Has a sitting senator ever lost as badly as Santorum?

[memphis]

Just curious. I can't think of the last time a Senator lost by nearly 20 points.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Just curious. I can't think of the last time a Senator lost by nearly 20 points.

Senator McGovern lost 39-58 in 1980.

[memphis]

Just curious. I can't think of the last time a Senator lost by nearly 20 points.

Senator McGovern lost 39-58 in 1980.

It figures. Only McGovern could out-lose Santorum.

[Rob]

Sarbanes knocked off an incumbent Republican Senator with 59 percent in 1976, iirc.

[Sam Spade]

McGovern is the last one that comes to mind (58-39 in 1980).

There were a few others before that during the 1970s and 1960s:

1978:
Colorado
William Armstrong (R) defeated incumbent Floyd K. Haskell (D) 58.7% to 40.3%

Maine
William S. Cohen (R) defeated incumbent William K. Hathaway (D) 56.6% to 33.9% (an Indy took 7.4%)

1976
Indiana
Richard Lugar (R) defeated incumbent Vance Hartke (D) 58.8% to 40.5%.

Maryland (the one Bob mentioned)
Paul Sarbanes (D) defeated incumbent John Glenn Bell (R) 56.5% to 38.8%

1974:
Colorado
Gary Hart (D) defeated incumbent Peter H. Domenick (R) 57.2% to 39.5%.

1964:
Joseph Tydings (D) defeated incumbent James Glenn Bell (R) 62.8% to 37.2%.

No need to go before 1960, I'm sure Al could provide us with those.

[CPT MikeyMike]

Sam - You stopped one election too soon.
Look at 1958...
Ed Muskie defeated Frederick Payne 60.8 - 39.2 (ME)
Howard Cannon defeated George Malone  57.7 - 42.3 (NV)

West Virginia had two big ones...
Rob Byrd defeated Chapman Revercomb 59.2 - 40.8
Jennings Randolph defeated John Hoblitzell 59.3 - 40.7

FYI:
1. 1946 had 3 Senators defeated by more than 19% points

2. This one stuck out from WA Senate race in 1932...
Homer Bone lost his re-election bid 60.6 - 32.7

I'm guessing his name lost it for him

[Sam Spade]

Sam - You stopped one election too soon.
Look at 1958...
Ed Muskie defeated Frederick Payne 60.8 - 39.2 (ME)
Howard Cannon defeated George Malone  57.7 - 42.3 (NV)

West Virginia had two big ones...
Rob Byrd defeated Chapman Revercomb 59.2 - 40.8
Jennings Randolph defeated John Hoblitzell 59.3 - 40.7

FYI:
1. 1946 had 3 Senators defeated by more than 19% points

2. This one stuck out from WA Senate race in 1932...
Homer Bone lost his re-election bid 60.6 - 32.7

I'm guessing his name lost it for him

1958 was a wave election as well.  The number of elections that fit the description in the 1970s was a little surprising but not too much.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Technically the winner is probably Jacob Javits.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How about House elections? Whose lost as big as Hostettler?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How about House elections? Whose lost as big as Hostettler?

Don Johnston (D-GA) lost to Charlie Norwood 65.2/34.8% in 1994.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Technically the winner is probably Jacob Javits.

New York 1980:
D' Amato (Republican, Conservative, Right to Life) 44.9%
Holtzman (Democrat) 43.5%
Javits (Liberal) 11.0%

While we're at it, here's the Connecticut 1970 election that will make your head explode:
Republican Weicker who ended up being more liberal than Joe Lieberman 41.7%
Anti war Democrat Duffey supported by Joe Lieberman 33.8%
Incumbent pro-war Democrat running as an independent, Dodd, father of the liberal Senator from CT 24.5%



http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html