1976 United States Senate elections

1976 United States Senate elections

November 2, 1976
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield (retired) Hugh Scott (retired) Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1961 September 24, 1969 Leader's seat Montana Pennsylvania Seats before 61 37 Seats after 61 38 Seat change 1 Popular vote 31,790,526 24,562,431 Percentage 53.7% 41.5% Seats up 21 10 Races won 21 11   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Conservative Seats before 1 1 Seats after 1 0 Seat change 1 Popular vote 890,778 311,494 Seats up 1 1 Races won 1 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Independent hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Robert Byrd Democratic

The 1976 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate. Held on November 2, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with Democrat Jimmy Carter's presidential election and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democratic Party. Each party flipped seven Senate seats, although, one of the seats flipped by Democrats was previously held by a Conservative.

This was the first election in which the Libertarian Party competed, running candidates in 9 of the 33 contested seats. As of 2024 this is the first and so far only time both party leaders retired from the Senate in the same election cycle since the creation of the positions. This is the last time Democrats or any party won a 60% supermajority via direct elections (although Democrats briefly held one in the summer of 2009).

Results summary

↓

61	1	38
Democratic	I	Republican

Parties						Total
		Democratic	Republican	Independent	Other
Last elections (1974) Before these elections		61	37	1	1	100
Not up		40	27	0	0	67
Up Class 1 (1970→1976)		21	10	1	1	33
Incumbent retired		5	3	0	0	8
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	5
	Result	6	2	—	—	8
Incumbent ran		16	7	1	1	25
	Won re-election	11	4	1	0	16
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 1 Conservative replaced by 1 Democrat 5 Democrats replaced by 5 Republicans				9
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	0	0	0	0	0
	Result	15	9	1	0	25
Total elected		21	11	1	0	33
Net gain/loss			1		1	1
Nationwide vote		31,790,526	24,562,431	1,173,414	1,647,636	59,174,007
	Share	53.72%	41.51%	1.98%	2.78%	100%
Result		61	38	1	0	100

Source: "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 25, 2013.

Gains, losses, and holds

Retirements

Four Republicans and four Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Arizona	Paul Fannin	Dennis DeConcini
Hawaii	Hiram Fong	Spark Matsunaga
Michigan	Philip Hart	Donald Riegle
Missouri	Stuart Symington	John Danforth
Montana	Mike Mansfield	John Melcher
Nebraska	Roman Hruska	Edward Zorinsky
Pennsylvania	Hugh Scott	John Heinz
Rhode Island	John Pastore	John Chafee

Defeats

Three Republicans, five Democrats, and one Conservative sought re-election but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
California	John V. Tunney	S. I. Hayakawa
Indiana	Vance Hartke	Richard Lugar
Maryland	J. Glenn Beall Jr.	Paul Sarbanes
New Mexico	Joseph Montoya	Harrison Schmitt
New York	James L. Buckley	Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Ohio	Robert Taft Jr.	Howard Metzenbaum
Tennessee	Bill Brock	Jim Sasser
Utah	Frank Moss	Orrin Hatch
Wyoming	Gale W. McGee	Malcolm Wallop

Post-election changes

Five Democrats either resigned or died between at the end of 93rd Congress and during the 94th Congress. All were initially replaced by Democratic appointees.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Alabama (Class 3)	James Allen	Maryon Pittman Allen
Arkansas (Class 2)	John L. McClellan	Kaneaster Hodges Jr.
Minnesota (Class 1)	Hubert Humphrey	Muriel Humphrey
Minnesota (Class 2)	Walter Mondale	Wendell R. Anderson
Montana (Class 2)	Lee Metcalf	Paul G. Hatfield

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 Ca. Ran	D42 Fla. Ran	D43 Ind. Ran	D44 Maine Ran	D45 Mass. Ran	D46 Mich. Retired	D47 Minn. Ran	D48 Miss. Ran	D49 Mo. Retired	D50 Mont. Retired
Majority →									D51 Nev. Ran
D60 Wis. Ran	D59 W.Va. Ran	D58 Wa. Ran	D57 Utah Ran	D56 Texas Ran	D55 R.I. Retired	D54 N.D. Ran	D53 N.M. Ran	D52 N.J. Ran
D61 Wy. Ran	I1 Va. Ran	C1 N.Y. Ran	R37 Vt. Ran	R36 Tenn. Ran	R35 Pa. Retired	R34 Ohio Ran	R33 Neb. Retired	R32 Md. Ran	R31 Hawaii Retired
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Ariz. Retired	R29 Conn. Ran	R30 Del. Ran
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Elections results

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 Fla. Re-elected	D42 Maine Re-elected	D43 Mass. Re-elected	D44 Mich. Hold	D45 Minn. Re-elected	D46 Miss. Re-elected	D47 Mont. Hold	D48 Nev. Re-elected	D49 N.J. Re-elected	D50 N.D. Re-elected
Majority →									D51 Texas Re-elected
D60 Ohio Gain	D59 N.Y. Gain	D58 Neb. Gain	D57 Md. Gain	D56 Hawaii Gain	D55 Ariz. Gain	D54 Wis. Re-elected	D53 W.Va. Re-elected	D52 Wa. Re-elected
D61 Tenn. Gain	I1 Va. Re-elected	R38 Wy. Gain	R37 Utah Gain	R36 R.I. Gain	R35 N.M. Gain	R34 Mo. Gain	R33 Ind. Gain	R32 Ca. Gain	R31 Vt. Re-elected
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Conn. Re-elected	R29 Del. Re-elected	R30 Pa. Hold
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Key	C# Conservative D# Democratic R# Republican I# Independent

