1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi

1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi
	Cochran: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%; Dantin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%; Evers: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
U.S. senator before election; James Eastland ; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator; Thad Cochran ; Republican

Last updated October 30, 2025

The 1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator James Eastland decided to retire.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Maurice Dantin, former District Attorney^[2]
Cliff Finch, Governor of Mississippi
Robert L. Robinson
Charles L. Sullivan, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
Richard C. Tedford
Bill Waller, former Governor of Mississippi
Helen M. Williams

Results

Democratic primary results^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Maurice Dantin	102,968	29.01%
	Democratic	Cliff Finch	98,751	27.83%
	Democratic	Charles L. Sullivan	78,702	22.18%
	Democratic	William L. Waller	74,465	20.98%
	Democratic	Robert L. Robinson	15,879	4.20%
	Democratic	Richard C. Tedford	4,201	1.11%
	Democratic	Helen M. Williams	2,937	0.78%
Total votes			377,903	100.00%

Runoff results

Democratic primary runoff results^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Maurice Dantin	235,904	65.35%
	Democratic	Cliff Finch	125,109	34.66%
Total votes			361,013	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

Thad Cochran, U.S. Representative from Jackson
Charles W. Pickering, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party

Results

Republican primary results^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thad Cochran	50,857	68.97%
	Republican	Charles W. Pickering	22,880	31.03%
Total votes			73,737	100%

General election

Candidates

Thad Cochran, U.S. Representative from Jackson (Republican)
Maurice Dantin, former District Attorney^[2] (Democratic)
Charles Evers, Mayor of Fayette (independent)
Henry Jay Kirksey, civil rights activist and candidate for governor in 1975^[6] (independent)

Campaign

Evers was the first African American elected since the Reconstruction era to be mayor in any Mississippi city, in 1969. He ran as an independent, and as a result his campaign divided the Democrats and allowed Cochran to win the Senate seat with a 45 percent plurality.^[7] This made Cochran the first Republican in a century to win a statewide election (other than a presidential election) in Mississippi.^[8] Eastland resigned on December 27, 1978 to give Cochran a seniority advantage over new incoming senators.^[9]

Results

Mississippi U.S. Senate Election, 1978^[10]^[11]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Republican	Thad Cochran	267,302	45.29%
Democratic	Maurice Dantin	187,541	31.77%
Independent	Charles Evers	133,646	22.64%
Independent	Henry Jay Kirksey	1,747	0.30%
Republican gain from Democratic

References

↑ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 96.
1 2 "Primary Elections In Eight States Dominated By California Tax Vote". The Ledger . The New York Times. June 6, 1978. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2015– via Google News.
↑ "MS US Senate - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
↑ "MS US Senate - D Runoff Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
↑ "MS US Senate - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
↑ Manning-Miller, Don. "Henry J. Kirksey (1915 — 2005)". Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
↑ Black, Earl; Merle Black (2003). The Rise of Southern Republicans . Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-01248-6.
↑ "Results of Elections Across the Nation". The Blade . November 7, 1978. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
↑ "Eastland Quits Early To Aid His Successor". The Blade. Associated Press. December 27, 1978. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
↑ "Our Campaigns - MS US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
↑ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.

Works cited

Moreland, Laurence; Steed, Robert; Baker, Tod, eds. (1991). The 1988 Presidential Election in the South: Continuity Amidst Change in Southern Party Politics. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0275931455.

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[FOOTNOTEMorelandSteedBaker199196-1] Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 96.

[:0-2] 1 2 "Primary Elections In Eight States Dominated By California Tax Vote". The Ledger . The New York Times. June 6, 1978. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2015– via Google News.

[3] "MS US Senate - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

[4] "MS US Senate - D Runoff Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

[5] "MS US Senate - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

[6] Manning-Miller, Don. "Henry J. Kirksey (1915 — 2005)". Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2022.

[7] Black, Earl; Merle Black (2003). The Rise of Southern Republicans . Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-01248-6.

[8] "Results of Elections Across the Nation". The Blade . November 7, 1978. Retrieved April 18, 2010.

[9] "Eastland Quits Early To Aid His Successor". The Blade. Associated Press. December 27, 1978. Retrieved April 19, 2010.

[10] "Our Campaigns - MS US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".

[11] Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.

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1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi

Contents

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

Runoff results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Campaign

Results

See also

References

Works cited