1976 United States Senate election in New Mexico
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 County results Schmitt: 50–60% 60–70% Montoya: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in New Mexico |
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The 1976 United States Senate election in New Mexico took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joseph Montoya ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by Republican Harrison Schmitt. As of 2025, this is the last time that the Republicans have won the Class 1 Senate seat in New Mexico.
Schmitt won the election in a decisive victory. Joseph Montoya congratulated Schmitt on his victory, saying "The people have spoken and I accept their verdict."[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Eugene W. Peirce Jr., businessman and former state legislator[2]
- Harrison Schmitt, former astronaut
Eliminated at convention
- Arthur Lavine
Campaign
In the pre-primary convention held on March 27, 1976, Schmitt received 73.7% of the votes and businessman Eugene Peirce received 21%, allowing both to qualify for the primary ballot. A third candidate, Arthur Lavine, received 5.3% of the votes, not enough to be placed on the primary ballot.[3]
Results
In the June 1 primary election, Schmitt defeated Peirce and became the Republican nominee.[citation needed]
General election
Candidates
- Joseph Montoya, incumbent U.S. Senator (Democratic)
- Harrison Schmitt, former astronaut (Republican)
Campaign
Schmitt campaigned for 14 months, running a forward-looking campaign critical of Montoya's ethical issues. His slogan was "Honesty for a change."[4] On the campaign trail, Schmitt, who was twenty years younger than Montoya, frequently said, "I have time for the future; Senator Montoya does not."[5]
On the campaign trail in October, Senator Montoya repeatedly ridiculed Schmitt's experience as an astronaut by comparing him to a little monkey ("changito"), who could be trained to travel in space.[6][4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harrison Schmitt | 234,681 | 56.82% |  9.69
| |
| Democratic | Joseph Montoya (incumbent) | 176,382 | 42.70% |  10.17
| |
| La Raza Unida | Ernesto B. Borunda | 1,087 | 0.26% | N/A | |
| American Independent | Matt Dillion | 906 | 0.22% | N/A | |
| Majority | 58,299 | 14.11% | +8.36% | ||
| Turnout | 413,056 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
See also
References
- ^ "Schmitt Landslide Ends Montoya Senate Reign". Clovis News-Journal. Clovis, New Mexico. Associated Press. November 3, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eugene W. Peirce, 1931–2015". Albuquerque Journal. April 23, 2015.
- ^ "Montoya, Schmitt, Peirce on Ballots". Las Cruces Sun-News. UPI. March 28, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Cliff, Nancy (1982). "Far from home: Schmitt's path to Senate face-off began in space". Silver City Daily Press. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ Feather, Bill (November 3, 1976). "Montoya's Tenure Ended by Schmitt". Las Vegas Optic. Las Vegas, New Mexico. Associated Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Calloway, Larry (October 25, 1976). "Montoya Ridicules Schmitt". Santa Fe New Mexican.
- ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 31.
External links
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