1984 United States Senate election in Texas
The 1984 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower decided to retire, instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican Phil Gramm won the open seat.
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 County results Gramm: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Doggett: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
editCandidates
edit- Lloyd Doggett, State Senator from Austin since 1975
- Kent Hance, U.S. Representative from Lubbock since 1979
- Bob Krueger, former U.S. Representative from New Braunfels (1975–1979) and nominee for Senate in 1978
- Harley Schlanger
- Robert Sullivan
- David Young
Campaign
editThe primary was 45% Hispanic, but included many moderate to conservative voters. Hance positioned himself as the most moderate to conservative candidate, who co-sponsored President Ronald Reagan's tax package.[1] Doggett was the more liberal candidate, attacking Reaganomics and getting endorsements from the Texas teachers' union and Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower.[2] Doggett's campaign manager was James Carville.[3] Krueger was seen as the front runner and was a moderate who supported the state's oil and gas industry, but had close ties with the Hispanic community because he was Spanish-speaking.[4] Hance attacked both Krueger and Doggett for supporting amnesty for illegal aliens and supporting gay rights.[5] The initial primary was extremely close between the top three candidates. Each candidate got 31% of the electorate. Hance ranked first, only 273 votes ahead of Doggett and 1,560 votes ahead of Krueger.
Since no candidate passed the 50% threshold, Hance and Doggett qualified for the run-off election. Hance fired his pollster despite ranking first.[6] Krueger endorsed fellow U.S. Congressman Hance, saying "Ultimately, the quality of one's public service depends upon the character that one displays in filling an office."[7][8] In the June election, Doggett very narrowly defeated Hance by just 1,345 votes.
Results
editInitial election on May 5, 1984
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kent Hance | 456,446 | 31.2% | |
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 456,173 | 31.2% | |
| Democratic | Robert Charles Krueger | 454,886 | 31.1% | |
| Democratic | David Young | 47,062 | 3.2% | |
| Democratic | Robert S. Sullivan | 34,733 | 2.4% | |
| Democratic | Harley Schlanger | 14,149 | 1.0% | |
Run-off election on June 2, 1984
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 491,251 | 50.1% | |
| Democratic | Kent Hance | 489,906 | 49.9% | |
Republican primary
editCandidates
edit- Phil Gramm, U.S. Representative from College Station since 1979
- Hank Grover, State Senator and former State Representative from Houston, and nominee for Governor of Texas in 1972
- Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Lake Jackson (1976–1977, 1979–1985)
- Robert Mosbacher Jr., Houston oil businessman
Campaign
editThe primary was a multimillion-dollar contest.[11] Gramm recently switched parties in 1983, but he was a conservative who supported Reaganomics. Gramm spent $4 million.[12]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Gramm | 247,280 | 73.3% | |
| Republican | Ron Paul | 55,771 | 16.5% | |
| Republican | Robert A. Mosbacher Jr. | 26,250 | 7.8% | |
| Republican | Hank Grover | 8,055 | 2.5% | |
General election
editCandidates
edit- Lloyd Doggett (D), State Senator
- Phil Gramm (R), U.S. Congressman
Doggett received 89% of the black vote.[14]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Gramm | 3,111,348 | 58.55% | ||
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 2,202,557 | 41.45% | ||
| Total votes | 5,313,905 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Conservative Holds Lead In Texas Senate Primary". The New York Times. June 3, 1984. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ McKinnon, Mark (November 1, 1966). "The Spin Doctor Is Out". Texas Monthly. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Kentucky New Era - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "Mid Cities Daily News - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "The Bonham Daily Favorite - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ AP (June 1, 1984). "CAMPAIGN ; Krueger Backs Hance In Democratic Runoff". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate - D Primary Race - May 05, 1984". ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate - D Runoff Race - Jun 02, 1984". ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Daily Times - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "Gramm Voices Surprise". The Victoria Advocate. May 6, 1984.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 356.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990". ourcampaigns.com.