1974 United States Senate elections

1974 United States Senate elections

← 1972 November 5, 1974 1976 →
34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield Hugh Scott Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1961 September 24, 1969 Leader's seat Montana Pennsylvania Seats before 57 41 Seats after 61[a] 37 Seat change 4[a] 4 Popular vote 22,544,761[1] 16,145,793[1][b] Percentage 55.2% 39.6% Swing 9.8% 12.9% Seats up 20 14 Races won 24[a] 10   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Conservative Seats before 1 1 Seats after 1[c] 1 Seat change Popular vote 199,108[1] 822,584[1] Percentage 0.5% 2.0% Seats up 0 0 Races won 0 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield Democratic

The 1974 United States Senate elections were held in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Richard M. Nixon's resignation from the presidency, and Gerald Ford's subsequent pardon of Nixon. Economic issues, specifically inflation and stagnation, were also a factor that contributed to Republican losses.^[2] As an immediate result of the November 1974 elections, Democrats made a net gain of three seats from the Republicans, as they defeated Republican incumbents in Colorado and Kentucky and picked up open seats in Florida and Vermont, while Republicans won the open seat in Nevada. Following the elections, at the beginning of the 94th U.S. Congress, the Democratic caucus controlled 61 seats (including one independent) and the Republican caucus controlled 38 seats (including one Conservative).

Democrats gained an additional seat, bringing the net pickup to four seats, in 1975 when Democrat John A. Durkin won a special election in New Hampshire that was held after the 1974 election resulted in two recounts and an extended dispute in the Senate.

As of 2021, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat has been elected Senator from Idaho. These are also the earliest senate elections in which at least one elected Senator is still serving (Patrick Leahy of Vermont).

Results summary[]

↓

61	1	1	37
Democratic	I	C	Republican

Parties							Total
		Democratic	Republican	Conservative	Independent	Other
Last election (1972)		56	42	1	1	0	100
Before these elections		57	41	1	1	0	100
Not up		41	23	1	1	—	66
Up Class 3 (1968→1974)		20	14	0	0	—	34
Incumbent retired		3	4	—	—	—	7
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats[a] 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	4
	Result	5	2	0	0	0	7
Incumbent ran		17	10	—	—	—	27
	Won re-election	15	8	—	—	—	23
	Lost re-election	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats		—	—	—	2
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	2	0	—	—	—	2
	Result	19	8	0	0	0	27
Total elected		24	10	0	0	0	34
Net gain/loss		4	4				4
Nationwide vote		22,544,761	16,145,793[b]	822,584	199,108	1,098,146	40,810,392
	Share	55.24%	39.56%	2.02%	0.49%	2.69%	100%
Result		61	37	1	1	0	100

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

Gains and losses[]

Democrats gained open seats in Vermont and Florida and unseated Republican incumbents Peter H. Dominick (Colorado) and Marlow Cook (Kentucky). Republicans took an open seat in Nevada, where Republican Paul Laxalt defeated Harry Reid by 624 votes. Several other Republican incumbents won very close races; Milton Young (North Dakota) won reelection against Democrat William L. Guy by only 186 votes and Henry Bellmon (Oklahoma) won reelection against Democrat Ed Edmondson by half a percent of the vote. Bob Dole (Kansas) survived the closest election of his career against Democratic Rep. William Roy, a race undoubtedly made close due to Dole's close association with Nixon as chairman of the Republican National Committee. It was the closest the Democrats have come to winning a Senate election in Kansas since George McGill won re-election in 1932 (McGill was defeated by Clyde M. Reed in 1938).

Change in composition[]

Before the elections[]

After the January 4, 1974 appointment in Ohio.

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 Ark. Ran	D39 Alaska Ran	D38 Ala. Ran	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Calif. Ran	D42 Conn. Ran	D43 Ga. Ran	D44 Hawaii Ran	D45 Idaho Ran	D46 Ill. Ran	D47 Ind. Ran	D48 Iowa Retired	D49 La. Ran	D50 Mo. Ran
Majority →									D51 Nev. Retired
R41 Vt. Retired	C1	I1	D57 Wisc. Ran	D56 Wash. Ran	D55 S.D. Ran	D54 S.C. Ran	D53 Ohio Ran	D52 N.C. Retired
R40 Utah Retired	R39 Pa. Ran	R38 Ore. Ran	R37 Okla. Ran	R36 N.D. Ran	R35 N.Y. Ran	R34 N.H. Retired	R33 Md. Ran	R32 Ky. Ran	R31 Kan. Ran
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Ariz. Ran	R29 Colo. Ran	R30 Fla. Ran
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

After the general 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 Ark. Hold	D39 Alaska Re-elected	D38 Ala. Re-elected	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Calif. Re-elected	D42 Conn. Re-elected	D43 Ga. Re-elected	D44 Hawaii Re-elected	D45 Idaho Re-elected	D46 Ill. Re-elected	D47 Ind. Re-elected	D48 Iowa Hold	D49 La. Re-elected	D50 Mo. Re-elected
Majority →									D51 N.C. Hold
D60 Vt. Gain	D59 Ky. Gain	D58 Fla. Gain	D57 Colo. Gain	D56 Wash. Re-elected	D55 S.D. Re-elected	D54 S.C. Re-elected	D53 Ohio Hold	D52 N.D. Re-elected
I1	Vacant N.H. Annulled	C1	R37 Nev. Gain	R36 Wisc. Re-elected	R35 Utah Hold	R34 Pa. Re-elected	R33 Ore. Re-elected	R32 Okla. Re-elected	R31 N.Y. Re-elected
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Ariz. Re-elected	R29 Kan. Re-elected	R30 Md. Re-elected
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 summary[]

