	John Sparkman	Howell Heflin
Arkansas	Kaneaster Hodges Jr.	David Pryor
Kansas	James B. Pearson	Nancy Kassebaum
Minnesota (special)	Muriel Humphrey	David Durenberger
Mississippi	James Eastland	Thad Cochran
Nebraska	Carl Curtis	J. James Exon
Oklahoma	Dewey F. Bartlett	David Boren
South Dakota	James Abourezk	Larry Pressler
Virginia	William L. Scott	John Warner
Wyoming	Clifford Hansen	Alan Simpson

Defeats

Three Republicans and four Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election. One Democrat sought election to a full term but lost in the general election, one Democrat sought election to a full term but lost in the primary and one Democrat sought election to finish the unexpired term but lost in the primary.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Alabama (special)	Maryon Pittman Allen	Donald Stewart
Colorado	Floyd Haskell	William L. Armstrong
Iowa	Dick Clark	Roger Jepsen
Maine	William Hathaway	William Cohen
Massachusetts	Edward Brooke	Paul Tsongas
Michigan	Robert P. Griffin	Carl Levin
Minnesota (regular)	Wendell R. Anderson	Rudy Boschwitz
Montana	Paul G. Hatfield	Max Baucus
New Hampshire	Thomas J. McIntyre	Gordon J. Humphrey
New Jersey	Clifford P. Case	Bill Bradley

Post-election changes

One Democrat resigned on May 7, 1980, and was later replaced by Democratic appointee.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Maine (Class 1)	Edmund Muskie	George J. Mitchell

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	D₃₉	D₃₈	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄ Ala. (reg) Ran	D₄₅ Ala. (sp) Ran	D₄₆ Ark. Retired	D₄₇ Colo. Ran	D₄₈ Del. Ran	D₄₉ Ga. Ran	D₅₀ Iowa Ran
Majority →									D₅₁ Ky. Ran
D₆₀ S.D. Retired	D₅₉ R.I. Ran	D₅₈ N.H. Ran	D₅₇ Mont. Ran	D₅₆ Miss. Retired	D₅₅ Minn. (sp) Retired	D₅₄ Minn. (reg) Ran	D₅₃ Maine Ran	D₅₂ La. Ran	D₅₁ Ky. Ran
D₆₁ W.Va. Ran	I₁	R₃₈ Wyo. Retired	R₃₇ Va. Retired	R₃₆ Texas Ran	R₃₅ Tenn. Ran	R₃₄ S.C. Ran	R₃₃ Ore. Ran	R₃₂ Okla. Retired	R₃₁ N.C. Ran
R₂₁	R₂₂ Alaska Ran	R₂₃ Idaho Ran	R₂₄ Ill. Ran	R₂₅ Kan. Retired	R₂₆ Mass. Ran	R₂₇ Mich. Ran	R₂₈ Neb. Retired	R₂₉ N.J. Ran	R₃₀ N.M. Ran
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	D₃₉	D₃₈	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄ Ala. (reg) Re-elected	D₄₅ Ala. (sp) Hold	D₄₆ Ark. Hold	D₄₇ Del. Re-elected	D₄₈ Ga. Re-elected	D₄₉ Ky. Re-elected	D₅₀ La. Re-elected
Majority →									D₅₁ Mont. Hold
R₄₁ S.D. Gain	I₁	D₅₈ Okla. Gain	D₅₇ N.J. Gain	D₅₆ Neb. Gain	D₅₅ Mich. Gain	D₅₄ Mass. Gain	D₅₃ W.Va. Re-elected	D₅₂ R.I. Re-elected	D₅₁ Mont. Hold
R₄₀ N.H. Gain	R₃₉ Miss. Gain	R₃₈ Minn. (sp) Gain	R₃₇ Minn. (reg) Gain^[f]	R₃₆ Maine Gain	R₃₅ Iowa Gain	R₃₄ Colo. Gain	R₃₃ Wyo. Hold	R₃₂ Va. Hold	R₃₁ Texas Re-elected
R₂₁	R₂₂ Alaska Re-elected	R₂₃ Idaho Re-elected	R₂₄ Ill. Re-elected	R₂₅ Kan. Hold	R₂₆ N.M. Re-elected	R₂₇ N.C. Re-elected	R₂₈ Ore. Re-elected	R₂₉ S.C. Re-elected	R₃₀ Tenn. Re-elected
R₂₀	R₁₉	R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁
R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈	R₉	R₁₀

Key

D_#	Democratic
R_#	Republican
I_#	Independent

Race summary

Special elections during the 95th Congress

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1978 or before January 3, 1979; ordered by election date, then state.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Result	Candidates
Alabama (Class 3)	Maryon Pittman Allen	Democratic	1978 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. Democratic hold.	▌Y Donald Stewart (Democratic) 55.1% ▌James D. Martin (Republican) 43.3% Others ▌Michael R. A. Erdey (Libertarian) 0.8% ▌A. J. Killingsworth (Prohibition) 0.8%
Minnesota (Class 1)	Muriel Humphrey	DFL	1978 (appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Republican gain.	▌Y David Durenberger (Republican) 61.4% ▌Bob Short (DFL) 34.6% ▌Paul Helm (American) 2.9% Others ▌Christine Frank (Socialist) 0.7% ▌Frederick Hewitt (Libertarian) 0.3%

