1972 United States Senate elections

1972 United States Senate elections

← 1970 November 7, 1972 1974 →
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield Hugh Scott Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1961 September 24, 1969 Leader's seat Montana Pennsylvania Seats before 54 44 Seats after 56 42 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 17,199,567 19,821,203 Percentage 45.5% 52.4% Seats up 14 19 Races won 16 17   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Conservative Seats before 1 1 Seats after 1[1] 1 Seat change Seats up 0 0 Races won 0 0
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield Democratic

The 1972 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections. They coincided with the landslide re-election of Republican President Richard Nixon. Despite Nixon's landslide victory, Democrats increased their majority by two seats. The Democrats picked up open seats in Kentucky and South Dakota, and defeated four incumbent senators: Gordon Allott of Colorado, J. Caleb Boggs of Delaware, Jack Miller of Iowa, and Margaret Chase Smith of Maine. The Republicans picked up open seats in New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, and defeated one incumbent, William B. Spong Jr. of Virginia.

After the elections, Democrats held 56 seats, and Republicans held 42 seats, with 1 Conservative and 1 independent senator in the chamber as well. These were the first elections in which all citizens at least 18 years of age (instead of 21, and older) could vote, due to the 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment.

As of 2024, this is the last time in which a Republican won a Senate election in New Jersey. Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States (2021–present) and 47th vice president (2009–2017), first won election to the United States Senate, defeating J. Caleb Boggs in the election in Delaware.

↓

56	1	1	42
Democratic	I	C	Republican

Parties							Total
		Democratic	Republican	Conservative	Independent	Other
Last elections (1970) Before these elections		54	44	1	1	0	100
Not up		40	25	1	1	—	67
Up Class 2 (1966→1972)		14	19	0	0	—	33
Incumbent retired		3	3	—	—	—	6
	Held by same party	1	1	—	—	—	2
	Replaced by other party	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	—	4
	Result	3	3	0	0	0	6
Incumbent ran		11	16	—	—	—	27
	Won re-election	8	12	—	—	—	20
	Lost re-election	4 Republicans replaced by 4 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	5
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	1	0	—	—	—	1
	Lost renomination, and party lost	1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	1
	Result	13	14	0	0	0	27
Total elected		16	17	0	0	0	33
Net gain/loss		2	2				2
Nationwide vote		17,199,567	19,821,203	42,348	318,238	427,742	37,809,098
	Share	45.49%	52.42%	0.11%	0.84%	1.13%	100%
Result		56	42	1	1	0	100

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved November 22, 2020.

Three Republicans and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Idaho	Leonard B. Jordan	James A. McClure
Kentucky	John Sherman Cooper	Walter Dee Huddleston
Louisiana	Elaine Edwards	J. Bennett Johnston
New Mexico	Clinton Anderson	Pete Domenici
Oklahoma	Fred R. Harris	Dewey F. Bartlett
South Dakota	Karl Mundt	James Abourezk

Four Republicans and three Democrats sought re-election but lost in the primary or general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Colorado	Gordon Allott	Floyd Haskell
Delaware	J. Caleb Boggs	Joe Biden
Georgia	David H. Gambrell	Sam Nunn
Iowa	Jack Miller	Dick Clark
Maine	Margaret Chase Smith	William Hathaway
North Carolina	B. Everett Jordan	Jesse Helms
Virginia	William Spong Jr.	William L. Scott

State	Senator	Replaced by
Ohio (Class 3)	William B. Saxbe	Howard Metzenbaum

After the January 7, 1972, Vermont special election.

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40	D39	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Ala. Ran	D42 Ark. Ran	D43 Ga. (sp) Ga. (reg) Ran	D44 La. Retired	D45 Minn. Ran	D46 Miss. Ran	D47 Mont. Ran	D48 N.H. Ran	D49 N.M. Ran	D50 N.C. Ran
Majority →									D51 Okla. Ran
R41 S.D. Ran	R42 Tenn. Ran	R43 Texas Retired	R44 Wyo. Ran	C1	I1	D54 W.Va. Ran	D53 Va. Ran	D52 R.I. Ran
R40 S.C. Ran	R39 Ore. Ran	R38 N.J. Ran	R37 Neb. Ran	R36 Mich. Ran	R35 Mass. Ran	R34 Maine Ran	R33 Ky. Retired	R32 Kan. Ran	R31 Iowa Ran
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26 Alaska Ran	R27 Colo. Ran	R28 Del. Ran	R29 Idaho Ran	R30 Ill. Ran
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40	D39	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Ala. Re-elected	D42 Ark. Re-elected	D43 Ga. (sp) Ga. (reg) Hold	D44 La. Hold	D45 Minn. Re-elected	D46 Miss. Re-elected	D47 Mont. Re-elected	D48 N.H. Re-elected	D49 R.I. Re-elected	D50 W.Va. Re-elected
Majority →									D51 Colo. Gain
R41 Okla. Gain	R42 Va. Gain	C1	I1	D56 S.D. Gain	D55 Maine Gain	D54 Ky. Gain	D53 Iowa Gain	D52 Del. Gain
R40 N.C. Gain	R39 N.M. Gain	R38 Wyo. Re-elected	R37 Texas Re-elected	R36 Tenn. Re-elected	R35 S.C. Re-elected	R34 Ore. Re-elected	R33 N.J. Re-elected	R32 Neb. Re-elected	R31 Mich. Re-elected
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26 Alaska Re-elected	R27 Idaho Hold	R28 Ill. Re-elected	R29 Kan. Re-elected	R30 Mass. Re-elected
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Key:	C# Conservative D# Democratic R# Republican I# Independent

