1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming

The 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen declined to seek a third term in office. Former State Representative Alan K. Simpson, the son of former Senator Milward Simpson, won a contested Republican primary and faced Raymond B. Whitaker, the 1960 Democratic nominee for the Senate, in the general election. Despite a favorable environment for Republicans nationwide, Simpson's performance decreased considerably from Hansen's 1972 landslide. Nonetheless, he easily defeated Whitaker, winning 62% of the vote to Whitaker's 38%.

1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming

← 1972 November 7, 1978 1984 →

Nominee Alan Simpson Raymond B. Whitaker Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 82,908 50,456 Percentage 62.17% 37.83%

County results Simpson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Whitaker:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Clifford Hansen Republican Elected U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson Republican

Republican primary

Candidates

• Alan K. Simpson, former State Representative from Park County
• Hugh Binford, petroleum engineer and businessman^[1]
• Gordon H. Barrows, author^[2]
• James G. Maxey, project manager^[3]

Results

Republican primary^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Alan K. Simpson	37,332	54.66%
	Republican	Hugh Binford	20,768	30.41%
	Republican	Gordon H. Barrows	8,494	12.44%
	Republican	James G. Maxey	1,709	2.50%
Total votes			68,303	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Raymond B. Whitaker, former Natrona County Prosecuting Attorney, 1960 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
• Dean M. Larson, Riverton attorney^[5]
• Charles Carroll, former Deputy Wyoming Attorney General, 1974 Democratic nominee for Wyoming Secretary of State^[6]

Results

Democratic primary^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Raymond B. Whitaker	19,854	47.62%
	Democratic	Dean M. Larson	11,039	26.48%
	Democratic	Charles Carroll	10,797	25.90%
Total votes			41,690	100.00%

General election

Results

1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Alan Simpson	82,908	62.17%	−9.15%
	Democratic	Raymond B. Whitaker	50,456	37.83%	+9.15%
Majority			32,452	24.33%	−18.30%
Turnout			133,364
	Republican hold

See also

• 1978 United States Senate elections