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County results Danforth: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Hearnes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Missouri |
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The 1976 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Stuart Symington decided to retire, instead of seeking a fifth term.
On the Democratic side, former Governor Warren Hearnes competed with Symington's son Congressman James Symington and Congressman Jerry Litton for the Democratic nomination. Litton defeated Hearnes and Symington, but on the night of the primary, Litton was killed in a plane crash on his way to a victory party. In a replacement vote held by the Missouri Democratic Party, Hearnes defeated James Spainhower for the nomination.
On the Republican side, Missouri Attorney General John Danforth, the nominee for this seat in 1970, ran for this seat a second time. Danforth defeated Hearnes, who had been caught up in a federal investigation over his tax returns.
The race for the Democratic nomination began before the announcement of incumbent Senator Stuart Symington's retirement. In December 1974, Joseph Teasdale, a Kansas City attorney and former gubernatorial candidate, filed first. [1] Teasdale would eventually withdraw in November 1975, [2] and become a successful candidate for Governor. [3] [4]
For the most part, Symington had said he planned to run for a fifth term, though many Democrats had grown skeptical that he actually would do so. [5] On April 22, 1975, Symington officially announced his intent to retire, kicking off the race for a now open seat. [6] [7] Even before Symington's retirement, the race was seen as a contest between three main contenders. [8]
The first was former Governor Warren Hearnes. As early as June 1974, Hearnes made his intentions clear to consider a run, regardless of Symington's plans. [8] [9] A central focus of his candidacy was the issue of federal deficit spending. [10] To bolster his candidacy, Hearnes secured the endorsement of prominent Democrats such as State Auditor George Lehr, and even other prominent leaders in St. Louis. [11] [12] Some of these endorsements were, however, marred by charges that supporters of Hearnes forced some of these endorsements against the will of some of the members of the groups who made these endorsements. [13] Hearnes started out with a bigger cash advantage, in addition to more endorsements, and was seen as the frontrunner, with Attorney General John Danforth calling him 'formidable'. [11] [5] [14] However, Hearnes was embroiled in an investigation by a federal grand jury over finance issues, not only personal finances, but finances from his gubernatorial tenure as well. [15] [16]
The second most prominent candidate was James Symington, a congressman representing Missouri's 2nd District, and the son of Stuart Symington. Symington hailed from the St. Louis area. While not to the same extent as Hearnes, Symington had some level of institutional support. This included the support of State Treasurer James Spainhower, who resigned his post as state party chair to join Symington's campaign. [17] He also had endorsements from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Kansas City Star. [18] The younger Symington also had the advantage of being mistaken for his father, which at least one poll showed to help him outpoll Republicans such as John Danforth. [19] [20]
The third candidate was 6th District congressman, Jerry Litton from Chilicothe. Litton had not acquired the same level of name recognition as the other candidates, leaving him to be seen as the third place contender. [21] To make up the difference, Litton generated attention from his TV program "Dialogue with Litton". [22] Furthermore, as a millionaire, Litton was able to self-fund to outspend his opponents on TV advertisements. [21] As a congressman from the western part of the state, supporters of Litton hoped that Hearnes and Symington would split the St. Louis vote, leaving the rest of the state for Litton. [23] Litton, himself also hoped for this outcome. [24]
A fourth, less major candidate would emerge in Charles Wheeler, the mayor of Kansas City. [23] [25] Wheeler ran to express his opposition to a series of strikes by public employees in Kansas City. [26] He had previously intended a bid for the Vice Presidential nomination, and was not seen as a particularly serious candidate. [25] That said, merely hailing from Western Missouri, it was thought he might have an effect on Litton's vote share, and affect his candidacy, [23] though Litton disagreed with this assertion. [24]
The three leading candidates held few significant differences on the issue, with few exceptions. [27] For example, Hearnes was completely opposed to abortion, whereas Litton supported leaving it up to states and Symington supported it more completely. [28] Litton painted himself as someone who did not go into politics from law school, but owned a business and worked with his hands. [27] [24] Hearnes focused on his conservatism, attacking Congress for its spending habits. [27] Symington focused on his government experience, prior to serving in Congress. [24]