Elections leading to the next Congress[]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1975; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	James Allen	Democratic	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y James Allen (Democratic) 95.8%   Alvin Abercrombie (Prohibition) 4.2%
Alaska	Mike Gravel	Democratic	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Mike Gravel (Democratic) 58.3%   C. R. Lewis (Republican) 41.7%
Arizona	Barry Goldwater	Republican	1952 1958 1964 (Retired) 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Barry Goldwater (Republican) 58.3%   Jonathan Marshall (Democratic) 41.7%
Arkansas	J. William Fulbright	Democratic	1944 1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Dale Bumpers (Democratic) 84.9%   John H. Jones (Republican) 15.1%
California	Alan Cranston	Democratic	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Alan Cranston (Democratic) 60.5%   H. L. Richardson (Republican) 36.2%   Jack McCoy (American Independent) 1.7%   Gayle M. Justice (Peace and Freedom) 1.6%
Colorado	Peter H. Dominick	Republican	1968	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Gary Hart (Democratic) 57.2%   Peter H. Dominick (Republican) 39.5%   John McCandish King (Independent) 2.0%   Joseph Fred Hyskell (Prohibition) 1.0%   Henry John Olshaw (American) 0.3%
Connecticut	Abraham Ribicoff	Democratic	1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Abraham Ribicoff (Democratic) 63.7%   (Republican) 34.3%
Florida	Edward Gurney	Republican	1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Richard Stone (Democratic) 43.4%   Jack Eckerd (Republican) 40.9%   John Grady (American) 15.7%
Georgia	Herman Talmadge	Democratic	1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Herman Talmadge (Democratic) 71.7%   Jerry Johnson (Republican) 28.2%
Hawaii	Daniel Inouye	Democratic	1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Daniel Inouye (Democratic) 82.9%   James D. Kimmel (Independent) 17.1%
Idaho	Frank Church	Democratic	1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Frank Church (Democratic) 56.1%   Robert L. Smith (Republican) 42.1%   Jean Stoddard (American) 1.8%
Illinois	Adlai Stevenson III	Democratic	1970 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Adlai Stevenson III (Democratic) 62.2%   George Burditt (Republican) 37.2%
Indiana	Birch Bayh	Democratic	1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Birch Bayh (Democratic) 50.7%   Richard Lugar (Republican) 46.4%   Don L. Lee (American) 2.8%
Iowa	Harold Hughes	Democratic	1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y John Culver (Democratic) 50.0%   David M. Stanley (Republican) 49.3%
Kansas	Bob Dole	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bob Dole (Republican) 50.9%   William R. Roy (Democratic) 49.1%
Kentucky	Marlow Cook	Republican	1956 1962 1968	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Wendell Ford (Democratic) 53.5%   Marlow Cook (Republican) 44.1%   William E. Parker (American) 2.4%
Louisiana	Russell B. Long	Democratic	1948 (Special) 1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Russell B. Long (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Charles Mathias	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Charles Mathias (Republican) 57.3%   Barbara Mikulski (Democratic) 42.7%
Missouri	Thomas Eagleton	Democratic	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Thomas Eagleton (Democratic) 60.1%   Thomas B. Curtis (Republican) 39.3%   Cliff Talmage (Independent) 0.6%
Nevada	Alan Bible	Democratic	1954 (Special) 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Paul Laxalt (Republican) 47.0%   Harry Reid (Democratic) 46.6%
New Hampshire	Norris Cotton	Republican	1954 (Special) 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 31, 1974 and successor was appointed the same day. Election was later contested and voided.	Y Louis C. Wyman (Republican) 49.7%   John A. Durkin (Democratic) 49.7%
New York	Jacob Javits	Republican	1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jacob Javits (Republican) 45.3%   Ramsey Clark (Democratic) 38.2%   Barbara A. Keating (Conservative) 15.9%   Rebecca Finch (Socialist Workers) 0.1%   William F. Dowling Jr. (Courage) 0.1%   Robert E. Massi (Socialist Labor) 0.08%   Mildred Edelman (Communist) 0.08%   Elijah Boyd Jr. (Labor) 0.07%
North Carolina	Sam Ervin	Democratic	1954 (Special) 1954 (Appointed) 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Robert Burren Morgan (Democratic) 62.1%   William E. Stevens (Republican) 37.0%
North Dakota	Milton Young	Republican	1945 (Appointed) 1946 (Special) 1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Milton Young (Republican) 48.4%   William L. Guy (Democratic-NPL) 48.3%
Ohio	Howard Metzenbaum	Democratic	1974 (Appointed)	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Incumbent resigned December 23, 1974. Successor was appointed December 24, 1974.	Y John Glenn (Democratic) 64.6%   Ralph Perk (Republican) 30.7%
Oklahoma	Henry Bellmon	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Henry Bellmon (Republican) 49.4%   Ed Edmondson (Democratic) 48.9%
Oregon	Bob Packwood	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Bob Packwood (Republican) 54.9%   Betty Roberts (Democratic) 44.2%
Pennsylvania	Richard Schweiker	Republican	1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Richard Schweiker (Republican) 53.0%   Peter F. Flaherty (Democratic) 45.9%   George W. Shankey (Constitution) 1.1%
South Carolina	Fritz Hollings	Democratic	1966 (Special) 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Fritz Hollings (Democratic) 69.5%   Gwenyfred Bush (Republican) 28.6%
South Dakota	George McGovern	Democratic	1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George McGovern (Democratic) 53.0%   Leo K. Thorsness (Republican) 47.0%
Utah	Wallace F. Bennett	Republican	1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Jake Garn (Republican) 50.0%   Wayne Owens (Democratic) 44.1%
Vermont	George Aiken	Republican	1940 (Special) 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Patrick Leahy (Democratic) 49.5%   Richard W. Mallary (Republican) 46.4%
Washington	Warren Magnuson	Democratic	1944 1944 (Appointed) 1950 1956 1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Warren Magnuson (Democratic) 60.7%   Jack Metcalf (Republican) 36.1%   Gene Goosman (American Independent) 2%   Clare Fraenzl (Socialist Workers) 0.8%   Pat Ruckert (U.S. Labor) 0.4%
Wisconsin	Gaylord Nelson	Democratic	1962 1968	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Gaylord Nelson (Democratic) 61.8%   Tom Petri (Republican) 35.8%

Alabama[]

Alabama election

← 1968 1978 (special) →

Nominee James B. Allen Alvin Abercrombie Party Democratic Prohibition Popular vote 572,584 21,749 Percentage 82.81% 4.16%

U.S. senator before election James B. Allen Democratic Elected U.S. Senator James B. Allen Democratic

Democrat United States senator James Allen won re-election to a second term, faced no Republican opponent in the general election, defeating Prohibition Party nominee Alvin Abercrombie.