In these special elections, the winner was seated during 1972 or before January 3, 1973; ordered by election date, then state.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Vermont (Class 1)	Robert Stafford	Republican	1971 (Appointed)	Interim appointee elected January 7, 1972.	▌Y Robert Stafford (Republican) 64.4% ▌Randolph T. Major (Democratic) 33.4% ▌Bernie Sanders (Liberty Union) 2.2%[2]
Georgia (Class 2)	David H. Gambrell	Democratic	1971 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected November 7, 1972. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to the next term, see below.	▌Y Sam Nunn (Democratic) 52.0% ▌Fletcher Thompson (Republican) 46.5% ▌Alice Conner (Independent) 1.0% ▌George Schmidt (Independent) 0.5%[3]

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1973; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	John Sparkman	Democratic	1946 (special) 1948 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Sparkman (Democratic) 62.3% ▌Winton M. Blount (Republican) 33.1% ▌John L. LeFlore (National Democratic) 3.0% ▌Jerome Couch (Prohibition) 1.0% ▌Herbert Stone (Conservative) 0.6%
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Republican	1968 (Appointed) 1970 (special)	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Stevens (Republican) 77.3% ▌Gene Guess (Democratic) 22.7%
Arkansas	John L. McClellan	Democratic	1942 1948 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John L. McClellan (Democratic) 60.8% ▌Wayne H. Babbitt (Republican) 39.1%
Colorado	Gordon Allott	Republican	1954 1960 1966	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Floyd Haskell (Democratic) 49.4% ▌Gordon Allott (Republican) 48.4% ▌Secundion Salazar (Raza Unida) 1.4% ▌Henry Olshaw (American) 0.8%
Delaware	J. Caleb Boggs	Republican	1960 1966	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Joe Biden (Democratic) 50.5% ▌J. Caleb Boggs (Republican) 49.1%
Georgia	David H. Gambrell	Democratic	1971 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost nomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to finish the term, see above.	▌Y Sam Nunn (Democratic) 54.0% ▌Fletcher Thompson (Republican) 46.0%[3]
Idaho	Leonard B. Jordan	Republican	1962 (Appointed) 1962 (special) 1966	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	▌Y James A. McClure (Republican) 52.3% ▌William E. Davis (Democratic) 45.5%
Illinois	Charles H. Percy	Republican	1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Charles H. Percy (Republican) 62.2% ▌Roman Pucinski (Democratic) 37.4%
Iowa	Jack Miller	Republican	1960 1966	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Dick Clark (Democratic) 55.1% ▌Jack Miller (Republican) 44.1%
Kansas	James B. Pearson	Republican	1962 (Appointed) 1962 (special) 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James B. Pearson (Republican) 71.4% ▌Arch Tetzlaff (Democratic) 23.0%
Kentucky	John Sherman Cooper	Republican	1946 (special) 1948 (Lost) 1952 (special) 1954 (Lost) 1956 (special) 1960 1966	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y Walter Dee Huddleston (Democratic) 50.9% ▌Louie Nunn (Republican) 47.6%
Louisiana	Elaine Edwards	Democratic	1972 (Appointed)	Interim appointee retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold. Interim appointee resigned November 13, 1972, to give successor preferential seniority. Winner appointed November 14, 1972.	▌Y J. Bennett Johnston (Democratic) 55.2% ▌John McKeithen (Independent) 23.1% ▌Ben Toledano (Republican) 16.1% ▌Hall M. Lyons (American) 2.7%
Maine	Margaret Chase Smith	Republican	1948 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y William Hathaway (Democratic) 53.2% ▌Margaret Chase Smith (Republican) 46.8%
Massachusetts	Edward Brooke	Republican	1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Edward Brooke (Republican) 63.5% ▌John J. Droney (Democratic) 34.7% ▌Donald Gurewitz (Socialist Workers) 1.7%
Michigan	Robert P. Griffin	Republican	1966 (Appointed) 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert P. Griffin (Republican) 52.3% ▌Frank J. Kelley (Democratic) 46.3%
Minnesota	Walter Mondale	DFL	1964 (Appointed) 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Walter Mondale (DFL) 56.7% ▌Phil Hansen (Republican) 42.9%
Mississippi	James Eastland	Democratic	1942 1948 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y James Eastland (Democratic) 58.1% ▌Gil Carmichael (Republican) 38.7%
Montana	Lee Metcalf	Democratic	1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Lee Metcalf (Democratic) 52.0% ▌Henry S. Hibbard (Republican) 48.1%
Nebraska	Carl Curtis	Republican	1954 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Carl Curtis (Republican) 53.1% ▌Terry Carpenter (Democratic) 46.8%
New Hampshire	Thomas J. McIntyre	Democratic	1962 (special) 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thomas J. McIntyre (Democratic) 56.9% ▌Wesley Powell (Republican) 43.1%
New Jersey	Clifford P. Case	Republican	1954 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Clifford P. Case (Republican) 62.5% ▌Paul J. Krebs (Democratic) 34.5%
New Mexico	Clinton Anderson	Democratic	1948 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Pete Domenici (Republican) 54.0% ▌Jack Daniels (Democratic) 46.0%
North Carolina	B. Everett Jordan	Democratic	1958 (Appointed) 1958 (special) 1960 1966	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Jesse Helms (Republican) 54.0% ▌Nick Galifianakis (Democratic) 46.0%
Oklahoma	Fred R. Harris	Democratic	1964 (special) 1966	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y Dewey F. Bartlett (Republican) 51.4% ▌Ed Edmondson (Democratic) 47.6%
Oregon	Mark Hatfield	Republican	1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mark Hatfield (Republican) 53.7% ▌Wayne Morse (Democratic) 46.2%
Rhode Island	Claiborne Pell	Democratic	1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Claiborne Pell (Democratic) 53.7% ▌John Chafee (Republican) 45.7%
South Carolina	Strom Thurmond	Republican	1954 (write-in)[a] 1954 (Appointed) 1956 (Resigned) 1956 (special) 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Strom Thurmond (Republican) 63.3% ▌Eugene N. Zeigler (Democratic) 36.7%
South Dakota	Karl Mundt	Republican	1948 1948 (Appointed) 1954 1960 1966	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	▌Y James Abourezk (Democratic) 57.0% ▌Robert W. Hirsch (Republican) 42.9%
Tennessee	Howard Baker	Republican	1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Howard Baker (Republican) 61.6% ▌Ray Blanton (Democratic) 37.9%
Texas	John Tower	Republican	1961 (special) 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Tower (Republican) 53.4% ▌Barefoot Sanders (Democratic) 44.3%
Virginia	William Spong Jr.	Democratic	1966	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	▌Y William L. Scott (Republican) 51.5% ▌William Spong Jr. (Democratic) 46.1%
West Virginia	Jennings Randolph	Democratic	1958 (special) 1960 1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jennings Randolph (Democratic) 66.5% ▌Louise Leonard (Republican) 33.6%
Wyoming	Clifford Hansen	Republican	1966	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Clifford Hansen (Republican) 71.3% ▌Mike Vinich (Democratic) 28.7%

