1972 United States Senate election in Texas
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 County results Tower: 40–50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% Sanders: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Amaya: 30–40% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1972 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower won re-election to a third term.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Thomas M. Cartlidge
- Barefoot Sanders, former state representative and Johnson administration official.
- Alfonso Veloz, candidate for governor in 1968
- Hugh Wilson, candidate for Senate in 1957 and 1961
- Ralph Yarborough, former U.S. Senator (1957–1971)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph Yarborough | 1,032,606 | 49.99% | |
| Democratic | Barefoot Sanders | 787,504 | 38.12% | |
| Democratic | Hugh Wilson | 125,460 | 6.07% | |
| Democratic | Thomas M. Cartlidge | 66,240 | 3.21% | |
| Democratic | Alfonso Veloz | 53,938 | 2.61% | |
| Total votes | 2,065,748 | 100.00% | ||
Although he received over one million votes, Yarborough was 269 short of a majority. He and Sanders advanced to a runoff election held June 3.
Runoff campaign
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Barefoot Sanders | 1,008,499 | 52.08% |  13.96 | |
| Democratic | Ralph Yarborough | 928,132 | 47.93% |  2.06 | |
| Total votes | 1,936,631 | 100.00% | |||
Republican primary
Candidates
- John G. Tower, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1961
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Tower (incumbent) | 1,822,877 | 53.41% | -2.98% | |
| Democratic | Barefoot Sanders | 1,511,985 | 44.30% | +1.15% | |
| Raza Unida | Flores Amaya | 63,543 | 1.86% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Tom Leonard | 14,464 | 0.42% | N/A | |
References
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