1984 Texas Republican Senate Primary

[Indy Texas]

The candidates...

Phil Gramm - congressman from College Station who defected from the Democratic Party the year before; a Reaganite supply-side economist both by training and by ideology

Henry Grover - former state senator from Houston and 1972 gubernatorial candidate; staunch social conservative

Robert Mosbacher, Jr. - Houston attorney and son of Bush family friend Robert Mosbacher; an Establishment Republican

Ron Paul - congressman from Galveston whose eclectic political views need no explanation

[Donerail]

Guess

[Wyoming Conservative]

RON PAUL.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Henry Grover, because he shares a name with my second-favorite Sesame Street character (obviously The Count is the best)

[morgieb]

Guess

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Not sure, maybe Mosbacher.

[RogueBeaver]

Gramm.

[Maxwell]

Paul.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Mosbacher. Gramm is an HP for the repeal of Glass-Steagall and Paul is Paul.

[Supersonic]

Mosbacher.

[Goldwater]

Gramm.

[TNF]

Paul, so that the Democrats can run against the guy who wants to legalize heroin and end Medicare.

[CountryRoads]

Gramm, then Grover.

[Del Tachi]

Mosbacher

[Indy Texas]

And here are the actual results:

Phil Gramm -- 73.3% -- 246,716
Ron Paul -- 16.5% -- 55,431
Robert Mosbacher, Jr. -- 7.8% -- 26,279
Henry Grover -- 2.5% -- 8,388

The Democratic contest was actually a lot more interesting that year, resulting in a virtual three-way tie between candidates representing the liberal, moderate and conservative wings of the Democratic Party.

Kent Hance -- 31.2% -- 456,446
Lloyd Doggett -- 31.2% -- 456,173
Bob Krueger -- 31.1% -- 454,886
David Young -- 3.2% -- 47,062
Robert Sullivan -- 2.4% -- 34,733
Harley Schlanger -- 1.0% -- 14,149

Kent Hance was a conservative US representative from Lubbock who ran against George W. Bush for the seat in 1978. Lloyd Doggett was a liberal state senator from Austin. Bob Krueger was a moderate Democrat from the fairly Republican Hill Country north of San Antonio.

The run-off between Hance and Doggett was equally close:

Lloyd Doggett -- 50.1% -- 491,251
Kent Hance -- 49.9% -- 489,906

Where are they now?

The Republicans...

- Phil Gramm served three terms in the US Senate and made an unsuccessful bid for president in 1996. He retired from politics in 2002 and today works for the investment bank UBS.

- Ron Paul ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 1988 and ultimately returned to Congress in 1997 as a Republican, becoming a national figure during the 2000s due to his vocal opposition to the Iraq War. He made two more presidential bids as a Republican in 2008 and 2012, and left Congress in 2013.

- Robert Mosbacher, Jr. served as CEO of his family's energy company and on several corporate boards. He made two more unsuccessful political bids, as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 1990, and as a candidate in the non-partisan Houston mayoral election of 1997. He served in the George W. Bush administration from 2005 to 2009.

- Henry Grover, perhaps never getting over his loss to Gramm, filed an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit in 1996 to try to prevent Gramm from filing as a candidate for both the presidency and for reelection to his Senate seat. He ultimately ran against Gramm in the Senate primary, getting only about 7% of the vote. He died in 2005 at age 78.

The Democrats...

- Lloyd Doggett was elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, serving there until 1994 when he was elected to a US House seat, where he continues to serve today.

- Kent Hance ultimately left the Democratic Party, and made unsuccessful primary campaigns for governor as a Republican in 1986 and 1990. Today, he serves as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.

- Bob Krueger went on to win a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission and was appointed by Ann Richards to replace Lloyd Bentsen as US Senator in 1993. He lost the subsequent special election to Kay Bailey Hutchison. He served in the Clinton administration as an ambassador to Burundi and later to Botswana. 

[nolesfan2011]

Paul.. and for extra ,Doggett... Hance is a total HP even now at TTU

And here are the actual results:

Phil Gramm -- 73.3% -- 246,716
Ron Paul -- 16.5% -- 55,431
Robert Mosbacher, Jr. -- 7.8% -- 26,279
Henry Grover -- 2.5% -- 8,388

The Democratic contest was actually a lot more interesting that year, resulting in a virtual three-way tie between candidates representing the liberal, moderate and conservative wings of the Democratic Party.

Kent Hance -- 31.2% -- 456,446
Lloyd Doggett -- 31.2% -- 456,173
Bob Krueger -- 31.1% -- 454,886
David Young -- 3.2% -- 47,062
Robert Sullivan -- 2.4% -- 34,733
Harley Schlanger -- 1.0% -- 14,149

Kent Hance was a conservative US representative from Lubbock who ran against George W. Bush for the seat in 1978. Lloyd Doggett was a liberal state senator from Austin. Bob Krueger was a moderate Democrat from the fairly Republican Hill Country north of San Antonio.

The run-off between Hance and Doggett was equally close:

Lloyd Doggett -- 50.1% -- 491,251
Kent Hance -- 49.9% -- 489,906

Where are they now?

The Republicans...

- Phil Gramm served three terms in the US Senate and made an unsuccessful bid for president in 1996. He retired from politics in 2002 and today works for the investment bank UBS.

- Ron Paul ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 1988 and ultimately returned to Congress in 1997 as a Republican, becoming a national figure during the 2000s due to his vocal opposition to the Iraq War. He made two more presidential bids as a Republican in 2008 and 2012, and left Congress in 2013.

- Robert Mosbacher, Jr. served as CEO of his family's energy company and on several corporate boards. He made two more unsuccessful political bids, as the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 1990, and as a candidate in the non-partisan Houston mayoral election of 1997. He served in the George W. Bush administration from 2005 to 2009.

- Henry Grover, perhaps never getting over his loss to Gramm, filed an ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit in 1996 to try to prevent Gramm from filing as a candidate for both the presidency and for reelection to his Senate seat. He ultimately ran against Gramm in the Senate primary, getting only about 7% of the vote. He died in 2005 at age 78.

The Democrats...

- Lloyd Doggett was elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, serving there until 1994 when he was elected to a US House seat, where he continues to serve today.

- Kent Hance ultimately left the Democratic Party, and made unsuccessful primary campaigns for governor as a Republican in 1986 and 1990. Today, he serves as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.

- Bob Krueger went on to win a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission and was appointed by Ann Richards to replace Lloyd Bentsen as US Senator in 1993. He lost the subsequent special election to Kay Bailey Hutchison. He served in the Clinton administration as an ambassador to Burundi and later to Botswana.