1980 United States Senate election in Arizona
November 4, 1980
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County results Goldwater: 40–50% 50–60% Schulz: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Arizona |
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The 1980 United States Senate election in Arizona took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Republican Senator Barry Goldwater decided to run for reelection to a fifth term, after returning to the Senate in 1968 following his failed presidential run in 1964 against Lyndon B. Johnson. Despite Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan's landslide win in Arizona, Goldwater defeated Democratic Party nominee Bill Schulz in the general election by a narrow margin, which later caused Goldwater to decide against running for reelection to a sixth term in 1986. Goldwater won only three counties, including Maricopa County.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Barry Goldwater, incumbent U.S. Senator
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bill Schulz, businessman
- James F. McNulty Jr., state senator
- Frank DePaoli
- Frances Morgan
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bill Schulz | 97,520 | 55.4% | |
| Democratic | James F. McNulty, Jr. | 58,894 | 33.4% | |
| Democratic | Frank DePaoli | 19,259 | 10.9% | |
| Democratic | Frances Morgan (withdrawn) | 485 | 0.3% | |
| Total votes | 176,158 | 100.0 | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Barry Goldwater (incumbent) | 432,371 | 49.46% | −8.80% | |
| Democratic | Bill Schulz | 422,972 | 48.38% | +6.64% | |
| Libertarian | Fred R. Esser | 12,008 | 1.37% | ||
| People Before Profits[3] | Lorenzo Torrez | 3,608 | 0.41% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Josefina Otero | 3,266 | 0.37% | ||
| Majority | 9,399 | 1.08% | −15.44% | ||
| Turnout | 874,225 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||