| Elections in Michigan |
|---|
 |
The 1976 United States Senate election in Michigan took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Philip Hart decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term because he had terminal cancer. Republican turned Democrat Representative Donald Riegle won the open seat, keeping it in Democrats' hands.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Richard H. Austin, Michigan Secretary of State
- James L. Elsman
- James G. O'Hara, U.S. Representative from Utica
- Donald Riegle, U.S. Representative from Flint
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Donald Riegle | 325,705 | 44.31% | |
| Democratic | Richard H. Austin | 208,310 | 28.34% | |
| Democratic | James G. O'Hara | 170,473 | 23.19% | |
| Democratic | James L. Elsman | 30,655 | 4.17% | |
| Total votes | 735,143 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Deane Baker
- Thomas E. Brennan, former Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
- Marvin L. Esch, U.S. Representative from Ann Arbor
- Robert J. Huber, former U.S. Representative from Troy and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1970
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Marvin L. Esch | 209,250 | 44.23% | |
| Republican | Thomas E. Brennan | 129,917 | 27.46% | |
| Republican | Robert J. Huber | 82,092 | 17.35% | |
| Republican | Deane Baker | 51,852 | 10.96% | |
| Total votes | 473,111 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Don Riegle | 1,831,031 | 52.46% |  14.38
| |
| Republican | Marvin Esch | 1,635,087 | 46.85% |  13.96
| |
| Libertarian | Bette Jane Erwin | 8,842 | 0.25% | N/A | |
| Human Rights | Theodore G. Albert | 7,281 | 0.21% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Paula L. Reimers | 3,399 | 0.10% | 0.05
| |
| Socialist Labor | Frank Girard | 2,554 | 0.07% | 0.06
| |
| U.S. Labor | Peter A. Signorelli | 2,218 | 0.06% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 3,490,412 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Aftermath
Incumbent Senator Hart died of melanoma on December 26, and Riegle was appointed to finish the remaining days of his final term in office, giving him seniority over his freshman colleagues.
See also
References
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MI US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 03, 1976".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MI US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 03, 1976".
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 21.