1980 United States Senate election in New Hampshire
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November 4, 1980
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Rudman: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Durkin: 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Hampshire |
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The 1980 United States Senate election in New Hampshire took place on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic Senator John A. Durkin, who won a contentious do-over election in 1975 following an extremely close election in 1974, ran for re-election to a second term. Former New Hampshire Attorney General Warren Rudman won a crowded Republican primary and faced Durkin in the general election. While Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan won the state by a wide margin in the presidential election, Rudman unseated Durkin by a slim margin, winning 52% of the vote to Durkin's 48%. After Durkin's loss, no Democrat would be elected to the Senate from the state until 2008.
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- John A. Durkin, incumbent U.S. Senator
- William F. Sullivan, disabled veteran[1]
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Durkin (inc.) | 37,059 | 78.79% | |
| Democratic | William F. Sullivan | 9,486 | 20.17% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 489 | 1.04% | |
| Total votes | 47,034 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]- Warren Rudman, former New Hampshire Attorney General[3]
- John Sununu, former State Representative, Tufts University professor[3]
- Wesley Powell, former Governor of New Hampshire[3]
- Edward B. Hager, physician[4]
- Lawrence J. Brady, former Deputy Director of the Office of Export Enforcement[4]
- David H. Bradley, former State Senator[3]
- Anthony Campaigne, businessman[3]
- George B. Roberts, Jr., Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives[3]
- Robert Marvel, retired United States Navy commander[4]
- E. J. Smith, encyclopedia salesman[3]
- Carmen Chimento, 1974 and 1975 American Independent Party nominee for the U.S. Senate
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Warren Rudman | 20,206 | 20.27% | |
| Republican | John Sununu | 16,885 | 16.94% | |
| Republican | Wesley Powell | 14,861 | 14.91% | |
| Republican | Edward B. Hager | 9,821 | 9.85% | |
| Republican | Lawrence J. Brady | 9,426 | 9.46% | |
| Republican | David H. Bradley | 9,361 | 9.39% | |
| Republican | Anthony Campaigne | 8,495 | 8.52% | |
| Republican | George B. Roberts, Jr. | 7,397 | 7.42% | |
| Republican | Robert Marvel | 1,475 | 1.48% | |
| Republican | E. J. Smith | 1,166 | 1.17% | |
| Republican | Carmen C. Chimento | 502 | 0.50% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 78 | 0.08% | |
| Total votes | 99,673 | 100.00% | ||
General election
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Warren Rudman | 195,563 | 52.15% | +9.11% | |
| Democratic | John A. Durkin (inc.) | 179,455 | 47.85% | −5.76% | |
| Majority | 16,108 | 4.30% | −6.28% | ||
| Total votes | 375,018 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Burton, Meg (August 23, 1980). "He's Durkin's Opponent, But Chooses to Ignore Him". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. p. 1. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- 1 2 3 New Hampshire Secretary of State (1981). State of New Hampshire Manual for the General Court 1981. Concord, New Hampshire. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Burton, Meg (June 12, 1980). "Finding the Common Denominator: GOP's Senate Forum Becomes a Durkin Roast". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. p. 4. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "11 GOP Hopefuls Running for Senate". Valley News. West Lebanon, New Hampshire. June 26, 1980. p. 9. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