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1979; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
State	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Result	Candidates
Alabama	John Sparkman	Democratic	1946 (special) 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent retired. Democratic hold.	▌Y Howell Heflin (Democratic) 94.0% ▌Jerome B. Couch (Prohibition) 6.0%
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Republican	1968 (appointed) 1970 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Stevens (Republican) 75.6% ▌Donald W. Hobbs (Democratic) 24.1%
Arkansas	Kaneaster Hodges Jr.	Democratic	1977 (appointed)	Interim appointee retired. Democratic hold.	▌Y David Pryor (Democratic) 76.5% ▌Tom Kelly (Republican) 16.3% ▌John J. Black (Independent) 7.2%
Colorado	Floyd Haskell	Democratic	1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain.	▌Y William L. Armstrong (Republican) 58.7% ▌Floyd Haskell (Democratic) 40.3% Others ▌Vedder V. Dorn (United States Party) 0.7% ▌John Shue (National Statesman) 0.3%
Delaware	Joe Biden	Democratic	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joe Biden (Democratic) 58.0% ▌James H. Baxter (Republican) 41.0% ▌Donald G. Gies (American) 1.0%
Georgia	Sam Nunn	Democratic	1972 (special) 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Sam Nunn (Democratic) 83.1% ▌John W. Stokes (Republican) 16.9%
Idaho	James A. McClure	Republican	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James A. McClure (Republican) 68.4% ▌Dwight Jensen (Democratic) 31.6%
Illinois	Charles H. Percy	Republican	1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Charles H. Percy (Republican) 53.3% ▌Alex Seith (Democratic) 45.5% Others ▌William R. Roy (Libertarian) 0.5% ▌Patricia Grogan (Socialist Workers) 0.5% ▌Gerald Rose (Socialist Labor) 0.2%
Iowa	Dick Clark	Democratic	1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain.	▌Y Roger Jepsen (Republican) 51.1% ▌Dick Clark (Democratic) 47.9% Others ▌Gerald Leo Baker (Independent) 0.5% ▌Ben L. Olson (Libertarian) 0.4%
Kansas	James B. Pearson	Republican	1962 (appointed) 1962 (special) 1966 1972	Incumbent retired. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 23, 1978 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed December 23, 1978.	▌Y Nancy Kassebaum (Republican) 53.9% ▌William R. Roy (Democratic) 42.4% ▌James R. Maher (Conservative) 3.0% ▌Russell Mikels (Prohibition) 0.7%
Kentucky	Walter Dee Huddleston	Democratic	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Walter Dee Huddleston (Democratic) 61.0% ▌Louie R. Guenthner Jr. (Republican) 36.9% ▌Anthony A. McCord (American) 2.1%
Louisiana	J. Bennett Johnston	Democratic	1972 (appointed) 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. Bennett Johnston (Democratic) 59.4% ▌Woody Jenkins (Democratic) 40.6%
Maine	William Hathaway	Democratic	1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain.	▌Y William Cohen (Republican) 56.6% ▌William Hathaway (Democratic) 33.9% ▌Hayes E. Gahagan (Independent) 7.4% Others ▌John J. Jannace (Independent) 1.5% ▌Plato Truman (Independent) 0.6%
Massachusetts	Edward Brooke	Republican	1966 1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Paul Tsongas (Democratic) 55.1% ▌Edward Brooke (Republican) 44.9%
Michigan	Robert P. Griffin	Republican	1966 (appointed) 1966 1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Carl Levin (Democratic) 52.1% ▌Robert P. Griffin (Republican) 47.9%
Minnesota	Wendell R. Anderson	DFL	1976 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. Republican gain. Incumbent resigned December 29, 1978 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed December 30, 1978.	▌Y Rudy Boschwitz (Republican) 56.6% ▌Wendell R. Anderson (DFL) 40.4% Others ▌Sal Carlone (American) 1.5% ▌William Peterson (Socialist Workers) 0.6% ▌Brian Coyle (Public Interest Independent) 0.5% ▌Jean T. Brust (Workers) 0.2% ▌Leonard Richards (Libertarian) 0.2%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1942 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent retired. Republican gain. Incumbent resigned December 27, 1978 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed December 27, 1978.	▌Y Thad Cochran (Republican) 45.3% ▌Maurice Dantin (Democratic) 31.8% ▌Charles Evers (Independent) 22.6% ▌Henry Kirksey (Independent) 0.3%
Montana	Paul G. Hatfield	Democratic	1978 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. Democratic hold. Incumbent resigned December 12, 1978 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed December 15, 1978.	▌Y Max Baucus (Democratic) 55.7% ▌Larry Williams (Republican) 44.3%
Nebraska	Carl Curtis	Republican	1954 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y J. James Exon (Democratic) 67.6% ▌Donald Shasteen (Republican) 32.3%
New Hampshire	Thomas J. McIntyre	Democratic	1962 (special) 1966 1972	Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain.	▌Y Gordon J. Humphrey (Republican) 50.7% ▌Thomas J. McIntyre (Democratic) 48.5% ▌Craig Franklin (Libertarian) 0.8%
New Jersey	Clifford P. Case	Republican	1954 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent lost renomination. Democratic gain.	▌Y Bill Bradley (Democratic) 55.3% ▌Jeffrey Bell (Republican) 43.1% Others ▌Herbert Harry Shaw (Independent) 0.2% ▌Bill Gahres (Independent) 0.2% ▌Jack Moyers (Independent) 0.2% ▌Robert Bowen (Labor) 0.2% ▌J.M. Carter Jr. (Independent) 0.2% ▌Jasper C. Gould (Independent) 0.2% ▌William R. Thorn (Independent) 0.1% ▌Paul Ferguson (Independent) 0.1% ▌Alice Conner (Independent) 0.1%
New Mexico	Pete Domenici	Republican	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Pete Domenici (Republican) 53.4% ▌Toney Anaya (Democratic) 46.6%
North Carolina	Jesse Helms	Republican	1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jesse Helms (Republican) 54.5% ▌John Ingram (Democratic) 45.5%
Oklahoma	Dewey F. Bartlett	Republican	1972	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y David Boren (Democratic) 65.5% ▌Robert B. Kamm (Republican) 32.9% Others ▌Glenn E. Hager (Independent) 0.5% ▌Riley Donica (Independent) 0.4% ▌Paul Edward Trent (Independent) 0.4% ▌Richard King Carter (Independent) 0.3%
Oregon	Mark Hatfield	Republican	1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mark Hatfield (Republican) 61.6% ▌Vernon Cook (Democratic) 38.3%
Rhode Island	Claiborne Pell	Democratic	1960 1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Claiborne Pell (Democratic) 75.1% ▌James G. Reynolds (Republican) 24.9%
South Carolina	Strom Thurmond	Republican	1954 (write-in)^[g] 1954 (appointed) 1956 (resigned) 1956 (special) 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Strom Thurmond (Republican) 55.6% ▌Charles D. Ravenel (Democratic) 44.4%
South Dakota	James Abourezk	Democratic	1972	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Larry Pressler (Republican) 66.8% ▌Don Barnett (Democratic) 33.2%
Tennessee	Howard Baker	Republican	1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Howard Baker (Republican) 55.5% ▌Jane Eskind (Democratic) 40.3% ▌Thomas Anderson (Independent) 4.0% ▌Fern Lucius Keasler (Independent) 0.2%
Texas	John Tower	Republican	1961 (special) 1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Tower (Republican) 49.8% ▌Bob Krueger (Democratic) 49.3% Others ▌Luis A. Diaz de Leon (Raza Unida) 0.8% ▌Miguel Pendas (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Virginia	William L. Scott	Republican	1972	Incumbent retired. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned January 1, 1979 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed January 2, 1979.	▌Y John Warner (Republican) 50.2% ▌Andrew P. Miller (Democratic) 49.8%
West Virginia	Jennings Randolph	Democratic	1958 (special) 1960 1966 1972	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jennings Randolph (Democratic) 50.5% ▌Arch A. Moore Jr. (Republican) 49.5%
Wyoming	Clifford Hansen	Republican	1966 1972	Incumbent retired. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 31, 1978 to give successor preferential seniority. Successor appointed January 1, 1979.	▌Y Alan Simpson (Republican) 62.2% ▌Raymond B. Whitaker (Democratic) 37.8%

Closest races

Nine races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Virginia	Republican	0.38%
Texas	Republican	0.53%
West Virginia	Democratic	0.96%
New Hampshire	Republican (flip)	2.20%
Iowa	Republican (flip)	3.21%
Michigan	Democratic (flip)	4.29%
New Mexico	Republican	6.82%
Illinois	Republican	7.87%
North Carolina	Republican	9.02%

Oklahoma was the tipping point state with a margin of 32.6%.

