1976 United States Senate election in Tennessee
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The 1976 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bill Brock ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by Democratic challenger Jim Sasser.
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November 2, 1976
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 County results Sasser: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Brock: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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Several prominent Democrats ran in the Democratic primary. The most prominent was probably 1970 gubernatorial nominee John Jay Hooker; somewhat surprisingly to most observers however, the winner of the primary was Jim Sasser, who had managed Albert Gore Sr.'s 1970 re-election campaign.
Prior to his Senate re-election run, Brock was among those considered to replace Nelson Rockefeller as President Gerald Ford's running mate in the 1976 election.[1][2]
Primary
18.1% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[3]
Major Candidates
Republican
- Bill Brock, Incumbent U.S. Senator since 1971
Democratic
- Jim Sasser, attorney and Democratic activist
- John Jay Hooker, attorney and candidate for governor in 1966 and nominee in 1970
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Sasser | 751,180 | 52.46 | ||
| Republican | Bill Brock (Incumbent) | 673,231 | 47.01 | ||
| Independent | Mark Clark Bates | 5,137 | 0.36 | ||
| Independent | Willie C. Jacox | 1,406 | 0.10 | ||
| Independent | Arnold Joseph Zandie | 1,061 | 0.07 | ||
| None | Write-Ins | 31 | 0.00 | ||
| Majority | 77,949 | 5.45 | |||
| Turnout | 1,432,046 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||