Race summaries

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1977; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Arizona	Paul Fannin	Republican	1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Dennis DeConcini (Democratic) 54.0% ▌Sam Steiger (Republican) 43.3% ▌Allan Norwitz (Libertarian) 1.0%
California	John V. Tunney	Democratic	1970 1971 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain. Incumbent resigned January 1, 1977 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed January 2, 1977.	▌Y S. I. Hayakawa (Republican) 50.2% ▌John V. Tunney (Democratic) 46.9%
Connecticut	Lowell Weicker	Republican	1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lowell Weicker (Republican) 57.7% ▌Gloria Schaffer (Democratic) 41.2%
Delaware	William Roth	Republican	1970 1971 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Roth (Republican) 55.8% ▌Thomas C. Maloney (Democratic) 43.6%
Florida	Lawton Chiles	Democratic	1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lawton Chiles (Democratic) 63.0% ▌John Grady (Republican) 37.0%
Hawaii	Hiram Fong	Republican	1959 (New state) 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Spark Matsunaga (Democratic) 53.7% ▌William F. Quinn (Republican) 40.6%
Indiana	Vance Hartke	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Richard Lugar (Republican) 58.8% ▌Vance Hartke (Democratic) 40.5%
Maine	Edmund Muskie	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Edmund Muskie (Democratic) 60.2% ▌Robert A. G. Monks (Republican) 39.8%
Maryland	J. Glenn Beall Jr.	Republican	1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Paul Sarbanes (Democratic) 56.5% ▌J. Glenn Beall Jr. (Republican) 38.8%
Massachusetts	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	1962 (special) 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 69.3% ▌Michael S. Robertson (Republican) 29.0% ▌Carol Henderson Evans (Socialist Workers) 1.1% ▌H. Graham Lowry (US Labor) 0.6%
Michigan	Philip Hart	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent died December 26, 1976. Winner appointed December 30, 1976.	▌Y Donald Riegle (Democratic) 52.5% ▌Marvin L. Esch (Republican) 46.8%
Minnesota	Hubert Humphrey	DFL	1948 1954 1960 1964 (Resigned) 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Hubert Humphrey (DFL) 67.5% ▌Gerald Brekke (Republican) 25.0% ▌Paul Helm (Independent) 6.6%
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Democratic	1947 (special) 1952 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John C. Stennis (Democratic) Unopposed
Missouri	Stuart Symington	Democratic	1952 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain. Incumbent resigned December 27, 1976 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed the same day.	▌Y John Danforth (Republican) 56.9% ▌Warren E. Hearnes (Democratic) 42.5% ▌Lawrence Petty (Independent) 0.6%
Montana	Mike Mansfield	Democratic	1952 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	▌Y John Melcher (Democratic) 64.2% ▌Stanley C. Burger (Republican) 35.8%
Nebraska	Roman Hruska	Republican	1954 (special) 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain. Incumbent resigned December 27, 1976 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed December 28, 1976 to finish the term.	▌Y Edward Zorinsky (Democratic) 52.4% ▌John Y. McCollister (Republican) 47.5%
Nevada	Howard Cannon	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Howard Cannon (Democratic) 63.0% ▌David Towell (Republican) 31.4%
New Jersey	Harrison A. Williams	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Harrison A. Williams (Democratic) 60.7% ▌David A. Norcross (Republican) 38.0%
New Mexico	Joseph Montoya	Democratic	1964 (special) 1964 1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Harrison Schmitt (Republican) 56.8% ▌Joseph Montoya (Democratic) 42.7%
New York	James L. Buckley	Conservative	1970	Incumbent ran as a Republican but lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democratic) 54.2% ▌James L. Buckley (Republican) 44.9%
North Dakota	Quentin Burdick	Democratic-NPL	1960 (special) 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Quentin Burdick (Democratic-NPL) 62.1% ▌Robert Stroup (Republican) 36.6%
Ohio	Robert Taft Jr.	Republican	1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain. Incumbent resigned December 28, 1976 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed December 29, 1976.	▌Y Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 49.5% ▌Robert Taft Jr. (Republican) 46.5%
Pennsylvania	Hugh Scott	Republican	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y John Heinz (Republican) 52.4% ▌William J. Green III (Democratic) 46.8%
Rhode Island	John Pastore	Democratic	1950 (special) 1952 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain Incumbent resigned December 28, 1976 to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed December 29, 1976.	▌Y John Chafee (Republican) 57.7% ▌Richard P. Lorber (Democratic) 42.0%
Tennessee	Bill Brock	Republican	1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Jim Sasser (Democratic) 52.5% ▌Bill Brock (Republican) 47.0%
Texas	Lloyd Bentsen	Democratic	1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 56.8% ▌Alan Steelman (Republican) 42.2%
Utah	Frank Moss	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Orrin Hatch (Republican) 53.7% ▌Frank Moss (Democratic) 44.8%
Vermont	Robert Stafford	Republican	1971 (Appointed) 1972 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert Stafford (Republican) 50.0% ▌Thomas P. Salmon (Democratic) 45.3%
Virginia	Harry F. Byrd Jr.	Independent	1965 (Appointed) 1966 (special) 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Independent) 57.2% ▌Elmo Zumwalt (Democratic) 38.3%
Washington	Henry M. Jackson	Democratic	1952 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Henry M. Jackson (Democratic) 71.8% ▌George M. Brown (Republican) 24.2%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert Byrd (Democratic) 99.9% Unopposed
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	1957 (special) 1958 1964 1970	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Proxmire (Democratic) 72.2% ▌Stanley York (Republican) 27.0%
Wyoming	Gale W. McGee	Democratic	1958 1964 1970	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Malcolm Wallop (Republican) 54.7% ▌Gale W. McGee (Democratic) 45.4%

