1972 United States Senate election in Rhode Island
November 7, 1972
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Pell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Chafee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Rhode Island |
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The 1972 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell successfully sought re-election, defeating Republican John Chafee in the closest race of Pell's Senate career. Chafee was elected to Rhode Island's other Senate seat in 1976, and was colleagues with Pell until the latter's retirement in 1996. This was Pell's only Senate election where he won by single digits, and the only election in which he did not carry every county in Rhode Island. That same year, Rhode Island was one of fifteen states that voted for Republican President Richard Nixon in his landslide re-election victory, while simultaneously electing Democrats to the United States Senate.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Claiborne Pell, incumbent U.S. Senator
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Chafee, former Governor of Rhode Island and former United States Secretary of the Navy
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Claiborne Pell (incumbent) | 221,942 | 53.68% | |
| Republican | John Chafee | 188,990 | 45.71% | |
| Independent | John Quattrocchi | 2,041 | 0.49% | |
| Socialist Workers | Patrick M. DeTemple | 458 | 0.11% | |
| Majority | 32,952 | 7.97% | ||
| Total votes | 413,431 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ "RI US Senate". OurCampaigns. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). Office of the U.S. House Clerk. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
External links