1972 United States Senate election in Oregon

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.

1972 United States Senate election in Oregon

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
 
Nominee Mark Hatfield Wayne Morse
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 494,671 425,036
Percentage 53.72% 46.16%

County results
Hatfield:      50-60%      60-70%
Morse:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Mark Hatfield
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Mark Hatfield
Republican

Primary elections

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Primary elections were held on May 23, 1972.

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results[4][5][6]
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

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Candidates

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Results

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Results by county (Democratic primary):
Wayne Morse
  •   50–55%
      45–50%
      40–45%
      35–40%
Robert Duncan
  •   45–50%
      35–40%
Democratic primary results[4][5][7]
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

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Campaign

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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

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1972 United States Senate election in Oregon[9][10][11][12]
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

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References

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  1. ^ "Record number of candidates file for election". Albany Democrat-Herald. Albany, Oregon. March 15, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Gov. McCall of Oregon Won't Oppose Hatfield". New York Times. New York, NY. March 8, 1972. p. 86. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Morse will oppose Hatfield". The Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. May 24, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 147.
  5. ^ a b America Votes 10, p. 312.
  6. ^ "OR US Senate, 1972 - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "OR US Senate, 1972 - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "THE 1972 CAMPAIGN". The New York Times. October 2, 1972.
  9. ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 95.
  10. ^ America Votes 10, p. 307.
  11. ^ "OR US Senate, 1972". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  12. ^ 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

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