Closest races

9 races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Ohio	Democratic (flip)	2.99%
California	Republican (flip)	3.2%
Vermont	Republican	4.6%
Tennessee	Democratic (flip)	5.45%
Michigan	Democratic	5.6%
Pennsylvania	Republican	5.6%
Nebraska	Democratic (flip)	5.82%
Utah	Republican (flip)	8.9%
New York	Democratic (flip)	9.2%

Nevada was the tipping point state with a margin of 31.6%.

Arizona

Arizona election

Nominee Dennis DeConcini Sam Steiger Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 400,334 321,236 Percentage 54.0% 43.3%

County results DeConcini:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Steiger:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Paul Fannin Republican Elected U.S. senator Dennis DeConcini Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Arizona

See also: List of United States senators from Arizona

Incumbent Republican Paul Fannin retired instead of seeking a third term. Democratic attorney and businessman Dennis DeConcini won the open seat over Sam Steiger, U.S. Congressman of Arizona's 3rd congressional district.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dennis DeConcini	400,334	54.01
	Republican	Sam Steiger	321,236	43.34
	Independent	Bob Field	10,765	1.45
	Libertarian	Allan Norwitz	7,310	0.99
	Independent	Wm. Mathews Feighan	1,565	0.21
Majority			79,098	8.68
Turnout			741,210
	Democratic gain from Republican

California

California election

Nominee S. I. Hayakawa John V. Tunney Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 3,748,973 3,502,862 Percentage 50.1% 46.9%

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

U.S. senator before election John V. Tunney Democratic Elected U.S. senator S. I. Hayakawa Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in California

See also: List of United States senators from California

Incumbent Democrat John Tunney ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Republican Sam Hayakawa, President emeritus of San Francisco State University.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	S. I. Hayakawa	3,748,973	50.12
	Democratic	John V. Tunney (Incumbent)	3,502,862	46.89
	Peace and Freedom	David Wald	104,383	1.40
	American Independent	Jack McCoy	82,739	1.11
	Independent	Omari Musa	31,629	0.42
Majority			246,111	3.23
Turnout			7,470,586
	Republican gain from Democratic

Connecticut

Connecticut election

Nominee Lowell Weicker Gloria Schaffer Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 785,683 561,018 Percentage 57.7% 41.2%

Weicker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Schaffer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Lowell Weicker Republican Elected U.S. senator Lowell Weicker Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Connecticut

See also: List of United States senators from Connecticut

Incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker won re-election to a second term over Gloria Schaffer, Connecticut Secretary of State

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lowell Weicker (Incumbent)	785,683	57.70
	Democratic	Gloria Schaffer	561,018	41.20
	George Wallace	Robert Barnabei	14,407	1.06
		Others	558	0.0
Majority			224,665	16.50
Turnout			1,361,666
	Republican hold

Delaware

Delaware election

Nominee William Roth Thomas Maloney Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 125,454 98,042 Percentage 55.8% 43.6%

County results Roth:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Maloney:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election William Roth Republican Elected U.S. senator William Roth Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Delaware

See also: List of United States senators from Delaware

Incumbent Republican William Roth won reelection to a second term over Thomas Maloney, Mayor of Wilmington

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Roth (Incumbent)	125,454	55.81
	Democratic	Thomas Maloney	98,042	43.61
	American Party (1969)	Donald G. Gies	646	0.29
	Non-Partisan	Joseph F. McInerney	437	0.19
	Prohibition	John A. Massimilla	216	0.0
Majority			27,412	12.20
Turnout			224,795
	Republican hold

Florida

Florida election

Nominee Lawton Chiles John Grady Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,799,518 1,057,886 Percentage 63.0% 37.0%

County results Chiles:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Grady:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Lawton Chiles Democratic Elected U.S. senator Lawton Chiles Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Florida

See also: List of United States senators from Florida

Incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles won re-election to a second term over John Grady, Mayor of Belle Glade

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lawton Chiles (Incumbent)	1,799,518	63.0
	Republican	John Grady	1,057,886	37.0
	Write-In	Ed Ice	123	0.0
	Write-In	Tim Adams	7	0.0
Majority			741,632	26.0
Turnout			2,857,534
	Democratic hold

Hawaii

Hawaii election

Nominee Spark Matsunaga William Quinn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 162,305 122,724 Percentage 53.7% 40.6%

County results Matsunaga:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Hiram Fong Republican Elected U.S. senator Spark Matsunaga Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Hawaii

See also: List of United States senators from Hawaii

Incumbent Republican Hiram Fong retired instead of seeking re-election to a fourth term. Democrat Spark Matsunaga won the open seat over Republican William Quinn, Former Governor of Hawaii.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Spark Matsunaga	162,305	53.7
	Republican	William Quinn	122,724	40.6
	People's	Anthony Hodges	14,226	4.7
	Nonpartisan	James Kimmel	1,433	0.5
	Libertarian	Rockne Hart Johnson	1,404	0.5
Majority			39,581	13.1
Turnout			302,092
	Democratic gain from Republican

Indiana

Indiana election

Nominee Richard Lugar Vance Hartke Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,275,833 868,522 Percentage 59.0% 40.2%