Alabama

There were two elections in Alabama, due to the death of senator Jim Allen.

Alabama (regular)

Democrat John Sparkman retired and was succeeded by Howell Heflin, the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. Heflin, the Democratic candidate, faced no Republican opponent in the general election, defeating Prohibition Party nominee Jerome B. Couch.

General election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howell Heflin	547,054	93.99%
	Prohibition	Jerome B. Couch	34,951	6.01%
Majority			512,103	87.98%
Turnout			582,005
	Democratic hold

Alabama (special)

Following the death of senator Jim Allen, his widow Maryon was appointed by governor George Wallace to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held. In this election, Democratic state senator Donald W. Stewart defeated former Republican congressman James D. Martin to serve the remaining two years of the term.

General election^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald W. Stewart	401,852	54.93%
	Republican	James D. Martin	316,170	43.22%
	Libertarian	Michael R. A. Erdey	6,006	0.82%
	Prohibition	A. J. Killingsworth	5,814	0.80%
	Peace and Freedom	Joseph T. Robino	1,768	0.24%
Majority			85,682	11.74%
Turnout			731,610
	Democratic hold

Alaska

Alaska election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Ted Stevens	Donald Hobbs
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	92,783	29,574
Percentage	75.59%	24.10%

Results by state house district
Stevens: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Ted Stevens
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Ted Stevens
Republican

Republican Ted Stevens won reelection to a second full (his third total) term, defeating Democrat Donald Hobbs.

1978 United States Senate election in Alaska^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ted Stevens (Incumbent)	92,783	75.59%
	Democratic	Donald Hobbs	29,574	24.09%
	Write-ins	Write-ins	384	0.31%
Majority			63,209	51.50%
Turnout			122,741
	Republican hold		Swing

Arkansas

Arkansas election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	David Pryor	Thomas Kelly Jr.	John G. Black
Party	Democratic	Republican	Independent
Popular vote	399,916	84,722	37,488
Percentage	76.58%	16.22%	7.18%

County results
Pryor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Kaneaster Hodges Jr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

David H. Pryor
Democratic

Following the death of senator John L. McClellan, then Kaneaster Hodges Jr. was appointed by governor David Pryor to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held. In this election, Democratic state governor David Pryor defeated former Republican challenger Thomas Kelly Jr. to serve the six-year term.

1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Pryor	395,506	76.48%
	Republican	Tom Kelly	84,308	16.30%
	Independent	John G. Black	37,211	7.20%
	None	Write-ins	113	0.02%
Majority			311,198	60.18%
Turnout			517,138
	Democratic hold

Colorado

Colorado election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	William L. Armstrong	Floyd Haskell
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	480,801	330,148
Percentage	58.69%	40.30%

County results
Armstrong: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Haskell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Floyd Haskell
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

William L. Armstrong
Republican

Democrat Floyd Haskell decided to run for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by William L. Armstrong, the Republican nominee and the U.S. Representative.

1978 United States Senate election in Colorado^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William L. Armstrong	480,801	58.69%
	Democratic	Floyd Haskell (Incumbent)	330,148	40.30%
	United States Party	Vedder V. Dorn	5,789	0.71%
	National Statesman	John Shue	2,518	0.31%
Majority			150,653	18.39%
Turnout			819,256
	Republican gain from Democratic

Delaware

Delaware election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Joe Biden	James H. Baxter Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	93,930	66,479
Percentage	57.96%	41.02%

County results
Biden: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Joe Biden
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Joe Biden
Democratic

Democratic United States senator Joe Biden won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican challenger James H. Baxter Jr., the Delaware Secretary of Agriculture.^[6]

General election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Biden (Incumbent)	93,930	57.96%	+7.48%
	Republican	James H. Baxter Jr.	66,479	41.02%	−8.08%
	American	Donald G. Gies	1,663	1.02%	+0.68%
Majority			27,451	16.94%	+15.56%
Turnout			162,072
	Democratic hold		Swing

Georgia

Georgia election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Sam Nunn	John W. Stokes
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	536,320	108,808
Percentage	83.1%	16.9%

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

U.S. senator before election

Sam Nunn
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Sam Nunn
Democratic

Democrat Sam Nunn won re-election to a second term.^[7]

General election^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Sam Nunn (incumbent)	536,320	83.13%	+29.17%
	Republican	John W. Stokes	108,808	16.87%	−29.14%
Majority			427,512	66.27%	+58.32%
Turnout			645,128
	Democratic hold		Swing

Idaho

Idaho election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	James A. McClure	Dwight Jensen
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	194,412	89,635
Percentage	68.44%	31.56%

County results
McClure: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

James A. McClure
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

James A. McClure
Republican

Republican James A. McClure was elected to a second term in office.

1978 United States Senate election in Idaho^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James A. McClure (Incumbent)	194,412	68.44%
	Democratic	Dwight Jensen	89,635	31.56%
Majority			104,777	36.88%
Turnout			284,047
	Republican hold		Swing

Illinois

Illinois election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Charles Percy	Alex Seith
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,698,711	1,448,187
Percentage	53.34%	45.47%

County results
Percy: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Seith: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Charles H. Percy
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Charles H. Percy
Republican

Republican Charles H. Percy ran for re-election to a third term in the United States Senate. Percy was opposed by Democratic nominee Alex Seith (D), attorney and former member of the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals. Though Percy had been expected to coast to re-election over Seith, a first-time candidate, the election quickly became competitive. In the last few days of the campaign, a desperate Percy ran a television advertisement that featured him apologizing and acknowledging that, "I got your message and you're right."^[9] Percy's last-ditch effort appeared to have paid off, as he was able to edge out Seith to win what would end up being his third and final term in the Senate.