1974 United States Senate election in Alabama Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Allen (Incumbent)	501,541	95.84
	Prohibition	Alvin Abercrombie	21,749	4.16
Majority			479,792	91.68
Turnout			523,290
	Democratic hold

Alaska[]

Alaska election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Mike Gravel Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 54,361 38,914 Percentage 58.28% 41.72%

U.S. senator before election Mike Gravel Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Mike Gravel Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Mike Gravel won re-election to a second term over Republican State Senator Clyde "C.R." Lewis.

1974 U.S. Senate election in Alaska^[1][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Gravel (Incumbent)	54,361	58.28
	Republican	C. R. Lewis	38,914	41.72
Majority			15,447	16.56
Turnout			93,275
	Democratic hold

Arizona[]

Arizona election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Barry Goldwater Jonathan Marshall Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 320,396 229,523 Percentage 58.26% 41.74%

U.S. Senate election results map. Red denotes counties won by Goldwater. Blue denotes those won by Marshall.

U.S. senator before election Barry Goldwater Republican Elected U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater Republican

Incumbent Republican Barry Goldwater decided to run for reelection to a second consecutive term, after returning to the U.S. Senate in 1968 following his failed Presidential run in 1964 against Lyndon B. Johnson. Goldwater defeated Democratic Party nominee philanthropist Jonathan Marshall in the general election.

Democratic primary election^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jonathan Marshall, philanthropist	79,225	53.55
	Democratic	George Oglesby, attorney	36,262	24.51
	Democratic	William Mathews Feighan	32,449	21.93
Total votes			147,936	100.00

1974 United States Senate election in Arizona^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Barry Goldwater (Incumbent)	320,396	58.26
	Democratic	Jonathan Marshall	229,523	41.74
Majority			90,873	16.52
Turnout			549,919
	Republican gain from Democratic

Arkansas[]

Arkansas election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Dale Bumpers John H. Jones Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 461,056 82,026 Percentage 84.90% 15.10%

County Results Bumpers:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election J. William Fulbright Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers Democratic

Incumbent Democrat J. William Fulbright lost renomination to Governor of Arkansas Dale Bumpers. Bumpers then won the general election easily.

1974 U.S. Senate Democratic primary election in Arkansas, May 28, 1974^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dale Bumpers	380,748	65.04
	Democratic	J. William Fulbright (Incumbent)	204,630	34.96
Turnout				30.44
Total votes			543,082

1974 U.S. Senate general election in Arkansas^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Dale Bumpers	461,056	84.90	25.75
	Republican	John H. Jones	82,026	15.10	25.75
Majority			379,030	69.80
Total votes			93,275	100.00
Turnout			543,082	28.24
	Democratic hold		Swing

California[]

California election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Alan Cranston H. L. Richardson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,693,160 2,210,267 Percentage 60.52% 36.22%

U.S. senator before election Alan Cranston Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Alan Cranston Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Alan Cranston won re-election to a second term over Republican H. L. Richardson, California State Senate.

1974 United States Senate election in California Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Cranston (Incumbent)	3,639,334	60.54
	Republican	H. L. Richardson	2,176,315	36.20
	American Independent	Jack McCoy	100,111	1.67
	Peace and Freedom	Gayle M. Justice	95,394	1.59
Majority			1,463,019	24.34
Turnout			6,011,154
	Democratic hold

Colorado[]

Colorado election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Gary Hart Peter Dominick Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 471,691 325,508 Percentage 57.23% 39.50%

U.S. senator before election Peter Dominick Republican Elected U.S. Senator Gary Hart Democratic

Incumbent Republican Peter H. Dominick ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Democrat challenger Gary Hart, the campaign manager for George McGovern in 1972.

1974 United States Senate election in Colorado Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gary Hart	471,688	57.23
	Republican	Peter H. Dominick (Incumbent)	325,526	39.50
	Independent	John M. King	16,131	1.96
	Prohibition	Joseph Fred Hyskell	8,404	1.02
	American	Henry John Olshaw	2,394	0.29
	None	Write-Ins	28	0.00
Majority			146,162	7.73
Turnout			824,171
	Democratic gain from Republican

Connecticut[]

Connecticut election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Abraham Ribicoff James Brannen III Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 690,820 372,055 Percentage 63.68% 34.29%

U.S. senator before election Abraham Ribicoff Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Abraham Ribicoff Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Abraham Ribicoff won re-election to a third term over Republican challenger James Brannen III.

1974 United States Senate election in Connecticut Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Abraham A. Ribicoff (Incumbent)	690,820	63.67
	Republican	James H. Brannen III	372,055	34.29
	George Wallace Party	Arthur F. Capozzi Jr.	19,184	1.77
	American	Norman L. Rochon	2,682	0.25
	None	Write-Ins	177	0.02
Majority			318,765	29.38
Turnout			1,084,918
	Democratic hold

Florida[]

Florida election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Richard Stone Jack Eckerd Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 781,031 736,674 Percentage 43.38% 40.91%   Nominee John Grady Party American Independent Popular vote 282,659 Percentage 15.70%

U.S. senator before election Edward Gurney Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Stone Democratic

Incumbent Republican Edward Gurney declined to seek a second term after being indicted for taking bribes in return for his influence with the Federal Housing Administration.