County results Lugar:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hartke:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Vance Hartke Democratic Elected U.S. senator Richard Lugar Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Indiana

See also: List of United States senators from Indiana

Incumbent Democrat Vance Hartke ran for re-election to a fourth term, but was defeated by Republican challenger Richard Lugar, Mayor of Indianapolis.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Lugar	1,275,833	59.03
	Democratic	Vance Hartke (Incumbent)	868,522	40.19
		Don L. Lee	14,321	0.66
	U.S. Labor	David Lee Hoagland	2,511	0.12
Majority			407,311	18.85
Turnout			2,161,187
	Republican gain from Democratic

Maine

Maine election

Nominee Edmund Muskie Robert A. G. Monks Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 292,704 193,489 Percentage 60.2% 39.8%

County results Muskie:      50–60%      60–70% Monks:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Edmund Muskie Democratic Elected U.S. senator Edmund Muskie Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Maine

See also: List of United States senators from Maine

Incumbent Democrat Edmund Muskie won re-election to a fourth term over Republican Robert A. G. Monks, shareholder activist.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edmund Muskie (Incumbent)	292,704	60.20
	Republican	Robert A. G. Monks	193,489	39.80
Majority			99,215	20.41
Turnout			486,193
	Democratic hold

Maryland

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Maryland

See also: List of United States senators from Maryland

Maryland election

Nominee Paul Sarbanes J. Glenn Beall Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 772,101 530,439 Percentage 56.6% 38.9%

County results Sarbanes:      40–50%      50–60%      70–80% Beall:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election J. Glenn Beall Jr. Republican Elected U.S. senator Paul Sarbanes Democratic

Incumbent Republican J. Glenn Beall Jr. ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democratic challenger Paul Sarbanes, member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Sarbanes	772,101	56.55
	Republican	J. Glenn Beall Jr. (Incumbent)	530,439	38.85
	Independent	Bruce Bradley	62,750	4.60
Majority			241,662	17.70
Turnout			1,365,290
	Democratic gain from Republican

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

Nominee Ted Kennedy Michael Robertson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,726,657 722,641 Percentage 69.3% 29.0%

Kennedy   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Robertson   40–50%   50–60%

U.S. senator before election Ted Kennedy Democratic Elected U.S. senator Ted Kennedy Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

See also: List of United States senators from Massachusetts and 1976 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

Incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy won re-election to his fourth (his third full) term over Republican businessman, Michael Robertson.

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Edward M. Kennedy (Incumbent)	1,726,657	69.31	+7.15%
	Republican	Michael S. Robertson	722,641	29.01	−7.99%
	Socialist Workers	Carol Henderson Evans	26,283	1.06	+0.52%
	U.S. Labor	H. Graham Lowry	15,517	0.62
		All others	157	0.01
Total votes			2,491,255	85.55
Majority			1,004,016	40.30	15.14%
	Democratic hold		Swing

Michigan

Michigan election

Nominee Donald Riegle Marvin Esch Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,831,031 1,635,087 Percentage 52.5% 46.9%

County results Riegle:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Esch:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Philip Hart Democratic Elected U.S. senator Donald Riegle Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Michigan

See also: List of United States senators from Michigan

Incumbent Democrat Philip Hart retired instead of seeking a fourth term. Democrat Donald Riegle, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, won the open seat over fellow congressman Republican Marvin Esch.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald Riegle	1,831,031	52.46
	Republican	Marvin L. Esch	1,635,087	46.85
	Libertarian	Bette Jane Erwin	8,842	<1
	Human Rights	Theodore G. Albert	7,281	<1
	Socialist Workers	Paula L. Reimers	3,399	<1
	Socialist Labor	Frank Girard	2,554	<1
	U.S. Labor	Peter A. Signorelli	2,218	<1
Majority			195,944	5.61
Turnout			3,490,412
	Democratic hold

Minnesota

Minnesota election

Nominee Hubert Humphrey Gerald Brekke Party Democratic (DFL) Ind.-Republican Popular vote 1,290,736 478,602 Percentage 67.5% 25.0%   Nominee Paul Helm Party American Popular vote 125,612 Percentage 6.6%

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

U.S. senator before election Hubert Humphrey Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. senator Hubert Humphrey Democratic (DFL)

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Minnesota

See also: List of United States senators from Minnesota

Incumbent Democrat Hubert Humphrey won re-election to a fifth term over Republican Gerald Brekke, college professor

Democratic primary election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert H. Humphrey (Incumbent)	317,632	91.3
	Democratic (DFL)	Dick Bullock	30,262	8.7

Republican primary election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Ind.-Republican	Gerald W. Brekke	76,183	54.5
	Ind.-Republican	Richard "Dick" Franson	32,115	23.0
	Ind.-Republican	John H. Glover	13,014	9.3
	Ind.-Republican	Roland "Butch" Riemers	9,307	6.7
	Ind.-Republican	Bea Mooney	9,150	6.5

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Hubert H. Humphrey (Incumbent)	1,290,736	67.51
	Ind.-Republican	Gerald W. Brekke	478,602	25.03
	American	Paul Helm	125,612	6.57
	Socialist Workers	Bill Peterson	9,380	0.49
	Libertarian	Robin E. Miller	5,476	0.29
	Communist	Matt Savola	2,214	0.12
Majority			812,134	42.48
Turnout			1,912,020
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Mississippi

Mississippi election

Nominee John C. Stennis Party Democratic Popular vote 554,433 Percentage 100.0%

U.S. senator before election John C. Stennis Democratic Elected U.S. senator John C. Stennis Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Mississippi

