Colonel William A. Phillips

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The 1978 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower narrowly won re-election to a fourth term. This is the closest that a Texas Democrat has come to defeating a Republican incumbent U.S. Senator.[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Senator Tower was unopposed for re-nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Campaign

Krueger and Christie had contrasting styles, and many voters were undecided until late in the campaign.[2]

Results

Democratic primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Krueger 853,460 54.67
Democratic Joe Christie 707,738 45.33
Total votes 1,561,198 100.0

General election

Campaign

Krueger held a narrow lead in the polls late in the race, although the race was considered to be a 'toss-up.' On the issues, Tower attacked Krueger for voting for a constitutional amendment that would have granted U.S. senators to the District of Columbia, while Krueger attacked Tower for being an ineffective representative and a drunk. As a result of the charge, Tower refused to shake Krueger's hand at a joint appearance.[4]

Results

Republicans celebrated the result in this election year as the 'best in a century' despite the narrow win. One analysis in the New York Times cites the growing urban middle-class voters in Houston who migrated from the Northeast as the reason for Tower being able to pull ahead and win.[5]

General election results[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Tower (incumbent) 1,151,376 49.79%
Democratic Bob Krueger 1,139,149 49.26%
Raza Unida Luis Diaz de Leon 17,869 0.77%
Socialist Workers Miguel Pendas 4,018 0.17%
N/A Write-ins 128 0.01%
Republican hold

See also

References

  1. ^ Formby, Chris Essig, Ryan Murphy and Brandon (November 7, 2018). "Where Ted Cruz's close victory over Beto O'Rourke stands among Texas' historical election results". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Curry, Bill (May 4, 1978). "Texas Senate Race Pits the Scholar Against Just Plain 'Joe'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "TX US Senate- D Primary". OurCampaigns.com.
  4. ^ Curry, Bill (October 28, 1978). "A Gut-Level Horse Race in Texas". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  5. ^ Times, William K. Stevens Special to The New York (November 9, 1978). "G.O.P. Victories in Texas Reflect Shift of Party Lines in Southwest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
  7. ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.