Seventeen races had a margin of victory under 10%:

State	Party of winner	Margin
Colorado	Democratic (flip)	1.0%
Delaware	Democratic (flip)	1.4%
Kentucky	Democratic (flip)	3.3%
Oklahoma	Republican (flip)	3.8%
Montana	Democratic	3.9%
Virginia	Republican (flip)	5.4%
Georgia (special)	Democratic	5.5%
Michigan	Republican	6.0%
Nebraska	Republican	6.3%
Maine	Democratic (flip)	6.4%
Idaho	Republican	6.8%
Oregon	Republican	7.5%
Georgia	Democratic	7.95%[b]
Rhode Island	Democratic	8.0%
New Mexico	Republican (flip)	8.0%
North Carolina	Republican (flip)	8.0%
Texas	Republican	9.1%

Alabama election

← 1966 1978 →

Nominee John Sparkman Winton Blount Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 654,491 347,523 Percentage 62.27% 33.06%

County results Sparkman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Blount:      50–60% LeFlore:      40–50%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sparkman Democratic

In 1946, John H. Bankhead II suffered a stroke during a U.S. Senate hearing and died three weeks later. John Sparkman, who had served as U.S. Representative since 1937 and was House Majority Whip, secured the endorsements of party leaders and ran unopposed to win the remainder of Bankhead's term. Sparkman was then re-elected in 1948, 1954, 1960, and 1966 all by wide margins. At the time, the Democratic Party was dominant in Alabama; winning the Democratic primary virtually guaranteed a general election victory. Until 1966, Sparkman never faced an opponent in the general election who garnered more than 30% of the vote. Sparkman also served as the running mate of Adlai Stevenson II in an unsuccessful 1952 presidential campaign.

However, in 1966, the Democratic Party began to feel the backlash of Civil rights legislation in the South, and Sparkman faced his closest political contest to date. He defeated John Grenier with just 60% of the vote. Richard Nixon's election in 1968 also helped Republicans gain recognition in Alabama. In 1972, Sparkman faced Winton M. Blount, who was serving as Postmaster General.^[4]

Sparkman ultimately increased his vote share in a lopsided victory over Blount, who won just two counties, Houston county and, fittingly, the phonetically similar Winston county. This would be Sparkman's final term as U.S. senator. He retired in 1979 and was succeeded by Howell Heflin.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Alabama^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (Incumbent)	654,491	62.27
	Republican	Winton M. Blount	347,523	33.06
	National Democratic (Ala.)	John L. LeFlore	31,421	2.99
	Prohibition	Jerome B. Couch	10,826	1.03
	Conservative	Herbert W. Stone	6,838	0.65
Majority			306,968	29.21
Turnout			1,051,099
	Democratic hold

Alaska election

← 1970 (special) 1978 →

Nominee Ted Stevens Gene Guess Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 74,216 21,791 Percentage 77.30% 22.70%

Results by state house district Stevens:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Ted Stevens Republican Elected U.S. Senator Ted Stevens Republican

Republican Ted Stevens was originally elected to the U.S. Senate in 1970, succeeding Democrat Bob Bartlett. He won election to the remainder of Barlett's term with nearly 60% of the vote.