See also: List of United States senators from Mississippi

Incumbent Democrat John C. Stennis won re-election to his sixth term.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Stennis (Incumbent)	554,433	100.0

Missouri

Missouri election

Nominee John Danforth Warren E. Hearnes Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,090,067 813,571 Percentage 56.9% 42.5%

County results Danforth:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Hearnes:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Stuart Symington Democratic Elected U.S. senator John Danforth Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Missouri

See also: List of United States senators from Missouri

Incumbent Democrat Stuart Symington retired, instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican John Danforth, Attorney General of Missouri, won the open seat, defeating Democrat Warren Hearnes, former Governor of Missouri. (Jerry Litton had won the Democratic nomination earlier, but was killed in a plane crash, and Hearnes was chosen by the party committee.)

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Danforth	1,090,067	56.94
	Democratic	Warren E. Hearnes	813,571	42.50
	Independent	Lawrence "Red" Petty	10,822	0.57
Majority			276,496	14.44
Turnout			1,914,460
	Republican gain from Democratic

Montana

Montana election

Nominee John Melcher Stanley Burger Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 206,232 115,213 Percentage 64.16% 35.84%

County results Melcher:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Burger:      50-60%

U.S. senator before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected U.S. senator John Melcher Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Montana

See also: List of United States senators from Montana

Rather than seek a fifth term, Democratic incumbent Mike Mansfield opted to retire, creating an open seat. United States Congressman John Melcher, who had represented Montana's 2nd congressional district from 1969 to 1977, won the Democratic nomination and defeated Stanley C. Burger, the Republican nominee and former executive officer of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, by a wide margin in the general election.

Democratic Party primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Melcher	89,413	88.52
	Democratic	Ray E. Gulick	11,593	11.48
Total votes			101,006	100.00

Republican Primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stanley C. Burger	32,313	40.41
	Republican	Dave Drum	27,257	34.09
	Republican	Jack Tierney	15,129	18.92
	Republican	Larry L. Gilbert	5,258	6.58
Total votes			79,957	100.00

1976 United States Senate election in Montana

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Melcher	206,232	64.16	+3.62%
	Republican	Stanley C. Burger	115,213	35.84	−3.62%
Majority			91,019	28.32	+7.24%
Turnout			321,445
	Democratic hold		Swing

Nebraska

Nebraska election

Nominee Edward Zorinsky John Y. McCollister Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 313,805 279,284 Percentage 52.89% 47.07%

County results Zorinsky:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% McCollister:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Roman Hruska Republican Elected U.S. senator Edward Zorinsky Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Nebraska

See also: List of United States senators from Nebraska

Incumbent Republican Roman Hruska retired instead of seeking another term. Democrat Edward Zorinsky, Mayor of Omaha, won the open seat over Republican John Y. McCollister, U.S. Congressman of Nebraska's 2nd congressional district.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Edward Zorinsky	313,805	52.89
	Republican	John Y. McCollister	279,284	47.07
	Write-in candidate	Lenore Etchison	58	0.01
	N/A	Others	163	0.03
Majority			34,521	5.82
Turnout			593,310
	Democratic gain from Republican

Nevada

Nevada election

Nominee Howard Cannon David Towell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 127,214 63,471 Percentage 63.0% 31.4%

County results Cannon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Towell:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election Howard Cannon Democratic Elected U.S. senator Howard Cannon Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Nevada

See also: List of United States senators from Nevada

Incumbent Democrat Howard Cannon won re-election to a fourth term over Republican David Towell, U.S. Representative from Nevada's At-large congressional district.

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 won re-election in 1970 with nearly 58% of the vote. In 1976, he faced U.S. Representative David Towell, who served just one term in the U.S. House of Representatives before running for the U.S. Senate. Cannon won re-election with 63% of the vote, one of his best election performances of his career. He won every county in the state, except for Eureka County, which Towell won with just 51% of the vote.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Howard Cannon (Incumbent)	127,214	63.01	+5.36%
	Republican	David Towell	63,471	31.44	−9.73%
	None of These Candidates		5,288	2.62
	Independent American	Byron D. Young	3,619	1.79
	Libertarian	Dan Becan	2,307	1.14
Majority			63,743	31.57	+15.09%
Turnout			201,899
	Democratic hold		Swing

New Jersey

New Jersey election

Nominee Harrison A. Williams David A. Norcross Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,681,140 1,054,508 Percentage 60.66% 38.05%

County Results Williams:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Harrison A. Williams Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Harrison A. Williams Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey

See also: List of United States senators from New Jersey

Harrison A. Williams, the incumbent originally elected in 1958, elected to run for a fourth term. He defeated anti-abortion activist Stephen J. Foley handily in the Democratic primary with 85% of the vote. David A. Norcross won the Republican primary with the endorsement of the New Jersey Republican Party with 68% of the vote.

In the general election, Williams soundly won re-election to a fourth term over Norcross. He won 60% of the vote, winning every county in the state. This would be Williams' last election to the U.S. Senate, as he would resign in 1981 following his involvement in the Abscam scandal.

