The 1980 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 4, 1980, alongside other elections to the
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 ...
in other states as well as elections to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator
Donald Stewart, elected in a
special election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
to finish the term of the seat left vacant by the death of Senator
James B. Allen, decided to run for a full term, but was defeated in the primary by
Jim Folsom
James Elisha Folsom, Sr. (October 9, 1908 – November 21, 1987), commonly known as Jim Folsom or Big Jim Folsom, was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, having served from 1947 to 1951, and a ...
. In November, Folsom narrowly lost the general election to Republican
Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (July 15, 1924 – March 28, 2014) was an American politician and military officer who served as a U.S. Senator representing Alabama from 1981 to 1987. He was the first Republican to be popularly elected to a Sen ...
.
Denton was the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since the end of
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
in 1879 and the first Republican elected since the passage of the
17th amendment requiring the direct election of senators. He would lose reelection in the
1986 election to Democratic nominee
Richard Shelby who later joined the Republican Party in 1994.
Candidates
Democratic
*
Jim Folsom
James Elisha Folsom, Sr. (October 9, 1908 – November 21, 1987), commonly known as Jim Folsom or Big Jim Folsom, was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, having served from 1947 to 1951, and a ...
,
Public Service Commissioner
*
Donald Stewart, incumbent U.S. Senator
Republican
*
Jeremiah Denton
Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. (July 15, 1924 – March 28, 2014) was an American politician and military officer who served as a U.S. Senator representing Alabama from 1981 to 1987. He was the first Republican to be popularly elected to a Sen ...
, U.S. Navy veteran
*
Armistead I. Selden Jr., former Democratic U.S. Representative and Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa
Results
See also
*
1980 United States Senate elections
The 1980 United States Senate elections coincided with Ronald Reagan's victory in the presidential election. Reagan's large margin of victory over incumbent Jimmy Carter gave a huge boost to Republican Senate candidates, allowing them to flip ...
*
Reagan's coattails
Reagan's coattails refers to the influence of Ronald Reagan's popularity in elections other than his own, after the American political expression to " ride in on another's coattails". Chiefly, it refers to the "Reagan Revolution" accompanying his ...
References
1980 Alabama elections
1980 United States Senate elections, Alabama
United States Senate elections in Alabama, 1980
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