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 County results Packwood: 50-60% 60-70% Roberts: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1974 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 1974. IncumbentRepublican U.S. SenatorBob Packwood won re-election to a second term.Betty Roberts was chosen to replace former U.S. SenatorWayne Morse, who won the Democratic primary but died before the general election.[1][2]
The Democratic primaries were held on May 28, 1974. Incumbent SenatorBob Packwood was running for re-election after his upset victory against popular incumbent DemocratWayne Morse in1968 made him the youngest member of the Senate.[3]
In the Democratic primary, former Senator Morse, trying to win back the seat he had for 24 years before losing to Packwood six years earlier, facedOregon State Senate PresidentJason Boe and several other candidates for a chance to take back his Senate seat.[4] Boe, who was 45, made Morse's age, 73, an issue in the race while Morse said his experience in the Senate made him a stronger candidate.[5] Boe called for a series of debates around the state, but Morse refused. He went on to defeat Boe 49% to 39%, and planned to use the same strategy in the general election against Packwood, whose narrow victory over Morse 6 years earlier was attributed to Packwood's superior performance at a debate in Portland late in the campaign.[1]
In July, Morse was hospitalized inPortland with what was originally described as a seriousurinary tract infection. His condition deteriorated and he died on July 22.[2] The death was originally reported to have been caused by kidney failure, but it was later revealed that Morse died ofleukemia; Boe apparently knew of the diagnosis during the campaign but did not make it a campaign issue.[6]
TheOregon Democratic State Central Committee met on August 11, two days afterRichard Nixon resigned the Presidency. They chose State SenatorBetty Roberts over Boe to replace Morse as the Democratic nominee.[7] Roberts, anOregon State Senator, had run for the Democratic nomination forGovernor that year, but lost in the May primary to eventual general election winnerRobert W. Straub.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wayne Morse | 155,729 | 48.98% | |
| Democratic | Jason Boe | 125,055 | 39.33% | |
| Democratic | Robert T. Daly | 21,881 | 6.88% | |
| Democratic | Robert E. O'Connor | 14,984 | 4.71% | |
| Democratic | miscellaneous | 319 | 0.10% | |
| Total votes | 396,204 | 100.00% | ||
Outgoing Oregon governorTom McCall, who had decided not to run in 1968, had pledged to Packwood a year earlier that he would not challenge him in 1974.[9] But as his term as governor ended, McCall began reconsidering his decision, believing he would bring more integrity to the job. In March 1974, at a dinner party held at Packwood's Washington D.C. home in McCall's honor, McCall informed Packwood that he would challenge him.[9] The news of McCall's change of plans soon reached the media. Eventually, McCall decided that he had little chance against Packwood, who had similar positions to his own and had a reputation for ruthless campaigning that McCall did not share.[9][10] McCall did not run, and Packwood was unopposed in the Republican primary.[4]
The1974 mid-term elections were dominated by the fallout from theWatergate scandal. Strong Democratic gains were predicted, giving Roberts a good chance at an upset. In addition, the Senate had no female members and Roberts was one of three women (along with DemocratBarbara Mikulski in Maryland and Republican Gwenyfred Bush in South Carolina) seeking a Senate seat.[11] But on the issues, Packwood and Roberts shared many positions, such as on abortion, military spending, and the environment.[12] Moreover, Packwood had distanced himself from Watergate, calling for Nixon's impeachment and denouncingGerald Ford's pardon of Nixon.[12][13] Roberts was also at a financial disadvantage, having entered the race late and facing debt from her failed gubernatorial run; Packwood was able to use money he had raised for a primary challenge that never materialized, and led in most polls by a double-digit margin.[12]
Roberts lost the election to Packwood 55% to 44%.[14] Packwood was the only Oregon Republican up for re-election to keep his seat: Democrats won every other available seat. In the Governor's race,Bob Straub, who beat Roberts in the Democratic primary, defeatedVic Atiyeh to become the first Democrat elected governor since 1956; in the U. S. House of Representatives races,Les AuCoin won an open seat in the1st district and in the4th district,Jim Weaver upset incumbentJohn Dellenback.[15]
After the election, Roberts, whose criticism of Packwood's ethics was a theme in her campaign, considered filing a lawsuit against Packwood for misrepresenting her positions on gun control, abortion, and Social Security in campaign advertisements, but later dropped the idea.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Packwood (incumbent) | 420,984 | 54.93% | |
| Democratic | Betty Roberts | 338,591 | 44.18% | |
| Write-In | Jason Boe | 5,072 | 0.66% | |
| Write-In | Misc. | 1,767 | 0.23% | |
| Total votes | 766,414 | 100.00% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Packwood was re-elected to three more terms: in1980,1986, and1992. Shortly after the 1992 election, allegations ofsexual harassment revealed byThe Washington Post led to his eventual resignation from the Senate in 1995.[18]
In 1977, Roberts became the first woman to serve to theOregon Court of Appeals,[19] and in 1982, was appointed by Republican GovernorVictor G. Atiyeh to theOregon Supreme Court, the first woman to serve on that court.[20]
