1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas
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The 1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent U.S. Senator John L. McClellan, who announced his retirement, had died the previous November, leaving the seat vacant. Interim appointee Kaneaster Hodges Jr. did not run to the full seat, and was succeeded by Governor of Arkansas David Pryor.
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November 7, 1978
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 County results Pryor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Pryor won a highly-competitive three-way primary against U.S. Representatives Jim Guy Tucker and Ray Thornton, then defeated Tucker in a run-off election. Having secured the Democratic nomination, which was often tantamount to election in the American South prior to the 1980s, Pryor easily defeated Republican nominee Thomas Kelly and independent candidate John Black.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- A.C. Grigson
- David Pryor, Governor of Arkansas
- Ray Thornton, U.S. Representative from Conway
- Jim Guy Tucker, U.S. Representative from Little Rock
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Pryor | 198,041 | 34.27% | |
| Democratic | Jim Guy Tucker | 187,568 | 32.46% | |
| Democratic | Ray Thornton | 184,095 | 31.86% | |
| Democratic | A.C. Grigson | 8,166 | 1.41% | |
| Total votes | 577,870 | 100.00% | ||
Run-off results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Pryor | 265,525 | 54.91% | |
| Democratic | Jim Guy Tucker | 218,026 | 45.09% | |
| Total votes | 483,551 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David H. Pryor | 399,916 | 76.58% |  15.69 | |
| Republican | Thomas Kelly Jr. | 84,722 | 16.22% |  22.90 | |
| Independent | John G. Black | 37,488 | 7.18% | N/A | |
| Write-in | William Rock | 113 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 522,239 | 0.02% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||