1976 United States Senate election in Ohio

The 1976 United States Senate election in Ohio took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican senator Robert Taft, Jr. ran for re-election to second term. Democrat Howard Metzenbaum, who had briefly served in the Senate in 1974, unseated Taft in a rematch of the 1970 election.

1976 United States Senate election in Ohio

← 1970 November 2, 1976 1982 →
 
Nominee Howard Metzenbaum Robert Taft Jr.
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 1,941,113 1,823,774
Percentage 49.51% 46.52%

County results
Metzenbaum:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Taft:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Robert Taft Jr.
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Howard Metzenbaum
Democratic

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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  • Richard B. Kay, Cleveland attorney and perennial candidate
  • Howard Metzenbaum, former State Senator from Lyndhurst and interim United States Senator in 1974
  • James D. Nolan, nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 1966
  • James V. Stanton, U.S. Representative from Cleveland

Results

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1976 Democratic Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Howard Metzenbaum 576,124 53.58%
Democratic James V. Stanton 400,552 37.26%
Democratic James D. Nolan 62,979 5.86%
Democratic Richard B. Kay 35,522 3.30%
Total votes 1,075,177 100.00%

General election

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Results

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General election results[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Howard Metzenbaum 1,941,113 49.51%  2.06
Republican Robert Taft, Jr. (incumbent) 1,823,774 46.52%  3.16
Independent John O'Neill 53,657 1.37% N/A
American Independent Donald E. Babcock 36,979 0.94%  1.00
Independent Emma Lila Fundaburk 33,285 0.85% N/A
Socialist Workers Melissa Singler 31,805 0.81%  0.11
Majority 117,339 2.99%
Turnout 3,920,613
Democratic gain from Republican

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - OH US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 08, 1976".
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - OH US Senate Race - Nov 02, 1976". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved April 19, 2019.