1976 United States Senate election in Nevada explained

Election Name:1976 United States Senate election in Nevada
Country:Nevada
Flag Year:1929
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1970 United States Senate election in Nevada
Previous Year:1970
Next Election:1982 United States Senate election in Nevada
Next Year:1982
Election Date:November 2, 1976
Image1:Howard Cannon.jpg
Nominee1:Howard Cannon
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:127,214
Percentage1:63.01%
Nominee2:David Towell
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:63,471
Percentage2:31.44%
Map Size:250px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Howard Cannon
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Howard Cannon
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1976 United States Senate election in Nevada was held on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Howard Cannon won re-election to a fourth term despite Republican President Gerald Ford winning the state in the concurrent presidential election in Nevada.

General election

Candidates

Campaign

In the Senate, Cannon was known as a moderate in the Democratic Party. He served as chairman of several committees, including the rules committee and the inaugural arrangements committee. Cannon was nearly defeated for re-election in 1964 by Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt in one of the closest elections in history. However, he became more popular over the next few years and won re-election in 1970 with nearly 58% of the vote. In 1976, he faced former U.S. Representative David Towell, who served just one term in the U.S. House of Representatives before losing reelection, then running for the Senate. Cannon won re-election with 63% of the vote, one of his best election performances of his career. He won every county in the state, except for Eureka County, which Towell won with just 51% of the vote.

Results

See also