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 County resultsStewart: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Martin: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1978 United States Senate special election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1978. It was a special election to fill the seat which had been held by Senator Jim Allen, who died on June 1. His widow Maryon was appointed on June 8 by governor George Wallace to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held.
Democratic state senator Donald W. Stewart defeated Allen in the Democratic primary then defeated former Republican Congressman James D. Martin to serve the remaining two years of the term.
Primary elections were held on September 5, 1978, with the Democratic runoff held on September 26, 1978.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Maryon Pittman Allen, incumbent United States Senator
- Gene Myracle, business owner
- Donald W. Stewart, State Senator
- Ted Taylor, President of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- Dan Wiley, President of the Mobile County Commission
Results
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 40–50%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maryon Pittman Allen (incumbent) | 334,156 | 44.51% | |
| Democratic | Donald W. Stewart | 259,795 | 34.61% | |
| Democratic | Ted Taylor | 70,894 | 9.44% | |
| Democratic | Dan Wiley | 66,689 | 8.88% | |
| Democratic | Gene Myracle | 19,166 | 2.55% | |
| Total votes | 750,700 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff results
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Donald W. Stewart | 502,346 | 57.20% | |
| Democratic | Maryon Pittman Allen (incumbent) | 375,894 | 42.80% | |
| Total votes | 878,240 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 80–90%
- >90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George W. Nichols | 15,637 | 72.47% | |
| Republican | Elvin McCary | 5,941 | 27.53% | |
| Total votes | 21,578 | 100.00% | ||
Withdrew
Nichols withdrew from the race in order that James D. Martin, former U.S. Representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district, who had been nominated to run in the concurrent regular Senate election, could switch races.
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Donald W. Stewart | 401,852 | 54.93% | |
| Republican | James D. Martin | 316,170 | 43.22% | |
| Libertarian | Michael R. A. Erdey | 6,006 | 0.82% | |
| Prohibition | A. J. Killingsworth | 5,814 | 0.80% | |
| Peace and Freedom | Joseph T. Robino | 1,768 | 0.24% | |
| Majority | 85,682 | 11.74% | ||
| Turnout | 731,610 | |||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Bibliography
- Congressional Elections, 1946-1996. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-56802-248-4.
See also
- 1978 United States Senate elections
- 1978 United States Senate election in Alabama
- 1978 Alabama gubernatorial election
References
- "Maryon Pittman Allen", Women in Congress (website), Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, archived from the original on January 1, 2012, retrieved March 3, 2012
- "Myracle to file". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. June 15, 1978. p. 35. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "Who is Ted Taylor?". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. July 27, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "Wiley: Mrs. Allen okay after all". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. September 16, 1978. p. 8. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 104.
- "AL US Senate – Special D Primary, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "AL US Senate – Special D Primary Runoff, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "Former Democrats McCary, Nichols vie for GOP nomination to Sen. Allen's seat". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. August 27, 1978. p. 14. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "AL US Senate – Special R Primary, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "Martin to switch to Stewart race?". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. October 2, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- "AL US Senate - Special Election, 1978". OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- Scammon, Richard M.; McGillivray, Alice V.., eds. (November 30, 1979). America Votes 13: a handbook of contemporary American election statistics, 1978. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (published 1979). p. 37. ISBN 9780871871831.
- Congressional Quarterly 1998, p. 81.
- Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
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