1978 United States Senate election in Delaware

1978 United States Senate election in Delaware

←  1972 November 7, 1978 1984  →

Nominee Joe Biden James H. Baxter Jr. Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 93,930 66,479 Percentage 57.96% 41.02%

Biden:     50–60%

U.S. senator before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Joe Biden Democratic

The 1978 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic senator Joe Biden won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican challenger James H. Baxter Jr. in a landslide victory. This is the first of five elections in which Biden won all counties.

Republican primary

The Republican Party primary was held on September 9, 1978. Venema was previously an independent before declaring himself a candidate in March 1978. Candidates Venema and Baxter were described by The Washington Post as being "two think-alike Reagan conservatives" but differed in terms of background and "personal style". ^[1]

Candidates

• James H. Baxter Jr., Sussex County Recorder of Deeds ^[2]
• James Allyn Venema, cardboard sign manufacturer, ^[1] anti-desegregation busing activist, president of the Positive Action Committee and the National Association of Neighborhood Schools ^{[3] [4]}

Results

Republican primary results ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James H. Baxter Jr.	12,107	53.74%
	Republican	James Allyn Venema [3]	10,422	46.26%
Total votes			22,662	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• James H. Baxter Jr. (R), Sussex County Recorder of Deeds ^[2]
• Joe Biden (D), incumbent Delaware Senator running for his first reelection
• Donald G. Gies (A), officer in the US Air Force Reserve ^{[6] [7]}

Results

General election results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (incumbent)	93,930	57.96%	+7.48%
	Republican	James H. Baxter Jr.	66,479	41.02%	−8.08%
	American	Donald G. Gies	1,663	1.02%	+0.68%
Majority			27,451	16.94%	+15.56%
Turnout			162,072
	Democratic hold		Swing

County results

County [9] [10]	Joseph R. Biden Jr. Democratic		James H. Baxter Jr. Republican		Donald G. Gies American		Total votes cast
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Kent	12,860	59.95%	8,485	39.95%	107	0.5%	21,452
New Castle	66,256	58.87%	44,834	39.84%	1,449	1.29%	112,539
Sussex	14,814	52.75%	13,160	46.86%	107	0.38%	28,081
Total	93,930	57.96%	66,479	41.02%	1,663	1.03%	162,072

See also

• 1978 United States Senate elections

References

1. Edmonds, Rick (September 9, 1978). "Conservative Rivals Face Delaware Vote". The Washington Post (Digital). Retrieved February 9, 2023.
2. "James H. Baxter Jr., farmer, politician". Cape Gazette . August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
3. "James Allyn Venema". Legacy.com. delawareonline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
4. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - James E. Venema". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
5. "Our Campaigns - DE US Senate- R Primary Race - Sep 09, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
6. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Donald G. Gies". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
7. "DONALD GIES". Legacy.com. May 21, 2008. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
8. "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
9. Wrightson, Lewis. STATE OF DELAWARE: Official Results of General Election (PDF). p. 12.
10. "Our Campaigns - DE US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.