1978 United States Senate election in Texas
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 County results Tower: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Tie: Krueger: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1978 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower narrowly won re-election to a fourth term. Until 2018, it had been the closest that a Texas Democrat had come to defeating a Republican incumbent U.S. Senator.[1]
Republican primary[]
Candidates[]
- John G. Tower, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1961
Results[]
Senator Tower was unopposed for re-nomination.
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
- Joe Christie, former State Senator from El Paso (1967–73)
- Bob Krueger, U.S. Representative from New Braunfels since 1975
Campaign[]
Krueger and Christie had contrasting styles, and many voters were undecided until late in the campaign.[2]
Results[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Krueger | 853,460 | 54.67 | |
| Democratic | Joe Christie | 707,738 | 45.33 | |
| Total votes | 1,561,198 | 100.0 | ||
General election[]
Campaign[]
Krueger held a narrow lead in the polls late in the race, although the race was considered to be a 'toss-up.' On the issues, Tower attacked Krueger for voting for a constitutional amendment that would have granted U.S. senators to the District of Columbia, while Krueger attacked Tower for being an ineffective representative and a drunk. As a result of the charge, Tower refused to shake Krueger's hand at a joint appearance.[4]
Results[]
Republicans celebrated the result in this election year as the 'best in a century' despite the narrow win. One analysis in the New York Times cites the growing urban middle-class voters in Houston who migrated from the Northeast as the reason for Tower being able to pull ahead and win.[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Tower (incumbent) | 1,151,376 | 49.79% | |
| Democratic | Bob Krueger | 1,139,149 | 49.26% | |
| Raza Unida | Luis Diaz de Leon | 17,869 | 0.77% | |
| Socialist Workers | Miguel Pendas | 4,018 | 0.17% | |
| N/A | Write-ins | 128 | 0.01% | |
| Republican hold | ||||
See also[]
- 1978 United States Senate elections
References[]
- ^ Formby, Chris Essig, Ryan Murphy and Brandon (2018-11-07). "Where Ted Cruz's close victory over Beto O'Rourke stands among Texas' historical election results". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ Curry, Bill (1978-05-04). "Texas Senate Race Pits the Scholar Against Just Plain 'Joe'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ "TX US Senate- D Primary". OurCampaigns.com.
- ^ Curry, Bill (1978-10-28). "A Gut-Level Horse Race in Texas". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ Times, William K. Stevens Special to The New York (1978-11-09). "G.O.P. Victories in Texas Reflect Shift of Party Lines in Southwest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
- ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
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