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 County results Congressional district resultsBentsen: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Bush: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1970 United States Senate election in Texas was held on November 3, 1970. IncumbentDemocratic U.S. SenatorRalph Yarborough was defeated by former U.S. RepresentativeLloyd Bentsen in the Democratic primary. Bentsen then defeated Republican U.S. Representative and future presidentGeorge H. W. Bush in thegeneral election. When Bush ran for presidenteighteen years later, his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts GovernorMichael Dukakis, selected Bentsen as his vice presidential running mate.
Yarborough, a liberal icon, was challenged by the more conservative Bentsen in the Democratic primary. In what was characterized as an extremely bitter campaign, Bentsen accused Yarborough of supportingdesegregation busing and criticized his opposition to theVietnam War.[1] Many Texas liberals threatened to support the Republican Bush if Bentsen won the primary, believing that the liberal wing of the Texas Democratic Party would be threatened if Bentsen were elected.[1] Bentsen ultimately defeated Yarborough in the Democratic primary on May 2, 1970.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lloyd Bentsen | 841,316 | 53.7% | |
| Democratic | Ralph Yarborough (incumbent) | 726,477 | 46.3% | |
| Total votes | 1,567,793 | 100.0% | ||
Bush was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Thegeneral election was held November 3, 1970. Bentsen defeated Bush, 53.5% – 46.5%.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lloyd Bentsen | 1,194,069 | 53.55% |  2.67% | |
| Republican | George H. W. Bush | 1,035,794 | 46.45% |  2.89% | |
| Total votes | 2,229,863 | 100.0% | |||
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