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The 1984 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Tower decided to retire, instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican Phil Gramm won the open seat.
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County results Gramm: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Doggett: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The primary was 45% Hispanic, but included many moderate to conservative voters. Hance positioned himself as the most moderate to conservative candidate, who co-sponsored President Ronald Reagan's tax package.[1] Doggett was the more liberal candidate, attacking Reaganomics and getting endorsements from the Texas teachers' union and Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower.[2] Doggett's campaign manager was James Carville.[3] Krueger was seen as the front runner and was a moderate who supported the state's oil and gas industry, but had close ties with the Hispanic community because he was Spanish-speaking.[4] Hance attacked both Krueger and Doggett for supporting amnesty for illegal aliens and supporting gay rights.[5] The initial primary was extremely close between the top three candidates. Each candidate got 31% of the electorate. Hance ranked first, only 273 votes ahead of Doggett and 1,560 votes ahead of Krueger.
Since no candidate passed the 50% threshold, Hance and Doggett qualified for the run-off election. Hance fired his pollster despite ranking first.[6] Krueger endorsed fellow U.S. Congressman Hance, saying "Ultimately, the quality of one's public service depends upon the character that one displays in filling an office."[7][8] In the June election, Doggett very narrowly defeated Hance by just 1,345 votes.
Initial election on May 5, 1984
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kent Hance | 456,446 | 31.2% | |
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 456,173 | 31.2% | |
| Democratic | Robert Charles Krueger | 454,886 | 31.1% | |
| Democratic | David Young | 47,062 | 3.2% | |
| Democratic | Robert S. Sullivan | 34,733 | 2.4% | |
| Democratic | Harley Schlanger | 14,149 | 1.0% | |
Run-off election on June 2, 1984
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 491,251 | 50.1% | |
| Democratic | Kent Hance | 489,906 | 49.9% | |
The primary was a multimillion-dollar contest.[11] Gramm recently switched parties in 1983, but he was a conservative who supported Reaganomics. Gramm spent $4 million.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Gramm | 247,280 | 73.3% | |
| Republican | Ron Paul | 55,771 | 16.5% | |
| Republican | Robert A. Mosbacher Jr. | 26,250 | 7.8% | |
| Republican | Hank Grover | 8,055 | 2.5% | |
Doggett received 89% of the black vote.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Gramm | 3,111,348 | 58.55% | ||
| Democratic | Lloyd Doggett | 2,202,557 | 41.45% | ||
| Total votes | 5,313,905 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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