1966 United States Senate election in Virginia

The 1966 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 8, 1966. Senator A. Willis Robertson ran for re-election to a fourth term in office but was defeated in the Democratic primary by State Senator William B. Spong Jr. Spong then defeated Republican James Ould and Independent F. Lee Hawthorne in the general election.

1966 United States Senate election in Virginia

← 1960 November 8, 1966 1972 →
 
Nominee William B. Spong Jr. James P. Ould Jr. F. Lee Hawthorne
Party Democratic Republican Conservative
Popular vote 429,855 245,681 58,251
Percentage 58.57% 33.48% 7.94%

County and independent city results
Spong:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Ould:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election

A. Willis Robertson
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

William B. Spong Jr.
Democratic

This was the last time a Democrat won the Class II senate seat from Virginia until 2008. The election was held on the same day as a special election for Virginia's other United States Senate seat.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Campaign

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Senator Robertson had long been one of the most conservative members of the Democratic Party and had opposed most civil rights legislation. To secure his defeat, President Lyndon B. Johnson personally recruited State Senator William B. Spong Jr., a much more liberal member of the party, to challenge Robertson in the Democratic primary.[citation needed]

Spong relied on support from newly enfranchised Black voters and former Byrd Democrats who had given up resistance to racial integration.[citation needed]

Results

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1966 Democratic U.S. Senate primary[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William B. Spong Jr. 216,885 50.07%
Democratic A. Willis Robertson (incumbent) 216,274 49.93%
Write-in 1 0.00%
Total votes 433,160 100.00%

Spong's extremely narrow 611-vote victory was received as a major upset and heralded an end to the conservative Byrd Organization's dominance in the Virginia Democratic Party.

General election

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Results

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United States Senate election in Virginia, 1966[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic William B. Spong Jr. 429,855 58.57%  22.70
Republican James P. Ould, Jr. 245,681 33.48% N/A
Independent F. Lee Hawthorne 58,251 7.94% N/A
Write-in 92 0.01%   0.17
Majority 184,174 25.10% −41.93%
Turnout 733,879
Democratic hold

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our Campaigns - VA US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 14, 1966".
  2. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1966" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 43.
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