During the race, a Supreme Court ruling was issued lifting spending limits among the candidates and their families. John Danforth asked that the Democrats abide by the old limits. Wheeler agreed, as did Symington who agreed only if Danforth abided by them in a general election. Hearnes agreed to a $35,000 personal limit. Litton refused arguing that spending would be the only way to get his name out to other parts of the state. [29]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jerry Litton † | 401,822 | 45.40% | |
Democratic | Warren Hearnes | 233,544 | 26.38% | |
Democratic | James Symington | 222,681 | 25.16% | |
Democratic | Charles Wheeler | 10,894 | 1.23% | |
Democratic | William McKinley Thomas | 4,865 | 0.55% | |
Democratic | Lee C. Sutton | 4,784 | 0.54% | |
Democratic | Norman Tucker | 1,923 | 0.22% | |
Democratic | Jim Tyler | 1,923 | 0.22% | |
Democratic | Terry Richards | 1,425 | 0.16% | |
Democratic | Horace Kingery | 1,207 | 0.14% | |
Total votes | 885,068 | 100.00% |
On primary night, Representative Litton and his entire family left from near Chillicothe to Kansas City to attend a party with his supporters. [31] On the plane's take-off, the plane took a nosedive, and the wheel got caught by a barbed wire, causing the plane to catch fire immediately. [32] Litton, his wife Sharon, their two children, their pilot and his son, were all killed, with their bodies hard to identify. [33] [34] The National Transportation Safety Board later found that a broken crankshaft was the cause of a failure in the left engine. [35] Hours later, Litton was announced the winner. [32]
To replace Litton on the general election ticket, the Missouri Democratic State Committee was to hold a meeting to figure out a replacement candidate. [34] Symington immediately took himself out of contention for the seat, out of respect for Litton. [21] Warren Hearnes had many friends on the state's committee and was seen as a favorite, though he was not the preferred choice of many Litton voters. [21] Hearnes faced a challenge from State Treasurer James Spainhower, who did not actively run, but would accept the nomination if drafted. [36] However, Hearnes held too much influence, and won the committee's nomination. [37]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Warren Hearnes | 38 | 63.33% | |
Democratic | Jim Spainhower | 22 | 36.67% | |
Total votes | 60 | 100.00% |
John Danforth had previously been the Republican nominee for Symington's seat in 1970, and came within 3 points of unseating him. In the years which followed, Danforth was seen as a likely candidate for another bid in 1974 or 1976. [39] After passing on a 1974 bid, [40] Danforth made clear he would either run for Senate in 1976, or retire from politics altogether. [41] Ultimately, Danforth would end up announcing his run, and was the only prominent candidate to run. There was speculation that Governor Kit Bond might have run for the seat, though nothing came of this. [39] Bond would run for re-election, but lost to Joseph Teasdale. Bond would later become a U.S. Senator in 1986.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Danforth | 284,025 | 93.48% | |
Republican | Gregory Hansman | 19,796 | 6.52% | |
Total votes | 303,821 | 100.00% |
Hearnes entered the general election campaign with some key disadvantages. Hearnes was seen as too conservative for the party base, and was also hurt by the federal investigation around him. [37] Hearnes tried to fight the charges, claiming a Republican conspiracy, but he would still be hurt, and many Democrats tried to prevent it from hurting other races on the ballot. [43] Not helping matters, there were few truly appreciable differences between Danforth and Hearnes on many issues, except for the death penalty (Hearnes was for it and Danforth was against it) and the construction of a dam in the Meramac River (Hearnes supported it, Danforth opposed it). [44] Hearnes also had difficulty winning over the support of former Litton backers, some of whom allegedly promised to vote for Danforth. [45]
After releasing a statement critical of Hearnes' nomination, Danforth moved to run a more positive campaign. [46] He focused more on his goals as a Senator rather than attack Hearnes. [47] Danforth was criticized by Hearnes for being the heir of the Ralston-Purina fortune and for "treating politics like a hobby", but Danforth dismissed these claims. [47]
Danforth won handily, becoming the first Republican U.S. Senator for Missouri since 1946. [48] Hearnes would later be cleared of any wrongdoing in 1977, [49] but he would never hold elected office again, despite running twice more. [49] [50]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Danforth | 1,090,067 | 56.94% | 8.79 | |
Democratic | Warren E. Hearnes | 813,571 | 42.50% | 8.54 | |
Independent | Lawrence "Red" Petty | 10,822 | 0.57% | N/A | |
Turnout | 1,914,460 | 100.00% | |||
Republican gain from Democratic |
John Claggett Danforth is an American politician, attorney, diplomat, and Episcopal priest who served as the Attorney General of Missouri from 1969 to 1976 and as a United States Senator from 1976 to 1995. A member of the Republican Party, he later served as Special Counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice from 1999 to 2000 and as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2004 to 2005.