The primary for the Republican nomination pitted Eckerd drug store owner Jack Eckerd against Florida Public Service Commissioner Paula Hawkins. Eckerd won handily, receiving approximately 67.5% of the vote.

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jack Eckerd	186,897	67.49
	Republican	Paula Hawkins	90,049	32.52
Total votes			276,946	100.00

The Democratic primary, however, was a crowded field with eleven candidates vying for the nomination. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes, U.S. Representative Bill Gunter and Secretary of State of Florida Richard Stone advanced to a run-off election. Stone won by a small margin of 1.68%.

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Stone	236,185	29.80
	Democratic	Bill Gunter	157,301	19.85
	Democratic	Richard A. Pettigrew	146,728	18.51
	Democratic	Mallory Horne	90,684	11.44
	Democratic	Glenn W. Turner	51,326	6.48
	Democratic	George Balmer	24,408	3.08
	Democratic	Burton Young	23,199	2.93
	Democratic	Bob Brewster	19,913	2.51
	Democratic	David B. Higginbottom	17,401	1.64
	Democratic	Duaine E. Macon	14,961	1.89
Total votes			782,106	100.00

Democratic primary runoff results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Stone	321,683	50.84
	Democratic	Bill Gunter	311,044	49.16
Total votes			632,727	100.00

Thus, Eckerd and Stone faced off in the general election. John Grady, a family physician and member of George Wallace's American Independent Party, performed exceptionally well for a third party candidate. Grady may have split the conservative vote, allowing for Stone to win. On election day, Stone received 43.38% of the vote, Eckerd garnered 40.91% of the vote, and Grady acquired 15.7% of the vote.

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Stone	781,031	43.38%
	Republican	Jack Eckerd	736,674	40.91
	American Independent	John Grady	282,659	15.70
	Independent	Jim Fair	117	0.01
	Independent	Henry J. Matthew	35	<0.01
	Independent	Hortense L. Arvan	13	<0.01
	Independent	Timothy L. "Tim" Adams	10	<0.01
Majority			44,357	3.32
Turnout			1,800,539
	Democratic gain from Republican

Georgia[]

Georgia election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Herman Talmadge Jerry R. Johnson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 627,376 246,865 Percentage 71.76% 28.24%

U.S. senator before election Herman Talmadge Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Herman Talmadge Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Herman Talmadge won re-election to a fourth term over Republican challenger Jerry Johnson.

1974 United States Senate election in Georgia Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herman Talmadge (Incumbent)	627,376	71.74
	Republican	Jerry Johnson	246,866	28.23
	None	Write-Ins	313	0.04
Majority			380,510	43.51
Turnout			874,555
	Democratic hold

Hawaii[]

Hawaii election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Daniel Inouye James Kimmel Party Democratic People's Popular vote 207,454 42,767 Percentage 82.91% 17.09%

County results Inouye:      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Daniel Inouye Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Daniel Inouye won re-election to a third term over Republican challenger James D. Kimmel.

1974 United States Senate election in Hawaii Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Inouye (Incumbent)	207,454	82.91
	Independent	James D. Kimmel	42,767	17.09
Majority			164,687	65.82
Turnout			250,221
	Democratic hold

Idaho[]

Idaho election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Frank Church Robert L. Smith Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 145,140 109,072 Percentage 56.07% 42.14%

County results Church:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Smith:      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Frank Church Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Frank Church Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Frank Church won re-election to a fourth term in office, defeating Republican Bob Smith.

1974 United States Senate election in Idaho Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Church (Incumbent)	145,140	56.07
	Republican	Robert L. Smith	109,072	42.14
	American	Jean Stoddard	4,635	1.79
Majority
Turnout			258,847
	Democratic hold

Illinois[]

Illinois election

← 1970 (special) 1980 →
Turnout	49.35%
Nominee Adlai Stevenson III George Burditt Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,811,496 1,084,884 Percentage 62.15% 37.22%
County Results Stevenson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Burditt:      50–60%      60–70%
U.S. senator before election Adlai Stevenson III Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson III, who was first elected in a special election in 1970, was re-elected to a full term in office, defeating Republican George Burditt by a large margin of nearly 800,000 votes.

1974 United States Senate election in Illinois Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adlai Stevenson III (Incumbent)	1,811,496	62.15
	Republican	George M. Burditt	1,084,884	37.22
	Socialist Workers	Edward Thomas Heisler	12,413	0.43
	Communist	Ishmael Flory	5,873	0.20
Majority			726,612	24.93
Turnout			2,914,666
	Democratic hold

Indiana[]

Indiana election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Birch Bayh Richard Lugar Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 889,269 814,117 Percentage 50.73% 46.44%

Results by county Bayh:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70% Lugar:      40–50%      50–60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Birch Bayh Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Birch Bayh Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Birch Bayh was re-elected to a third consecutive term in office, defeating Mayor of Indianapolis Richard Lugar.

1974 United States Senate election in Indiana Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Birch Bayh (Incumbent)	889,269	50.73
	Republican	Richard Lugar	814,117	46.44
	American	Don L. Lee	49,592	2.83
Majority			75,152	4.29
Turnout			1,752,978
	Democratic hold

Iowa[]

Iowa election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee John Culver David M. Stanley Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 426,947 420,546 Percentage 50.02% 49.27%

County results Culver:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Stanley:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Harold E. Hughes Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John C. Culver Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Harold E. Hughes retired. The open seat was won by U.S. Representative John C. Culver, defeating Republican State Representative David M. Stanley.

