1980 United States Senate election in Alabama

Last updated

1980 United States Senate election in Alabama
Flag of Alabama.svg
  1978 (special) November 4, 1980 1986  
  JeremiahDentonSenate (cropped).jpg Jim Folsom Jr. (cropped).jpg
Nominee Jeremiah Denton Jim Folsom
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote650,363610,175
Percentage50.15%47.05%

1980 United States Senate election in Alabama results map by county.svg
County results
Denton:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Folsom:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Donald Stewart
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Jeremiah Denton
Republican

The 1980 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 4, 1980, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Donald Stewart, elected in a special election to finish the term of the seat left vacant by the death of Senator James B. Allen, decided to run for a full term, but was defeated in the primary by Jim Folsom, who lost the general election to Republican Jeremiah Denton.

Contents

Denton was the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since the end of Reconstruction in 1879 and the first Republican elected since the passage of the 17th Amendment requiring the direct election of senators. He would lose reelection in 1986 to Democratic nominee Richard Shelby, who later joined the Republican Party in 1994. [1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

1980 Democratic U.S. Senate primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Donald Stewart (incumbent)222,54048.63%
Democratic Jim Folsom Jr. 163,19635.67%
Democratic Finis St. John51,26011.20%
Democratic Margaret E. Stewart20,5824.50%
Total votes457,578 100.00%

Runoff results

1980 Democratic U.S. Senate primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Jim Folsom Jr. 204,186 50.60%
Democratic Donald Stewart (incumbent)199,36549.40%
Total votes403,551 100.00%


Republican primary

Candidates

Results

1980 Democratic U.S. Senate primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jeremiah Denton 73,708 63.80%
Republican Armistead I. Selden Jr. 41,82536.20%
Total votes115,533 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

1980 United States Senate election in Alabama [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Jeremiah Denton 650,362 50.15%
Democratic Jim Folsom 610,17547.05%
Conservative Michael R. A. Erdey15,9891.23%
Libertarian William A. Crew13,0981.01%
NDPA Sallie M. Hadnott 2,9730.23%
Statesman PartyJim Partain2,6490.20%
Socialist Workers Mohammed Oliver1,5110.12%
Majority40,1873.10%
Turnout 1,296,757
Republican gain from Democratic

See also

References

  1. Wayne, Stephen (2008). Parties and Elections in America: The Electoral Process Fifth Edition. Rowman & Littlefield.
  2. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1981). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 4, 1980" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.