1966 United States Senate election in Alabama

The 1966 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Senator John Sparkman was re-elected to a fourth full term in office over Republican John Grenier.

1966 United States Senate election in Alabama

← 1960 November 8, 1966 1972 →

Nominee John Sparkman John Grenier Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 482,138 313,018 Percentage 60.07% 39.00%

County results Sparkman:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Grenier:      60-70%

U.S. senator before election John Sparkman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Sparkman Democratic

Democratic primary results by county

  Sparkman

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

  Dixon

•   30-40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%

  Crommelin

•   30–40%
•   50–60%

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John G. Crommelin, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and white supremacist
• Frank E. Dixon, Huntsville engineer
• John Sparkman, incumbent Senator
• Margaret E. Stewart, genealogist and historian

Campaign

This was the first Alabama election since Reconstruction to be regulated by federal elections observers, who were sent by the Department of Justice to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act.^[1]

Results

1966 Democratic U.S. Senate primary^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (inc.)	378,295	56.98%
	Democratic	Frank E. Dixon	133,139	20.05%
	Democratic	John G. Crommelin	114,622	17.26%
	Democratic	Margaret E. Stewart	37,889	5.71%
Total votes			663,945	100.00%

Independents and third parties

Third Party

• Julian Elgin, Republican nominee for Senate in 1960

General election

Results

General election results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Sparkman (inc.)	482,138	60.07%	10.17
	Republican	John Grenier	313,018	39.00%	9.24
	Third	Julian Elgin	7,444	0.93%	N/A
Total votes			802,600	100.00%

See also

• 1966 United States Senate elections

References

1. Roberts, Gene (May 3, 1966). "Alabama Negroes Key to Vote Today". The New York Times. p. 1.
2. "AL US Senate - D Primary". OurCampaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
3. "Our Campaigns - AL US Senate Race". OurCampaigns. Retrieved June 17, 2020.