1974 United States Senate election in Iowa Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Culver	426,947	50.02
	Republican	David M. Stanley	420,546	49.27
	American	Lorin E. Oxley	6,028	0.71
Majority			6,401	0.75
Turnout
	Democratic hold

Kansas[]

Kansas election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Bob Dole William R. Roy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 403,983 390,451 Percentage 50.85% 49.15%

County Results

U.S. senator before election Bob Dole Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Dole Republican

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (September 2017)

In what would be the closest election of his 35-year Congressional career, Bob Dole won his second term by 15,533 votes over William R. Roy, a Topeka physician and two-term Representative from Kansas's 2nd Congressional District. Dole suffered due to his close association with President Nixon as chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1971 and 1972.

1974 United States Senate election in Kansas Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Dole (Incumbent)	403,983	50.85
	Democratic	William R. Roy	390,451	49.15
	None	Write-Ins	3	0.00
Majority			13,532	1.70
Turnout			794,437
	Republican hold

Kentucky[]

Kentucky election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Wendell Ford Marlow Cook Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 398,887 328,260 Percentage 53.56% 44.08%

U.S. senator before election Marlow Cook Republican Elected U.S. Senator Wendell Ford Democratic

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Marlow Cook ran for a second term in office but was defeated by Democratic Governor of Kentucky Wendell Ford.

1974 United States Senate election in Kentucky Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wendell Ford	398,887	53.56
	Republican	Marlow Cook (Incumbent)	328,260	44.08
	American	William E. Parker	17,551	2.36
Majority			70,627	9.48
Turnout			744,698
	Democratic gain from Republican

Louisiana[]

Louisiana election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Russell B. Long Party Democratic Popular vote 434,643 Percentage 100.00%

U.S. senator before election Russell Long Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Russell Long Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Senator Russell B. Long was unopposed for re-election to a sixth term in office.

Democratic primary^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell Long (Incumbent)	520,606	74.75
	Democratic	Sherman A. Bernard	131,540	18.89
	Democratic	Annie Smart	44,341	6.37
Total votes			696,487	100.00

1974 United States Senate election in Louisiana Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell B. Long (Incumbent)	434,643	100.00
	Democratic hold

Maryland[]

Maryland election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Charles Mathias Barbara Mikulski Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 503,223 374,663 Percentage 57.32% 42.68%

U.S. senator before election Charles Mathias Republican Elected U.S. Senator Charles Mathias Republican

Incumbent Republican Charles Mathias won re-election to a second term. As a Republican representing heavily-Democratic Maryland, Mathias faced a potentially difficult re-election bid for the 1974 election. State Democrats nominated Barbara Mikulski, then a Baltimore City Councilwoman who was well-known to residents in her city as a social activist, but with limited name recognition in the rest of the state.^[9] Mathias was renominated by Republicans, fending off a primary election challenge from conservative doctor Ross Pierpont. Pierpont was never a substantial threat to Mathias, whose lack of competition was due in part to fallout from the Watergate scandal.^[10][11]

As an advocate for campaign finance reform, Mathias refused to accept any contribution over $100 to "avoid the curse of big money that has led to so much trouble in the last year".^[12] However, he still managed to raise over $250,000, nearly five times Mikulski's total. Ideologically, Mikulski and Mathias agreed on many issues, such as closing tax loopholes and easing taxes on the middle class. On two issues, however, Mathias argued to reform Congress and the U.S. tax system to address inflation and corporate price fixing, contrary to Mikulski.^[9] In retrospect, The Washington Post felt the election was "an intelligent discussion of state, national, and foreign affairs by two smart, well-informed people".^[13]

1974 United States Senate election in Maryland^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles Mathias (Incumbent)	503,223	57.3
	Democratic	Barbara A. Mikulski	374,663	42.7
Total votes			877,886	100.00
Majority			129,560	14.6
	Republican hold

Missouri[]

Missouri election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Thomas Eagleton Thomas B. Curtis Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 735,433 480,900 Percentage 60.07% 39.28%

County Results Eagleton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Curtis:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Thomas Eagleton Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Thomas Eagleton Democratic

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (September 2017)

1974 United States Senate election in Missouri Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas Eagleton (Incumbent)	735,433	60.07
	Republican	Thomas B. Curtis	480,900	39.28
	Independent	Cliff Talmage	7,970	0.65
Majority			254,533	20.79
Turnout			1,224,303
	Democratic hold

Nevada[]

Nevada election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Paul Laxalt Harry Reid Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 79,605 78,981 Percentage 47.0% 46.6%   Nominee Jack C. Doyle Party Independent American Popular vote 10,887 Percentage 6.42%

U.S. senator before election Alan Bible Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt Republican

Incumbent Democrat Alan Bible decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth full term. Republican nominee Paul Laxalt won the open seat.

Former Governor Paul Laxalt won by less than 700 votes, becoming one of the few bright spots in a bad year for Republicans. He beat Lieutenant Governor Harry Reid. Reid would succeed Laxalt twelve years later.

General election^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Paul Laxalt	79,605	46.97	+1.73%
	Democratic	Harry Reid	78,981	46.60	-8.16%
	Independent American	Jack C. Doyle	10,887	6.42
Majority			624	0.37	-9.15%
Turnout			169,473
	Republican gain from Democratic

New Hampshire[]

New Hampshire election

← 1968 1975 (Special) →

Nominee Louis C. Wyman John A. Durkin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 110,926 110,924 Percentage 49.6618% 49.6609%

U.S. senator before election Norris Cotton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Louis C. Wyman (Disputed) Republican

The New Hampshire election resulted in the longest contested election for the U.S. Congress in United States history.

In 1973, then-incumbent senator Norris Cotton announced he would not seek re-election. Republican strategists admitted that it would be tough for their party to hold on to the seat.^[15]

The campaign of 1974 pitted Democrat John A. Durkin, who had served as New Hampshire's Insurance Commissioner and as Attorney General, against Republican Louis C. Wyman, a conservative, widely known member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. As Wyman was the more experienced politician, he was predicted by many to win handily.^[16]

On election day, Wyman won with a margin of just 355 votes.^{[citation needed]} Durkin immediately demanded a recount, which, completed November 27, 1974, declared Durkin the winner by a margin of 2 votes. Republican Governor Meldrim Thomson Jr. awarded Durkin a provisional certificate of election.

