The 1976 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 2, 1976. Rather than seek a fifth term, incumbent United States Senator Mike Mansfield, a Democrat, 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, by a wide margin in the general election. This was the first open seat election in Montana since 1960 and the first open seat election in Montana for the Class 1 Senate seat since 1922.
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Melcher: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Burger: 50-60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- John Melcher, United States Congressman from Montana's 2nd congressional district
- Ray Gulick, farmer
Results
edit| 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
editCandidates
edit- Stanley C. Burger, former Executive Officer of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation
- Dave Drum
- Jack Tierney
- Larry L. Gilbert
Results
edit| 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 | ||
General election
editResults
edit| 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 | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Report of the Official Canvass of the Vote Cast at the Primary Election Held in the State of Montana, June 1, 1976". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved July 2, 2014.