1978 United States Senate election in Illinois^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Charles H. Percy (Incumbent)	1,698,711	53.34%	−8.88%
	Democratic	Alex Seith	1,448,187	45.47%	+8.13%
	Libertarian	Bruce Lee Green	16,320	0.51%
	Socialist Workers	Patricia Grogan	15,922	0.50%
	Socialist Labor	Gerald Rose	5,465	0.18%
	Write-ins		159	0.00%
Majority			250,524	7.87%	−17.00%
Turnout			3,184,764
	Republican hold		Swing

Iowa

Iowa election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Roger Jepsen	Dick Clark
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	421,598	395,066
Percentage	51.12%	47.91%

County results
Jepsen: 40–50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Clark: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Dick Clark
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Roger Jepsen
Republican

Democrat Dick Clark decided to run for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Roger Jepsen, the Republican nominee and former Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.

1978 United States Senate election in Iowa^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roger Jepsen	421,598	51.13%
	Democratic	Dick Clark (Incumbent)	395,066	47.91%
	Independent	Gerald Leo Baker	4,223	0.51%
	Libertarian	Ben L. Olson	3,689	0.45%
Majority			26,532	3.22%
Turnout			824,576
	Republican gain from Democratic

Kansas

Kansas election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Nancy Kassebaum	Bill Roy
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	403,354	317,602
Percentage	53.86%	42.41%

County results
Kassebaum: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Roy: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

James B. Pearson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Nancy Kassebaum
Republican

Republican James B. Pearson retired and was succeeded by Nancy Kassebaum, the daughter of Alf Landon, defeating Democratic nominee William R. Roy, the former U.S. Representative. Roy also lost to Bob Dole in the 1974 election for Kansas' other Senate seat.

1978 United States Senate election in Kansas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Nancy Kassebaum	403,354	53.86%
	Democratic	William R. Roy	317,602	42.41%
	Conservative	James R. Maher	22,497	3.00%
	Prohibition	Russell Mikels	5,386	0.72%
Majority			85,752	11.45%
Turnout			748,839
	Republican hold

Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Walter Huddleston	Louie R. Guenthner Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	290,730	175,766
Percentage	60.98%	36.87%

County results
Huddleston: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Guenthner: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

Walter Huddleston
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Walter Huddleston
Democratic

Democrat Walter Huddleston was re-elected to a second term.

General election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter Huddleston (Incumbent)	290,730	60.98%
	Republican	Louie R. Guenthner Jr.	175,766	36.86%
	American	Anthony Albert McCord	10,244	2.15%
	None	Write-Ins	32	0.01%
Majority			114,964	24.12
Turnout			476,783
	Democratic hold

Louisiana

1978 Democratic Senate primary election in Louisiana

← 1972

September 16, 1978

1984 →


Nominee	J. Bennett Johnston	Woody Jenkins
Party	Democratic	Democratic
Popular vote	498,773	340,896
Percentage	59.40%	40.60%

Parish results
Johnston: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Jenkins: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

J. Bennett Johnston
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

J. Bennett Johnston
Democratic

Democrat J. Bennett Johnston won re-election to unopposed and his second term.

1978 United States Senate election in Louisiana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Bennett Johnston (Incumbent)	Unopposed
	Democratic hold

Maine

Maine election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	William Cohen	William Hathaway
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	212,294	127,327
Percentage	56.59%	33.94%


Nominee	Hayes Gahagan
Party	Independent
Popular vote	27,824
Percentage	7.42%

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

U.S. senator before election

William Hathaway
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

William Cohen
Republican

Democrat William Hathaway decided to run for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by William Cohen, the Republican nominee and the United States Congressman from Maine's 2nd congressional district and Hayes Gahagan, former Maine State Senator

1978 United States Senate election in Maine^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	William Cohen	212,294	56.59%	+9.83%
	Democratic	William Hathaway (Incumbent)	127,327	33.94%	−19.29%
	Independent	Hayes E. Gahagan	27,824	7.42%
	Independent	John J. Jannace	5,553	1.48%
	Independent	Plato Truman	2,116	0.56%
Majority			84,967	22.65%	+16.19%
Turnout			375,114
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Paul Tsongas	Edward Brooke
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,093,283	890,584
Percentage	55.06%	44.85%

Tsongas

40–50%

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

Brooke

40–50%

50–60%

60–70%

70–80%

U.S. senator before election

Edward Brooke
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Paul Tsongas
Democratic

Republican Edward Brooke was defeated by Democratic congressman Paul E. Tsongas.

Republican primary^[10]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Edward Brooke (Incumbent)	146,351	53.25%
Republican	Avi Nelson	128,388	46.72%
	All others	78	0.03%

Democratic primary^[11]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Paul Tsongas	296,915	35.55%
Democratic	Paul Guzzi	258,960	31.01%
Democratic	Kathleen Sullivan Alioto	161,036	19.28%
Democratic	Howard Phillips	65,397	7.83%
Democratic	Elaine Noble	52,464	6.28%
	All others	379	0.05%

General election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul E. Tsongas	1,093,283	55.06%
	Republican	Edward Brooke (Incumbent)	890,584	44.85%
		All others	1,833	0.09%
Total votes			1,985,700	68.01%
Majority			202,699	10.21%
	Democratic gain from Republican

Michigan

Michigan election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Carl Levin	Robert P. Griffin
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,484,193	1,362,165
Percentage	52.1%	47.9%

County results
Levin: 50–60% 60–70%
Griffin: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Robert P. Griffin
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Carl Levin
Democratic

Republican Robert P. Griffin ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by the Democratic candidate, and former Detroit City Council President Carl Levin.

General election^[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Carl Levin	1,484,193	52.1%	N/A
	Republican	Robert P. Griffin (Incumbent)	1,362,165	47.8%	−4.29%
	Independent	Others	272	0.01%	−52.13%
Majority			122,028	4.29%
Turnout			2,846,630
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Minnesota

There were two elections in Minnesota, due to the death of Hubert Humphrey.

Minnesota (regular)

Minnesota general election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Rudy Boschwitz	Wendell Anderson
Party	Ind.-Republican	Democratic (DFL)
Popular vote	894,092	638,375
Percentage	56.57%	40.39%

County results

Boschwitz: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Anderson: 40–50%

U.S. senator before election

Wendell Anderson
Democratic (DFL)

Elected U.S. Senator

Rudy Boschwitz
Ind.-Republican

Democrat Wendell Anderson was defeated by Republican challenger businessman Rudy Boschwitz.

In 1978, all three key statewide races in Minnesota were up for election—the Governorship, and both Senate Seats (the other Senate seat belonged to Hubert Humphrey, who died in 1978). But, there was a particular oddity to the three races—all three had incumbents who were never elected to the office in the first place. This became a well played issue by the Republicans—a billboard put up across the state read, "The DFL is going to face something scary -- an election".

When Walter Mondale resigned after being elected to the Vice Presidency in 1976, sitting Governor Wendell Anderson resigned in order to be appointed by his successor Rudy Perpich to the open seat. This act did not sit well with the electorate. Plywood magnate Rudy Boschwitz campaigned as a liberal Republican and spent freely of his own money, but all that seemed to really matter was that he was neither a DFLer or Wendell Anderson in an election cycle where both were rejected by the voters. The result was not even close—the challenger Boschwitz won in a 16-point landslide as all three statewide offices switched into Republican hands.