Robert Lee Holden Jr. is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Missouri state treasurer from 1993 to 2001 and represented the 136th district in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1983 to 1989. Since leaving public office, Holden has worked at Webster University, where he founded the Holden Public Policy Forum, and serves as the president and chairman of the United States Heartland China Association.
Christopher Samuel Bond is an American attorney, politician and former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53–47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004. On January 8, 2009, he announced that he would not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2010, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Roy Blunt on January 3, 2011. Following his retirement from the Senate, Bond became a partner at Thompson Coburn.
Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government.
Warren Eastman Hearnes was an American politician who served as the 46th governor of Missouri from 1965 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first officeholder eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms as Governor. He previously served as the Secretary of State of Missouri from 1961 to 1965.
Roger Byron Wilson is an American politician who served as the 44th lieutenant governor of Missouri from January 1993 to October 2000 and as the 52nd governor of Missouri from October 2000 to January 2001. Wilson was serving his second four-year term as lieutenant governor and was preparing to retire from elected public service when Governor Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash on October 16, 2000. Wilson first became acting governor and was sworn in as governor when Carnahan’s death was confirmed.
William Stuart Symington III was an American businessman and Democratic politician from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.
The 1976 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate. Held on November 2, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. They coincided with Democrat Jimmy Carter's presidential election and the United States Bicentennial celebration. Although almost half of the seats decided in this election changed parties, Carter's narrow victory did not provide coattails for the Democratic Party. Each party flipped seven Senate seats, although, one of the seats flipped by Democrats was previously held by a Conservative.
Jerry Lon Litton was an American politician from Missouri who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Missouri's 6th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 1976. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran for United States Senate in 1976. Litton won the Democratic primary; however, he died in a plane crash while heading to his victory party.
Joseph Patrick Teasdale was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 48th Governor of Missouri from 1977 to 1981. Teasdale was formerly a prosecutor for Jackson County, Missouri. In 1972, he made his first bid for governor, placing third in the Democratic primary, but attaining name recognition and the nickname "Walking Joe". In 1976, after initially running for U.S. Senate, Teasdale switched races and made a second bid for the Governor's office. He won the nomination and defeated incumbent Kit Bond in an upset. In 1980, Teasdale beat back a primary challenge from State Treasurer Jim Spainhower, but was defeated by Bond in a rematch. After leaving office, Teasdale returned to practicing law until his death.
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009 and as a Missouri state senator from 1987 to 1993.
Peter Dickson Kinder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2017. He was appointed as a co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority in August 2017, serving in that post until he resigned in June 2018.
James Wadsworth Symington is an American retired lawyer and politician from Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for four terms from 1969 to 1977. Prior to that, in the late 1960s, he served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.
James Spainhower was an American Democratic politician from Missouri. He served four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1963 to 1970 and two terms as the State Treasurer of Missouri from 1973 to 1981.
George Warwick Lehr was an American Democratic politician from Missouri who served as the state auditor from 1975 to 1977. He started his career when in 1963, he was appointed auditor of Jackson County, Missouri. He was later elected as the county executive, becoming the first county executive, replacing the old system of a county judge being executive. He was elected state auditor in 1974, defeating future U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Lehr resigned in 1977 to spend more time with his family, including his son who had suffered muscular dystrophy. After leaving office, he was credited with helping to clean the Teamster's pension fund. Lehr developed brain tumors and died in 1988.
The 2000 United States Senate election in Missouri was held on November 7, 2000, to select the next U.S. senator from Missouri. Incumbent Republican senator John Ashcroft lost re-election to a second term to Democratic governor Mel Carnahan despite Carnahan's death in a plane crash 20 days before Election Day. Newly inaugurated governor Roger Wilson appointed Mel Carnahan's widow Jean Carnahan to fill the seat pending a 2002 special election.
The 1980 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1980 and resulted in a victory for the Republican nominee, former Governor Kit Bond, over the Democratic candidate, incumbent Governor Joseph P. Teasdale, and Socialist Workers candidate Helen Savio.
The 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 1970 United States Senate election in Missouri took place on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Stuart Symington was re-elected to a fourth term in office over Republican John Danforth.
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