1976 United States Senate election in New Jersey Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harrison A. Williams (Incumbent)	1,681,140	60.66
	Republican	David A. Norcross	1,054,508	38.05
	Libertarian	Hannibal Cundari	19,907	0.72
	Socialist Labor	Bernardo S. Doganiero	9,185	0.33
	Labor Party	Leif Johnson	6,650	0.24
Majority			626,632	22.61
Turnout			2,771,390
	Democratic hold

New Mexico

New Mexico election

Nominee Harrison Schmitt Joseph Montoya Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 234,681 176,382 Percentage 56.8% 42.7%

County results Schmitt:      50–60%      60–70% Montoya:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Joseph Montoya Democratic Elected U.S. senator Harrison Schmitt Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in New Mexico

See also: List of United States senators from New Mexico

Incumbent Democrat Joseph Montoya ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Republican former Astronaut Harrison Schmitt.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Harrison Schmitt	234,681	56.82	+9.69%
	Democratic	Joseph Montoya (Incumbent)	176,382	42.70	−10.17%
	Raza Unida	Ernesto B. Borunda	1,087	0.26
	American Independent	Matt Dillion	906	0.22
Majority			58,299	14.11	+8.36%
Turnout			413,056
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

New York

New York election

Nominee Daniel Patrick Moynihan James Buckley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,422,594 2,836,633 Percentage 54.1% 44.9%

County results Moynihan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Buckley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election James Buckley Republican Elected U.S. senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in New York

See also: List of United States senators from New York

Incumbent Conservative James Buckley ran for re-election to a second term as a Republican, but was defeated by Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Democratic Party Convention results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul O'Dwyer		32.50
	Democratic	Daniel Patrick Moynihan		31.10
	Democratic	Bella Abzug		28.70
	Democratic	Ramsey Clark		7.00
	Democratic	Abraham Hirschfeld		0.70
Total votes				100.00

Democratic Party Primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	333,697	36.41
	Democratic	Bella Abzug	323,705	35.32
	Democratic	Ramsey Clark	94,191	10.28
	Democratic	Paul O'Dwyer	82,689	9.02
	Democratic	Abraham Hirschfeld	82,331	8.98
Total votes			916,613	100.00

Republican Party Primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James Buckley (Incumbent)	242,257	70.45
	Republican	Peter Peyser	101,629	29.55
Total votes			343,886	100.00

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	3,238,511
	Liberal	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	184,083
	total	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	3,422,594	54.17	+ 17.21
	Republican	James Buckley (Incumbent)	2,525,139
	Conservative	James Buckley	311,494
	total	James Buckley	2,836,633	44.90	+ 5.95
	Communist	Herbert Aptheker	25,141	0.40	+ 0.37
	Socialist Workers	Marcia Gallo	16,350	0.26	+ 0.20
	Libertarian	Martin E. Nixon	10,943	0.17	+ 0.17
	U.S. Labor	Elijah C. Boyd	6,716	0.11	+ 0.11
Majority			675,961	9.27
Turnout			6,408,377
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

North Dakota

North Dakota election

Nominee Quentin Burdick Robert Stroup Party Democratic–NPL Republican Popular vote 175,772 103,466 Percentage 62.10% 36.55%

County results Burdick:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Stroup:      50–60%

U.S. Senator before election Quentin Burdick Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in North Dakota

See also: List of United States senators from North Dakota

Incumbent North Dakota Democratic NPL Party Democrat Quentin Burdick, sought and received re-election to his fourth term to the United States Senate, defeating Republican candidate Robert Stroup. Only Burdick filed as a Dem-NPLer, and the endorsed Republican candidate was Robert Stroup, as state senator from Hazen, North Dakota. Burdick and Stroup won the primary elections for their respective parties. One independent candidate, Clarence Haggard, also filed before the deadline under the American Party.

North Dakota U.S. Senate election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Quentin Burdick (Incumbent)	175,772	62.10
	Republican	Robert Stroup	103,466	36.55
	Independent	Clarence Haggard	3,824	1.35
Turnout			283,062
	Democratic hold

Ohio

Ohio election

Nominee Howard Metzenbaum Robert Taft Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,941,113 1,823,774 Percentage 49.51% 46.52%

County results Metzenbaum:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Taft:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Robert Taft Jr. Republican Elected U.S. senator Howard Metzenbaum Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Ohio

See also: List of United States senators from Ohio

Incumbent Republican Robert Taft Jr. ran for re-election to second term, but was defeated by Democratic former senator Howard Metzenbaum.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Metzenbaum	1,941,113	49.51
	Republican	Robert Taft Jr. (Incumbent)	1,823,774	46.52
	Independent	John O'Neill	53,657	1.37
	American Independent	Donald E. Babcock	36,979	0.94
	Independent	Emma Lila Fundaburk	33,285	0.85
	Socialist Workers	Melissa Singler	31,805	0.81
Majority			117,339	2.99
Turnout			3,920,613
	Democratic gain from Republican

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

Nominee John Heinz Bill Green Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,381,891 2,126,977 Percentage 52.4% 46.8%

County results Heinz:      50–60%      60–70% Green:      40–50%      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Hugh Scott Republican Elected U.S. senator John Heinz Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

See also: List of United States senators from Pennsylvania

Incumbent Republican and Minority Leader Hugh Scott retired. Republican John Heinz won the open seat over Democrat Bill Green, United States Representative

In December 1975, U.S. senator Hugh Scott announced that he would not seek re-election in 1976 at the age of 75 after serving in Congress for 33 years. Scott listed personal reasons and several "well-qualified potential candidates" for the seat among the reasons of his decision to retire. Other reasons, including his support for Richard Nixon and accusations that he had illegally obtained contributions from Gulf Oil were alleged to have contributed to the decision.

