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The 1980 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers won re-election to a second term. This election was Bumpers's closest election in his senatorial career.
Elected in 1974, Dale Bumpers was a very popular Senator and was widely seen as the favorite in his 1980 re-election bid. During his time in the Senate, Bumpers was known for "bucking the conservative winds blowing across his state.". The "bucking" was most evident in 1978 when Senator Bumpers voted for the Panama Canal treaties. Bumpers had considered this issue to be the "hottest of his career" as many of his constituents opposed these treaties. [1] During this time, Bumpers had started getting a reputation of having a liberal voting record. Many observed that Bumpers's was much more liberal than his constituents. Despite this, Bumpers still had a high approval rating. The reason for this was that many Arkansans liked his personality and didn't mind his political positions. Bumpers was viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 1976 but decided against running. Many people believed that Bumpers's key vote in killing labor law reform in 1978, a vote that angered organized labor and had not been forgotten by labor leaders, discouraged him from running. [2] Between 1974 and 1980, Bumpers was not a member of any Senate committees and opposed all constitutional amendments proposed during this time. Bumpers's first term helped establish his identity as a fiscally responsible, socially liberal constitutionalist.
Only one Republican filed to run, William P. "Bill" Clark. Clark filed for the Senate race only one hour prior to the deadline.
Bumpers's opponent, William P. "Bill" Clark, had previously ran for office but was unsuccessful. Clark ran for the Democratic nomination for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district but lost to Jim Guy Tucker. In the start of the campaign, Clark accused Bumpers of being "fuzzy on the issues" and challenged Bumpers's support for gasoline rationing during the energy crisis. [3] Clark criticized Bumpers for having voted against defense appropriations twenty-three times between 1975 and 1978 and noted, "Only this year [when seeking reelection] he has voted for a couple of defense items." [4] Clark questioned Bumpers's opposition to school prayer and support for the Panama Canal Treaties of 1978. Clark further claimed that Bumpers had derided citizens of Newton County, a frequent Republican stronghold in Arkansas, as "stupid hill people". [5] During the campaign, Clark constantly asked voters, "If Dale Bumpers doesn't vote for you, why should you vote for him?" [6]
Despite Ronald Reagan winning the state in the concurring presidential election and incumbent Governor Bill Clinton losing his re-election bid, Dale Bumpers was re-elected to a second term. Bumpers lost his home county of Franklin. This is the only time Bumpers lost his home county.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dale Bumpers (Incumbent) | 477,905 | 59.09% | |
| Republican | Bill Clark | 360,576 | 40.87% | |
| Independent | Walter McCarty | 331 | 0.04% | |
| Democratic hold | ||||
Dale Leon Bumpers was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas (1971–1975) and in the United States Senate (1975–1999). He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was counsel at the Washington office of law firm Arent Fox LLP, where his clients included Riceland Foods and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
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The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
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The 1958 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which occurred in the middle of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term. Thirty-two seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections, the new state of Alaska held its first Senate elections for its Class 2 and 3 seats, and two special elections were held to fill vacancies.
The United States Senate election of 1978 in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 1978, with the incumbent Republican Senator Edward Brooke being defeated by Democratic Congressman Paul Tsongas.
The 1978 Arkansas gubernatorial election, held on November 7, was the first time that future President Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas.
Bill Clinton served as the 42nd president of the United States (1993–2001) and as the 40th and 42nd governor of Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton first ran for a public office in 1974, competing in the congressional election for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district. After narrowly losing to incumbent representative John Paul Hammerschmidt, he ran for the office of Arkansas Attorney General in 1976. He won the Democratic primary comfortably, receiving over 55% of the popular vote. Witnessing his strong support during the primaries, Republicans did not nominate a candidate to run against him. Clinton won the general election unopposed. His experience as the attorney general was considered a natural "stepping-stone" to the governorship.
The 1980 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator and former Governor of Georgia Herman Talmadge ran for reelection to a fifth term, but lost narrowly to Mack Mattingly, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Maine was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator William Hathaway ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by William Cohen, the Republican U.S. Representative from Maine's 2nd congressional district.
The 1992 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dale Bumpers won re-election to a fourth term. His Republican opponent was future Arkansas lieutenant governor, governor, and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, a church pastor from Texarkana.
The 1962 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 6, 1962. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joseph S. Clark, Jr. successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Republican nominee James E. Van Zandt.
James Ray Caldwell, known as Jim R. Caldwell, is a retired Church of Christ minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate from 1969 to 1978, the first member of his party to sit in the legislative upper chamber in the 20th century. His first two years as a senator corresponded with the second two-year term of Winthrop Rockefeller, the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. Caldwell was closely allied with Rockefeller during the 1969-1970 legislative sessions.
The 1974 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright ran for re-election to a sixth term in office, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Governor of Arkansas Dale Bumpers. Bumpers won the general election easily.
The 1954 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 2, 1954. Incumbent U.S. Senator John L. McClellan was re-elected to a third term in office, after defeating a primary challenge from former Governor of Arkansas Sid McMath.
The 1972 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1972.