New Hampshire United States Senate Election, 1974: Second Recount

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Louis Wyman	110,926	49.6618
	Democratic	John A. Durkin	110,924	49.6609
	American Independent	Carmen C. Chimento	1,513	0.68
Plurality			2	0.0009
Turnout			223,363

Wyman promptly appealed to the New Hampshire State Ballot Law Commission. Durkin tried to defeat the appeal in the New Hampshire courts. The state ballot commission conducted its own partial recount and announced on December 24, 1974, that Wyman had won by just two votes. Governor Thomson rescinded Durkin’s certificate, and awarded a new credential to Wyman.

senator Cotton resigned December 31, 1974, and Governor Thomson appointed Wyman to fill the remainder of the term, which would expire January 3, 1975.

The election contest was not settled, however, and eventually a new election would be called in 1975.

New York[]

New York election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Jacob Javits Ramsey Clark Barbara A. Keating Party Republican Democratic Conservative Alliance Liberal Popular vote 2,340,188 1,973,781 822,584 Percentage 45.32% 38.23% 15.93%

County results Javits:      40–50%      50–60% Clark:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Jacob Javits Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jacob Javits Republican

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jacob Javits won against Democratic challenger Ramsey Clark in a three way election.

1974 United States Senate election in Alabama Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jacob Javits (Incumbent)	2,340,188	45.32
	Democratic	Ramsey Clark	1,973,781	38.23
	Conservative	Barbara A. Keating	822,584	15.93
	Socialist Workers	Rebecca Finch	7,727	0.15
	Courage	William F Dowling Jr.	7,459	0.14
	Socialist Labor	Robert E. Massi	4,037	0.08
	Communist	Mildred Edelman	3,876	0.08
	U.S. Labor	Elijah C. Boyd Jr.	3,798	0.07
Majority			366,407	7.09
Turnout			5,163,450
	Republican hold

North Carolina[]

North Carolina election

← 1968 November 5, 1974 1980 →

Nominee Robert Morgan Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 633,647 386,720 Percentage 61.6% 37.6%

U.S. senator before election Sam Ervin Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Robert Morgan Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Sam Ervin chose to retire. The general election was fought between the Democratic nominee Robert Morgan and the Republican nominee .

Democratic primary^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Morgan	294,986	50.40
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	189,815	32.43
	Democratic		67,247	11.49
	Democratic		6,138	1.05
	Democratic	Others	27,140	4.64
Turnout			585,326

Republican primary ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican		62,419	65.12
	Republican		26,918	28.08
	Republican		6,520	6.80
Turnout			95,857

General election^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert Morgan	633,647	61.56	+1.00%
	Republican		386,720	37.57	-1.87%
	Other		8,974	0.87	N/A
Turnout			1,029,341
Majority			246,927	23.99
	Democratic hold		Swing

North Dakota[]

North Dakota election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Milton R. Young William L. Guy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 114,852 114,675 Percentage 48.45% 48.37%

U.S. senator before election Milton R. Young Republican Elected U.S. Senator Milton R. Young Republican

Incumbent Republican Milton Young was re-elected to his sixth term, defeating North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party candidate William L. Guy, a former Governor of North Dakota.^[1]

Only Young filed as a Republican, and the endorsed Democratic candidate was William L. Guy of Bismarck, North Dakota, who had served as Governor of the state from 1961 to 1973; and had presumably left the office to seek the senate seat. Young and Guy won the primary elections for their respective parties. Guy, who was very popular as governor throughout the state, and Young, who had a high approval rating as senator for the state, created the closest ever election for one of North Dakota's senate seats. Young won the election by only 177 votes, and Guy retired from politics.

Two independent candidates, and , also filed before the deadline. Jungroth's platform was based on his opposition to strip mining the state's coal reserves.^[18] Gardner would later run for the state's other seat in 1988 against then incumbent Quentin Burdick.

1974 United States Senate election in North Dakota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Milton R. Young (Incumbent)	114,852	48.45
	Democratic	William L. Guy	114,675	48.37
	Independent		6,679	2.82
	Independent		853	0.36
Majority			177	0.07
Turnout			237,059
	Republican hold

Ohio[]

Ohio election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee John Glenn Ralph Perk Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,930,670 918,133 Percentage 64.6% 30.7%

U.S. senator before election Howard Metzenbaum Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Glenn Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Howard Metzenbaum was running for re-election his first full term after he was appointed in 1970 by Ohio governor John J. Gilligan to fill out the Senate term of William B. Saxbe, who had resigned to become United States Attorney General. Metzenbaum lost the primary election to retired astronaut John Glenn, who went on to win the general election and win every county in the state over Republican Ralph Perk, Mayor of Cleveland

1974 OH United States Senate election^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Glenn	1,930,670	64.6
	Republican	Ralph Perk	918,133	30.7
	Independent	Kathleen G. Harroff	76,882	2.6
	Independent	Richard B. Kay	61,921	2.1
	Independent	John O'Neill	257	0.0
	Independent	Ronald E. Girkins	88	0.0
Majority			1,012,357	33.9
Turnout			2,987,606
	Democratic hold

Oklahoma[]

Oklahoma election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Henry Bellmon Ed Edmondson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 390,997 387,162 Percentage 49.4% 48.9%

U.S. senator before election Henry Bellmon Republican Elected U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon Republican

Incumbent Republican Henry Bellmon narrowly won re-election to a second term, beating Representative Ed Edmondson by nearly 4,000 votes.