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William J. Green III	762,733	68.71
	Democratic	Jeanette Reibman	345,264	31.10
	Democratic	Others	2,058	0.19

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Heinz	358,715	37.73
	Republican	Arlen Specter	332,513	34.98
	Republican	George Packard	160,379	16.87
	Republican	Others	99,074	10.43

Heinz was the victor in all but nine counties, defeating opponent William Green, who had a 300,000 vote advantage in his native Philadelphia area. Heinz and Green spend $2.5 million and $900,000, respectively, during the ten-month campaign. Much of the money Heinz spent on his campaign was his own, leading to accusations from Green that he was "buying the seat". Heinz replied to this by claiming that the spending was necessary to overcome the Democratic voter registration advantage.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Heinz	2,381,891	52.39	+0.96%
	Democratic	William J. Green III	2,126,977	46.79	+1.41%
	Constitution	Andrew J. Watson	26,028	0.57	−1.79%
	Socialist Workers	Frederick W. Stanton	5,484	0.12	+0.01%
	Labor Party	Bernard Salera	3,637	0.08	+0.08%
	Communist Party	Frank Kinces	2,097	0.05	+0.05%
	N/A	Other	239	0.00	N/A
Turnout			4,546,353		{{{change}}}
Majority			254,914	6.60	{{{change}}}
	Republican hold		Swing

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

Nominee John Chafee Richard Lorber Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 230,329 167,665 Percentage 57.7% 42.0%

Chafee:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Lorber:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election John O. Pastore Democratic Elected U.S. senator John Chafee Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

See also: List of United States senators from Rhode Island

Incumbent Democrat John O. Pastore did not seek re-election. Republican John Chafee won the seat, defeating Democrat Richard P. Lorber.

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard P. Lorber	60,118	37.78
	Democratic	Philip W. Noel	60,018	37.71
	Democratic	John P. Hawkins	25,456	16.00
	Democratic	Paul E. Goulding	5,500	3.46
	Democratic	Ralph J. Perrotta	4,481	2.82
	Democratic	John E. Caddick	2,160	1.36
	Democratic	Earl F. Pasbach	962	0.60
	Democratic	Arthur E. Marley	447	0.28
Majority			100	0.06
Total votes			159,142	100.00

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Chafee	230,329	57.74
	Democratic	Richard P. Lorber	167,665	42.03
	Communist	Margaret Cann	912	0.23
Majority			62,664	15.71
Total votes			398,906	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

Tennessee

Tennessee election

Nominee James Sasser Bill Brock Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 751,180 673,231 Percentage 52.46% 47.01%

County results Sasser:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Brock:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Bill Brock Republican Elected U.S. senator James Sasser Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Tennessee

See also: List of United States senators from Tennessee

Incumbent Republican Bill Brock ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democratic challenger James Sasser.

General election Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	James Sasser	751,180	52.46
	Republican	Bill Brock (Incumbent)	673,231	47.01	−5.44%
	Independent	Mark Clark Bates	5,137	0.36
	Independent	Willie C. Jacox	1,406	0.10
	Independent	Arnold Joseph Zandie	1,061	0.07
	None	Write-Ins	31	0.00
Majority			77,949	5.45
Turnout			1,432,046
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Texas

Texas election

Nominee Lloyd Bentsen Alan Steelman Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,199,956 1,636,370 Percentage 56.8% 42.2%

County results Bentsen:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Steelman:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Lloyd Bentsen Democratic Elected U.S. senator Lloyd Bentsen Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Texas

See also: List of United States senators from Texas

Incumbent Democrat Lloyd Bentsen won re-election to a second term over Republican Alan Steelman, U.S. Representative from Texas's 5th district.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lloyd Bentsen (Incumbent)	2,199,956	56.8
	Republican	Alan Steelman	1,636,370	42.2
	Socialist Workers Party	Pedro Vasquez	20,549	0.5
	American Independent	Marjorie P. Gallion	17,355	0.5
Majority			563,586	14.6
Turnout			3,874,230
	Democratic hold

Utah

Utah election

Nominee Orrin Hatch Frank Moss Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 290,221 241,948 Percentage 53.7% 44.8%

County results Hatch:      40–50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Moss:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Frank Moss Democratic Elected U.S. senator Orrin Hatch Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Utah

See also: List of United States senators from Utah

Incumbent Democrat Frank Moss ran for re-election to a fourth term but was defeated by his Republican opponent Orrin Hatch.

1976 United States Senate election in Utah

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Orrin Hatch	290,221	53.73%
	Democratic	Frank Moss (incumbent)	241,948	44.80%
	Independent American	George M. Batchelor	4,913	0.91%
	Libertarian	Steve Trotter	3,026	0.56%
Majority			48,273	8.93%
Turnout			540,108
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

Vermont

Vermont election

Nominee Robert Stafford Thomas P. Salmon Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 94,481 85,682 Percentage 50.0% 45.3%

Stafford:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Salmon:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Robert Stafford Republican Elected U.S. senator Robert Stafford Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Vermont

See also: List of United States senators from Vermont

Incumbent Republican Robert Stafford successfully ran for re-election to another term in the United States Senate, defeating Democratic candidate Governor Thomas P. Salmon.