In 1972, he faced Democrat Gene Guess in the general election. Stevens won re-election in a landslide even as Democrat Mike Gravel served as the state's other senator. On election day, Stevens won re-election to a second term (his first full term) against Guess, 77–23%. Stevens would be re-elected in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996, and 2002 with at least 66% of the vote before losing re-election in 2008 amid criminal charges.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Alaska^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ted Stevens (Incumbent)	74,216	77.30
	Democratic	Gene Guess	21,791	22.70
Majority			52,425	54.60
Turnout			96,007
	Republican hold

Arkansas election

← 1966 1978 →

Nominee John L. McClellan Wayne Babbitt Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 386,398 248,238 Percentage 60.89% 39.12%

County results McClellan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Babbitt:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election John L. McClellan Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John L. McClellan Democratic

Incumbent Democrat John Little McClellan was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Arkansas^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Little McClellan (Incumbent)	386,398	60.88
	Republican	Wayne H. Babbitt	248,238	39.12
Majority			138,160	21.76
Turnout			634,636
	Democratic hold

Colorado election

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Floyd Haskell Gordon Allott Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 457,545 447,957 Percentage 49.41% 48.37%

County results Haskell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Allott:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Gordon Allott Republican Elected U.S. Senator Floyd Haskell Democratic

Incumbent Republican Gordon Allott was defeated by Floyd K. Haskell.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Colorado^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Floyd K. Haskell	457,545	49.41
	Republican	Gordon L. Allott (Incumbent)	447,957	48.37
	Raza Unida	Secundion 'Sal' Salazar	13,228	1.43
	American	Henry Olshaw	7,353	0.79
Majority			9,588	1.04
Turnout			926,083
	Democratic gain from Republican

Delaware election

← 1966 1978 →

Nominee Joe Biden J. Caleb Boggs Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 116,006 112,844 Percentage 50.5% 49.1%

County results State House district results Map key Biden:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Boggs:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election J. Caleb Boggs Republican Elected U.S. senator Joe Biden Democratic

Incumbent Republican J. Caleb Boggs, running for a third term, faced off against future President Joe Biden, then a New Castle County Councilman. Though Boggs was expected to easily win a third term over the then-unknown Biden, it ended up being the closest Senate election in 1972, and Biden narrowly beat out Boggs by a little over three thousand votes, winning what would be his first of seven terms.

Boggs, a longtime Delaware political figure, was considering retirement which would likely have led to a primary campaign between two Republicans, U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell Jr. To avoid the anticipated divisive primary fight, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon helped convince Boggs to run again with full party support.

No other Democrat wanted to run against Boggs besides Biden.^[6] Biden's campaign had virtually no money and was given no chance of winning.^[7] It was managed by his sister Valerie Biden Owens (who would go on to manage his future campaigns as well) and staffed by other members of his family, and relied upon handed-out newsprint position papers.^[8] Biden did receive some assistance from the AFL–CIO and Democratic pollster Patrick Caddell.^[6] Biden's campaign issues focused on withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, mass transit, more equitable taxation, health care, the public's dissatisfaction with politics-as-usual, and "change".^[6][8]

During the summer Biden trailed by almost 30 percentage points,^[6] but his energetic campaign, his attractive young family, and his ability to connect with voters' emotions gave the surging Biden an advantage over the ready-to-retire Boggs.^[9] Biden won the November 7, 1972, election in an upset by a margin of 3,162 votes.^[8]

At the time of the election Biden was a little less than 30 years old; age 30 is a constitutional requirement for the U.S. Senate, and he reached that on November 20, in time for the Senate term beginning January 3. After his election he became the sixth-youngest senator in history.^[10]

1972 U.S. Senate election in Delaware^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Biden	116,006	50.48	+9.59%
	Republican	J. Caleb Boggs (Incumbent)	112,844	49.10	−10.02%
	American	Henry Majka	803	0.35
	Prohibition	Herbert B. Wood	175	0.07
Majority			3,162	1.38	−16.86%
Turnout			229,828
	Democratic gain from Republican

Seven-term Democrat Richard Russell Jr. had served as U.S. senator since 1933, but he died January 21, 1971, while serving as President pro tempore. Russell supported segregation in the South and opposed Civil Rights legislation as was common among Southern Democrats of the time. Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter appointed Democrat David H. Gambrell, the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party as interim senator, pending a special election.

Georgia special election

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Sam Nunn Fletcher Thompson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 404,890 362,501 Percentage 51.98% 46.54%

Nunn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Thompson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% No Vote:

U.S. senator before election David H. Gambrell Democratic Elected U.S. senator Sam Nunn Democratic

Sam Nunn, a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, won both the special and the regular elections. Nunn beat Gambrell in the August 29 special and regular primary run-off elections^[11] despite trailing Gambrell initially 31-23% in the first round of voting.

In the special election to fill the remainder of Russell's term, Nunn faced Republican congressman Fletcher Thompson. Nunn's campaign was noted to be more organized than was Thompson's. Nunn had support from numerous prominent Georgia Democrats, including Gambrell and Carter. Thompson's campaign was "almost literally a one-man effort", and he started the race with almost no footprint outside of his own district.^[12] Thompson was endorsed by Barry Goldwater, James L. Buckley, and Spiro Agnew.^[13]

On the day of the special election, Nunn defeated Thompson 52-47%. Though Thompson performed well in the Atlanta metro area, Nunn swept most rural counties en route to a victory.

Georgia special election^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Nunn	404,890	51.98
	Republican	Fletcher Thompson	362,501	46.54
	Independent	Alice Conner	7,587	0.97
	Independent	George E. Schmidt	3,932	0.51
Majority			42,389	7.94
Turnout				25.69%
	Democratic hold

Georgia regular election

← 1966 1978 →

Nominee Sam Nunn Fletcher Thompson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 636,060 542,291 Percentage 53.96% 46.01%

Nunn:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Thompson:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election David H. Gambrell Democratic Elected U.S. senator Sam Nunn Democratic

In the general election held later that year, Nunn again defeated Thompson this time by almost 8 percentage points. Nonetheless, this marked a turning point in Georgia electoral politics: Nunn became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Georgia despite losing the white vote.^[12] Nunn also proved to be more moderate than his predecessor Russell, voting in favor of abortion rights, gun control, affirmative action, and environmental regulations.