General election^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henry Bellmon (Incumbent)	390,997	49.4
	Democratic	Ed Edmondson	387,162	48.9
	Independent	Paul E. Trent	13,650	1.7
Majority			3,835	0.5
Turnout			791,809
	Republican hold

Oregon[]

Oregon election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Bob Packwood Betty Roberts Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 420,964 338,591 Percentage 54.9% 44.2%

U.S. senator before election Bob Packwood Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Packwood Republican

Incumbent Republican Bob Packwood won re-election to a second term. Betty Roberts was chosen to replace former U.S. senator Wayne Morse, who won the Democratic primary but died before the general election.^[21][22]

The Democratic primaries were held on May 28, 1974. Incumbent senator Bob Packwood was running for re-election after his upset victory against popular incumbent Democrat Wayne Morse in 1968 made him the youngest member of the Senate.^[23]

In the Democratic primary, former senator Morse, trying to win back the seat he had for 24 years before losing to Packwood six years earlier, faced Oregon State Senate President Jason Boe and several other candidates for a chance to take back his Senate seat.^[24] Boe, who was 45, made Morse's age, 73, an issue in the race while Morse said his experience in the Senate made him a stronger candidate.^[25] Boe called for a series of debates around the state, but Morse refused. He went on to defeat Boe 49% to 39%, and planned to use the same strategy in the general election against Packwood, whose narrow victory over Morse 6 years earlier was attributed to Packwood's superior performance at a debate in Portland late in the campaign.^[21]

Democratic primary for the United States Senate from Oregon, 1974^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wayne Morse	155,729	48.98
	Democratic	Jason Boe	125,055	39.33
	Democratic	Robert T. Daly	21,881	6.88
	Democratic	Robert E. O'Connor	14,984	4.71
	Democratic	(Scattering)	319	0.10
Total votes			396,204	100.00

In July, Morse was hospitalized in Portland with what was originally described as a serious urinary tract infection. His condition deteriorated and he died on July 22.^[22] The death was originally reported to have been caused by kidney failure, but it was later revealed that Morse died of leukemia; Boe apparently knew of the diagnosis during the campaign but did not make it a campaign issue.^[27]

The Oregon Democratic State Central Committee met on August 11, two days after Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency. They chose State senator Betty Roberts over Boe to replace Morse as the Democratic nominee.^[28] Roberts, an Oregon State Senator, had run for the Democratic nomination for Governor that year, but lost in the May primary to eventual general election winner Robert W. Straub.^[28]

Outgoing Oregon governor Tom McCall, who had decided not to run in 1968, had pledged to Packwood a year earlier that he would not challenge him in 1974.^[29] But as his term as governor ended, McCall began reconsidering his decision, believing he would bring more integrity to the job. In March 1974, at a dinner party held at Packwood's Washington D.C. home in McCall's honor, McCall informed Packwood that he would challenge him.^[29] The news of McCall's change of plans soon reached the media. Eventually, McCall decided that he had little chance against Packwood, who had similar positions to his own and had a reputation for ruthless campaigning that McCall did not share.^[29][30] McCall did not run, and Packwood was unopposed in the Republican primary.^[24]

Strong Democratic gains were predicted, giving Roberts a good chance at an upset. In addition, the Senate had no female members and Roberts was one of three women (along with Barbara Mikulski in Maryland and Gwenyfred Bush in South Carolina) seeking a Senate seat.^[31] But on the issues, Packwood and Roberts shared many positions, such as on abortion, military spending, and the environment.^[32] Moreover, Packwood had distanced himself from Watergate, calling for Nixon's impeachment and denouncing Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon.^[32][33] Roberts was also at a financial disadvantage, having entered the race late and facing debt from her failed gubernatorial run; Packwood was able to use money he had raised for a primary challenge that never materialized, and led in most polls by a double-digit margin.^[32]

Roberts lost the election to Packwood 54% to 44%.^[34] Packwood was the only Oregon Republican up for re-election to keep his seat: Democrats won every other available seat. In the Governor's race, Bob Straub, who beat Roberts in the Democratic primary, defeated Vic Atiyeh to become the first Democrat elected governor since 1956; in the U. S. House of Representatives races, Les AuCoin won an open seat in the 1st district and in the 4th district, Jim Weaver upset incumbent John Dellenback.^[35]

After the election, Roberts, whose criticism of Packwood's ethics was a theme in her campaign, considered filing a lawsuit against Packwood for misrepresenting her positions on gun control, abortion, and Social Security in campaign advertisements, but later dropped the idea.^[36]

1974 United States Senate election in Oregon^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Packwood (Incumbent)	420,984	54.93
	Democratic	Betty Roberts	338,591	44.18
	Write-In	Jason Boe	5,072	0.66
	Write-In	Misc.	1,767	0.23
Total votes			766,414	100.00
	Republican hold

Pennsylvania[]

Pennsylvania election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Richard Schweiker Peter Flaherty Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,843,317 1,596,121 Percentage 53.0% 45.9%

County results

U.S. senator before election Richard Schweiker Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Schweiker Republican

Incumbent Republican Richard Schweiker won re-election, defeating Democratic nominee Peter F. Flaherty, Mayor of Pittsburgh.

In the general election campaign, Schweiker faced popular Pittsburgh mayor Peter Flaherty. Both candidates, as highlighted by a New York Times article, "[took] firm stands against inflation, recession, big spending by the Federal Government and abortion on demand."^[38] Schweiker, who was endorsed by the AFL–CIO, distanced himself from the Richard Nixon administration, specifically the Watergate scandal, by emphasizing his early calls for Nixon's resignation and the fact that he was on Nixon's "enemies list."^[38]

In the end, Schweiker won re-election with 53% of the popular vote, with Flaherty winning 45.9%. Schweiker carried 53 of Pennsylvania's counties, a decrease from the 59 counties he carried in the 1968 election. Flaherty had a strong showing in Allegheny County, which contains his home town of Pittsburgh, which Schweiker had won in 1968. The final election results represented a political divide between the eastern and western portions of the state, Schweiker in the east and Flaherty in the west, with the exception of Flaherty's slim 4,491 vote victory in Philadelphia.^[38]