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Stafford (Incumbent)	24,338	68.7
	Republican	John J. Welch	10,911	30.8
	Republican	Other	178	0.5
Total votes			35,427	100

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas P. Salmon	21,674	52.7
	Democratic	Scott Skinner	19,238	46.8
	Democratic	Other	178	0.4
Total votes			41,090	100

1976 United States Senate election in Vermont

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Stafford (Incumbent)	94,481	50.0
	Democratic	Thomas P. Salmon	82,174	43.5
	Independent Vermonters	Thomas P. Salmon	3,508	1.9
	Total	Thomas P. Salmon	85,682	45.4
	Liberty Union	Nancy Kaufman	8,801	4.7
	N/A	Other	96	0.1
Total votes			189,060	100
Majority			12,307	6.5
	Republican hold

Virginia

Virginia election

Turnout	47.0%
Nominee Harry F. Byrd Jr. Elmo Zumwalt Party Independent Democratic Popular vote 890,778 596,009 Percentage 57.2% 38.3%
County and independent city results Byrd:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Zumwalt:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Perper:      40–50%
U.S. senator before election Harry F. Byrd Jr. Independent Elected U.S. senator Harry F. Byrd Jr. Independent

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from Virginia

Incumbent Independent Harry F. Byrd Jr. was re-elected to a second term over retired Admiral Elmo Zumwalt and state legislator Martin H. Perper.

1976 United States Senate election in Virginia

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Incumbent)	890,778	57.19	+3.65%
	Democratic	Elmo Zumwalt	596,009	38.27	+7.12%
	Independent	Martin H. Perper	70,559	4.53
	Write-ins		154	0.01
Majority			294,769	18.93	−3.45%
Turnout			1,557,500
	Independent hold

Washington

Washington Election

Nominee Henry M. Jackson George M. Brown Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,071,219 361,546 Percentage 71.84% 24.25%

County results Jackson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Henry M. Jackson Democratic Elected U.S. senator Henry M. Jackson Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Washington

See also: List of United States senators from Washington

1976 United States Senate election in Washington Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Henry M. Jackson (Incumbent)	1,071,219	71.84
	Republican	George M. Brown	361,546	24.25
	American Independent	Dave Smith	28,182	1.89
	Libertarian	Richard K. Kenney	19,973	1.30
	Socialist Workers	Karl Bermann	7,402	0.50
	U.S. Labor	William F. Wertz Jr.	3,389	0.23
Majority			709,673	47.59
Turnout			1,491,111
	Democratic hold

West Virginia

West Virginia Election

Nominee Robert Byrd Party Democratic Popular vote 566,359 Percentage 100.0%

County results Byrd:      100%

U.S. senator before election Robert Byrd Democratic Elected U.S. senator Robert Byrd Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in West Virginia

See also: List of United States senators from West Virginia

For most of the state's history, West Virginia has been a solidly Democratic state. Often, winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to winning the general election in the state. Despite West Virginia occasionally electing a Republican governor (Arch A. Moore Jr. and Cecil H. Underwood both served as governor) and voting for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, West Virginia has only elected Democratic Senators since 1958. Byrd had faced Republican opposition every term since he defeated Chapman Revercomb in 1958, but the Republicans chose not to mount a nominee in 1976. Freshman Congressman Cleve Benedict would serve as the Republican nominee in 1982.

1976 United States Senate election in West Virginia Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Byrd (Incumbent)	566,359	100.00
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

Wisconsin election

Nominee William Proxmire Stanley York Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,396,970 521,902 Percentage 72.20% 26.97%

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

U.S. senator before election William Proxmire Democratic Elected U.S. Senator William Proxmire Democratic

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Wisconsin

See also: List of United States senators from Wisconsin

Originally elected in 1957 to fill the seat of Joseph McCarthy, William Proxmire had won re-election three times prior to 1976. He only faced significant Republican opposition twice during his re-election years, winning 70% of the vote and every county in 1970. Clergyman Stanley York was the Republican nominee. Proxmire ultimately defeated York and increased his margin of victory by 4%. Proxmire would serve two more terms, ultimately retiring in 1989.

1976 United States Senate election in Wisconsin Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Proxmire (Incumbent)	1,396,970	72.19
	Republican	Stanley York	521,902	26.97
	Democratic Socialist	William Osborne Hart	7,354	0.38
	Socialist Workers	Robert Schwarz	4,876	0.25
	Labor Party	Michael A. MacLaurin	2,148	0.11
	Socialist Labor	Robert E. Nordlander	1,731	0.09
	None	Write-Ins	202	0.01
Majority			875,068	45.22
Turnout			1,935,183
	Democratic hold

Wyoming

1976 United States Senate election in Wyoming

November 2, 1976

Nominee Malcolm Wallop Gale W. McGee Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 84,810 70,558 Percentage 54.59% 45.41%

County results Wallop:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% McGee:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Gale W. McGee Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop Republican

Main article: 1976 United States Senate election in Wyoming

See also: List of United States senators from Wyoming

Gale W. McGee, the incumbent senator and former professor at the University of Wyoming, was originally elected in 1958 over Frank A. Barrett. He subsequently won two more elections to the senate over John S. Wold. McGee, who managed to become re-elected several times in a heavily Republican-leaning state, faced headwinds from Gerald Ford's popularity in the state. State senator Malcolm Wallop was the Republican nominee.

In the general election, Wallop comfortably defeated McGee, who won just four counties in the state. To date, McGee is the last Democratic senator from the state of Wyoming.

1976 United States Senate election in Wyoming Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Malcolm Wallop	84,810	54.59
	Democratic	Gale McGee (Incumbent)	70,558	45.41
Majority			14,252	9.12
Turnout			155,368
	Republican gain from Democratic

See also

• 1976 United States elections
  • 1976 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1976 United States presidential election
  • 1976 United States House of Representatives elections
• 94th United States Congress
• 95th United States Congress

Sources

• Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
• Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V. (1977). America Votes 12: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1976. Washington, D.C.: Elections Research Center.