1972 United States Senate elections in Georgia

none March 2026 September 2023 1972 United States Senate elections in Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) 1956 presidential no 1966 United States Senate election in Georgia 1966 1978 United States Senate election in Georgia 1978 November 7, 1972 Regular election Special election File:Sam Nunn 94th Congress.jpg 150x150px Sam Nunn Democratic Party (United States) 636,06053.96% 404,89051.98% File:Fletcher Thompson.jpg Fletcher Thompson Republican Party (United States) 542,29146.01% 362,50146.54% U.S. Senator David H. Gambrell Democratic Party (US) Sam Nunn Democratic Party (US) 240px Regular election county results 240px Special election county results Nunn: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% #0d056c >90%Thompson: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%#808080 No votes The 1972 United States Senate election in Georgia took place on November 7, 1972, as one of that year's United States Senate elections. It was held concurrently with the 1972 presidential election. This seat had opened up following the death of Richard B. Russell in 1971. Shortly thereafter, Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter appointed David H. Gambrell to fill Russell's vacant seat. The Democratic Party nominee was Sam Nunn, a conservative Democrat and member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and the Republican Party nominated Fletcher Thompson, the representative from the Atlanta-area 5th congressional district of Georgia. In the primary, Nunn emerged victorious from a crowded field of Democratic candidates, including Gambrell and former Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver.http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL053DGSE-ead.xml;query=;brand=default David Gambrell U.S. Senatorial Election of 1972 Materials University of Georgia March 19, 2019 April 2, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190402222447/http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL053DGSE-ead.xml;query=;brand=default dead Despite President Richard Nixon defeating George McGovern in Georgia in the presidential election on the same day, Nunn defeated Thompson in both the special election 52% to 47% and general election 54% to 46%, both of which appeared on the same ballot.https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=13&year=1972&f=0&off=3&elect=0 1972 Senatorial General Election Results - Georgia U.S. Election Atlas March 19, 2019https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/08/archives/nunn-a-conservative-democrat-defeats-rep-thompson-in-georgia.html Nunn, a Conservative Democrat, Defeats Rep. Thompson in Georgia Contest for Senate Seat Hemphill John November 8, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 Georgia was one of fifteen states, alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia, that were won by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1972 that elected Democrats to the United States Senate. Timeline March 15: Nunn announced his candidacy at a rally in Perry, Georgia. Nunn's great-uncle, Carl Vinson, was among the approximately 1,500 in attendance, and he went on to give $500 to Nunn's campaign.https://books.google.com/books?id=d6J4Ro7YYOkC&pg=PA350 Carl Vinson: Patriarch of the Armed Forces Cook James E. Cook James F. 2004 Mercer University Press 9780865547544 350 en March 17: Thompson announced his candidacy at a gas station in Albany, Georgia.https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/18/archives/senate-race-begins-at-service-station.html Senate Race Begins at Service Station March 18, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 August 8: Gambrell came in first in the Democratic primary, with Nunn in second. Both candidates advanced to a runoff because neither received over 50 percent of the vote.https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/09/archives/senator-gambrell-seems-headed-for-a-runoff-primary-in-georgia.html Senator Gambrell Seems Headed For a Runoff Primary in Georgia Wooten James T. August 9, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 On the same day, Thompson decisively won the Republican primary, receiving over 92 percent of the vote in total. In doing so, he defeated three opponents: Howard Tucker, Clarence I. Porter, and Darrell Runyan (the latter of whom also ran in the Democratic primary).https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/398948141/ Nunn Had to Rise from Obscurity August 10, 1972 The Atlanta Constitution June 20, 2019https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/16/archives/19-to-run-for-seat-held-by-gambrell.html 19 to Run for Seat Held by Gambrell June 16, 1972 The New York Times June 20, 2019 en-US 0362-4331https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/398907318/ Million Votes Expected Tuesday in State August 6, 1972 The Atlanta Constitution June 20, 2019 August 29: The Democratic runoff was held; Nunn defeated Gambrell with 54% of the vote. The New York Times referred to Nunn's victory as an "upset".https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/30/archives/gambrell-defeated-in-georgia-runoff-for-seat-in-senate.html The 1972 Campaign August 30, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 November 7: Nunn defeated Thompson in the general election. Primaries A total of fifteen candidates ran for the Democratic nomination, including incumbent Gambrell, Nunn, former governor Ernest Vandiver, segregationist J. B. Stoner, and civil rights activist Hosea Williams. In the initial round of voting on August 8, 1972, Gambrell finished first with 31.4% of the vote, followed by Nunn with 23.1%. Because no candidate received an outright majority, a runoff was held on August 29, which Nunn won. General election Campaign The 1972 race focused more on candidates than on issues. Both Nunn and Thompson tried to align themselves with politicians who were viewed favorably in Georgia, and to dissociate themselves from those who were viewed unfavorably. Nunn, for example, harshly criticized his own party's nominee for President, George