United States Senate election in Texas, 1984
United States Senate election in Texas, 1984
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The 1984 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John G. Tower decided to retire, instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican Phil Gramm won the open seat.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Campaign
The primary was 45% Hispanic, but included many moderate to conservative voters. Hance positioned himself as the most moderate to conservative candidate, who co-sponsored President Ronald Reagan's tax package.[1] Doggett was the more liberal candidate, attacking Reagonomics and getting endorsements from the Texas teachers' union and Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower.[2] Krueger was seen as the front runner and was a moderate who supported the state's oil and gas industry, but had close ties with the Hispanic community because he was Spanish-speaking.[3] Hance attacked both Kroeger and Doggett for supporting amnesty for illegal aliens and supporting gay rights.[4]
The initial primary was extremely close between the top three candidates. Each candidate got 31% of the electorate. Hance ranked first, only 273 votes ahead of Doggett and 1,560 votes ahead of Krueger.
Since no candidate passed the 50% threshold, Hance and Doggett qualified for the run-off election. Hance fired his pollster despite ranking first.[5] Krueger endorsed fellow U.S. Congressman Hance, saying "Ultimately, the quality of one's public service depends upon the character that one displays in filling an office."[6][7] In the June election, Doggett very narrowly defeated Hance by just 1,345 votes.
Results
- Initial election in May 5, 1984
- Run-off election on June 2, 1984
| June Democratic primary[9] |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Lloyd Doggett |
491,251 |
50.1 |
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Democratic |
Kent Hance |
489,906 |
49.9 |
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Republican primary
Candidates
Campaign
The primary was a highly competitive, multimillion-dollar contest.[10] Gramm recently switched parties in 1983, but he was a conservative who supported Reagonomics. Gramm spent $4 million.[11]
Results
General election
Candidates
Results
| General election results[13] |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
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Republican |
Phil Gramm |
3,111,348 |
58.6 |
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Democratic |
Lloyd Doggett |
2,202,557 |
41.5 |
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References