Democratic primary election^[13]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic (DFL)	Wendell Anderson (Incumbent)	286,209	56.9%
Democratic (DFL)	John S. Connolly	159,974	31.8%
Democratic (DFL)	Daryl W. Anderson	23,159	4.6%
Democratic (DFL)	Lloyd M. Roberts	12,709	2.5%
Democratic (DFL)	Dick Bullock	11,485	2.3%
Democratic (DFL)	Emil L. Moses	9,580	1.9%

Republican primary election^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Ind.-Republican	Rudy Boschwitz	185,393	86.8%
	Ind.-Republican	Harold Stassen	28,170	13.2%

General election^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Ind.-Republican	Rudy Boschwitz	894,092	56.57%
	Democratic (DFL)	Wendell Anderson (Incumbent)	638,375	40.39%
	American	Sal Carlone	23,261	1.47%
	Socialist Workers	William Peterson	9,856	0.62%
	Independent	Brian J. Coyle	8,083	0.51%
	Workers League	Jean T. Brust	3,891	0.25%
	Libertarian	Leonard J. Richards	2,992	0.19%
	Others	Write-ins	72	0.01%
Majority			255,717	16.18%
Turnout			1,580,622
	Ind.-Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

Minnesota (special)

Minnesota special election

← 1976

1982 →


Nominee	David Durenberger	Bob Short
Party	Ind.-Republican	Democratic (DFL)
Popular vote	957,908	538,675
Percentage	61.47%	34.57%

County results
Durenberger: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Short: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Muriel Humphrey
Democratic (DFL)

Elected U.S. senator

David Durenberger
Ind.-Republican

Incumbent Muriel Humphrey retired. Democratic candidate Bob Short was defeated by Republican candidate David Durenberger.

In 1978, all three key statewide races in Minnesota were up for election—the Governorship, and both Senate Seats (the other Senate seat belonged to Wendell Anderson, who, as Governor of Minnesota, appointed himself to fill the seat vacated by Walter Mondale, when Mondale ascended to the Vice Presidency in 1976). But, there was a particular oddity to the three races—all three had incumbents who were never elected to the office in the first place. This became a well played issue by the Republicans: a billboard put up across the state read, "The DFL is going to face something scary — an election".

When Hubert H. Humphrey died in office in January 1978, sitting Governor Rudy Perpich appointed Humphrey's widow, Muriel to sit until a special election could be held later that year. However, Muriel Humphrey opted not to seek election to the seat in her own right, and the DFL nominated former Texas Rangers owner Bob Short to run in the subsequent special election. The Independent-Republicans, on their part, nominated the liberal Republican David Durenberger, creating an unusual race in which the DFL candidate was positioned to the right of the Independent-Republican candidate. In addition to the general sense of dissatisfaction voters felt for the DFL, the DFL also had to contend with a large number of liberal members of the DFL, who were dissatisfied with Short's positions on hot button issues such as abortion, motorboat usage in the Boundary Waters Canoe area, and government spending, crossing party lines to vote for Durenberger. As a result, Durenberger won in a 26.9-percent landslide as the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats switched into Republican hands.

Democratic special primary election^[13]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic (DFL)	Bob Short	257,289	48.0%
Democratic (DFL)	Donald M. Fraser	253,818	47.4%
Democratic (DFL)	Sharon Anderson	16,094	3.0%
Democratic (DFL)	Richard A. Palmer	8,425	1.6%

Republican special primary election^[13]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Ind.-Republican	David Durenberger	139,187	67.3%
Ind.-Republican	Malcolm Moos	32,314	15.6%
Ind.-Republican	Ken Nordstrom	14,635	7.1%
Ind.-Republican	Will Lundquist	12,261	5.9%
Ind.-Republican	Adell H. Campbell	8,523	4.1%

Special election^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Ind.-Republican	David Durenberger	957,908	61.47%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bob Short	538,675	34.57%
	American	Paul Helm	45,402	2.91%
	Socialist Workers	Christine Frank	11,397	0.73%
	Libertarian	Frederick Hewitt	4,116	0.26%
	Others	Write-ins	878	0.06%
Majority			419,233	26.90%
Turnout			1,558,376
	Ind.-Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

Mississippi

Mississippi election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Thad Cochran	Maurice Dantin
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	267,302	187,541
Percentage	45.3%	31.8%


Nominee	Charles Evers
Party	Independent
Popular vote	133,646
Percentage	22.6%

County results
Cochran:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Dantin:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Evers:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election

James Eastland
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Thad Cochran
Republican

Democrat James Eastland retired. Republican Thad Cochran won the open seat over Democrat Maurice Dantin, former District Attorney^[16] and Independent Charles Evers, Mayor of Fayette.

Evers was the first African American elected since the Reconstruction era to be mayor in any Mississippi city in 1969. He ran as an independent, and as a result his campaign divided the Democrats and allowed Cochran to win the senate seat with a 45 percent plurality.^[17] This made him the first Republican in a century to win a statewide election in Mississippi for any office except US President.^[18] Eastland resigned on December 27, 1978, to give Cochran a seniority advantage over new incoming senators.^[19]

Mississippi U.S. Senate Election, 1978^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thad Cochran	267,302	45.3%
	Democratic	Maurice Dantin	187,541	31.8%
	Independent	Charles Evers	133,646	22.6%
	Independent	Henry Jay Kirksey	1,747	0.3%
Majority			79,761	13.52%
Turnout			590,236
	Republican gain from Democratic

Montana

Montana election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Max Baucus	Larry R. Williams
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	160,353	127,589
Percentage	55.69%	44.31%

County results
Baucus: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Williams: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Paul G. Hatfield
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Max Baucus
Democratic

Following the death of senator Lee Metcalf on January 12, 1978, Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul G. Hatfield was appointed to serve for the remainder of Metcalf's term. Hatfield opted to run for a full term in office, but was overwhelmingly defeated in the Democratic primary by Congressman Max Baucus of the 1st congressional district. Baucus advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Larry R. Williams, an author and the Republican nominee. Baucus ended up defeating Williams by a solid margin to win his first term in the Senate, and, following Hatfield's resignation on December 12, 1978, he began serving his first term in the Senate.

