1980 United States Senate election in Oregon
 | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Packwood: 50-60% 60-70% Kulongoski: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Oregon |
|---|
 |
The 1980 Oregon United States Senate election was held on November 4, 1980 to select the
Primaries
Volcano eruption
The primary elections were held on May 20, 1980 in conjunction with the
Republican primary
Campaign
In the Republican primary, incumbent Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Packwood (incumbent) | 191,127 | 62.43% | |
| Republican | Brenda Jose | 45,973 | 15.02% | |
| Republican | Kenneth Brown | 23,599 | 7.71% | |
| Republican | Rosalie Huss | 22,929 | 7.49% | |
| Republican | William D. Severn | 22,281 | 6.08% | |
| Republican | miscellaneous | 227 | 0.07% | |
| Total votes | 306,136 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Campaign
In the Democratic primary, several high-profile Democrats considered a run, including incumbent
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ted Kulongoski | 161,153 | 47.66% | |
| Democratic | Charles O. Porter | 69,646 | 20.60% | |
| Democratic | Jack Sumner | 46,107 | 13.64% | |
| Democratic | John Sweeney | 39,961 | 11.82% | |
| Democratic | Gene Arvidson | 20,548 | 6.08% | |
| Democratic | miscellaneous | 692 | 0.21% | |
| Total votes | 338,110 | 100.00% | ||
General election
In addition to the candidates chosen in the primaries,
Campaign
As a well-funded incumbent, Packwood was expected to have a fairly easy road to re-election and led by double digit margins in most early polls.[17][18] Packwood chose defense spending as his key issue in the campaign while Kulongoski focused on the economy and unemployment. Nathan hammered at core Libertarian principles of limited government, with a goal of 5% of votes which would keep the party as a valid minor party.[19] The three candidates agreed to three debates, to be held across the state in the summer of 1980.[20] As the challenger, Kulongoski aggressively attempted to engage Packwood in the debates, but the debate format did not allow the candidates to ask follow-up questions or rebut each other's statements and Packwood was largely able to avoid confrontation and stay above the fray.[19] As the campaign wore on, Kulongoski grew more confident and tried to appeal to Oregonians' independent values by saying that Packwood's enormous cash advantage was due to "eastern" money.[1]
Kulongoski closed to within a few points in some late polls, but with no mistakes made by Packwood and with the
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Packwood (incumbent) | 594,290 | 52.13% | |
| Democratic | Ted Kulongoski | 501,963 | 44.03% | |
| Libertarian | Tonie Nathan
|
43,686 | 3.83% | |
| Total votes | 1,139,939 | 100.00% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Aftermath
Packwood served as chairman of the
Following his unexpectedly good showing in this race, Kulongoski was the Democratic nominee for Governor in
Nathan ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress against Peter DeFazio in 1986 and 1990.[27]
See also
References
- ^ a b Sand, Joseph R. (May 20, 1980). "Early turnout moderate as primary vote begins". The Bulletin (Bend). Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Wicker, Tom (May 21, 1980). "Volcano upstages Oregon primary". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Fisher, R.V., Heiken, G. & Hulen, J. 1998. Volcanoes:Crucibles of Change, Princeton University Press, 334pp.
- ^ Willis, Henny (January 26, 1980). "Jose defends run against Packwood". The Register-Guard. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Mrs. Huss to run". The Register-Guard. AP. December 28, 1979. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Atiyeh urges Huss ouster". The Bulletin (Bend). April 19, 1979. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ a b "Oregon US Senate Republican Primary Race, May 20, 1980". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "AuCoin opts not to challenge Packwood". The Register-Guard. August 7, 1979. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Weaver says he will make re-election bid". The Bulletin (Bend). October 3, 1979. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Attorney makes Senate bid". The Bulletin (Bend). October 10, 1979. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Willis, Henny (March 6, 1980). "Porter joins race for Packwood's seat in U. S. Senate". The Register-Guard. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Willis, Henny (April 21, 1980). "Senate contenders find only two issues to disagree on". The Register-Guard. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Willis, Henny (May 21, 1980). "Packwood, Kulongoski get set for Senate campaign debates". The Register-Guard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Oregon US Senate Democratic Primary Race, May 20, 1980". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Nathan, Wright named nominees by Libertarians". The Register-Guard. June 2, 1980. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ Boaz, David (August 29, 2008). "First Woman". Cato @ Liberty (Cato Institute). Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- The Telegraph (Nashua). Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Poll shows Packwood well ahead of his foe". The Bulletin (Bend). August 18, 1980. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ a b "Senate race stirs memories of 1968". The Register-Guard. November 2, 1980. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Senate contestants schedule 3 debates". The Register-Guard. July 12, 1980. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Packwood wins Senate race". The Register-Guard. November 5, 1980. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ a b Forrester, Steve (November 9, 1980). "Never has state had so much power". The Register-Guard. Retrieved March 23, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Oregon US Senate Race, Nov 4, 1980". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Never has state had so much power". The Register-Guard. November 29, 1984. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Senator Robert Packwood's History of Sexual Harassment". Washington Post. July 21, 1998. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon" (PDF). Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
- ^ "Theodora Nathan". ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved March 23, 2010.