1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee

The 1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1978, to elect the U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee. Two-term popular incumbent Republican U.S. Senator, Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, won re-election over first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind.

Republican primary

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

Baker easily won the August 3 primary:

Democratic primary

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 an open primary on August 3, Eskind defeated eight other candidates:

General election

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

By county County Howard Baker, Jr.Republican Jane EskindDemocratic OthersIndependent Totalvotes % # % # % # Anderson 62.9% 13,098 32.5% 6,777 4.6% 949 20,824 Bedford 51.0% 3,730 46.2% 3,384 2.8% 203 7,317 Benton 47.0% 2,319 50.0% 2,465 2.9% 145 4,929 Bledsoe 53.5% 1,537 42.1% 1,211 4.4% 127 2,875 Blount 62.7% 13,751 31.4% 6,891 6.0% 1,306 21,948 Bradley 59.3% 7,507 32.3% 4,091 8.4% 1,061 12,659 Campbell 55.8% 4,019 38.8% 2,792 5.4% 388 7,199 Cannon 51.2% 1,476 46.1% 1,330 2.7% 77 2,883 Carroll 56.5% 5,057 40.7% 3,645 2.8% 254 8,956 Carter 66.3% 8,320 28.3% 3,554 5.4% 679 12,553 Cheatham 49.1% 2,359 46.8% 2,248 4.2% 200 4,807 Chester 55.3% 2,054 42.5% 1,580 2.2% 81 3,715 Claiborne 55.5% 2,796 38.3% 1,931 6.2% 313 5,040 Clay 52.6% 1,223 45.0% 1,046 2.4% 56 2,325 Cocke 60.2% 3,895 32.4% 2,096 7.5% 483 6,474 Coffee 52.6% 5,455 43.5% 4,517 3.9% 400 10,372 Crockett 52.7% 2,054 41.6% 1,622 5.7% 223 3,899 Cumberland 54.7% 4,375 36.9% 2,952 8.4% 671 7,998 Davidson 52.9% 69,163 44.2% 57,791 2.9% 3,805 130,759 Decatur 54.5% 2,001 42.9% 1,577 2.6% 96 3,674 DeKalb 48.3% 1,741 48.7% 1,754 3.0% 107 3,602 Dickson 47.1% 3,938 49.9% 4,171 3.1% 257 8,366 Dyer 47.5% 3,621 38.9% 2,968 13.7% 1,042 7,631 Fayette 44.9% 2,366 51.7% 2,726 3.4% 181 5,273 Fentress 53.2% 1,627 42.1% 1,289 4.7% 143 3,059 Franklin 46.9% 3,520 49.2% 3,692 3.9% 294 7,506 Gibson 52.4% 6,782 45.0% 5,830 2.6% 342 12,954 Giles 42.3% 2,188 51.8% 2,682 5.9% 308 5,178 Grainger 61.8% 2,472 32.4% 1,295 5.8% 233 4,000 Greene 63.0% 8,025 31.8% 4,042 5.2% 663 12,730 Grundy 40.3% 994 56.2% 1,384 3.5% 86 2,464 Hamblen 60.0% 7,714 35.6% 4,574 4.4% 570 12,858 Hamilton 55.7% 35,649 37.5% 23,987 6.9% 4,405 64,041 Hancock 66.7% 1,019 31.3% 478 2.0% 30 1,527 Hardeman 47.3% 2,465 48.8% 2,542 3.9% 201 5,208 Hardin 59.2% 3,290 38.4% 2,135 2.3% 129 5,554 Hawkins 61.9% 6,261 34.8% 3,524 3.3% 336 10,121 Haywood 47.6% 2,317 46.8% 2,281 5.6% 274 4,872 Henderson 64.6% 3,958 33.2% 2,034 2.3% 138 6,130 Henry 49.4% 3,661 45.6% 3,380 5.1% 375 7,416 Hickman 