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 County results Pryor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent U.S. SenatorJohn L. McClellan, who announced his retirement, had died the previous November, leaving the seat vacant. Interim appointeeKaneaster Hodges Jr. did not run to the full seat, and was succeeded by Governor of ArkansasDavid Pryor.
Pryor won a highly-competitive three-way primary against U.S. RepresentativesJim Guy Tucker andRay Thornton, then defeated Tucker in a run-off election. Having secured the Democratic nomination, which was often tantamount to election in the American South prior to the 1980s, Pryor easily defeated Republican nominee Thomas Kelly and independent candidate John Black.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Pryor | 198,041 | 34.27% | |
| Democratic | Jim Guy Tucker | 187,568 | 32.46% | |
| Democratic | Ray Thornton | 184,095 | 31.86% | |
| Democratic | A.C. Grigson | 8,166 | 1.41% | |
| Total votes | 577,870 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Pryor | 265,525 | 54.91% | |
| Democratic | Jim Guy Tucker | 218,026 | 45.09% | |
| Total votes | 483,551 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David H. Pryor | 399,916 | 76.58% |  15.69 | |
| Republican | Thomas Kelly Jr. | 84,722 | 16.22% |  22.90 | |
| Independent | John G. Black | 37,488 | 7.18% | N/A | |
| Write-in | William Rock | 113 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 522,239 | 0.02% | |||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
