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1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas

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1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
 
Nominee John L. McClellan Wayne Babbitt
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 386,398 248,238
Percentage 60.88% 39.12%

County results
McClellan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Babbitt:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

John L. McClellan
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

John L. McClellan
Democratic

The 1972 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent U.S. Senator John L. McClellan was re-elected to a sixth term in office, defeating U.S. Representative David Pryor in a hotly contested primary. In the general election, McClellan easily defeated Republican physician Wayne Babbitt. This was McClellan's final campaign; he died in his sleep in 1977. Pryor was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1974 and won the race to succeed McClellan in 1978.

This would also mark the last time a Democrat was elected to this seat who was not a member of the Pryor family. Arkansas was one of fifteen states alongside Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia that were won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Results

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1972 Democratic U.S. Senate primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John L. McClellan (inc.) 220,588 44.70%
Democratic David Pryor 204,058 41.35%
Democratic Ted Boswell 62,496 12.66%
Democratic Foster Johnson 6,358 1.29%
Total votes 493,500 100.00%

Run-off results

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Since no candidate received a majority in the initial primary, a run-off election was held on June 13 between McClellan and Pryor.

1972 Democratic U.S. Senate run-off results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John L. McClellan (inc.) 242,983 52.00%
Democratic David Pryor 224,262 48.00%
Total votes 467,245 100.00%

General election

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Results

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General election results[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic John L. McClellan (inc.) 386,398 60.88% Decrease39.11
Republican Wayne H. Babbitt 248,238 39.12% N/A
Total votes 634,636 0.02%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - AR US Senate - D Primary Race - May 16, 1972".
  2. ^ "Our Campaigns - AR US Senate - D Runoff Race - Jun 13, 1972".
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - AR US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1972".
  4. ^ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1973). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.