The 1978 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Dewey F. Bartlett retired, leaving the seat vacant. He was succeeded by popular Democratic Governor David Boren.
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 County results Boren: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Kamm: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Boren won a competitive Democratic primary against former U.S. Representative Ed Edmondson and State Senator Gene Stipe, then defeated Edmondson in a run-off election. Boren easily defeated Republican nominee Robert B. Kamm in the general election.
Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- David Boren, Governor of Oklahoma
- Dean Bridges
- Ed Edmondson, former U.S. Representative from Muskogee and nominee for Senate in 1972 and 1974
- George Miskovsky Sr., former State Senator and Representative from Oklahoma City
- Anthony Points
- Rosella Peter "Pete" Saker, retired Chief Master Sergeant and Vietnam veteran
- Gene Stipe, State Senator from McAlester
Campaign
editEdmondson called Boren "a Republican"[1][2] due to a Boren policy as Governor which eliminated the state tax for inheritances between spouses.[1] Edmondson took a pledge recited on a biography of President Harry Truman, that he was not nor had never been "a Republican."[1][2]
During the campaign, both Miskovsky and Points accused Governor Boren of being a homosexual. Boren held a press conference denying the accusation.[1] Following his victory, Boren swore an oath on a family Bible, declaring "I know what homosexuals and bisexuals are. I further swear that I am not a homosexual or bisexual. And I further swear that I have never been a homosexual or bisexual. And I further swear that I have never engaged in any homosexual or bisexual activities nor do I approve of or condone them."[1] In 2019, Boren was accused by multiple witnesses of sexually harassing male subordinates while President of the University of Oklahoma.[3]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Boren | 252,560 | 45.84% | |
| Democratic | Ed Edmondson | 155,626 | 28.24% | |
| Democratic | Gene Stipe | 114,423 | 20.77% | |
| Democratic | Dean Bridges | 8,166 | 1.79% | |
| Democratic | George Miskovsky | 9,825 | 1.78% | |
| Democratic | Pete Saker | 5,162 | 0.94% | |
| Democratic | Anthony Points | 3,539 | 0.64% | |
| Total votes | 551,018 | 100.00% | ||
Run-off results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Boren | 281,587 | 60.46% | |
| Democratic | Ed Edmondson | 184,175 | 39.54% | |
| Total votes | 465,762 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editResults
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Boren | 493,953 | 65.49% |  17.91
| |
| Republican | Robert B. Kamm | 247,857 | 32.86% |  18.57
| |
| Independent | Glenn E. Hager | 3,875 | 0.51% | N/A | |
| Independent politician | D. Riley Donica | 3,355 | 0.45% | N/A | |
| Independent politician | Paul E. Trent | 3,015 | 0.40% | N/A | |
| Independent politician | Richard K. Carter | 2,209 | 0.29% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 754,264 | 0.02% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Mother Jones We're OK; How's Oklahoma Dev. 1978
- ^ a b Bob Burke, Oklahoma Historical Society, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Biography, David Lyle Boren Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, accessed July 16, 2013
- ^ "Boren under investigation for sexual harassment". NewsOK. February 13, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OK US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 22, 1978".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OK US Senate - D Runoff Race - Sep 19, 1978".
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OK US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".