1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee

For related races, see 1972 United States Senate elections.

1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee
November 7, 1972
 
Nominee Howard Baker Ray Blanton
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 716,539 440,599
Percentage 61.55% 37.85%
Baker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Blanton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Senator before election

Howard Baker
Republican

Elected Senator

Howard Baker
Republican

The 1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1972, concurrently with the U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker won re-election to a second term, becoming the first Republican Senator in the state to ever do so.

Republican primary

9.1% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.[1]

Nominee

Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Howard Baker (incumbent) 242,733 97.0%
Republican Hubert Patty 7,581 3.0%
Total votes 250,314 100.0%

Democratic primary

13.9% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[1]

Nominee

Democratic primary results[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ray Blanton 292,249 76.4%
Democratic Don Palmer 40,700 10.6%
Democratic Herman Frey 18,814 4.9%
Democratic Ron Stinnett 15,804 4.1%
Democratic Raymond Gibbs 14,941 3.9%
Democratic Other 12 0.0%
Total votes 382,520 100.0%

General election

1972 United States Senate election in Tennessee[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Howard Baker (incumbent) 716,539 61.55% +5.85%
Democratic Ray Blanton 440,599 37.85% +6.46%
Independent Dan East 7,026 0.60% N/A
Other 31 0.00% N/A
Majority 275,940 23.70% +12.30%
Turnout 1,164,195
Republican hold Swing

