United States Senate election, 1972
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The U.S. Senate election, 1972 was an election for the United States Senate coinciding with the landslide re-election of Richard M. Nixon. However, Nixon's victory did not help his allies in the Senate, and the Democrats increased their majority by two seats. The result was a Democratic Senate, with 56 seats, to the Republicans' 42, with 1 Independent and 1 Conservative senator.
Democratic pickups included open seats in Kentucky and South Dakota, and defeats of Senators Gordon L. Allott (R-CO), J. Caleb Boggs (R-DE), Jack R. Miller (R-IA), and Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME). Republican pickups included open seats in New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, and the defeat of incumbent William B. Spong, Jr. (D-VA).
In 1974, William B. Saxbe (R-OH) resigned to become Attorney General, and Democrat Howard Metzenbaum was appointed to replace him. This is not included in the party balances.
Senate contests in 1972
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
|
| Alabama
| John Sparkman
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 62.3 - 33.1
| Winton M. Blount (Republican)
|
| Alaska
| Ted Stevens
| Republican
| Re-elected, 77.3 - 22.7
| Gene Guess (Democrat)
|
| Arkansas
| John L. McClellan
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 60.8 - 39.1
| Wayne H. Babbitt (Republican)
|
| Colorado
| Gordon Allott
| Republican
| Defeated, 49.4 - 48.4
| Floyd K. Haskell (Democrat)
|
| Delaware
| J. Caleb Boggs
| Republican
| Defeated, 50.5 - 49.1
| Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (Democrat)
|
| Georgia
| David H. Gambrell
| Democrat
| Defeated in primary: Democratic victory, 54.0 - 46.0
| Sam Nunn (Democrat)
Fletcher Thompson (Republican)
|
| Idaho
| Len B. Jordan
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 52.3 - 45.5
| James A. McClure (Republican)
William E. Davis (Democrat)
|
| Illinois
| Charles H. Percy
| Republican
| Re-elected, 62.2 - 37.4
| Roman Pucinski (Democrat)
|
| Iowa
| Jack Miller
| Republican
| Defeated, 55.1 - 44.1
| Dick Clark (Democrat)
|
| Kansas
| James B. Pearson
| Republican
| Re-elected, 71.4 - 23.0
| Arch Tetzlaff (Democrat)
|
| Kentucky
| John S. Cooper
| Republican
| Retired: Democratic victory, 50.9 - 47.6
| Walter D. Huddleston (Democrat)
Louie B. Nunn (Republican)
|
| Louisiana
| Elaine S. Edwards
| Democrat
| Retired: Democratic victory, 55.2 - 23.1 - 19.1
| J. Bennett Johnston (Democrat)
John J. McKeithen (Independent)
Ben C. Toledano (Republican)
|
| Maine
| Margaret Chase Smith
| Republican
| Defeated, 53.2 - 46.8
| William D. Hathaway (Democrat)
|
| Massachusetts
| Edward W. Brooke
| Republican
| Re-elected, 63.5 - 34.7 - 1.7
| John J. Droney (Democrat)
Donald Gurewitz (Socialist Workers)
|
| Michigan
| Robert P. Griffin
| Republican
| Re-elected, 52.3 - 46.3
| Frank J. Kelley (Democrat)
|
| Minnesota
| Walter F. Mondale
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 56.7 - 42.9
| Phil Hansen (Republican)
|
| Mississippi
| James O. Eastland
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 58.1 - 38.7
| Gil Carmichael (Republican)
|
| Montana
| Lee Metcalf
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 52.0 - 48.1
| Henry S. Hibbard (Republican)
|
| Nebraska
| Carl T. Curtis
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.1 - 46.8
| Terry Carpenter (Democrat)
|
| New Hampshire
| Thomas J. McIntyre
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 56.9 - 43.1
| Wesley Powell (Republican)
|
| New Jersey
| Clifford P. Case
| Republican
| Re-elected, 62.5 - 34.5
| Paul J. Krebs (Democrat)
|
| New Mexico
| Clinton P. Anderson
| Democrat
| Retired: Republican victory, 54.0 - 46.0
| Pete V. Domenici (Republican)
Jack Daniels (Democrat)
|
| North Carolina
| B. Everett Jordan
| Democrat
| Defeated in primary: Republican victory, 54.0 - 46.0
| Jesse Helms (Republican)
Nick Galifianakis (Democrat)
|
| Oklahoma
| Fred R. Harris
| Democrat
| Retired: Republican victory, 51.4 - 47.6
| Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican)
Ed Edmondson (Democrat)
|
| Oregon
| Mark O. Hatfield
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.7 - 46.2
| Wayne Morse (Democrat)
|
| Rhode Island
| Claiborne Pell
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 53.7 - 45.7
| John H. Chafee (Republican)
|
| South Carolina
| Strom Thurmond
| Republican
| Re-elected, 63.3 - 36.7
| Eugene N. Zeigler (Democrat)
|
| South Dakota
| Karl E. Mundt
| Republican
| Retired: Democratic victory, 57.0 - 42.9
| James Abourezk (Democrat)
Robert W. Hirsch (Republican)
|
| Tennessee
| Howard H. Baker, Jr.
| Republican
| Re-elected, 61.6 - 37.9
| Ray Blanton (Democrat)
|
| Texas
| John G. Tower
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.4 - 44.3
| Barefoot Sanders (Democrat)
|
| Vermont1
| Robert T. Stafford
| Republican
| Re-elected, 64.3 - 33.4
| Randolph T. Major (Democrat)
|
| Virginia
| William B. Spong, Jr.
| Democrat
| Defeated, 51.5 - 46.1
| William L. Scott (Republican)
|
| West Virginia
| Jennings Randolph
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 66.5 - 33.6
| Louise Leonard (Republican)
|
| Wyoming
| Clifford P. Hansen
| Republican
| Re-elected, 71.3 - 28.7
| Mike Vinich (Democrat)
|
1 special election held due to death of Winston L. Prouty (R-VT)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
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