U.S. Senate election, 1970
U.S. Senate election, 1970 was an election for the United States Senate which was a midterm election in the term of President Richard M. Nixon . Nixon's "Southern strategy" was effective at taking several seats from the Democrats , in spite of this being a midterm election. The Democrats lost a net of three seats, while the Republicans and the Conservative Party of New York State picked up one net seat each, and Democrat Harry F. Byrd, Jr. was re-elected as an independent.
The Republicans picked up one open seat in Ohio , and defeated incumbents Albert Gore, Sr. (D-TN), Joseph D. Tydings (D-MD), and Thomas J. Dodd (D-CT) (who had been censured by the Senate for using campaign funds for personal use). Democrats picked up the seats of Ralph Tyler Smith (R-IL) and George Murphy (R-CA). Conservative James L. Buckley defeated Republican incumbent Charles E. Goodell (R-NY) and a Democratic challenger.
Senate contests in 1970
State
Incumbent
Party
Status
Opposing Candidates
Alaska 1
Ted Stevens
Republican
Re-elected, 59.6 - 40.4
Wendell P. Kay (Democrat )
Arizona
Paul Fannin
Republican
Re-elected, 56.0 - 44.0
Sam Grossman (Democrat )
California
George Murphy
Republican
Defeated, 53.9 - 44.3
John V. Tunney (Democrat )
Connecticut
Thomas J. Dodd
Democrat
Defeated, 41.7 - 33.8 - 24.5
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (Republican )Democrat )
Delaware
John J. Williams
Republican
Retired: Republican victory, 58.8 - 40.1
William V. Roth, Jr. (Republican )Democrat )
Florida
Spessard L. Holland
Democrat
Retired: Democrat victory, 53.9 - 46.1
Lawton Chiles (Democrat )Republican )
Hawaii
Hiram L. Fong
Republican
Re-elected, 51.6 - 48.4
Cecil Heftel (Democrat )
Illinois 2
Ralph T. Smith
Republican
Defeated, 57.4 - 42.2
Adlai E. Stevenson III (Democrat )
Indiana
Vance Hartke
Democrat
Re-elected, 50.1 - 49.9
Richard L. Roudebush (Republican )
Maine
Edmund S. Muskie
Democrat
Re-elected, 61.9 - 38.3
Neil S. Bishop (Republican )
Maryland
Joseph D. Tydings
Democrat
Defeated, 50.7 - 48.1
John Glenn Beall, Jr. (Republican )
Massachusetts
Edward M. Kennedy
Democrat
Re-elected, 62.1 - 37.0
Josiah A. Spaulding (Republican )
Michigan
Philip A. Hart
Democrat
Re-elected, 66.8 - 32.9
Lenore Romney (Republican )
Minnesota
Eugene J. McCarthy
Democrat
Retired: Democrat victory, 57.8 - 41.6
Hubert H. Humphrey (Democrat )Clark MacGregor (Republican )
Mississippi
John C. Stennis
Democrat
Re-elected, 88.4 - 11.6
William R. Thompson (Independent )
Missouri
Stuart Symington
Democrat
Re-elected, 51.1 - 48.2
John C. Danforth (Republican )
Montana
Mike Mansfield
Democrat
Re-elected, 60.5 - 39.5
Harold E. Wallace (Republican )
Nebraska
Roman L. Hruska
Republican
Re-elected, 52.5 - 47.5
Frank B. Morrison (Democrat )
Nevada
Howard W. Cannon
Democrat
Re-elected, 57.7 - 41.2
William J. Raggio (Republican )
New Jersey
Harrison A. Williams, Jr.
Democrat
Re-elected, 54.0 - 42.2
Nelson G. Gross (Republican )
New Mexico
Joseph M. Montoya
Democrat
Re-elected, 52.3 - 46.6
Anderson Carter (Republican )
New York
Charles E. Goodell
Republican
Defeated: Conservative victory, 38.8 - 36.8 - 24.3
James L. Buckley (Conservative )Democrat )
North Dakota
Quentin N. Burdick
Democrat
Re-elected, 61.3 - 37.8
Thomas S. Kleppe (Republican )
Ohio
Stephen M. Young
Democrat
Retired: Republican victory, 49.7 - 47.5
Robert A. Taft, Jr. (Republican )Howard M. Metzenbaum (Democrat )
Pennsylvania
Hugh Scott
Republican
Re-elected, 51.4 - 45.4
William G. Sesler (Democrat )
Rhode Island
John O. Pastore
Democrat
Re-elected, 67.5 - 31.5
John McLaughlin (Republican )
Tennessee
Albert Gore, Sr.
Democrat
Defeated, 51.3 - 47.4
Bill Brock (Republican )
Texas
Ralph Yarborough
Democrat
Retired: Democrat victory, 53.5 - 46.4
Lloyd Bentsen (Democrat )George H. W. Bush (Republican )
Utah
Frank E. Moss
Democrat
Re-elected, 56.2 - 42.5
Laurence J. Burton (Republican )
Vermont
Winston L. Prouty
Republican
Re-elected, 58.9 - 40.2
Philip H. Hoff (Democrat )
Virginia
Harry F. Byrd, Jr.
Independent
Re-elected, 53.5 - 31.2 - 15.3
George C. Rawlings, Jr. (Democrat )Republican )
Washington
Henry M. Jackson
Democrat
Re-elected, 82.4 - 16.0
Charles W. Elicker (Republican )
West Virginia
Robert C. Byrd
Democrat
Re-elected, 77.6 - 22.4
Elmer H. Dodson (Republican )
Wisconsin
William Proxmire
Democrat
Re-elected, 70.8 - 28.5
John E. Erickson (Republican )
Wyoming
Gale McGee
Democrat
Re-elected, 55.8 - 44.2
John S. Wold (Republican )
1 special election held due to death of Bob Bartlett (D-AK)
2 special election held due to death of Everett M. Dirksen (R-IL)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
Last updated: 06-02-2005 17:20:16