43.8% 1,860 51.1% 2,170 5.2% 219 4,249 Houston 38.1% 720 59.0% 1,116 3.0% 56 1,892 Humphreys 43.3% 2,125 53.0% 2,602 3.7% 183 4,910 Jackson 39.5% 1,068 57.6% 1,557 2.9% 79 2,704 Jefferson 61.4% 4,975 30.8% 2,497 7.8% 629 8,101 Johnson 77.5% 2,690 20.3% 705 2.2% 77 3,472 Knox 62.6% 57,348 31.2% 28,612 6.1% 5,625 91,585 Lake 39.4% 582 57.9% 855 2.7% 40 1,477 Lauderdale 43.5% 2,417 51.8% 2,878 4.7% 262 5,557 Lawrence 58.4% 5,846 39.2% 3,923 2.4% 236 10,005 Lewis 44.5% 1,099 51.4% 1,270 4.1% 102 2,471 Lincoln 44.5% 2,266 53.0% 2,702 2.5% 129 5,097 Loudon 60.4% 4,878 33.0% 2,664 6.6% 531 8,073 Macon 66.8% 2,179 31.2% 1,018 1.9% 63 3,260 Madison 57.1% 11,174 39.4% 7,704 3.5% 677 19,555 Marion 49.9% 2,932 46.2% 2,712 3.9% 227 5,871 Marshall 49.9% 2,674 46.0% 2,463 4.2% 223 5,360 Maury 62.7% 7,459 33.7% 4,006 3.6% 431 11,896 McMinn 62.1% 6,159 35.0% 3,467 3.0% 293 9,919 McNairy 56.6% 3,734 41.6% 2,744 1.9% 124 6,602 Meigs 54.6% 1,076 41.9% 825 3.5% 68 1,969 Monroe 57.4% 5,178 40.5% 3,651 2.2% 195 9,024 Montgomery 53.2% 8,089 43.7% 6,645 3.2% 481 15,215 Moore 51.4% 579 45.3% 510 3.3% 37 1,126 Morgan 49.6% 2,037 44.5% 1,827 5.8% 240 4,104 Obion 44.9% 3,082 49.4% 3,385 5.7% 390 6,857 Overton 46.5% 1,928 50.4% 2,087 3.1% 127 4,142 Perry 47.0% 909 50.7% 981 2.3% 45 1,935 Pickett 60.8% 940 37.7% 583 1.5% 23 1,546 Polk 47.0% 1,744 49.8% 1,847 3.2% 119 3,710 Putnam 55.4% 6,801 42.0% 5,159 2.6% 324 12,284 Rhea 55.7% 2,820 39.5% 2,002 4.8% 245 5,067 Roane 60.2% 8,474 34.6% 4,873 5.2% 727 14,074 Robertson 46.4% 3,870 50.6% 4,224 3.0% 250 8,344 Rutherford 56.2% 10,841 39.9% 7,697 4.0% 765 19,303 Scott 66.3% 2,215 29.6% 988 4.2% 140 3,343 Sequatchie 47.9% 993 46.3% 958 5.8% 120 2,071 Sevier 60.7% 6,078 26.5% 2,659 12.8% 1,279 10,016 Shelby 52.2% 103,985 45.6% 90,744 2.2% 4,363 199,092 Smith 45.9% 1,703 51.4% 1,907 2.7% 101 3,711 Stewart 42.8% 1,015 55.0% 1,306 2.2% 52 2,373 Sullivan 62.2% 21,909 33.5% 11,800 4.4% 1,542 35,251 Sumner 56.5% 10,528 40.2% 7,502 3.3% 620 18,650 Tipton 52.3% 3,726 42.9% 3,057 4.7% 335 7,118 Trousdale 44.0% 663 54.2% 817 1.9% 28 1,508 Unicoi 66.3% 2,823 28.7% 1,222 4.9% 210 4,255 Union 50.9% 1,770 44.1% 1,534 5.0% 174 3,478 Van Buren 47.0% 579 49.6% 611 3.4% 42 1,232 Warren 47.7% 3,449 48.1% 3,476 4.2% 307 7,232 Washington 64.4% 13,611 30.4% 6,428 5.1% 1,083 21,122 Wayne 69.3% 2,793 29.7% 1,198 0.9% 38 4,029 Weakley 41.0% 3,032 48.0% 3,547 11.0% 809 7,388 White 54.7% 2,294 41.0% 1,720 4.3% 179 4,193 Williamson 65.6% 10,182 30.9% 4,800 3.4% 529 15,511 Wilson 53.1% 6,946 43.8% 5,725 3.0% 398 13,069Total 55.5% 642,644 40.3% 466,228 4.2% 48,222 1,157,094

See also 1978 United States Senate elections 1978 Tennessee gubernatorial election 1978 Tennessee Proposal 1

References