1976 United States Senate election in California
(Redirected from United States Senate election in California, 1976)
The 1976 United States Senate election in California took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John V. Tunney ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Republican S. I. Hayakawa. As of 2024, this is the last time an incumbent Democratic Senator from California lost re-election.
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 County results Hayakawa: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Tunney: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Primary elections were held on June 8. Tunney survived a challenge from anti-war activist Tom Hayden, the husband of Jane Fonda. Hayakawa, a novice campaigner, won a surprise victory over seasoned political figures Robert H. Finch, Alphonzo Bell Jr., and John L. Harmer.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Lois T. Bodle
- Leslie W. "Les" Craven, nominee for U.S. Representative in California's 25th congressional district in 1970 and 1972
- Howard L. Gifford, candidate for U.S. Senate in 1974
- Tom Hayden, anti-war activist and husband of Jane Fonda
- Millard F. Slover
- Frank L. Thomas
- John V. Tunney, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Bob Wallach
- Ronald L. Williams
Results
edit
Tunney
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Hayden
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John V. Tunney (incumbent) | 1,774,879 | 53.79% | |
| Democratic | Tom Hayden | 1,210,637 | 36.69% | |
| Democratic | Bob Wallach | 73,142 | 2.22% | |
| Democratic | Lois T. Bodle | 54,220 | 1.64% | |
| Democratic | Frank L. Thomas | 53,843 | 1.63% | |
| Democratic | Howard L. Gifford | 46,977 | 1.42% | |
| Democratic | Ronald L. Williams | 29,511 | 0.89% | |
| Democratic | Leslie W. Craven | 28,583 | 0.87% | |
| Democratic | Millard F. Slover | 28,108 | 0.85% | |
| Write-in | All others | 25 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 3,299,925 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Alphonzo E. Bell Jr., U.S. Representative from Santa Monica
- Hannibal C. Burchette V
- Robert H. Finch, former Lieutenant Governor of California, United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and advisor to President Richard Nixon
- John L. Harmer, former Lieutenant Governor and State Senator
- S. I. Hayakawa, professor of semantics and president emeritus of San Francisco State University
- Henry Hill
- Michael A. Hirt
- Walter Hollywood
- Clyde F. Tracy
- James A. Ware, perennial candidate
Results
edit
Hayakawa
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Finch
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | S. I. Hayakawa | 886,743 | 38.25% | |
| Republican | Robert H. Finch | 614,240 | 26.49% | |
| Republican | Alphonzo E. Bell Jr. | 532,969 | 22.99% | |
| Republican | John L. Harmer | 197,252 | 8.51% | |
| Republican | Walter Hollywood | 28,163 | 1.22% | |
| Republican | Clyde F. Tracy | 17,784 | 0.77% | |
| Republican | James A. Ware | 14,990 | 0.65% | |
| Republican | Henry Hill | 10,290 | 0.44% | |
| Republican | Michael A. Hirt | 9,941 | 0.43% | |
| Republican | Hannibal C. Burchette V | 6,222 | 0.27% | |
| Total votes | 2,318,594 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| 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 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 08, 1976".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - CA US Senate - R Primary Race - Jun 08, 1976".
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 4.