1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee
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The 1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as 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 Howard Baker won re-election to a second term, becoming the first Republican Senator in the state to ever do so.
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November 7, 1972
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  Baker: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Blanton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
9.1% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.[1]
Nominee
- Howard Baker, incumbent U.S. Senator
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Howard Baker (incumbent) | 242,733 | 97.0% | |
| Republican | Hubert Patty | 7,581 | 3.0% | |
| Total votes | 250,314 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
13.9% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[1]
Nominee
- Ray Blanton, U.S. Representative
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ray Blanton | 292,249 | 76.4% | |
| Democratic | Don Palmer | 40,700 | 10.6% | |
| Democratic | Herman Frey | 18,814 | 4.9% | |
| Democratic | Ron Stinnett | 15,804 | 4.1% | |
| Democratic | Raymond Gibbs | 14,941 | 3.9% | |
| Democratic | Other | 12 | 0.0% | |
| Total votes | 382,520 | 100.0% | ||
General election
| 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 | |
| Other | 31 | 0.00% | N/A | ||
| Majority | 275,940 | 23.70% | +12.30% | ||
| Turnout | 1,164,195 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
By county
| County[6] | Howard Baker, Jr. Republican |
Ray Blanton Democratic |
Other votes | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | # | % | # | % | # | ||
| Anderson | 62.8% | 13,403 | 36.9% | 7,868 | 0.3% | 55 | 21,326 |
| Bedford | 50.6% | 3,600 | 48.5% | 3,448 | 0.9% | 65 | 7,113 |
| Benton | 43.5% | 1,848 | 56.0% | 2,379 | 0.4% | 19 | 4,246 |
| Bledsoe | 60.4% | 1,878 | 39.1% | 1,217 | 0.5% | 14 | 3,109 |
| Blount | 69.2% | 15,030 | 30.4% | 6,601 | 0.4% | 86 | 21,717 |
| Bradley | 73.5% | 9,776 | 26.0% | 3,465 | 0.5% | 63 | 13,304 |
| Campbell | 64.7% | 4,323 | 34.8% | 2,329 | 0.5% | 33 | 6,685 |
| Cannon | 52.2% | 1,381 | 47.2% | 1,249 | 0.5% | 14 | 2,644 |
| Carroll | 50.3% | 4,255 | 49.1% | 4,153 | 0.5% | 43 | 8,451 |
| Carter | 78.0% | 10,354 | 21.5% | 2,858 | 0.5% | 62 | 13,274 |
| Cheatham | 44.4% | 1,536 | 55.0% | 1,905 | 0.6% | 21 | 3,462 |
| Chester | 44.5% | 1,817 | 55.0% | 2,244 | 0.4% | 18 | 4,079 |
| Claiborne | 64.5% | 3,175 | 35.2% | 1,731 | 0.3% | 13 | 4,919 |
