1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming
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The 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen declined to seek a third term in office. Former State Representative Alan K. Simpson, the son of former Senator Milward Simpson, won a contested Republican primary and faced Raymond B. Whitaker, the 1960 Democratic nominee for the Senate, in the general election. Despite a favorable environment for Republicans nationwide, Simpson's performance decreased considerably from Hansen's 1972 landslide. Nonetheless, he easily defeated Whitaker, winning 62% of the vote to Whitaker's 38%.
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November 7, 1978
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 County results Simpson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Whitaker: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
- Alan K. Simpson, former State Representative from Park County
- Hugh Binford, petroleum engineer and businessman[1]
- Gordon H. Barrows, author[2]
- James G. Maxey, project manager[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alan K. Simpson | 37,332 | 54.66% | |
| Republican | Hugh Binford | 20,768 | 30.41% | |
| Republican | Gordon H. Barrows | 8,494 | 12.44% | |
| Republican | James G. Maxey | 1,709 | 2.50% | |
| Total votes | 68,303 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Raymond B. Whitaker, former Natrona County Prosecuting Attorney, 1960 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
- Dean M. Larson, Riverton attorney[5]
- Charles Carroll, former Deputy Wyoming Attorney General, 1974 Democratic nominee for Wyoming Secretary of State[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 19,854 | 47.62% | |
| Democratic | Dean M. Larson | 11,039 | 26.48% | |
| Democratic | Charles Carroll | 10,797 | 25.90% | |
| Total votes | 41,690 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alan Simpson | 82,908 | 62.17% | −9.15% | |
| Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 50,456 | 37.83% | +9.15% | |
| Majority | 32,452 | 24.33% | −18.30% | ||
| Turnout | 133,364 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||