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U.S. Senate election, 1978
The U.S. Senate election, 1978 was an election for the United States Senate in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The Democrats lost a net of three seats to the Republicans, leaving the balance of the chamber 58-41.
Republicans took four open seats, including two in Minnesota (a special election was called after the death of Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN)), as well as in Mississippi and South Dakota. They also defeated four Democratic incumbents: Floyd Haskell (D-CO), Dick Clark (D-IA), William Hathaway (D-ME), and Thomas McIntyre (D-NH). These were partially balanced by Democratic defeats of Edward Brook (R-MA) and Robert Griffin (R-MI), and captures of Republican open seats in Nebraska, New Jersey, and Oklahoma.
Senate contests in 1978
| State
| Incumbent
| Party
| Status
| Opposing Candidates
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| Alabama
| John Sparkman
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 94.0 - 6.0
| Howell Heflin (Democrat)
Jerome B. Couch (Independent)
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| Alabama1
| Maryon Pittman Allen
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 54.9 - 43.2
| Donald W. Stewart (Democrat)
James D. Martin (Republican)
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| Alaska
| Ted Stevens
| Republican
| Re-elected, 75.6 - 24.1
| Donald W. Hobbs (Democrat)
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| Arkansas
| Kaneaster Hodges, Jr.
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 76.6 - 16.2 - 7.2
| David H. Pryor (Democrat)
Tom Kelly (Republican)
John J. Black (Independent)
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| Colorado
| Floyd K. Haskell
| Democrat
| Defeated, 58.7 - 40.3
| William L. Armstrong (Republican)
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| Delaware
| Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 58.0 - 41.0
| James H. Baxter (Republican)
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| Georgia
| Sam Nunn
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 83.1 - 16.9
| John W. Stokes (Republican)
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| Idaho
| James A. McClure
| Republican
| Re-elected, 68.4 - 31.6
| Dwight Jensen (Democrat)
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| Illinois
| Charles H. Percy
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.3 - 45.5
| Alex Smith (Democrat)
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| Iowa
| Dick Clark
| Democrat
| Defeated, 51.1 - 47.9
| Roger W. Jepsen (Republican)
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| Kansas
| James B. Pearson
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 53.9 - 42.4
| Nancy Landon Kassebaum (Republican)
William R. Roy (Democrat)
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| Kentucky
| Walter D. Huddleston
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 61.0 - 36.9
| Louis Guenthner (Republican)
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| Louisiana
| J. Bennett Johnston
| Democrat
| Re-elected, in Primary
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| Maine
| William D. Hathaway
| Democrat
| Defeated, 56.6 - 33.9 - 7.4
| William S. Cohen (Republican)
Hayes E. Gahagan (Independent)
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| Massachusetts
| Edward W. Brooke
| Republican
| Defeated, 55.1 - 44.8
| Paul E. Tsongas (Democrat)
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| Michigan
| Robert P. Griffin
| Republican
| Defeated, 52.1 - 47.9
| Carl Levin (Democrat)
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| Minnesota2
| Muriel Humphrey
| Democrat
| Retired: Republican victory, 61.4 - 34.5
| Dave Durenberger (Republican)
Robert E. Short (Democrat)
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| Minnesota
| Wendell R. Anderson
| Democrat
| Defeated, 56.6 - 40.4
| Rudy Boschwitz (Republican)
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| Mississippi
| James O. Eastland
| Democrat
| Retired: Republican victory, 45.1 - 31.8 - 22.9
| Thad Cochran (Republican)
Maurice Dartin (Democrat)
Charles Evers (Independent)
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| Montana
| Paul G. Hatfield
| Democrat
| Retired: Democrat victory, 55.7 - 44.3
| Max Baucus (Democrat)
Larry Williams (Republican)
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| Nebraska
| Carl T. Curtis
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 67.6 - 32.3
| J. James Exon (Democrat)
Donald Shasteen (Republican)
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| New Hampshire
| Thomas J. McIntyre
| Democrat
| Defeated, 50.7 - 48.5
| Gordon J. Humphrey (Republican)
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| New Jersey
| Clifford P. Case
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 55.3 - 43.1
| Bill Bradley (Democrat)
Jeffrey Bell (Republican)
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| New Mexico
| Pete V. Domenici
| Republican
| Re-elected, 53.4 - 46.6
| Toney Anaya (Democrat)
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| North Carolina
| Jesse Helms
| Republican
| Re-elected, 54.5 - 45.5
| John Ingram (Democrat)
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| Oklahoma
| Dewey F. Bartlett
| Republican
| Retired: Democrat victory, 65.5 - 32.9
| David L. Boren (Democrat)
Robert B. Kamm (Republican)
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| Oregon
| Mark O. Hatfield
| Republican
| Re-elected, 61.6 - 38.3
| Vernon Cook (Democrat)
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| Rhode Island
| Claiborne Pell
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 75.1 - 24.9
| James G. Reynolds (Republican)
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| South Carolina
| Strom Thurmond
| Republican
| Re-elected, 55.6 - 44.4
| Charles D. Ravenel (Democrat)
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| South Dakota
| James Abourezk
| Democrat
| Retired: Republican victory, 66.8 - 33.2
| Larry Pressler (Republican)
Don Barnett (Democrat)
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| Tennessee
| Howard H. Baker, Jr.
| Republican
| Re-elected, 55.5 - 40.3
| Jane Eskind (Democrat)
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| Texas
| John G. Tower
| Republican
| Re-elected, 49.8 - 49.3
| Robert Krueger (Democrat)
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| Virginia
| William L. Scott
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 50.2 - 49.8
| John W. Warner (Republican)
Andrew P. Miller (Democrat)
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| West Virginia
| Jennings Randolph
| Democrat
| Re-elected, 50.5 - 49.5
| Arch A. Moore (Republican)
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| Wyoming
| Clifford P. Hansen
| Republican
| Retired: Republican victory, 62.2 - 37.8
| Alan K. Simpson (Republican)
Raymond B. Whitaker (Democrat)
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1 special election held due to death of James Allen (D-AL)
2 special election held due to death of Hubert H. Humphrey (D-MN)
See also
Senate composition before and after elections
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