1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee

The 1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, as a part of the Senate class 2 election.

1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee

November 7, 1978

Nominee Howard Baker Jane Eskind Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 642,644 466,228 Percentage 55.54% 40.30%

County results Baker:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Eskind:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Howard Baker Republican Elected U.S. Senator Howard Baker Republican

Situation

Two-term popular incumbent Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, ran for reelection against first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind.

Democratic nomination

Candidates:

• Jame Boyd
• Walter Bradley
• Former State Senate Majority Leader Bill Bruce
• Jane Eskind
• James Foster
• Douglas L. Heinsohn
• J. D. Lee
• Virginia Nyabongo
• Charles Gordon Vick

In the primary, held on August 3, Eskind won in an open primary against eight other candidates:[1]

• Eskind – 196,156 (34.52%)
• Bruce – 170,795 (30.06%)
• Lee – 89,939 (15.83%)
• Boyd – 48,458 (8.53%)
• Bradley – 22,130 (3.90%)
• Heinsohn – 17,787 (3.13%)
• Foster – 10,671 (1.88%)
• Nyabongo – 7,682 (1.35%)
• Vick – 4,414 (0.78%)
• Write-in – 147 (0.03%)

Republican nomination

Candidates:

• Incumbent United States Senator and Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker
• J. Durelle Boles
• Harvey Howard
• Hubert David Patty
• Dayton Seiler
• Francis Trapp

In the primary, held on August 3, Baker easily emerged as the winner:[2]

• Baker – 205,680 (83.44%)
• Howard – 21,154 (8.58%)
• Boles – 8,899 (3.61%)
• Patty – 3,941 (1.60%)
• Seiler – 3,831 (1.55%)
• Trapp – 2,994 (1.22%)

General election

Baker won with a 15-point margin in the general election, held on November 7:

General election results[3][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Howard Baker (incumbent)	642,644	55.54%
	Democratic	Jane Eskind	466,228	40.30%
	Independent	Thomas Jefferson Anderson	45,908	3.97%
	Independent	Fern L. Keasler	2,243	0.19%

See also

• United States Senate elections, 1978

References

1. "Our Campaigns – TN US Senate – D Primary Race – Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
2. "Our Campaigns – TN US Senate – R Primary Race – Aug 03, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
3. "Our Campaigns – TN US Senate Race – Nov 07, 1978". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
4. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.