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
Candidates
- Lloyd Doggett, State Senator of Austin since 1975
- Kent Hance, U.S. Congressman of Texas' 19th congressional district since 1979
- Bob Krueger, former U.S. Congressman of Texas' 21st congressional district
- Harley Schlanger
- Robert Sullivan
- David Young
Campaign
The 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 Kroeger 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
- Initial election in 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
Candidates
- Phil Gramm, U.S. Congressman of Texas' 6th congressional district since 1979
- Hank Grover, State Senator and former State Representative
- Ron Paul, U.S. Congressman of Texas' 22nd congressional district (1976-1977, 1979-1985)
- Robert Mosbacher Jr., oil businessman of Houston
Campaign
The primary was a highly competitive, multimillion-dollar contest.[11] Gramm recently switched parties in 1983, but he was a conservative who supported Reaganomics. Gramm spent $4 million.[12]
Results
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
Candidates
- Lloyd Doggett (D), State Senator
- Phil Gramm (R), U.S. Congressman
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Phil Gramm | 3,111,348 | 58.6% | |
Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 2,202,557 | 41.4% |
See also
- United States Senate elections, 1984
References
- "Conservative Holds Lead In Texas Senate Primary". The New York Times. 1984-06-03. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- McKinnon, Mark (1 November 1966). "The Spin Doctor Is Out". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 9 February 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 (1984-06-01). "CAMPAIGN ; Krueger Backs Hance In Democratic Runoff". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
- "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.
- "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990". ourcampaigns.com.