McGovern, pledging not to vote for him in that year's presidential election. Nunn suggested he might cast a write-in vote for George Wallace instead. Thompson, by contrast, tried to associate himself with President Richard Nixon, who was polling far ahead of McGovern in Georgia; he also distributed posters across the state linking Nunn to McGovern.https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/04/magazine/sam-nunn-s-rising-star.html Sam Nunn's Rising Star Gailey Phil January 4, 1987 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 As Jon Nordheimer noted in the New York Times several weeks before the election, "This maneuvering has become so frenzied, in fact, that the relative popularity of the President, Senator McGovern and Governor Wallace might seem to be the only real issues of the campaign." Among the issues that the candidates focused on during the campaign was Jane Fonda's controversial visit to Vietnam. Thompson, then a member of the House Internal Security Committee, tried unsuccessfully to persuade his colleagues on the Committee to issue a subpoena against Fonda to answer his accusation that she had committed treason. Fonda did not testify, but A. William Olson did, to the effect that the United States Department of Justice had found no reason to prosecute Fonda for either treason or for violating the Logan Act.https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/11/archives/house-committee-refuses-to-subpoena-jane-fonda.html House Committee Refuses To Subpoena Jane Fonda August 11, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331https://archive.org/details/hanoijanewarsexf00lemb registration Hanoi Jane: War, Sex, & Fantasies of Betrayal Lembcke Jerry 2010 Univ of Massachusetts Press 9781558498150 140 en Nunn's campaign was much more organized than was Thompson's. Nunn had support from numerous prominent Democrats from his state, including Gambrell, Carter, and Vandiver. By contrast, Thompson's campaign was "almost literally a one-man effort", and he started the race with virtually no footprint outside of his own district.https://books.google.com/books?id=XQeYu-GxlKwC&pg=PA120 The Rise of Southern Republicans Black Earl Black Merle 2009-06-30 Harvard University Press 9780674020986 120–122 en Endorsements Nunn was endorsed by almost every establishment Democrat in Georgia, with the notable exception of Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox, who did not endorse a candidate in the general election. Maddox did, however, support Nunn in his primary challenge to Gambrell. Thompson tried to tie himself to Nixon, in the hopes of benefiting from Nixon's expected strong performance in Georgia. Nevertheless, Nixon declined to endorse Thompson when he visited Atlanta several weeks before the election. Some speculated that this may have been because the Nixon campaign was pessimistic about Thompson's chances. Instead of Nixon, both Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a former Republican presidential nominee, and Vice President Spiro Agnew threw their support behind Thompson. Sam Nunn Individuals Jimmy Carter, governor of Georgia David H. Gambrell, United States senator from Georgia Marvin Griffin, former governor of Georgia Lester Maddox, lieutenant governor of Georgia (primary only) Herman E. Talmadge, United States senator from Georgiahttps://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/21/archives/georgia-senate-race-tight-nunn-favored.html The 1972 Campaign Nordheimer Jon October 21, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 Ernest Vandiver, former governor of Georgia George Wallace, former governor of Alabama and two-time presidential candidate Newspapers The Atlanta Constitution Fletcher Thompson Individuals Spiro Agnew, vice president of the United States James L. Buckley, United States senator from New Yorkhttps://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/24/archives/javits-and-buckley-to-aid-nixon-drive.html Javits and Buckley to Aid Nixon Drive Lynn Frank August 24, 1972 The New York Times March 19, 2019 en-US 0362-4331 Barry Goldwater, United States senator from Arizona and former Republican presidential nominee Richard Nixon, president of the United States Results 1972 United States Senate special election in GeorgiaGA US Senate - Special Election https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=267593 OurCampaigns.com Democratic Party (United States) Sam Nunn 404,890 51.98% Republican Party (United States) Fletcher Thompson 362,501 46.54% Independent Alice Conner 7,587 0.97% Independent George E. Schmidt 3,932 0.51% 778,910 100.00% Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) 1972 United States Senate election in Georgia Democratic Party (United States) Sam Nunn 636,060 53.96% Republican Party (United States) Fletcher Thompson 542,291 46.01% 391 0.03% 1,178,742 100.00% Democratic Party (United States) Republican Party (United States) Aftermath By defeating Thompson in the general election, Nunn became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Georgia despite losing the white vote. Nunn's narrow victory over Thompson reflected a continuing decline in the Democratic Party's influence in Georgia,May 2020 despite Nixon's landslide victory over McGovern there in the same year. The Watergate scandal further reduced the party's popularity in the state in 1974, and in that year's gubernatorial election, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ronnie Thompson lost with only 30% of the vote.https://books.google.com/books?id=W09OtCyHMI4C&pg=PA156 The Transformation of Southern Politics: Social Change and Political Consequence Since 1945 Bass Jack 1995 University of Georgia Press 9780820317281 156 en When Newt Gingrich first ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1974, he tried to model his campaign on Nunn's successful one in 1972.https://archive.org/details/gentlemanfromgeo0000stee registration The Gentleman from Georgia: The Biography of Newt Gingrich Steely Mel 2000 Mercer University Press 9780865546714 45 en References 1972 Georgia United States Senate Georgia 1972 Georgia 1972 United States Senate 1972