1984 United States Senate election in Texas
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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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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.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Lloyd Doggett, State Senator from Austin since 1975
- Kent Hance, U.S. Representative from Lubbock since 1979
- Bob Krueger, former U.S. Representative from New Braunfels (1975–1979) and nominee for Senate in 1978
- 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 Krueger 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 on 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. Representative from College Station since 1979
- Hank Grover, State Senator and former State Representative from Houston
- Ron Paul, U.S. Representative from Lake Jackson (1976–1977, 1979–1985)
- Robert Mosbacher Jr., Houston oil businessman
Campaign
The primary was a 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
Doggett received 89% of the black vote.[14]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Gramm | 3,111,348 | 58.55% | ||
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 2,202,557 | 41.45% | ||
| Total votes | 5,313,905 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
See also
References
- ^ "Conservative Holds Lead In Texas Senate Primary". The New York Times. June 3, 1984. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Victoria Advocate - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ McKinnon, Mark (November 1, 1966). "The Spin Doctor Is Out". Texas Monthly. Retrieved February 9, 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 (June 1, 1984). "CAMPAIGN ; Krueger Backs Hance In Democratic Runoff". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Black & Black 1992, p. 356.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990". ourcampaigns.com.
Works cited
- Black, Earl; Black, Merle (1992). The Vital South: How Presidents Are Elected. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674941306.
