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1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming 
Summary
The 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen declined to seek a third term in office. Former State Representative Alan K. Simpson, the son of former Senator Milward Simpson, won a contested Republican primary and faced Raymond B. Whitaker, the 1960 Democratic nominee for the Senate, in the general election. Despite a favorable environment for Republicans nationwide, Simpson's performance decreased considerably from Hansen's 1972 landslide. Nonetheless, he easily defeated Whitaker, winning 62% of the vote to Whitaker's 38%.
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 County results Simpson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Whitaker: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary edit
Candidates edit
- Alan K. Simpson, former State Representative from Park County
- Hugh Binford, petroleum engineer and businessman[1]
- Gordon H. Barrows, author[2]
- James G. Maxey, project manager[3]
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alan K. Simpson | 37,332 | 54.66% | |
| Republican | Hugh Binford | 20,768 | 30.41% | |
| Republican | Gordon H. Barrows | 8,494 | 12.44% | |
| Republican | James G. Maxey | 1,709 | 2.50% | |
| Total votes | 68,303 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary edit
Candidates edit
- Raymond B. Whitaker, former Natrona County Prosecuting Attorney, 1960 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
- Dean M. Larson, Riverton attorney[5]
- Charles Carroll, former Deputy Wyoming Attorney General, 1974 Democratic nominee for Wyoming Secretary of State[6]
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 19,854 | 47.62% | |
| Democratic | Dean M. Larson | 11,039 | 26.48% | |
| Democratic | Charles Carroll | 10,797 | 25.90% | |
| Total votes | 41,690 | 100.00% | ||
General election edit
Results edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alan Simpson | 82,908 | 62.17% | -9.15% | |
| Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 50,456 | 37.83% | +9.15% | |
| Majority | 32,452 | 24.33% | -18.30% | ||
| Turnout | 133,364 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Binford first candidate". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo. January 6, 1978. p. 1.
- ^ "Barrows backs energy reinvestment". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo. August 18, 1978. p. 2.
- ^ "Oil man interested in quality environment". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo. September 5, 1978. p. 7A.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - WY US Senate- R Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Larson to seek Senate seat". Jackson Hole Guide. Jackson, Wyo. April 27, 1978. p. A12.
- ^ "Deputy AG resigns". Casper Star-Tribune. Casper, Wyo. June 10, 1978. p. 13.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - WY US Senate- D Primary Race - Sep 12, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.