Nunn would be re-elected in 1978, 1984, and 1990 before retiring in 1997. This was the last time he won less than 79% of the vote in a U.S. Senate election. In 1996, he was succeeded by Democrat Max Cleland.

Georgia regular election^[5][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Nunn	635,970	53.96
	Republican	Fletcher Thompson	542,331	46.01
	None	Write-Ins	407	0.03
Majority			93,639	7.94
Turnout			1,178,708	25.69%
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in Idaho

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee James McClure Bud Davis Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 161,804 140,915 Percentage 52.26% 45.52%

County results McClure:      50–60%      60–70% Davis:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Leonard B. Jordan Republican Elected U.S. Senator James McClure Republican

The incumbent Republican Leonard B. Jordan retired, and was succeeded by James A. McClure.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Idaho^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James A. McClure	161,804	52.26
	Democratic	William E. Davis	140,913	45.51
	American	Jean L. Stoddard	6,885	2.22
Majority			20,891	6.75
Turnout			309,602
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
Turnout	51.24%
Nominee Charles Percy Roman Pucinski Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,867,078 1,721,031 Percentage 62.21% 37.35%
County Results Percy:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%
U.S. senator before election Charles H. Percy Republican Elected U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy Republican

Incumbent Republican Charles H. Percy sought re-election. Percy was opposed by: Democratic nominee Roman Pucinski, a Congressman from Illinois's 11th congressional district, Edward C. Gross (SL) and Arnold Becchetti (C). Percy handily won a second term.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Illinois^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Charles H. Percy (Incumbent)	2,867,078	61.21	+7.27%
	Democratic	Roman Pucinski	1,721,031	37.35	−6.55%
	Socialist Labor	Edward C. Gross	13,384	0.29
	Communist	Arnold Becchetti	6,103	0.13
	Write-in		784	0.02
Majority			1,146,047	24.87	+13.82%
Turnout			3,822,724
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Iowa

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Dick Clark Jack Miller Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 662,637 530,525 Percentage 55.07% 44.09%

County results Clark:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Miller:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Jack Miller Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dick Clark Democratic

The incumbent Republican Jack Miller was defeated by Dick Clark.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Iowa^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dick Clark	662,637	55.07
	Republican	Jack Miller (Incumbent)	530,525	44.09
	American	William A. Rocap Jr.	8,954	0.74
	By Petition	Fred Richard Benton	1,203	0.10
	None	Scattering	14	0.00
Majority			132,112	10.98
Turnout			1,203,333
	Democratic gain from Republican

1972 United States Senate election in Kansas

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee James B. Pearson Archibald O. Tetzlaff Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 622,591 200,764 Percentage 71.42% 23.03%

County results Pearson:      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%

U.S. senator before election James B. Pearson Republican Elected U.S. Senator James B. Pearson Republican

The incumbent Republican James B. Pearson was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Kansas^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James B. Pearson (Incumbent)	622,591	71.42
	Democratic	Archibald O. Tetzlaff	200,764	23.03
	Conservative	Gene F. Miller	35,510	4.07
	Prohibition	Howard Hadin	12,857	1.47
Majority			421,827	48.39
Turnout			871,722
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Kentucky

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Walter Huddleston Louie Nunn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 528,550 494,337 Percentage 50.93% 47.63%

County results Huddleston:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Nunn:      50-60%      60-70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election John Sherman Cooper Republican Elected U.S. Senator Walter Huddleston Democratic

The incumbent Republican John Sherman Cooper retired, and was succeeded by Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Walter D. Huddleston	528,550	50.93
	Republican	Louie B. Nunn	494,337	47.63
	American	Helen Breeden	8,707	0.84
	Populist	William E. Bartley Jr.	6,267	0.60
Majority			34,223	3.30
Turnout			1,037,861
	Democratic gain from Republican

In the midst of his campaign for a seventh term, Allen J. Ellender, the President Pro Tempore and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, suffered a fatal heart attack on July 27, 23 days prior to the Democratic primary. Ellender, first elected in 1936 as the permanent successor to the assassinated Huey P. Long, was slated to face former state senator and 1971 gubernatorial candidate J. Bennett Johnston and minor candidate Frank Allen in the primary.

Governor Edwin Washington Edwards, who defeated Johnston by less than 4,500 votes in the 1971 Democratic runoff, nominated his wife, Elaine Edwards, to fill the remainder of Ellender's term, with the agreement Mrs. Edwards would resign immediately following the general election to allow the winner to gain seniority over other new senators.

On the same day as Edwards' inauguration on Capitol Hill, the Louisiana Democratic Party rejected a challenge by former Governor John McKeithen to reopen qualifying following Ellender's death, ordering the primary to be held August 19 as scheduled, ignoring an opinion to the contrary by Louisiana Attorney General William J. Guste Jr. Ellender's name was not removed from the ballot and he received 10 percent of the primary vote as a tribute. McKeithen, whose eight-year gubernatorial tenure ended May 9, 1972, ran as an independent with support of the Ellender family, incensed by Johnston's primary challenge.

Johnston easily won the Democratic primary, nullifying the need for a September 30 runoff. In the general election, the Shreveport native trounced McKeithen by 32 points to win the first of his four terms. He was sworn in on November 13, 1972.

