United States Senate election in Mississippi, 1972

United States Senate elections, 1972

← 1970 November 7, 1972 1974 / 1975 →
34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Mike Mansfield Hugh Scott Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat Montana Pennsylvania Seats before 54 44 Seats after 56 42 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 17,199,567 19,821,203 Percentage 45.5% 52.4% Swing 6.9% 12.5% Seats up 14 19 Races won 16 17   Third party Fourth party   Party Independent Conservative (N.Y.) Seats before 1 1 Seats after 1 1 Seat change Seats up 0 0 Races won 0 0
Results, with special elections      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority Leader before election Mike Mansfield Democratic Elected Majority Leader Mike Mansfield Democratic

U.S. Senate election in Delaware, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee Joe Biden J. Caleb Boggs Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 116,006 112,844 Percentage 50.48% 49.10%
County results
U.S. Senator before election J. Caleb Boggs Republican Elected U.S. Senator Joe Biden Democratic

U.S. Senate election in Illinois, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee Charles Percy Roman Pucinski Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,867,078 1,721,031 Percentage 62.21% 37.35%
U.S. Senator before election Charles H. Percy Republican Elected U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy Republican

U.S. Senate election in Maine, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee William Hathaway Margaret Chase Smith Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 224,270 197,040 Percentage 53.2% 46.8%
U.S. Senator before election Margaret Chase Smith Republican Elected U.S. Senator William Hathaway Democratic

U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee Edward Brooke John J. Droney Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,505,932 823,278 Percentage 63.53% 34.73%
Results by town. Red indicates towns carried by Edward Brooke, blue indicates towns carried by John J. Droney.
U.S. Senator before election Edward Brooke Republican Elected U.S. Senator Edward Brooke Republican

U.S. Senate election in Montana, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee Lee Metcalf Hank Hibbard Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 163,609 151,316 Percentage 51.95% 48.05%
U.S. Senator before election Lee Metcalf Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Lee Metcalf Democratic

U.S. Senate election in Nebraska, 1972

← 1966 1978 →
Nominee Carl Curtis Terry Carpenter Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 301,841 265,922 Percentage 53.16% 46.84%
U.S. Senator before election Carl Curtis Republican Elected U.S. Senator Carl Curtis Republican

U.S. Senate special election in Vermont, 1972

← 1970 January 7, 1972 (1972-01-07) 1976 →
Nominee Robert Stafford Randolph T. Major Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 45,888 23,842 Percentage 64.4% 33.4%
U.S. Senator before election Robert Stafford Republican Elected U.S. Senator Robert Stafford Republican

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

Mike Mansfield
Democratic

The 1972 United States Senate elections coincided with the landslide re-election of Republican President Richard Nixon. Despite Nixon's victory, Democrats increased their majority by two seats. After the elections, Democrats held 56 seats and Republicans held 42 seats, with 1 Conservative and 1 independent Senator. These were the first elections that citizens at least 18 years of age (instead of 21 and older) could vote due to the 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment.

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 7, 1972" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Democratic pickups included open seats in Kentucky and South Dakota, and defeats of Senators Gordon L. Allott of Colorado, J. Caleb Boggs of Delaware, Jack Miller of Iowa, and Margaret Chase Smith of Maine.