Democratic Party primary^[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Max Baucus	87,085	65.25%
	Democratic	Paul G. Hatfield (Incumbent)	25,789	19.32%
	Democratic	John Driscoll	18,184	13.62%
	Democratic	Steve Shugrue	2,404	1.80%
Total votes			133,462	100.00%

Republican Primary^[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Larry R. Williams	35,479	61.66%
	Republican	Bill Osborne	16,436	28.57%
	Republican	Clancy Rich	5,622	9.77%
Total votes			57,537	100.00%

1978 United States Senate election in Montana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Max Baucus	160,353	55.69%	+3.74%
	Republican	Larry R. Williams	127,589	44.31%	−3.74%
Majority			32,764	11.38%	+7.48%
Turnout			287,942
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

Nebraska election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	J. James Exon	Donald Eugene Shasteen
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	334,096	159,708
Percentage	67.7%	32.3%

County results
Exon: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Shasteen: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Carl Curtis
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

J. James Exon
Democratic

Republican Carl Curtis retired instead of seeking a fifth term. In the elections, Democratic nominee J. James Exon won the open seat over Republican Donald Eugene Shasteen.

General election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	J. James Exon	334,096	67.66%	+20.82%
	Republican	Donald Eugene Shasteen	159,708	32.34%	−20.82%
Majority			174,390	35.32%	+28.99%
Turnout			493,802
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

New Hampshire

New Hampshire election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Gordon J. Humphrey	Thomas J. McIntyre
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	133,745	127,945
Percentage	50.71%	48.51%

County results

Humphrey: 50–60% 60–70%

McIntyre: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Thomas J. McIntyre
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Gordon J. Humphrey
Republican

Incumbent Democrat Thomas J. McIntyre decided to run for re-election to a fourth term, but was defeated by Gordon J. Humphrey, the Republican nominee also a professional pilot and conservative activist.

1978 United States Senate election in New Hampshire^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gordon J. Humphrey	133,745	50.71%
	Democratic	Thomas J. McIntyre (Incumbent)	127,945	48.51%
	Libertarian	Craig Franklin	2,070	0.78%
Majority			5,800	2.20%
Turnout			263,760
	Republican gain from Democratic

New Jersey

New Jersey election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Bill Bradley	Jeff Bell
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,082,960	844,200
Percentage	55.32%	43.13%

County Results

Bradley: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Bell: 40-50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Clifford P. Case
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Bill Bradley
Democratic

Republican Clifford P. Case narrowly lost renomination to anti-tax conservative Jeff Bell, but the Democratic nominee, former professional basketball player Bill Bradley, easily won the general election.

New Jersey Democratic primary^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Bradley	217,502	58.90%
	Democratic	Richard Leone	97,667	26.45%
	Democratic	Alexander J. Menza	32,386	8.77%
	Democratic	Kenneth C. McCarthy	9,524	2.58%
	Democratic	Wesley K. Bell	8,800	2.38%
	Democratic	Ray Rollinson	3,374	0.91%
Total votes			369,253	100.00%

Republican primary results^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeff Bell	118,555	50.74%
	Republican	Clifford P. Case (incumbent)	115,082	49.26%
Total votes			233,637	100.00%

New Jersey general election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Bradley	1,082,960	55.32%
	Republican	Jeff Bell	844,200	43.13%
	Independent	Herbert H. Shaw	4,736	0.24%
	Independent	Bill Gahres	3,817	0.19%
	Independent	Jack Moyers	3,809	0.19%
	U.S. Labor	Robert Bowen	3,656	0.19%
	Independent	J. M. Carter Jr.	3,618	0.18%
	Independent	Jasper C. Gould	2,955	0.15%
	Independent	William R. Thorn	2,776	0.14%
	Independent	Paul Ferguson	2,604	0.13%
	Independent	Alice Conner	2,384	0.12%
Majority			238,760	12.19%
Turnout			1,957,515
	Democratic gain from Republican

New Mexico

New Mexico election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Pete Domenici	Toney Anaya
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	183,442	160,045
Percentage	53.4%	46.6%

County results
Domenici: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Anaya: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Pete Domenici
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Pete Domenici
Republican

Republican senator Pete Domenici successfully ran for re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Toney Anaya, Attorney General of New Mexico.

General election^[23]^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Domenici (Incumbent)	183,442	53.41%
	Democratic	Toney Anaya	160,045	46.59%
Majority			23,397	6.81%
Total votes			343,487	100.00%
	Republican hold

North Carolina

North Carolina election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Jesse Helms	John Ingram
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	619,151	516,663
Percentage	54.5%	45.5%

County results

Helms: 50– 60% 60–70% 70–80%

Ingram: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Jesse Helms
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Jesse Helms
Republican

The general election was fought between the Republican Incumbent Jesse Helms and Democrat John Ingram. Helms won re-election, by a slightly wider margin than in 1972.

1978 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election – First round^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Luther H. Hodges Jr.	260,868	40.08%
	Democratic	John Ingram	170,715	26.23%
	Democratic	Lawrence Davis	105,381	16.19%
	Democratic	McNeill Smith	82,703	12.71%
	Democratic	Dave McKnight	9,422	1.45%
	Democratic	William Griffin	8,907	1.37%
	Democratic	Tom Sawyer	8,482	1.30%
Turnout			650,942

1978 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election – Second round^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Ingram	244,469	54.24%	+28.01%
	Democratic	Luther H. Hodges Jr.	206,223	45.76%	+5.68%
Turnout			450,692

Jesse Helms won the Republican Party's nomination unopposed.

1978 North Carolina U.S. Senate election^[24]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jesse Helms (Incumbent)	619,151	54.51%	+0.50%
	Democratic	John Ingram	516,663	45.49%	−0.50%
Turnout			1,135,814

Oklahoma

Oklahoma election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	David Boren	Robert B. Kamm
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	493,953	247,857
Percentage	65.49%	32.86%

County results
Boren: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Kamm: 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Dewey F. Bartlett
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

David Boren
Democratic

Republican Dewey F. Bartlett retired instead of seeking a second term due to his declining health. In the elections, Democratic nominee David Boren won the open seat over Republican Robert B. Kamm.

1978 United States Senate election in Oklahoma^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Boren	493,953	65.49%
	Republican	Robert B. Kamm	247,857	32.86%
	Independent	Glenn E. Hager	3,875	0.51%
	Independent	Riley Donica	3,355	0.44%
	Independent	Paul Edward Trent	3,015	0.40%
	Independent	Richard King Carter	2,209	0.29%
Majority			246,096	32.63%
Turnout			754,264
	Democratic gain from Republican

Bartlett died 2 months after leaving the U.S. Senate

Oregon

Oregon election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Mark Hatfield	Vernon Cook
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	550,615	341,616
Percentage	61.66%	38.26%

County results
Hatfield: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Cook: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Mark Hatfield
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Mark Hatfield
Republican

Republican senator Mark Hatfield successfully ran for re-election to a third term, defeating Democrat Vernon Cook, State Legislator and candidate for U.S. Representative in 1970 and 1974.