| Clay | 52.5% | 857 | 46.9% | 766 | 0.6% | 10 | 1,633 |
| Cocke | 78.2% | 4,735 | 21.5% | 1,301 | 0.3% | 18 | 6,054 |
| Coffee | 54.7% | 5,203 | 45.3% | 4,309 | 0.0% | 0 | 9,512 |
| Crockett | 59.0% | 2,016 | 41.0% | 1,399 | 0.0% | 0 | 3,415 |
| Cumberland | 66.1% | 4,137 | 33.5% | 2,094 | 0.4% | 24 | 6,255 |
| Davidson | 56.2% | 73,272 | 43.3% | 56,472 | 0.5% | 627 | 130,371 |
| Decatur | 44.2% | 1,715 | 55.5% | 2,150 | 0.3% | 11 | 3,876 |
| DeKalb | 49.5% | 1,620 | 49.5% | 1,621 | 0.9% | 31 | 3,272 |
| Dickson | 44.8% | 2,789 | 54.4% | 3,389 | 0.8% | 51 | 6,229 |
| Dyer | 61.1% | 4,657 | 37.9% | 2,889 | 0.9% | 71 | 7,617 |
| Fayette | 49.4% | 2,756 | 50.0% | 2,791 | 0.6% | 35 | 5,582 |
| Fentress | 67.5% | 1,930 | 32.0% | 915 | 0.5% | 13 | 2,858 |
| Franklin | 48.1% | 3,508 | 51.6% | 3,765 | 0.3% | 24 | 7,297 |
| Gibson | 52.7% | 7,117 | 46.7% | 6,309 | 0.7% | 89 | 13,515 |
| Giles | 40.8% | 2,028 | 58.4% | 2,902 | 0.7% | 36 | 4,966 |
| Grainger | 71.4% | 2,635 | 28.1% | 1,038 | 0.4% | 15 | 3,688 |
| Greene | 71.1% | 9,003 | 28.4% | 3,604 | 0.5% | 64 | 12,671 |
| Grundy | 46.1% | 1,187 | 53.4% | 1,375 | 0.5% | 13 | 2,575 |
| Hamblen | 67.3% | 7,769 | 32.3% | 3,726 | 0.4% | 44 | 11,539 |
| Hamilton | 71.2% | 55,129 | 28.3% | 21,932 | 0.5% | 403 | 77,464 |
| Hancock | 72.4% | 1,603 | 26.3% | 583 | 1.3% | 28 | 2,214 |
| Hardeman | 42.1% | 2,378 | 57.0% | 3,214 | 0.9% | 51 | 5,643 |
| Hardin | 49.7% | 2,985 | 50.2% | 3,019 | 0.1% | 6 | 6,010 |
| Hawkins | 69.8% | 7,322 | 27.7% | 2,907 | 2.5% | 257 | 10,486 |
| Haywood | 47.1% | 2,501 | 51.9% | 2,756 | 1.1% | 56 | 5,313 |
| Henderson | 60.0% | 4,159 | 39.6% | 2,744 | 0.3% | 23 | 6,926 |
| Henry | 45.5% | 3,430 | 53.8% | 4,058 | 0.8% | 57 | 7,545 |
| Hickman | 36.2% | 1,284 | 63.1% | 2,236 | 0.7% | 24 | 3,544 |
| Houston | 39.1% | 644 | 59.7% | 983 | 1.2% | 20 | 1,647 |
| Humphreys | 41.5% | 1,699 | 57.2% | 2,340 | 1.3% | 54 | 4,093 |
| Jackson | 38.2% | 807 | 61.2% | 1,293 | 0.6% | 12 | 2,112 |
| Jefferson | 68.6% | 4,986 | 31.0% | 2,255 | 0.4% | 30 | 7,271 |
| Johnson | 82.2% | 3,089 | 16.5% | 620 | 1.3% | 47 | 3,756 |
| Knox | 68.7% | 61,478 | 30.8% | 27,573 | 0.5% | 442 | 89,493 |
| Lake | 48.3% | 757 | 50.6% | 793 | 1.1% | 18 | 1,568 |
| Lauderdale | 48.1% | 2,627 | 51.0% | 2,784 | 1.0% | 53 | 5,464 |
| Lawrence | 52.1% | 5,115 | 47.2% | 4,631 | 0.7% | 67 | 9,813 |
| Lewis | 35.5% | 847 | 64.5% | 1,539 | 0.0% | 0 | 2,386 |
| Lincoln | 45.6% | 2,407 | 53.8% | 2,836 | 0.6% | 31 | 5,274 |
| Loudon | 65.1% | 4,794 | 34.7% | 2,555 | 0.2% | 15 | 7,364 |
| Macon | 67.4% | 2,099 | 32.6% | 1,015 | 0.0% | 0 | 3,114 |
| Madison | 54.9% | 11,569 | 45.1% | 9,499 | 0.0% | 6 | 21,074 |
