1980 United States Senate election in Georgia

none March 2026 September 2023 1980 United States Senate election in Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) 1956 presidential no 1974 United States Senate election in Georgia 1974 1986 United States Senate election in Georgia 1986 November 4, 1980 150x150px MackMattingly.jpg Mack Mattingly Republican Party (United States) 803,686 50.87% Herman Talmadge (cropped).tif Herman Talmadge Democratic Party (United States) 776,143 49.13% 1980 United States Senate election in Georgia results map by county.svg 240px County resultsMattingly: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Talmadge: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% U.S. Senator Herman Talmadge Democratic Party (United States) Mack Mattingly Republican Party (United States) The 1980 United States Senate election in Georgia was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator and former Governor of Georgia Herman Talmadge ran for reelection to a fifth term, but lost narrowly to Mack Mattingly, Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party. Mattingly benefited considerably from Talmadge's ethical and legal problems, as well as from the unpopularity of incumbent president, and former Georgia governor, Democrat Jimmy Carter. Mattingly became the first Republican Senator from the state since Reconstruction in 1873. This marked the first time that a Republican served a full term in the state's history. This race was part of a landslide national election for Republicans that would come to be known as the Reagan Revolution.http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1980election.pdf Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1980 clerk.house.gov live https://web.archive.org/web/20220320200405/https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1980election.pdf March 20, 2022 As of , this is the last time an incumbent Democratic Senator lost a bid for re-election while the Democratic nominee for president simultaneously carried that same state's electoral votes.In 1992, Bill Clinton carried the electoral votes of Georgia, but incumbent Democratic Senator Wyche Fowler lost re-election. However, this did not occur on the same day as the presidential election. In fact, Fowler won the popular vote by a margin of 49% to 48% in the first round, which was simultaneous with the presidential election. However, because no candidate achieved >50% of the vote, a runoff was required, which the Democrat lost 51% to 49% on November 24, three weeks later. This is also the only U.S. Senate election (as of ) in which the Republican nominee carried Fulton County in its current form, the first time ever that a Republican was elected to the United States Senate from Georgia by popular vote, and the first of three consecutive elections for this Senate seat where the incumbent was defeated. Democratic primary Candidates Declared John Francis Collins Dawson Mathis, U.S. Representative from Albany Zell Miller, Lieutenant Governor J. B. Stoner, white supremacist and terrorist Herman Talmadge, incumbent Senator since 1957 Norman Underwood, Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals Campaign Talmadge's ethical issues made him uniquely vulnerable, especially after being censured in 1979. Because Georgia was seen as a strongly Democratic state, five primary opponents declared their candidacies for the Democratic nomination. Strongest among these candidates was Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller. Miller launched his campaign with support from black voters, organized labor, and the liberal wing of the Georgia Democratic Party. He campaigned against Talmadge on the argument that Talmadge had "disgraced" Georgia. Miller also attacked Talmadge's history as a segregationist and boasted of support from black leaders including Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson and State Senator Julian Bond.Harris Art 23 Aug 1980 Drawlin' and Brawlin' https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/08/23/drawlin-and-brawlin/636ce4af-b747-40f5-909e-618566f13946/ Washington Post 8 May 2019 In the six-man primary held August 5, Miller and Talmadge advanced to a run-off election. Talmadge won the run-off election with 58.6% of the vote. Results Democratic primary resultsGA US Senate – D Primary, 1980 https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261127 OurCampaigns 8 May 2019 Democratic Party (United States) Herman Talmadge (incumbent) 432,215 41.99% Democratic Party (United States) Zell Miller 247,766 24.07% Democratic Party (United States) Norman Underwood 183,683 17.85% Democratic Party (United States) Dawson Mathis 133,729 12.99% Democratic Party (United States) J. B. Stoner 19,664 1.91% Democratic Party (United States) John F. Collins 12,243 1.19% 1,029,300 100.00% Democratic primary runoff resultsGA US Senate – D Runoff, 1980 https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=261128 OurCampaigns 8 May 2019 Democratic Party (United States) Herman Talmadge (incumbent) 559,615 58.58% Democratic Party (United States) Zell Miller 395,773 41.43% 955,388 100.00% Republican primary Candidates Mack Mattingly, businessman and Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party Mattingly was unopposed for the Republican nomination. General election Results 1980 United States Senate election, Georgia http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=3890 United States Senator Our Campaigns January 1, 2009 Republican Party (United States) Mack Mattingly 803,686 50.87% +22.63% Democratic Party (United States) Herman Talmadge (incumbent) 776,143 49.13% -22.63% 27,543 1.74% -41.78% 1,579,829 Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) 22.63% See also 1980 United States Senate elections Notes lower-alpha nb note References Category:1980 Georgia (U.S. state) elections Georgia 1980