1970 United States Senate election in Connecticut

1970 United States Senate election in Connecticut
	; Weicker: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Duffey: 30–40% 40–50%; Dodd: 30–40% 40–50%
U.S. senator before election; Thomas J. Dodd ; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator; Lowell Weicker ; Republican

Last updated February 03, 2024

The United States Senate election of 1970 in Connecticut was held on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Democratic Senator Thomas J. Dodd ran for a third term in office. After Dodd was censured in the Senate's first modern ethics case, he lost party support for re-election but stood as an independent. Republican U.S. Representative Lowell Weicker defeated Dodd and Democratic candidate Joseph Duffey.

Background

In January 1966, Drew Pearson and Jack Anderson published a series of syndicated newspaper columns describing Senator Thomas J. Dodd's association with Julius Klein, a West German public relations consultant.^[1] The columns alleged that Dodd had engaged in fundraising improprieties and had diverted campaign funds for personal expenses. A formal Senate investigation ensued which lasted over one year, finding that Dodd had traveled to West Germany at Klein's behest and had transferred campaign funds to his personal accounts. Dodd initially refused to cooperate with the investigation by withholding financial statements and bringing several legal challenges against the committee; the committee responded by holding public hearings on the matter which severely damaged Dodd's reputation.^[1]

On June 23, 1967, the Senate voted to censure Dodd by a vote of 92 to 5. His was the seventh censure in the history of the United States Senate and the first focused on financial impropriety. The resolution stated that Dodd had used his office as a United States senator "to obtain and use for his personal benefit, funds from the public through political testimonials and a political campaign," conduct which was "contrary to accepted morals, derogates from the public trust expected of a Senator, and tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."^[1] Dodd stated in response, "I believe now, I shall continue to believe, that history will justify my conduct and my character."^[1] The Senate adopted four new rules of ethical disclosure, including a form of financial disclosure, in 1968.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Alphonsus Donahue, Stamford businessman
Joseph Duffey, anti-war activist
Edward L. Marcus, President of the Connecticut Senate

Results

1970 Democratic Senate primary^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Duffey	79,166	43.55%
	Democratic	Alphonsus Donahue	66,916	36.81%
	Democratic	Edward L. Marcus	35,715	19.64%
Total votes			181,797	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

John Lupton, State Senator from Westport ^[3]
Lowell Weicker, U.S. Representative from Greenwich

Results

1970 Republican Senate primary^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lowell Weicker	77,057	60.34%
	Republican	John Lupton	50,657	39.66%
Total votes			127,714	100.00%

General election

Candidates

Thomas J. Dodd, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1959 (Independent)
Joseph Duffey, anti-war activist (Democratic)
Lowell Weicker, U.S. Representative from Greenwich (Republican)

Results

United States Senate election in Connecticut, 1970^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lowell Weicker	454,721	41.74%
	Democratic	Joseph Duffey	368,111	33.79%
	Independent	Thomas J. Dodd (incumbent)	266,497	24.46%
Total votes			1,089,329	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Aftermath

Lowell Weicker was re-elected twice in 1976 and 1982 before losing a bid for a third term to Joe Lieberman in 1988. He served one term as Governor of Connecticut from 1991 to 1995. He briefly ran for President in 1980.

Thomas J. Dodd died suddenly of a heart attack on May 24, 1971. Newspaper obituaries noted that the senator had steadfastly claimed that he was innocent until the moment of his death.^[1] His son, Christopher, would join Weicker as the junior senator from Connecticut in 1981 and ran for President in 2008.

Joseph Duffey retired from electoral politics but led a long career in academia and public office, serving in both the Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton administrations. He married his campaign manager, Anne Wexler, in 1974 after both had divorced their spouses.

External links

Dissent of the Governed, a documentary made by and about the Duffey campaign

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Censure Case of Thomas J. Dodd of Connecticut (1967)". United States Senate. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
↑ "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate- D Primary Race - Aug 19, 1970".
↑ Pace, Eric (August 24, 2002). "John M. Lupton, 85, Politician and Educator in Connecticut". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
↑ "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate- R Primary Race - Aug 12, 1970".
↑ Our Campaigns - CT US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1970

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[censure-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Censure Case of Thomas J. Dodd of Connecticut (1967)". United States Senate. Retrieved September 28, 2023.

[2] "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate- D Primary Race - Aug 19, 1970".

[3] Pace, Eric (August 24, 2002). "John M. Lupton, 85, Politician and Educator in Connecticut". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2020.

[4] "Our Campaigns - CT US Senate- R Primary Race - Aug 12, 1970".

[5] Our Campaigns - CT US Senate Race - Nov 03, 1970

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v t e Elections in Connecticut
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See also: Political party strength in Connecticut

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1970 United States Senate election in Connecticut

Contents

Background

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Results

Aftermath

External links

Related Research Articles

References