| Marion | 56.5% | 3,294 | 42.8% | 2,499 | 0.7% | 40 | 5,833 |
| Marshall | 45.8% | 2,043 | 53.8% | 2,401 | 0.4% | 19 | 4,463 |
| Maury | 58.8% | 6,335 | 40.7% | 4,387 | 0.5% | 54 | 10,776 |
| McMinn | 65.3% | 6,878 | 34.2% | 3,603 | 0.5% | 49 | 10,530 |
| McNairy | 43.1% | 2,962 | 56.4% | 3,869 | 0.5% | 34 | 6,865 |
| Meigs | 61.7% | 966 | 37.8% | 592 | 0.4% | 7 | 1,565 |
| Monroe | 61.8% | 5,414 | 37.9% | 3,318 | 0.3% | 22 | 8,754 |
| Montgomery | 50.9% | 6,694 | 48.6% | 6,388 | 0.5% | 68 | 13,150 |
| Moore | 46.5% | 491 | 52.9% | 559 | 0.7% | 7 | 1,057 |
| Morgan | 56.5% | 2,109 | 43.1% | 1,610 | 0.4% | 15 | 3,734 |
| Obion | 48.2% | 3,454 | 50.9% | 3,652 | 0.9% | 63 | 7,169 |
| Overton | 47.0% | 1,683 | 52.6% | 1,886 | 0.4% | 15 | 3,584 |
| Perry | 38.1% | 747 | 61.5% | 1,206 | 0.4% | 8 | 1,961 |
| Pickett | 66.9% | 920 | 33.0% | 454 | 0.1% | 2 | 1,376 |
| Polk | 55.6% | 2,091 | 44.1% | 1,657 | 0.3% | 11 | 3,759 |
| Putnam | 53.7% | 5,416 | 45.7% | 4,602 | 0.6% | 63 | 10,081 |
| Rhea | 64.0% | 3,351 | 36.0% | 1,881 | 0.0% | 0 | 5,232 |
| Roane | 61.9% | 7,691 | 37.7% | 4,680 | 0.4% | 45 | 12,416 |
| Robertson | 46.1% | 3,182 | 53.2% | 3,676 | 0.7% | 51 | 6,909 |
| Rutherford | 57.0% | 9,500 | 42.0% | 7,010 | 1.0% | 164 | 16,674 |
| Scott | 74.6% | 2,641 | 25.2% | 891 | 0.2% | 6 | 3,538 |
| Sequatchie | 54.9% | 1,091 | 44.5% | 884 | 0.7% | 13 | 1,988 |
| Sevier | 80.4% | 7,461 | 18.9% | 1,750 | 0.7% | 65 | 9,276 |
| Shelby | 65.2% | 148,117 | 33.9% | 77,127 | 0.9% | 1,946 | 227,190 |
| Smith | 47.3% | 1,503 | 51.8% | 1,645 | 0.9% | 30 | 3,178 |
| Stewart | 34.4% | 658 | 64.7% | 1,237 | 0.8% | 16 | 1,911 |
| Sullivan | 68.3% | 26,282 | 31.1% | 11,949 | 0.6% | 225 | 38,456 |
| Sumner | 54.8% | 8,055 | 44.5% | 6,531 | 0.7% | 106 | 14,692 |
| Tipton | 60.9% | 4,804 | 38.3% | 3,025 | 0.8% | 60 | 7,889 |
| Trousdale | 42.1% | 529 | 57.7% | 726 | 0.2% | 3 | 1,258 |
| Unicoi | 75.5% | 3,512 | 24.3% | 1,130 | 0.3% | 12 | 4,654 |
| Union | 68.1% | 1,745 | 31.5% | 806 | 0.4% | 11 | 2,562 |
| Van Buren | 47.0% | 515 | 52.1% | 570 | 0.9% | 10 | 1,095 |
| Warren | 49.1% | 2,898 | 50.0% | 2,951 | 0.9% | 51 | 5,900 |
| Washington | 73.2% | 16,571 | 26.1% | 5,914 | 0.7% | 158 | 22,643 |
| Wayne | 67.4% | 2,422 | 32.4% | 1,166 | 0.2% | 6 | 3,594 |
| Weakley | 49.3% | 4,066 | 50.7% | 4,185 | 0.0% | 0 | 8,251 |
| White | 49.8% | 1,951 | 49.4% | 1,936 | 0.7% | 29 | 3,916 |
| Williamson | 64.5% | 6,444 | 34.5% | 3,444 | 1.1% | 108 | 9,996 |
| Wilson | 53.1% | 5,034 | 46.1% | 4,375 | 0.8% | 73 | 9,482 |
| Total | 61.5% | 716,539 | 37.8% | 440,599 | 0.6% | 7,057 | 1,164,195 |