The 1990 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
U.S. Senator
Gordon J. Humphrey
Gordon John Humphrey (born October 9, 1940) is an American politician from New Hampshire who served two terms in the U.S. Senate as a Republican from 1979 to 1990, and twice ran for Governor of New Hampshire, though both bids were unsuccessful.
E ...
decided to retire and not run for re-election to a third term. Republican
Bob Smith won the open seat, easily defeating the Democratic nominee, former senator
John A. Durkin
John Anthony Durkin (March 29, 1936 – October 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980.
Early life
Born March 29, 1936, in Brookfield, Massachusetts, Durkin was the yo ...
.
Republican primary
Candidates
* Tom Christo, attorney
* Theo deWinter, engineer
*
Bob Smith, U.S. Representative from
Wolfeboro
* Ewing Smith, candidate for Senate in 1980
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
* James W. Donchess, Mayor of
Nashua Nashua may refer to:
* Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England
Places
In Australia:
* Nashua, New South Wales
In the United States:
* Nashua, California
* Nashua, Iowa
* Nashua, Minnesota
* Nashua, Kansas City ...
*
John A. Durkin
John Anthony Durkin (March 29, 1936 – October 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980.
Early life
Born March 29, 1936, in Brookfield, Massachusetts, Durkin was the yo ...
, former U.S. Senator
* John Rauh, founder of Americans for Campaign Reform and former CEO of
Griffon Corporation
Griffon Corporation is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in New York City. The company conducts its operations through five subsidiaries: The AMES Companies, ClosetMaid, Clopay Building Products, CornellCookson, and Telephonics Corp ...
Results
General election
Candidates
*
John A. Durkin
John Anthony Durkin (March 29, 1936 – October 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1975 until 1980.
Early life
Born March 29, 1936, in Brookfield, Massachusetts, Durkin was the yo ...
, former U.S. Senator (Democratic)
* John G. Elsnau (Libertarian)
*
Bob Smith, U.S. Representative from
Wolfeboro (Republican)
Campaign
The 1990 New Hampshire Senate race garnered national news after John Durkin, previously a senator from New Hampshire in 1975-1980, made a remark that was perceived as a racial slur against the Japanese. Durkin told reporters interviewing him, "If you want a Jap in the United States Senate, then vote for Bob Smith". "Jap" is a term that was frequently used in WWII to describe the Japanese, and was, by 1990, considered racist terminology. The quote destroyed Durkin's campaign and he ended up losing to Smith by a more than 2-to-1 margin, a devastating blow for the ex-Senator.
Results
See also
*
1990 United States Senate elections
The 1990 United States Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republican Party. The election took place in the middle of President George H. W. Bus ...
References
{{New Hampshire elections
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...