Louisiana election

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee J. Bennett Johnston John McKeithen Ben Toledano Party Democratic Independent Republican Popular vote 598,987 250,161 206,846 Percentage 55.21% 23.06% 19.07%

Parish Results Johnston:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% McKeithen:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Elaine Edwards Democratic Elected U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston Democratic

1972 U.S. Senate election in Louisiana^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Bennett Johnston	598,987	55.21
	Independent	John McKeithen	250,161	23.06
	Republican	Ben C. Toledano	206,846	19.07
	American	Hall M. Lyons	28,910	2.66
Majority			348,826	32.15
Turnout			1,084,904
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in Maine

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee William Hathaway Margaret Chase Smith Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 224,270 197,040 Percentage 53.2% 46.8%

County Results Hathaway:      50–60%      60–70% Smith:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Margaret Chase Smith Republican Elected U.S. Senator William Hathaway Democratic

Incumbent Republican Margaret Chase Smith ran for re-election to a fifth term, but was defeated by Democrat William Hathaway, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd congressional district.

General election results^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Hathaway	224,270	53.23
	Republican	Margaret Chase Smith (Incumbent)	197,040	46.77
Majority			27,230	6.46
Turnout			421,310
	Democratic gain from Republican

Massachusetts election

← 1966 1978 →

Nominee Edward Brooke John J. Droney Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,505,932 823,278 Percentage 63.53% 34.73%

County results Municipality results Brooke   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Droney   40–50%   50–60%

U.S. senator before election Edward Brooke Republican Elected U.S. senator Edward Brooke Republican

Incumbent Republican Edward Brooke, first elected in 1966 as the first African-American elected to the Senate by popular vote,^[17] defeated his challengers, among them: John J. Droney, the Middlesex County District Attorney.^[18]

Democratic Primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John J. Droney	215,523	45.05
	Democratic	Gerald O'Leary	169,876	35.51
	Democratic	John P. Lynch	92,979	19.43

General election^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Edward Brooke (Incumbent)	1,505,932	63.53
	Democratic	John J. Droney	823,278	34.73
	Socialist Workers	Donald Gurewitz	41,369	1.75
	None	Scattering	97	0.00
Majority			682,654	28.80
Turnout			2,370,676
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Michigan

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Robert P. Griffin Frank J. Kelley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,781,065 1,577,178 Percentage 52.28% 46.29%

County Results Griffin:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Kelley:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Robert P. Griffin Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert P. Griffin Republican

The incumbent Republican Robert P. Griffin was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Michigan^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert P. Griffin (Incumbent)	1,781,065	52.28
	Democratic	Frank J. Kelley	1,577,178	46.29
	American Independent	Patrick Dillinger	23,121	0.68
	Human Rights	Barbara Halpert	19,118	0.56
	Socialist Workers	Linda Nordquist	2,389	0.07
	Socialist Labor	James Sim	2,217	0.06
	Communist	Thomas D. Dennis Jr.	1,908	0.06
Majority			203,887	5.99
Turnout			3,406,906
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Walter Mondale Phil Hansen Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 981,320 742,121 Percentage 56.67% 42.86%

County results Mondale:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hansen:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Walter Mondale Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Senator Walter Mondale Democratic (DFL)

Incumbent Democrat Walter Mondale, who was originally appointed in 1964 (to fill the vacancy created when Hubert Humphrey was elected to the office of Vice President) and elected to a full term in 1966, defeated Republican challenger Phil Hansen.

Democratic primary election results^[20][21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Walter F. Mondale (Incumbent)	230,679	89.88
	Democratic (DFL)	Tom Griffin	11,266	4.39
	Democratic (DFL)	Richard "Dick" Leaf	7,750	3.02
	Democratic (DFL)	Ralph E. Franklin	6,946	2.71

Republican primary election results^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Hansen	165,093	100.00

General election results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Walter F. Mondale (Incumbent)	981,320	56.67
	Republican	Phil Hansen	742,121	42.86
	Industrial Government	Karl H. Heck	8,192	0.47
Majority			239,199	13.81
Turnout			1,731,633
	Democratic (DFL) hold

1972 United States Senate election in Mississippi

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee James Eastland Gil Carmichael Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 375,102 249,779 Percentage 58.1% 38.7%

County results Eastland:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Carmichael:      40-50%      50-60%

U.S. senator before election James Eastland Democratic Elected U.S. Senator James Eastland Democratic

The incumbent Democrat James Eastland was re-elected.

General election results^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Eastland (Incumbent)	375,102	58.09
	Republican	Gil Carmichael	249,779	38.68
	Independent	Prentiss Walker	14,662	2.27
	Independent	C. L. McKinley	6,203	0.96
Majority			126,323	19.41
Turnout			645,746
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in Montana

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Lee Metcalf Hank Hibbard Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 163,609 151,316 Percentage 51.95% 48.05%

County results Metcalf:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Hibbard:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Lee Metcalf Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Lee Metcalf Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Lee Metcalf, who was first elected to the Senate in 1960 and was re-elected in 1966, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he faced Hank Hibbard, a State senator and the Republican nominee. Following a close campaign, Metcalf managed to narrowly win re-election to his third term in the Senate over Hibbard.

