The 1980 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 4, 1980. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator

Dale Bumpers Dale Leon Bumpers (August 12, 1925 – January 1, 2016) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas (1971–1975) and in the United States Senate (1975–1999). He was a member of the Democratic Party. Prio ...

won re-election to a second term. This election was Bumpers's closest election in his senatorial career.

Background

Elected in 1974, Dale Bumpers was a very popular Senator and was widely seen as the favorite in his 1980 re-election bid. During his time in the Senate, Bumpers was known for "bucking the conservative winds blowing across his state.". The "bucking" was most evident in 1978 when Senator Bumpers voted for the

Panama Canal treaties Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. Bumpers had considered this issue to be the "hottest of his career" as many of his constituents opposed these treaties. During this time, Bumpers had started getting a reputation of having a liberal voting record. Many observed that Bumpers's was much more liberal than his constituents. Despite this, Bumpers still had a high approval rating. The reason for this was that many Arkansans liked his personality and didn't mind his political positions. Bumpers was viewed as a potential presidential candidate in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

but decided against running. Many people believed that Bumpers's key vote in killing labor law reform in 1978, a vote that angered organized labor and had not been forgotten by labor leaders, discouraged him from running. Between 1974 and 1980, Bumpers was not a member of any Senate committees and opposed all constitutional amendments proposed during this time. Bumpers's first term helped establish his identity as a fiscally responsible, socially liberal constitutionalist.

Major candidates

Democratic

, incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor

Republican

Only one Republican filed to run, William P. "Bill" Clark. Clark filed for the Senate race only one hour prior to the deadline. * William Clark, real estate broker

General election

Bumpers's opponent, William P. "Bill" Clark, had previously ran for office but was unsuccessful. Clark ran for the Democratic nomination for

Arkansas's 2nd congressional district Arkansas's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas and includes the state capital of Little Rock, its suburbs and surrounding areas. The district leans Republican, with a Co ...

but lost to

Jim Guy Tucker James Guy Tucker Jr. (born June 13, 1943) is an American politician and attorney from Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 43rd governor of Arkansas, the 15th lieutenant governor, state attorney general, and U.S. repre ...

. In the start of the campaign, Clark accused Bumpers of being "fuzzy on the issues" and challenged Bumpers's support for gasoline

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

during the

energy crisis An energy crisis or energy shortage is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In literature, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, in particular, those that supply n ...

. Clark criticized Bumpers for having voted against defense appropriations twenty-three times between 1975 and 1978 and noted, "Only this year hen seeking reelectionhe has voted for a couple of defense items." Clark questioned Bumpers's opposition to school prayer and support for the

Panama Canal Treaties Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

of 1978. Clark further claimed that Bumpers had derided citizens of Newton County, a frequent Republican stronghold in Arkansas, as "stupid hill people". During the campaign, Clark constantly asked voters, "If Dale Bumpers doesn't vote for you, why should you vote for him?"''Arkansas Outlook'', Republican Party newsletter, August 1980

Results

Despite Ronald Reagan winning the state in the concurring

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

and incumbent Governor

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

losing his

re-election bid The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

, Dale Bumpers was re-elected to a second term. Bumpers lost his home county of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

. This is the only time Bumpers lost his home county.

References

{{United States elections, 1980 1980 1980 Arkansas elections

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...