| Elections in Oregon |
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The 1972 United States Senate election in Oregon took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Mark Hatfield was re-elected to a second term in office, defeating Democrat Wayne Morse.
Primary elections
Primary elections were held on May 23, 1972.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Kenneth A. Brown, farmer,[1] unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for Oregon's 1st congressional district in 1952
- Lynn Engdahl, professor at Pacific University[2]
- Mark Hatfield, incumbent Senator
- John E. Smets, manufacturer[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Hatfield (incumbent) | 171,594 | 61.16% | |
| Republican | Lynn Engdahl | 63,859 | 22.76% | |
| Republican | Kenneth A. Brown | 30,826 | 10.99% | |
| Republican | John E. Smets | 13,397 | 4.78% | |
| Write-in | All others | 913 | 0.33% | |
| Total votes | 280,589 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Robert B. Duncan, former U.S. Congressman for Oregon's 4th congressional district, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 1966
- Wayne Morse, former U.S. Senator
- Don S. Willner, state senator
- Ralph Wiser, businessman[3]
Results
Wayne Morse
- 50–55%45–50%40–45%35–40%
Robert Duncan
- 45–50%35–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wayne Morse | 173,147 | 43.70% | |
| Democratic | Robert B. Duncan | 130,845 | 33.03% | |
| Democratic | Don S. Willner | 74,060 | 18.69% | |
| Democratic | Ralph Wiser | 17,729 | 4.48% | |
| Write-in | All others | 423 | 0.11% | |
| Total votes | 396,204 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Campaign
According to the New York Times, the election provided "a choice between two well‐known personalities, not issues."[8] Morse, who had supported Hatfield's 1966 campaign, was famously opposed to the Vietnam War, as was Hatfield. Thus, the election was ultimately between two well-known anti-war liberals. Hatfield won a fairly comfortable 54-46 victory, winning all but 3 counties.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Hatfield (Incumbent) | 494,671 | 53.72 | ||
| Democratic | Wayne Morse | 425,036 | 46.16 | ||
| None | Write-Ins | 1,126 | 0.12 | ||
| Majority | 69,635 | 7.56 | |||
| Turnout | 920,833 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | {{{swing}}} | |||
See also
References
- ^ "Record number of candidates file for election". Albany Democrat-Herald. Albany, Oregon. March 15, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "Gov. McCall of Oregon Won't Oppose Hatfield". New York Times. New York, NY. March 8, 1972. p. 86. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Morse will oppose Hatfield". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. May 24, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ a b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 147.
- ^ a b America Votes 10, p. 312.
- ^ "OR US Senate, 1972 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "OR US Senate, 1972 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "THE 1972 CAMPAIGN". The New York Times. October 2, 1972.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 95.
- ^ America Votes 10, p. 307.
- ^ "OR US Senate, 1972". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 4, 2015 – via Clerk.house.gov.
Bibliography
- Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
- Scammon, Richard M., ed. (1973). America Votes 10: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1972. Washington, D.C.: Governmental Affairs Institute.