Democratic Party primary results^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lee Metcalf (Incumbent)	106,491	86.42
	Democratic	Jerome Peters	16,729	13.58
Total votes			123,220	100.00

Republican Primary results^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hank Hibbard State senator	43,028	49.70
	Republican	Harold E. Wallace	26,463	30.57
	Republican	Norman C. Wheeler	13,826	15.97
	Republican	Merrill K. Riddick	3,259	3.76
Total votes			86,576	100.00

1972 U.S. Senate election in Montana^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lee Metcalf (Incumbent)	163,609	51.95	−1.22%
	Republican	Hank Hibbard	151,316	48.05	+1.22%
Majority			12,293	3.90	−2.43%
Turnout			314,925
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Carl Curtis Terry Carpenter Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 301,841 265,922 Percentage 53.16% 46.84%

County results Curtis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Carpenter:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Carl Curtis Republican Elected U.S. Senator Carl Curtis Republican

Incumbent Republican Carl Curtis won re-election over former congressman Terry Carpenter.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Nebraska^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Carl Curtis (Incumbent)	301,841	53.16	−7.88%
	Democratic	Terry Carpenter	265,922	46.84	+8.09%
Majority			35,919	6.33	−15.97%
Turnout			567,763
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in New Hampshire

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Thomas J. McIntyre Wesley Powell Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 184,495 139,852 Percentage 56.88% 43.12%

County results Municipality results McIntyre:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      90-100% Powell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90-100% No Data/Vote:

U.S. senator before election Thomas J. McIntyre Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Thomas J. McIntyre Democratic

The incumbent Democratic Senator Thomas J. McIntyre was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas J. McIntyre (Incumbent)	184,495	56.88
	Republican	Wesley Powell	139,852	43.12
	None	Scattering	7	0.00
Majority			44,643	13.76
Turnout			324,354
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in New Jersey

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Clifford P. Case Paul J. Krebs Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,743,854 963,573 Percentage 62.46% 34.51%

County results Case:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Clifford P. Case Republican Elected U.S. Senator Clifford P. Case Republican

The incumbent Republican Clifford P. Case was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in New Jersey^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clifford P. Case (Incumbent)	1,743,854	62.46
	Democratic	Paul J. Krebs	963,753	34.52
	American	A. Howard Freund	40,980	1.47
	Concerned Voter's Voice	Charles W. Wiley	33,442	1.20
	Socialist Labor	Julius Levin	10,058	0.36
Majority			780,101	27.94
Turnout			2,792,087
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in New Mexico

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Pete Domenici Jack Daniels Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 204,253 173,815 Percentage 54.0% 46.0%

County results Domenici:      50–60%      60–70% Daniels:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Clinton Anderson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Pete Domenici Republican

The incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Clinton Presba Anderson retired, and was succeeded by Republican Pete Domenici.

1972 U.S. Senate election in New Mexico^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Domenici	204,253	54.03
	Democratic	Jack Daniels	173,815	45.97
Majority			30,438	8.06
Turnout			378,068
	Republican gain from Democratic

1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Jesse Helms Nick Galifianakis Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 795,247 677,293 Percentage 54.0% 46.0%

County results Helms:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Galifianakis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election B. Everett Jordan Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jesse Helms Republican

The incumbent Democratic senator B. Everett Jordan was defeated in the primary by Nick Galifianakis. Galifianakis went on to lose the election to Jesse Helms, making Helms the first Republican Senator from the state in the 20th century.

1972 Democratic Senate primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	377,993	49.25%
	Democratic	B. Everett Jordan (incumbent)	340,391	44.35%
	Democratic	J. R. Brown	27,009	3.52%
	Democratic	Eugene Grace	22,156	2.89%
Total votes			767,549	100.00%

1972 Democratic Senate runoff

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	338,558	55.82%	6.57
	Democratic	B. Everett Jordan (incumbent)	267,997	44.18%	0.17
Total votes			606,555	100.00%

1972 Republican Senate primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jesse Helms	92,496	60.13%
	Republican	James Johnson	45,303	29.45%
	Republican	William Booe	16,032	10.42%
Total votes			153,831	100.00%

1972 U.S. Senate election in North Carolina^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jesse Helms	795,248	54.01
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	677,293	45.99
Majority			117,955	8.02
Turnout			1,472,541
	Republican gain from Democratic

1972 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Dewey F. Bartlett Ed Edmondson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 516,934 478,212 Percentage 51.43% 47.58%

County results Bartlett:      50–60%      60–70% Edmondson:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Fred R. Harris Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dewey F. Bartlett Republican

The incumbent Democratic Senator Fred R. Harris retired, and was succeeded by Republican Dewey F. Bartlett.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Oklahoma^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dewey F. Bartlett	516,934	51.43
	Democratic	Ed Edmondson	478,212	47.58
	American	William G. Roach	5,769	0.57
	Independent	Joe C. Phillips	2,264	0.23
	Independent	Paul E. Trent	1,969	0.20
Majority			38,722	3.85
Turnout			1,005,148
	Republican gain from Democratic

1972 United States Senate election in Oregon

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Mark Hatfield Wayne Morse Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 494,671 425,036 Percentage 53.72% 46.16%

County results Hatfield:      50-60%      60-70% Morse:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Mark Hatfield Republican Elected U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield Republican

The incumbent Republican Mark Hatfield was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Oregon^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Hatfield (Incumbent)	494,671	53.72
	Democratic	Wayne Morse	425,036	46.16
	None	Write-Ins	1,126	0.12
Majority			69,635	7.56
Turnout			920,833
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Claiborne Pell John Chafee Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 221,942 188,990 Percentage 53.7% 45.7%

County results Municipality results Pell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Chafee:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Claiborne Pell Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell Democratic