Pennsylvania United States Senate Election, 1974^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Schweiker (Incumbent)	1,843,317	53.00
	Democratic	Peter F. Flaherty	1,596,121	45.89
	Constitution	George W. Shankey	38,004	1.09
	N/A	Other	370	0.01
Majority			247,196	7.11
Turnout			3,477,812
	Republican hold

South Carolina[]

South Carolina election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Ernest Hollings Gwen Bush Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 355,107 146,649 Percentage 69.4% 28.7%

U.S. senator before election Ernest Hollings Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings Democratic

The 1974 South Carolina United States Senate election was held on November 5, 1974 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of South Carolina. Incumbent Democratic senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican challenger Gwen Bush to win his second full term. Both Hollings and Bush faced no opposition in their party's primaries which allowed both candidates to concentrate solely on the general election. The Watergate scandal caused the Republicans to perform poorly nationwide in 1974 and Gwen Bush was little more than a sacrificial lamb. The main focus of the voters in South Carolina was on the competitive gubernatorial contest and Hollings easily cruised to a comfortable re-election.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1974

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Fritz Hollings (Incumbent)	355,107	69.4	+7.5%
	Republican	Gwen Bush	146,649	28.7	-9.4%
	Independent	Harold Hough	9,624	1.9	+1.9%
Majority			208,458	40.7	+16.9%
Turnout			511,380	51.3	-25.2%
	Democratic hold

South Dakota[]

1974 South Dakota Senate election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee George McGovern Leo K. Thorsness Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 147,929 130,955 Percentage 53.04% 46.96%

County Results

U.S. senator before election George McGovern Democratic Elected U.S. Senator George McGovern Democratic

1974 United States Senate election in South Dakota Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George McGovern (Incumbent)	147,929	53.04
	Republican	Leo K. Thorsness	130,955	46.96
Majority			16,974	6.08
Turnout			278,884
	Democratic hold

Utah[]

Utah election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Jake Garn Wayne Owens Bruce Bangerter Party Republican Democratic American Popular vote 210,299 185,377 24,966 Percentage 49.99% 44.07% 5.94%

County results

U.S. senator before election Wallace F. Bennett Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jake Garn Republican

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (September 2017)

1974 United States Senate election in Utah Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jake Garn	210,299	49.99
	Democratic	Wayne Owens	185,377	44.07
	American	Bruce Bangerter	24,966	5.94
Majority			24,922	5.92
Turnout			420,642
	Republican hold

Vermont[]

Vermont election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Patrick Leahy Richard W. Mallary Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 70,629 66,223 Percentage 49.5% 46.4%

U.S. senator before election George Aiken Republican Elected U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy Democratic

Incumbent Republican George Aiken did not run for re-election to another term in the United States Senate. Democratic candidate, attorney and prosecutor Patrick Leahy defeated the Republican candidate, congressman Richard W. Mallary to succeed him. Leahy was the first Democrat ever elected to this seat, and, as of 2021, remains the only Democrat ever elected to the Senate from Vermont.

Republican primary election^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard W. Mallary	27,221	59.1
	Republican		16,479	35.8
	Republican		2,265	4.9
	Republican	Other	61	0.1
Total votes			46,026	100.0

Democratic primary election^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patrick Leahy	19,801	83.9
	Democratic	Nathaniel Frothingham	3,703	15.7
	Democratic	Other	97	0.4
Total votes			23,601	100.0

1974 United States Senate election in Vermont^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patrick Leahy	70,629	49.47
	Republican	Richard W. Mallary	66,223	46.38
	Liberty Union	Bernie Sanders	5,901	4.13
	N/A	Other	19	0.0
Total votes			142,772	100.0
Majority			4,406	3.09
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Washington[]

Washington Election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Warren Magnuson Jack Metcalf Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 611,811 363,626 Percentage 60.70% 36.08%

County results

U.S. senator before election Warren G. Magnuson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson Democratic

1974 United States Senate election in Washington Results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Warren Magnuson (Incumbent)	611,811	60.70
	Republican	Jack Metcalf	363,626	36.08
	American Independent	Gene Goosman	19,871	1.97
	Socialist Workers	Clare Fraenzl	8,176	0.81
	U.S. Labor	Pat Ruckert	4,363	0.43
Majority			248,185	24.62
Turnout			1,007,847
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin[]

Wisconsin election

← 1968 1980 →

Nominee Gaylord Nelson Tom Petri Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 740,700 429,327 Percentage 61.8% 35.8%

U.S. senator before election Gaylord Nelson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Gaylord Nelson won re-election to a third term over Tom Petri, State senator since 1973.

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gaylord Nelson (Incumbent)	740,700	61.8
	Republican	Tom Petri	429,327	35.8
	American	Gerald L. McFarren	24,003	2.0
	Lowering the Property Tax	Roman Blenski	5,396	0.6
	None	Write-Ins	69	0.0
Majority			311,373	26.0
Turnout			1,199,426
	Democratic hold

See also[]

• 1974 United States elections
  • 1974 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1974 United States House of Representatives elections
• 93rd United States Congress
• 94th United States Congress
• Watergate Babies
• Watergate Scandal

Notes[]

References[]

• Butler, Anne M.; Wolff, Wendy (1995). United States Senate Election, Expulsion and Censure Cases, 1793-1990. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office.
• Tibbetts, Donn. The Closest U.S. Senate Race in History, Durkin v. Wyman. [Manchester, N.H.]: J.W. Cummings Enterprises, 1976.
• Minnesota Senate race echoes N.H. election in 1974 - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA, March 10, 2009, archived from the original on March 10, 2009, retrieved December 6, 2019
• U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Historical Minutes > 1964-Present > Closest Election in Senate History, May 29, 2009, archived from the original on May 29, 2009, retrieved December 6, 2019
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