1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky

1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky

←  1966 November 7, 1972 1978  →

Nominee Walter Dee Huddleston Louie Nunn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 528,550 494,337 Percentage 50.93% 47.63%

County results Huddleston:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Nunn:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

U.S. senator before election John Sherman Cooper Republican Elected U.S. Senator Walter Dee Huddleston Democratic

The 1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator John Sherman Cooper retired, and Democratic State Senator Walter Dee Huddleston narrowly won the open seat over former Republican Governor Louie Nunn.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Willis V. Johnson
• Sandy Hockensmith
• Walter Dee Huddleston, State Senator from Elizabethtown
• Charles Van Winkle
• James E. Wallace

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter Dee Huddleston	106,144	71.60%
	Democratic	Sandy Hockensmith	14,786	9.97%
	Democratic	James E. Wallace	11,290	7.62%
	Democratic	Willis V. Johnson	8,727	5.89%
	Democratic	Charles Van Winkle	7,306	4.93%
Total votes			148,253	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• W. Howard Clay
• Robert E. Gable, businessman and Commissioner of State Parks of Kentucky
• Thurman Jerome Hamlin, perennial candidate from London
• Louie Nunn, former Governor of Kentucky (1967–71)
• George Wooton

Results

Republican Primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Louie Nunn	57,348	69.71%
	Republican	Robert E. Gable	18,107	22.01%
	Republican	W. Howard Clay	2,786	3.39%
	Republican	George Wooton	2,716	3.30%
	Republican	Thurman Jerome Hamlin	1,312	1.60%
Total votes			82,269	100.00%

General election

Results

General election results ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter Dee Huddleston	528,550	50.93%
	Republican	Louie Nunn	494,337	47.63%
	American	Helen Breeden	8,707	0.84%
	People's	Walter Bartley	6,267	0.60%
Total votes			1,037,861	100.00%

See also

1972 United States Senate elections

References

1. "Our Campaigns - KY US Senate - D Primary Race - May 23, 1972". www.ourcampaigns.com.
2. "Our Campaigns - KY US Senate - R Primary Race - May 23, 1972". www.ourcampaigns.com.
3. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1973). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.