| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 1978 United States Senate election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph was re-elected to a fifth term and a fourth full term in office, narrowly defeating Republican Arch Moore, a former Governor. Despite his defeat, Moore's daughter, Shelley Moore Capito, would later win election to this seat in 2014, becoming the first female Senator from the state. This was the closest Senate election in West Virginia from the five Senate elections in West Virginia that Jennings Randolph had won.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Jennings Randolph, incumbent U.S. Senator
- Sharon Rogers
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennings Randolph (incumbent) | 181,480 | 80.49% | |
| Democratic | Sharon Rogers | 43,991 | 19.51% | |
| Total votes | 225,471 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Donald G. Michels
- Arch Moore, former Governor of West Virginia
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Arch Moore | 90,406 | 90.57% | |
| Republican | Donald G. Michels | 9,414 | 9.43% | |
| Total votes | 99,820 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennings Randolph (incumbent) | 249,034 | 50.48% |  15.97
| |
| Republican | Arch Moore | 244,317 | 49.52% |  15.97
| |
| Total votes | 493,351 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
See also
References
- ^ "Our Campaigns - WV US Senate- D Primary Race - May 09, 1978".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - WV US Senate- R Primary Race - May 09, 1978".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - WV US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
- ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 11, 2020.