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 County results Bumpers: 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1974 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 5, 1974.
Incumbent Democratic U.S. SenatorJ. William Fulbright ran for re-election to a sixth term in office, but was defeated handily in the Democratic primary by Governor of ArkansasDale Bumpers. Bumpers won the general election easily.
J. William Fulbright had been a mainstay in Arkansas politics for many decades, and sought a sixth term while still remaining the Junior Senator toJohn McClellan.
Dale Bumpers, originally a charismatic lawyer fromCharleston, was the incumbentGovernor of Arkansas. He had defeated staunch segregationistOrval Faubus in the1970 primary and had been re-elected in1972.[1] His campaign had been spurred by the need to provide for his family with the $42,500 he would make as a Senator.[2]
After Bumpers announced his candidacy, Fulbright did not take his opponent's campaign seriously. However, Bumpers' decision would spell the end of Fulbright's career in the Senate in dramatic fashion. This victory earned him the nickname 'The Giant Killer'.[3]
Fulbright's staggering loss was seen by analysts as a result of low confidence in Congress in the wake of theWatergate scandal. This success also tipped him to be on the ticket in the1976 presidential election.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dale Bumpers | 380,748 | 65.04 | |
| Democratic | J. William Fulbright (Incumbent) | 204,630 | 34.96 | |
| Total votes | 585,378 | 100.00 | ||
Jones accused Bumpers of excessive spending as governor, citing the construction of a $186 million state office complex. Bumpers not only ignored Jones but instead campaigned mostly for the young Democrat (and futurePresident)Bill Clinton, who failed to unseat Republican U.S. RepresentativeJohn Paul Hammerschmidt inArkansas's 3rd congressional district.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dale Bumpers | 461,056 | 84.90 |  25.75 | |
| Republican | John H. Jones | 82,026 | 15.10 |  25.75 | |
| Total votes | 543,082 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
