1978 United States Senate election in Kansas

Last updated

1978 United States Senate election in Kansas
Flag of Kansas.svg
  1972 November 7, 1978 1984  
  Nancy Kassebaum.jpg William R. Roy.jpg
Nominee Nancy Kassebaum Bill Roy
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote403,354317,602
Percentage53.86%42.41%

1978 United States Senate election in Kansas results map by county.svg
County results
Kassebaum:     40-50%     50-60%     60-70%     70-80%
Roy:     40–50%     50–60%

U.S. senator before election

James B. Pearson
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Nancy Kassebaum
Republican

The 1978 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator James B. Pearson did not run for re-election to a third full term.

Contents

Nancy Landon Kassebaum, the daughter of former Governor Alf Landon, won the election, defeating a large field of Republican candidates in the primary and Democratic former U.S. Representative Bill Roy in the general election.

Roy lost by a much smaller margin four years earlier against Kansas' other U.S. Senator, Bob Dole.

Kassebaum became the first woman elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress. In fact, at the time of the election, she was separated from her husband John Philip Kassebaum. Their divorce was finalized in 1979, making Kassebaum the first single divorcée to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

1978 Republican Senate primary [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Nancy Landon Kassebaum 67,324 30.58%
Republican Wayne Angell 54,16124.60%
Republican Sam Hardage30,24813.74%
Republican Jan Meyers 20,9339.51%
Republican Deryl K. Schuster18,5688.44%
Republican Norman Gaar14,5026.59%
Republican Ken Henderson8,8264.01%
Republican Bill Gibbs3,1231.42%
Republican L. C. Fitzjarrell2,4571.12%
Total votes220,142 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

1978 Democratic Senate primary [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Bill Roy 100,508 76.68%
Democratic Dorothy K. White13,86510.58%
Democratic James R. Maher11,5568.82%
Democratic Roland W. Preboth5,1383.92%
Total votes131,067 100.00%

Though he was defeated in the Democratic primary, James Maher ran in the general election as the nominee of the Conservative Party.

General election

Results

General election results [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Nancy Kassebaum 403,354 53.86% Decrease2.svg17.56
Democratic Bill Roy 317,60242.41%Increase2.svg19.38
ConservativeJames R. Maher22,4973.00%Decrease2.svg1.07
Prohibition Russell Mikels5,3860.72%Decrease2.svg0.76
Total votes748,839 100.00%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alf Landon</span> American politician (1887–1987)

Alfred Mossman Landon was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential election, and was defeated in a landslide by incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Kassebaum</span> American politician (born 1932)

Nancy Kassebaum Baker is an American politician who represented the State of Kansas in the United States Senate from 1978 to 1997. She is the daughter of Alf Landon, who was Governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937 and the 1936 Republican nominee for president, and the widow of former Senator and diplomat Howard Baker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 United States Senate elections</span>

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. Thirteen seats changed hands between parties, resulting in a net gain of three seats for the Republicans. Democrats nevertheless retained a 58–41 majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas Republican Party</span> Kansas affiliate of the Republican Party

The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2004 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback won re-election to a second term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2010 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 2, 2010, 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 Republican U.S. Senator Sam Brownback did not seek a third term, but instead successfully ran for Governor of Kansas. Republican nominee Jerry Moran won the open seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Schodorf</span> American politician

Jean Kurtis Schodorf, a former three-term Republican Kansas state senator, was the Democratic Party nominee for Kansas Secretary of State in 2014. She was defeated on November 4, 2014 by incumbent Kris Kobach by a margin of 59%-41%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1990 United States Senate election in Kansas was held November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum was re-elected for a third full term.

William "Bill" Kassebaum is an American Republican politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2014 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Kansas gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Kansas

The 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Kansas, concurrently with the election of Kansas' Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Kansas, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Kansas gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Kansas

The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Kansas. Democratic nominee Laura Kelly won the election, defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach and independent candidate Greg Orman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 United States Senate special election in Kansas</span>

The 1962 United States Senate special election in Kansas took place on November 6, 1962, to elect a U.S. Senator to complete the unexpired term of Senator Andrew Frank Schoeppel, who died on January 21, 1962. Former State Senator James B. Pearson was appointed on January 31, 1962, by Governor John Anderson Jr. to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 United States Senate election in Kansas</span>

The 1962 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 6, 1962. Incumbent Republican Senator Frank Carlson was re-elected to a third term in office over Democratic nominee Ken Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1966 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 8, 1966, concurrently with 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1974 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Dole was narrowly re-elected to a second term in office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1980 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Dole was re-elected to his third term in office, after briefly campaigning for President earlier that year. He defeated Democrat John Simpson, who had previously served in the Kansas State Senate as a Republican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1984 United States Senate election in Kansas</span> US election

The 1984 United States Senate election in Kansas was held on November 6, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Kansas was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Kansas, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

References

  1. "Our Campaigns - KS US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 01, 1978".
  2. "Our Campaigns - KS US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 01, 1978".
  3. "Our Campaigns - IA US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
  4. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.