The incumbent Democratic Senator Claiborne Pell was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Rhode Island^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Claiborne Pell (Incumbent)	221,942	53.68
	Republican	John Chafee	188,990	45.71
	Independent	John Quattrocchi	2,041	0.49
	Socialist Workers	Patrick M. DeTemple	458	0.11
Majority			32,952	7.97
Turnout			413,431
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in South Carolina

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Strom Thurmond Eugene N. Zeigler Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 415,806 241,056 Percentage 63.3% 36.7%

County results Thurmond:      50-59%      60-69%      70-79% Zeigler:      50-59%

U.S. senator before election Strom Thurmond Republican Elected U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond Republican

The incumbent Republican Strom Thurmond was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in South Carolina^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Strom Thurmond (Incumbent)	415,806	63.29
	Democratic	Eugene N. Zeigler	241,056	36.69
	None	Write-Ins	172	0.03
Majority			174,750	27.60
Turnout			657,034
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in South Dakota

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee James Abourezk Robert W. Hirsch Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 174,773 131,613 Percentage 57.04% 42.96%

County results Abourezk:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90% Hirsch:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Karl E. Mundt Republican Elected U.S. Senator James Abourezk Democratic

The incumbent Republican Karl E. Mundt retired, and was succeeded by James Abourezk.

1972 U.S. Senate election in South Dakota^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Abourezk	174,773	57.04
	Republican	Robert W. Hirsch	131,613	42.96
Majority			43,160	14.08
Turnout			306,386
	Democratic gain from Republican

1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Howard Baker Ray Blanton Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 716,539 440,599 Percentage 61.5% 37.8%

County results Baker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Blanton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Senator before election Howard Baker Republican Elected Senator Howard Baker Republican

One-term Republican Howard Baker was re-elected. He defeated Democrat Ray Blanton.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Tennessee^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Howard Baker (Incumbent)	716,539	61.55	+5.85%
	Democratic	Ray Blanton	440,599	37.85	+6.46%
	Independent	Dan East	7,026	0.60	n/a
	None	Write-Ins	31	0.00	n/a
Majority			275,940	23.70	+12.30%
Turnout			1,164,195
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Texas

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee John Tower Barefoot Sanders Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,822,877 1,511,985 Percentage 53.4% 44.3%

County results Tower:      40–50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Sanders:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Amaya:      40–30%

U.S. senator before election John Tower Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Tower Republican

Incumbent Republican John Tower was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Texas^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Tower (Incumbent)	1,822,877	53.40
	Democratic	Barefoot Sanders	1,511,985	44.29
	Raza Unida	Flores N. Amaya	63,543	1.86
	Socialist Workers	Tom Leonard	14,464	0.42
	Write-in	Write-Ins	1,034	0.03
Majority			310,892	9.11
Turnout			3,413,903
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate special election in Vermont

← 1970 January 7, 1972 (1972-01-07) 1976 →

Nominee Robert Stafford Randolph Major Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 45,888 23,842 Percentage 64.4% 33.4%

County results Stafford:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Robert Stafford Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert Stafford Republican

The special election was held January 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Robert Stafford, appointed in September 1971 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Winston L. Prouty, successfully ran for re-election to the remainder of Prouty's term. Stafford defeated Democratic candidate Randolph T. Major. Bernie Sanders, the Liberty Union candidate,^[26] was later elected to this seat in 2006, serving as an Independent.

1972 U.S. Senate special election in Vermont^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Stafford (Incumbent)	45,888	64.36
	Democratic	Randolph T. Major	23,842	33.44
	Liberty Union	Bernie Sanders	1,571	2.20
Majority			22,046
Turnout			71,301	30.92
	Republican hold

1972 United States Senate election in Virginia

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
Turnout	44.7%[27]
Nominee William L. Scott William Spong, Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 718,337 643,963 Percentage 51.5% 46.1%
County and independent city results Scott:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Spong:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. senator before election William B. Spong, Jr. Democratic Elected U.S. Senator William Lloyd Scott Republican

The incumbent Democratic senator William B. Spong Jr. was defeated by Republican William L. Scott, making Scott the first Republican Senator from the state since John F. Lewis in 1870.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Virginia^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William L. Scott	718,337	51.45
	Democratic	William B. Spong Jr. (Incumbent)	643,963	46.12
	Independent	Horace E. Henderson	33,912	2.43
	None	Scattering	56	0.00
Majority			74,374	5.33
Turnout			1,396,268
	Republican gain from Democratic

1972 United States Senate election in West Virginia

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Jennings Randolph Louise Leonard Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 486,310 245,531 Percentage 66.5% 33.5%

County results Randolph:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Leonard:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Jennings Randolph Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph Democratic

The incumbent Democratic Senator Jennings Randolph was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in West Virginia^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jennings Randolph (Incumbent)	486,310	66.45
	Republican	Louise Leonard	245,531	33.55
Majority			240,779	32.90
Turnout			731,841
	Democratic hold

1972 United States Senate election in Wyoming

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →

Nominee Clifford Hansen Mike Vinich Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 101,314 40,753 Percentage 71.31% 28.69%

County results Hansen:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Clifford Hansen Republican Elected U.S. Senator Clifford Hansen Republican

Incumbent Republican Clifford Hansen was re-elected.

1972 U.S. Senate election in Wyoming^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Clifford Hansen (Incumbent)	101,314	71.31
	Democratic	Mike Vinch	40,753	28.69
Majority			60,561	42.62
Turnout			142,067
	Republican hold

• 1972 United States elections
  • 1972 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1972 United States presidential election
  • 1972 United States House of Representatives elections
• 92nd United States Congress
• 93rd United States Congress

• Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 4, 2015 – via Clerk.house.gov.