1966 United States Senate election in Tennessee
The 1966 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 8, 1966, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Republican nominee Howard Baker won the election, defeating Democratic nominee and Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement with 55.7% of the vote.
![]() | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
![]() County results Baker: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Clement: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
|
Elections in Tennessee |
---|
![]() |
![]() |
In the primary, incumbent Democratic Senator Ross Bass lost to Governor Clement by a little over 2%.
Baker became the first Republican to represent Tennessee since the temporary appointment of Newell Sanders in 1912. He was the first Tennessee Republican to win a full term in the Senate since Reconstruction in 1875 and the first ever to win a popular election to the Senate.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Howard Baker, Republican nominee in the 1964 United States Senate special election in Tennessee
- Kenneth Roberts
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Howard Baker | 112,617 | 75.74% | |
Republican | Kenneth Roberts | 36,043 | 24.24% |
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Frank G. Clement, Governor of Tennessee
- Ross Bass, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Frank G. Clement | 384,322 | 51.22% | |
Democratic | Ross Bass (incumbent) | 366,079 | 48.78% |
General election
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Howard Baker | 483,063 | 55.72% | |
Democratic | Frank G. Clement | 383,843 | 44.27% | |
None | Write-Ins | 55 | 0.01% | |
Majority | 99,220 | 10.45% | ||
Turnout | 866,961 | |||
Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
References
- "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - R Primary Race - Aug 04, 1966". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- "Our Campaigns - TN US Senate - D Primary Race - Aug 04, 1966". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- Cook, Rhodes (October 26, 2017). America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State. ISBN 9781506368993.