1978 United States Senate election in Oregon^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Hatfield (Incumbent)	550,165	61.64%
	Democratic	Vernon Cook	341,616	38.28%
	Independent	Write-Ins	737	0.08%
Majority			208,549	23.36%
Turnout			892,518
	Republican hold

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Claiborne Pell	James G. Reynolds
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	229,557	76,061
Percentage	75.1%	24.9%

Pell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Claiborne Pell
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Claiborne Pell
Democratic

Democrat Claiborne Pell successfully sought re-election, defeating Republican James G. Reynolds.

Democratic primary^[25]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claiborne Pell (Incumbent)	69,729	87.01%
	Democratic	Raymond J. Greiner	6,076	7.58%
	Democratic	Francis P. Kelley	4,330	5.41%
Majority			63,653	79.43%
Total votes			80,135	100.00%

General election^[26]^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claiborne Pell (Incumbent)	229,557	75.11%
	Republican	James G. Reynolds	76,061	24.89%
Majority			153,496	50.22%
Total votes			305,618	100.00%
	Democratic hold

South Carolina

South Carolina election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Strom Thurmond	Charles D. Ravenel
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	351,733	281,119
Percentage	55.6%	44.4%

County results
Thurmond: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Ravenel: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Strom Thurmond
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Strom Thurmond
Republican

Popular incumbent Republican Strom Thurmond defeated Democratic challenger Charles D. Ravenel.

The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, 1978. Charles D. Ravenel, an unsuccessful candidate in the 1974 gubernatorial contest, originally planned to run for governor again in 1978, but was convinced by Vice President Walter Mondale in 1977 to run for senator. He garnered over 50% of the vote in the primary and avoided a runoff election.

South Carolina Democratic primary
	Candidate	Votes	%
Democratic	Charles D. Ravenel	205,348	55.9%
Democratic	John Bolt Culbertson	69,184	18.9%
Democratic	Tom Triplett	50,957	13.9%
Democratic	Tom McElveen	41,550	11.3%

Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election.

Thurmond generally ignored Ravenel on the campaign and refused to debate him. When they did cross paths, Thurmond criticized Ravenel for never having held a political office. Ravenel did not help his cause by his actions in the 1974 gubernatorial race when he refused to endorse the Democratic nominee after he had been disqualified. This irritated many Democrats and they also accused him of being nothing more than a liberal New Yorker. Age was beginning to become an issue with Thurmond, so to combat perceptions of old age, Thurmond often appeared with his children on the campaign trail. While 1978 was generally a Democratic year, Thurmond was able to pull off a commanding victory over Ravenel.

South Carolina general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Strom Thurmond (Incumbent)	351,733	55.6%	−7.9%
	Democratic	Charles D. Ravenel	281,119	44.4%	+7.9%
	No party	Write-Ins	257	0.0%	0.0%
Majority			70,614	11.2%	−15.8%
Turnout			633,109	57.7%	−7.5%
	Republican hold		Swing

South Dakota

South Dakota election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Larry Pressler	Don Barnett
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	170,832	84,767
Percentage	66.84%	33.16%

County results
Pressler: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80–90%
Barnett: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

James Abourezk
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Larry Pressler
Republican

Incumbent Democrat James Abourezk retired instead of seeking a second term. In the elections, Republican congressman Larry Pressler won the open seat over Democratic former mayor of Rapid City Don Barnett, thus becoming the first Vietnam veteran to serve in the Senate

1978 United States Senate election in South Dakota^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Larry Pressler	170,832	66.84%
	Democratic	Don Barnett	84,767	33.16%
Majority			86,065	33.68%
Turnout			255,599
	Republican gain from Democratic

Tennessee

Tennessee election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Howard Baker	Jane Eskind
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	642,644	466,228
Percentage	55.54%	40.30%

County results
Baker: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Eskind: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Howard Baker
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Howard Baker
Republican

Two-term popular incumbent Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, ran for reelection against first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind.

In the August 3 Democratic primary Eskind won in an open primary against eight other candidates:^[27]

Eskind - 196,156 (34.52%)
Bruce - 170,795 (30.06%)
Lee - 89,939 (15.83%)
Boyd - 48,458 (8.53%)
Bradley - 22,130 (3.90%)
Heinsohn - 17,787 (3.13%)
Foster - 10,671 (1.88%)
Nyabongo - 7,682 (1.35%)
Vick - 4,414 (0.78%)
Write-in - 147 (0.03%)

In the Republican primary, also held August 3, Baker easily emerged as the winner:^[28]

Baker - 205,680 (83.44%)
Howard - 21,154 (8.58%)
Boles - 8,899 (3.61%)
Patty - 3,941 (1.60%)
Seiler - 3,831 (1.55%)
Trapp - 2,994 (1.22%)

Baker won with a 15-point margin in the general election, held on November 7:^[29]

General election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Howard Baker (Incumbent)	642,644	55.54%
	Democratic	Jane Eskind	466,228	40.29%
	Independent	Thomas J. Anderson	45,908	3.97%
	Independent	Fern L. Keasler	2,243	0.19%
	None	Write-Ins	71	0.01%
Majority			176,416	15.25%
Turnout			1,157,094
	Republican hold

Texas

Texas election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	John Tower	Bob Krueger
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,151,376	1,139,149
Percentage	49.8%	49.3%

County results
Tower:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Krueger:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Tie:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

John Tower
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

John Tower
Republican

Republican incumbent John Tower won re-election to a fourth term over Democrat Bob Krueger, U.S. Congressman of Texas's 21st congressional district.

General election^[30]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Tower (Incumbent)	1,151,376	49.8%
	Democratic	Bob Krueger	1,139,149	49.3%
	Raza Unida	Luis A. Diaz de Leon	17,869	0.8%
	Socialist Workers	Miguel Pendas	4,018	0.2%
	None	Others	128	0.0%
Majority			12,227	0.5%
Turnout			2,312,540
	Republican hold

Virginia

Virginia election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	John Warner	Andrew P. Miller
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	613,232	608,511
Percentage	50.2%	49.8%

County and independent city results
Warner: 50–60% 60–70%
Miller: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

U.S. senator before election

William L. Scott
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

John Warner
Republican

Incumbent William L. Scott retired. Former Secretary of the Navy Republican John Warner beat Attorney General of Virginia Andrew P. Miller. Scott then resigned January 1, 1979 and Warner was appointed January 2, 1979 for early seniority purposes.

