1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania

← 1970 November 2, 1976 1982 →

Nominee John Heinz Bill Green Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,381,891 2,126,977 Percentage 52.4% 46.8%

County Results Heinz:      50-60%      60-70% Green:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Hugh Scott Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Heinz Republican

Elections in Pennsylvania
Federal government U.S. President 1789 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 2016 Dem 2020 Dem U.S. Senate Class One 1788 1791 1793 1794 1797 1802 1808 February 1814 1814 1820-21 1826 1831 1832-33 1840 1845 1851 1857 1861 1863 1869 1875 1881 1887 1893 1901 1905 1909 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1991 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018 Class Three 1788 1795 1801 December 1801 1806 1812 1818 1824–25 1830 1834 1836 1843 1845 1849 1856 1861 1867 1873 1877 1879 1885 1891 1897 1903 1909 1914 1920 1922 1926 1930 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022 U.S. House of Representatives 1788 1791 1792 1794 1796 5th sp 1797 5th sp 1798 1st sp 4th sp 1800 8th sp 1801 4th sp 8th sp 12th sp 1802 1804 10th sp 1805 4th sp 11th sp 1806 1st sp 1808 1st sp 1809 1st sp 1810 1812 1813 3rd sp 5th sp 7th sp 13th sp 15th sp 1814 2nd sp 3rd sp 1815 1st sp 3rd sp 9th sp 1816 9th sp 1817 10th sp 1818 4th sp 6th sp 1820 5th sp 7th sp 1821 5th sp 10th sp 1822 1st sp 6th sp 7th sp 14th sp 1824 8th sp 13th sp 1825 16th sp 1826 2nd sp 7th sp 13th sp 18th sp 1827 2nd sp 1828 1829 8th sp 16th sp 1830 1831 11th sp 1832 1833 1st sp 1834 1836 13th sp 24th sp 1837 3rd sp 1838 9th sp 1839 14th sp 1840 13th sp 22nd sp 1841 2nd sp 13th sp 20th sp 18th sp Jun 18th sp Dec 17th sp 21st sp 1843 1844 12th sp 13th sp 21st sp 1846 1848 6th sp 1850 11th sp 15th sp 1852 1854 8th sp 1856 1857 12th sp 1858 8th sp 1860 8th sp 1861 2nd sp 12th sp 1862 7th sp 1864 1866 1867 12th sp 1868 9th sp 20th sp 1870 1872 13th sp 1874 23rd sp 1876 12th sp 1878 1880 1882 1884 19th sp 1885 19th sp 1886 1888 1890 3rd sp 4th sp 1892 1893 2nd sp 8th sp 1894 at-large sp 1895 15th sp 1896 1897 25th sp 1898 23rd sp 1899 9th sp 1900 5th sp 1901 10th sp 1902 17th sp 1903 4th sp 1904 3rd sp 1906 2nd sp 3rd sp 12th sp 1907 2nd sp 1908 1910 1911 2nd sp 14th sp 1912 1st sp 1914 1916 1917 28th sp 1918 1919 22nd sp 1920 3rd sp 1921 at-large sp 1927 1st sp 1928 8th sp 1929 12th sp 1930 1931 2nd sp 1932 6th sp 18th sp 20th sp 1933 9th sp 1934 1936 1937 18th sp 1938 1939 4th sp 1940 1941 15th sp 1942 11th sp 12th sp 33rd sp 1943 2nd sp 23rd sp 1944 2nd sp 17th sp 1946 10th sp 23rd sp 33rd sp 1947 8th sp 1948 1949 22nd sp 26th sp 1950 1951 8th sp 14th sp 33rd sp 1952 1954 1956 2nd sp 30th sp 1957 13th sp 1958 4th sp 21st sp 1960 17th sp 18th sp Apr Nov 1961 16th sp 1963 15th sp 23rd sp 1964 5th sp 1968 9th sp 1971 18th sp 1972 27th sp 1974 12th sp 1976 1st sp 1978 1980 11th sp 12th sp 1981 3rd sp 1984 1986 1991 2nd sp 1992 1994 1996 1998 1st sp 2000 2001 9th sp 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 7th 12th sp 2012 2014 2016 2nd sp 2018 7th sp 7th & 15th sp 15th sp 18th sp 2019 12th sp 2020 2022
State government Governor 1790 1793 1796 1799 1802 1805 1808 1811 1814 1817 1820 1823 1826 1829 1832 1835 1838 1841 1844 1847 1848 1851 1854 1857 1860 1863 1866 1869 1872 1875 1878 1882 1886 1890 1894 1898 1902 1906 1910 1914 1918 1922 1926 1930 1934 1938 1942 1946 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Lieutenant Governor 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Attorney General 2000 2004 2008 · 2012 2016 2020 Auditor General 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 State Treasurer 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 State Senate 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 State House Elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Elections by year State elections 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Philadelphia Mayors 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1865 1868 1871 1874 1877 1881 1884 1887 1891 1895 1899 1903 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Other municipal elections 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961
Pittsburgh Mayors 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1953 1957 1959 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2007 2009 2013 2017 2021
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Allentown Mayors 2017 2021
Harrisburg Mayors 2017 2021
v t e

The 1976 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator and Minority Leader Hugh Scott decided to retire. Republican John Heinz won the open seat.^[1]

Background

In December 1975, U.S. senator Hugh Scott announced that he would not seek re-election in 1976 at the age of 75 after serving in Congress for 33 years. Scott listed personal reasons and several "well-qualified potential candidates" for the seat among the reasons of his decision to retire. Other reasons, including his support for Richard Nixon and accusations that he had illegally obtained contributions from Gulf Oil were alleged to have contributed to the decision.^[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Bill Green, United States Representative^[3]
• Jeanette Reibman, State Senator^[4]

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

• John Heinz, United States Representative who had served in the House since 1971^[6]
• Arlen Specter, former District Attorney of Philadelphia^[4][7]
• George Packard, former managing editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin^[8]

Results

General election

Candidates

• William Green (D), United States Representative
• John Heinz, United States Representative

Campaign

Heinz was the victor in all but nine counties, defeating opponent William Green, who had a 300,000 vote advantage in his native Philadelphia area. Heinz and Green spent $2.5 million and $900,000, respectively, during the ten-month campaign. Much of the money Heinz spent on his campaign was his own, leading to accusations from Green that he was "buying the seat". Heinz replied to this by claiming that the spending was necessary to overcome the Democratic voter registration advantage.^[9]

Results

See also

• 1976 United States Senate elections

References

This page was last edited on 18 January 2021, at 00:07