By county

County[6] Howard Baker, Jr.
Republican 		Ray Blanton
Democratic 		Other votes Total
votes
% # % # % #
Anderson 62.8% 13,403 36.9% 7,868 0.3% 55 21,326
Bedford 50.6% 3,600 48.5% 3,448 0.9% 65 7,113
Benton 43.5% 1,848 56.0% 2,379 0.4% 19 4,246
Bledsoe 60.4% 1,878 39.1% 1,217 0.5% 14 3,109
Blount 69.2% 15,030 30.4% 6,601 0.4% 86 21,717
Bradley 73.5% 9,776 26.0% 3,465 0.5% 63 13,304
Campbell 64.7% 4,323 34.8% 2,329 0.5% 33 6,685
Cannon 52.2% 1,381 47.2% 1,249 0.5% 14 2,644
Carroll 50.3% 4,255 49.1% 4,153 0.5% 43 8,451
Carter 78.0% 10,354 21.5% 2,858 0.5% 62 13,274
Cheatham 44.4% 1,536 55.0% 1,905 0.6% 21 3,462
Chester 44.5% 1,817 55.0% 2,244 0.4% 18 4,079
Claiborne 64.5% 3,175 35.2% 1,731 0.3% 13 4,919
Clay 52.5% 857 46.9% 766 0.6% 10 1,633
Cocke 78.2% 4,735 21.5% 1,301 0.3% 18 6,054
Coffee 54.7% 5,203 45.3% 4,309 0.0% 0 9,512
Crockett 59.0% 2,016 41.0% 1,399 0.0% 0 3,415
Cumberland 66.1% 4,137 33.5% 2,094 0.4% 24 6,255
Davidson 56.2% 73,272 43.3% 56,472 0.5% 627 130,371
Decatur 44.2% 1,715 55.5% 2,150 0.3% 11 3,876
DeKalb 49.5% 1,620 49.5% 1,621 0.9% 31 3,272
Dickson 44.8% 2,789 54.4% 3,389 0.8% 51 6,229
Dyer 61.1% 4,657 37.9% 2,889 0.9% 71 7,617
Fayette 49.4% 2,756 50.0% 2,791 0.6% 35 5,582
Fentress 67.5% 1,930 32.0% 915 0.5% 13 2,858
Franklin 48.1% 3,508 51.6% 3,765 0.3% 24 7,297
Gibson 52.7% 7,117 46.7% 6,309 0.7% 89 13,515
Giles 40.8% 2,028 58.4% 2,902 0.7% 36 4,966
Grainger 71.4% 2,635 28.1% 1,038 0.4% 15 3,688
Greene 71.1% 9,003 28.4% 3,604 0.5% 64 12,671
Grundy 46.1% 1,187 53.4% 1,375 0.5% 13 2,575
Hamblen 67.3% 7,769 32.3% 3,726 0.4% 44 11,539
Hamilton 71.2% 55,129 28.3% 21,932 0.5% 403 77,464
Hancock 72.4% 1,603 26.3% 583 1.3% 28 2,214
Hardeman 42.1% 2,378 57.0% 3,214 0.9% 51 5,643
Hardin 49.7% 2,985 50.2% 3,019 0.1% 6 6,010
Hawkins 69.8% 7,322 27.7% 2,907 2.5% 257 10,486
Haywood 47.1% 2,501 51.9% 2,756 1.1% 56 5,313
Henderson 60.0% 4,159 39.6% 2,744 0.3% 23 6,926
Henry 45.5% 3,430 53.8% 4,058 0.8% 57 7,545
Hickman 36.2% 1,284 63.1% 2,236 0.7% 24 3,544
Houston 39.1% 644 59.7% 983 1.2% 20 1,647
Humphreys 41.5% 1,699 57.2% 2,340 1.3% 54 4,093
Jackson 38.2% 807 61.2% 1,293 0.6% 12 2,112
Jefferson 68.6% 4,986 31.0% 2,255 0.4% 30 7,271
Johnson 82.2% 3,089 16.5% 620 1.3% 47 3,756
Knox 68.7% 61,478 30.8% 27,573 0.5% 442 89,493
Lake 48.3% 757 50.6% 793 1.1% 18 1,568
Lauderdale 48.1% 2,627 51.0% 2,784 1.0% 53 5,464
Lawrence 52.1% 5,115 47.2% 4,631 0.7% 67 9,813
Lewis 35.5% 847 64.5% 1,539 0.0% 0 2,386
Lincoln 45.6% 2,407 53.8% 2,836 0.6% 31 5,274
Loudon 65.1% 4,794 34.7% 2,555 0.2% 15 7,364
Macon 67.4% 2,099 32.6% 1,015 0.0% 0 3,114
Madison 54.9% 11,569 45.1% 9,499 0.0% 6 21,074
Marion 56.5% 3,294 42.8% 2,499 0.7% 40 5,833
Marshall 45.8% 2,043 53.8% 2,401 0.4% 19 4,463
Maury 58.8% 6,335 40.7% 4,387 0.5% 54 10,776
McMinn 65.3% 6,878 34.2% 3,603 0.5% 49 10,530
McNairy 43.1% 2,962 56.4% 3,869 0.5% 34 6,865
Meigs 61.7% 966 37.8% 592 0.4% 7 1,565
Monroe 61.8% 5,414 37.9% 3,318 0.3% 22 8,754
Montgomery 50.9% 6,694 48.6% 6,388 0.5% 68 13,150
Moore 46.5% 491 52.9% 559 0.7% 7 1,057
Morgan 56.5% 2,109 43.1% 1,610 0.4% 15 3,734
Obion 48.2% 3,454 50.9% 3,652 0.9% 63 7,169
Overton 47.0% 1,683 52.6% 1,886 0.4% 15 3,584
Perry 38.1% 747 61.5% 1,206 0.4% 8 1,961
Pickett 66.9% 920 33.0% 454 0.1% 2 1,376
Polk 55.6% 2,091 44.1% 1,657 0.3% 11 3,759
Putnam 53.7% 5,416 45.7% 4,602 0.6% 63 10,081
Rhea 64.0% 3,351 36.0% 1,881 0.0% 0 5,232
Roane 61.9% 7,691 37.7% 4,680 0.4% 45 12,416
Robertson 46.1% 3,182 53.2% 3,676 0.7% 51 6,909
Rutherford 57.0% 9,500 42.0% 7,010 1.0% 164 16,674
Scott 74.6% 2,641 25.2% 891 0.2% 6 3,538
Sequatchie 54.9% 1,091 44.5% 884 0.7% 13 1,988
Sevier 80.4% 7,461 18.9% 1,750 0.7% 65 9,276
Shelby 65.2% 148,117 33.9% 77,127 0.9% 1,946 227,190
Smith 47.3% 1,503 51.8% 1,645 0.9% 30 3,178
Stewart 34.4% 658 64.7% 1,237 0.8% 16 1,911
Sullivan 68.3% 26,282 31.1% 11,949 0.6% 225 38,456
Sumner 54.8% 8,055 44.5% 6,531 0.7% 106 14,692
Tipton 60.9% 4,804 38.3% 3,025 0.8% 60 7,889
Trousdale 42.1% 529 57.7% 726 0.2% 3 1,258
Unicoi 75.5% 3,512 24.3% 1,130 0.3% 12 4,654
Union 68.1% 1,745 31.5% 806 0.4% 11 2,562
Van Buren 47.0% 515 52.1% 570 0.9% 10 1,095
Warren 49.1% 2,898 50.0% 2,951 0.9% 51 5,900
Washington 73.2% 16,571 26.1% 5,914 0.7% 158 22,643
Wayne 67.4% 2,422 32.4% 1,166 0.2% 6 3,594
Weakley 49.3% 4,066 50.7% 4,185 0.0% 0 8,251
White 49.8% 1,951 49.4% 1,936 0.7% 29 3,916
Williamson 64.5% 6,444 34.5% 3,444 1.1% 108 9,996
Wilson 53.1% 5,034 46.1% 4,375 0.8% 73 9,482
Total 61.5% 716,539 37.8% 440,599 0.6% 7,057 1,164,195

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 22.
  2. ^ "1972 Election Results for Tennessee -- RightDataUSA.com". rightdatausa.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  3. ^ "1972 Election Results for Tennessee -- RightDataUSA.com". rightdatausa.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  4. ^ "TN US Senate-D Primary". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  5. ^ Cook, Rhodes (October 26, 2017). America Votes 32: 2015-2016, Election Returns by State. CQ Press. ISBN 9781506368993.
  6. ^ "1972-11-07 Senatorial Election Results for Tennessee (Class 2)". RightDataUSA. November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.

Works cited

  • Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.
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