1978 United States Senate election in Virginia^[31]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Warner	613,232	50.17%	−1.28%
	Democratic	Andrew P. Miller	608,511	49.79%	+3.67%
	Write-ins		513	0.04%	+0.04%
Majority			4,721	0.39%	+0.39%
Turnout			1,222,256
	Republican hold

West Virginia

West Virginia election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Jennings Randolph	Arch Moore
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	249,034	244,317
Percentage	50.48%	49.52%

County results
Randolph: 50–60% 60–70%
Moore: 50–60% 60–70% 70-80%

U.S. senator before election

Jennings Randolph
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Jennings Randolph
Democratic

Democratic incumbent Jennings Randolph won re-election to a fifth term over Republican Arch Moore, former governor of West Virginia.

1978 United States Senate election in West Virginia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jennings Randolph (Incumbent)	249,034	50.48%
	Republican	Arch A. Moore Jr.	244,317	49.52%
Majority			4,717	0.92%
Turnout			493,351
	Democratic hold

Wyoming

Wyoming election

← 1972

1984 →


Nominee	Alan K. Simpson	Raymond B. Whitaker
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	82,908	50,456
Percentage	62.17%	37.83%

County results
Simpson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Whitaker: 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Clifford Hansen
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Alan K. Simpson
Republican

Incumbent Republican Clifford Hansen retired instead of seeking a third term. In the elections, Republican nominee Alan K. Simpson won the open seat over Democrat Raymond B. Whitaker, an attorney from Casper and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1960.

1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alan Simpson	82,908	62.17%
	Democratic	Raymond B. Whitaker	50,456	37.83%
Majority			32,452	24.34%
Turnout			133,364
	Republican hold

Notes

^ 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.
^ ^a ^b Interim appointee Muriel Humphrey of Minnesota did not seek election to finish the unexpired term and interim appointee Kaneaster Hodges Jr. of Arkansas did not seek election to a full term.
^ Allen and Hatfield lost nomination to represent Alabama and Montana, respectively.
^ Includes the interim appointee who ran for election.
^ Clifford P. Case lost renomination to represent New Jersey. Jeffrey Bell became the party's new nominee.
^ Appointee defeated
^ Senator Strom Thurmond was originally elected as a Democrat in 1954, but as a write-in candidate, a special election in 1956 and 1960 before switching to a Republican in 1964. Thurmond won re-election as a Republican in 1966 and 1972.

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 Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 1, 1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 1, 19, 41.
^ "AL US Senate - Special Election, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
^ Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V.., eds. (November 30, 1979). America Votes 13: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1978. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (published 1979). p. 37. ISBN 9780871871831.
^ Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 81. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
^ "Delaware Department of Agriculture - State of Delaware". Delaware Department of Agriculture - State of Delaware.
^ "Ourcampaigns.com". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
^ "Our Campaigns - GA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ "The Message of the 1978 Off-Year Elections". Time.com. November 20, 1978. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- R Primary Race - Sep 19, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- D Primary Race - Sep 19, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ Parker, Randy; crickets chirp (July 7, 2003). "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate". Our Campaigns.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Minnesota Election Results 1978 (Primary Election)" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
^ "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Black, Earl; Merle Black (2003). The Rise of Southern Republicans. Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-01248-6.
^ "Results of Elections Across the Nation". The Blade. November 7, 1978. Retrieved April 18, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Associated Press (December 27, 1978). "Eastland Quits Early To Aid His Successor". The Blade. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
^ "Our Campaigns - MS US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ ^a ^b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 6, 1978". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "1978 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
^ "NM US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c "North Carolina DataNet #46" (PDF). University of North Carolina. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
^ "RI US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "RI US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
^ "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

Bass, Jack; Marilyn W. Thompson (1998). Ol' Strom: An Unauthorized Biography of Strom Thurmond. Longstreet. pp. 290–292.
State Election Commission (1979). Report of the South Carolina State Election Commission. Columbia, SC: State Election Commission. p. 54.
"Challenging a Southern Legend". Time. October 16, 1978. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2008.

[ByrdDem-2] 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.

[Appointees-3] Interim appointee Muriel Humphrey of Minnesota did not seek election to finish the unexpired term and interim appointee Kaneaster Hodges Jr. of Arkansas did not seek election to a full term.

[4] Allen and Hatfield lost nomination to represent Alabama and Montana, respectively.

[5] Includes the interim appointee who ran for election.

[6] Clifford P. Case lost renomination to represent New Jersey. Jeffrey Bell became the party's new nominee.

[7] Appointee defeated

[Thurmond-8] Senator Strom Thurmond was originally elected as a Democrat in 1954, but as a write-in candidate, a special election in 1956 and 1960 before switching to a Republican in 1964. Thurmond won re-election as a Republican in 1966 and 1972.

[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 Clerk of the House of Representatives (April 1, 1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 1, 19, 41.

[9] "AL US Senate - Special Election, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.

[10] Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V.., eds. (November 30, 1979). America Votes 13: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1978. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (published 1979). p. 37. ISBN 9780871871831.

[11] Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. p. 81. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.

[12] Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.

[13] "Delaware Department of Agriculture - State of Delaware". Delaware Department of Agriculture - State of Delaware.

[14] "Ourcampaigns.com". Ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.

[15] "Our Campaigns - GA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[16] "The Message of the 1978 Off-Year Elections". Time.com. November 20, 1978. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2015.

[17] "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- R Primary Race - Sep 19, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[18] "Our Campaigns - MA US Senate- D Primary Race - Sep 19, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[19] Parker, Randy; crickets chirp (July 7, 2003). "Our Campaigns: MI U.S. Senate". Our Campaigns.

[mnprimaryresults-20] "Minnesota Election Results 1978 (Primary Election)" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved October 21, 2017.

[21] "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[22] "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[23] "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.^{[permanent dead link]}

[24] Black, Earl; Merle Black (2003). The Rise of Southern Republicans. Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-01248-6.

[25] "Results of Elections Across the Nation". The Blade. November 7, 1978. Retrieved April 18, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}

[26] Associated Press (December 27, 1978). "Eastland Quits Early To Aid His Successor". The Blade. Retrieved April 19, 2010.

[27] "Our Campaigns - MS US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[Primary_election_results-28] "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 6, 1978". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 2, 2014.

[New_Jersey-29] "1978 Primary Election Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2018.

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

[SouthNow_46-31] "North Carolina DataNet #46" (PDF). University of North Carolina. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.

[32] "RI US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[33] "RI US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2014.

[ourcampaigns-34] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.

[ourcampaigns2-35] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.

[ourcampaigns3-36] "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.

[37] "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

[38] "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.

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Results summary

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Defeats

Post-election changes

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the elections

Race summary

Special elections during the 95th Congress

Elections leading to the next Congress

Closest races

Alabama

Alabama (regular)

Alabama (special)

Alaska

Arkansas

Colorado

Delaware

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Minnesota (regular)

Minnesota (special)

Mississippi

Montana

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

Wyoming

See also

Notes

References