1990 United States Senate election in Tennessee
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 County results Gore: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1990 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 6, 1990, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee. Incumbent Senator Al Gore of the Democratic Party defeated challenger William R. Hawkins of the Republican Party, winning a second term. The election had a turnout rate of just over 20% of registered voters. Gore won in a landslide with over 67% of the vote, improving on his 1984 margin and winning all of the state's counties.
Hawkins's campaign was poorly funded and relatively unknown, compared to Gore who was incredibly popular within the state and began the race with over one million dollars. Gore was expected to easily win reelection and the election cycle was labeled "boring".
As of the 2024 United States Senate elections, this was the last time the Democrats won a U.S. Senate election in Tennessee, and also the most recent Senate election in Tennessee in which several counties went to the Democratic candidate.
Background
[edit]In 1984, despite Ronald Reagan's landslide presidential victory in the concurrent election,[1] Al Gore flipped the Senate seat, defeating Republican Victor Ashe with a little over 60% of the vote. By contrast, Reagan won Tennessee in the presidential election with 58% of the vote to 42% for Democratic candidate Walter Mondale.[2]
The 1990 election was held as part of the midterm election cycle of Republican President George H. W. Bush's term.[3] Historically, the President's party struggles during the midterms.[4]
Candidates and primaries
[edit]Democratic primary
[edit]- Al Gore, incumbent Senator[5]
After winning his first term in a landslide victory, Gore decided to run for a second. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Writing for The Commercial Appeal, Terry Keeter credited the lack of competition to the margin of Gore's victory in the 1984 senate election.[6]
Republican primary
[edit]- William R. Hawkins, conservative author[6]
- Ralph H. Brown, retiree with no political experience[6]
- Patrick K. Hales, unsuccessful candidate for Tennessee Public Service Commission in 1986[6]
Hawkins ran after being approached by the Tennessee Conservative Union. He felt that Gore was "the most liberal Senator from the south" and did not properly represent the views of Tennesseans.[7] Hawkins' primary had a total budget of $3,000.[5]
Brown felt that even if he won the nomination he would not be able to defeat Gore in the general election. Despite this he felt it would give him a platform to publicize his beliefs.[7] Hales ran because he felt Gore was "out of touch" with his fellow Tennesseans.[7] Despite Gore being expected to easily win the general election, the primary was very closely contested. It was won by Hawkins by a very narrow margin.[5]
General election
[edit]Hawkins's campaign was poorly funded;[8] he only had $3,000 to fund his primary run, while Gore had begun the campaign with around $1,000,000.[5] Two weeks before election day Hawkins had raised $12,000 to Gore's $2,000,000.[9] Hawkins' campaign ended with zero cash on hand while Gore had just over $700,000 left.[10]
Hawkins stated that he wanted to run the most "issue-orientated campaign Tennessee has ever seen."[5]
The staff of The Jackson Sun characterized Tennessee's election cycle as boring, noting the likelihood of Gore and incumbent Governor Ned McWherter being reelected, writing, "the gubernatorial and senatorial races are a yawn".[11] Republican Representative Don Sundquist felt that the Hawkins was a weak candidate and that Republicans would likely have a better chance in the 1996 election.[12]
On October 29, 1990, roughly two weeks before election day, Hawkins admitted that his campaign "failed to generate excitement" and acknowledged the relative obscurity of his campaign even within Republican groups.[9] However, the staff of The Commercial Appeal noted that Gore would have some difficulty with his bid due to the conservative lean of Tennessee and his liberal voting record.[13]
Results
[edit]The election was held on November 6, 1990.[8][14] Gore, like most incumbents in the 1990 United States Senate elections,[15] was reelected to another term. He won in a landslide,[8][16] receiving over 67 percent of the vote,[17] an improvement on his previous margin of victory.[18]
Independent candidates Charles Gordon Vick and Bill Jacox both received around 1% of the vote each. 109 votes were cast for write-in candidates. The election had a turnout rate of slightly over 20% of registered voters casting ballots, a similar level to the concurrent gubernatorial election.[19]
Gore won all of the states counties. His best performance was in Trousdale County, where he won 88 percent of the vote to Hawkins' 10 percent. Hawkins' best performance was in Monroe County where he won around 40 percent of the vote to Gore's 57 percent.[17] Gore over performed McWherter's margin in the gubernatorial race by around seven percent, although he received a smaller amount of votes. Hawkins under performed Republican gubernatorial candidate Dwight Henry.[17][19]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Al Gore (incumbent) | 529,914 | 67.72% | |
| Republican | William R. Hawkins | 233,324 | 29.92% | |
| Independent | Bill Jacox | 11,172 | 1.43% | |
| Independent | Charles Gordon Vick | 7,995 | 1.02% | |
| Write-in | 109 | 0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 782,514 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Aftermath
[edit]On January 3, 1991, Gore was sworn in to the 102nd United States Congress by then–Vice President Dan Quayle alongside his fellow Senators-elect.[20] After being elected Vice President in the 1992 presidential election, Gore resigned from his Senate seat on January 2, 1993.[21] Harlan Mathews was appointed to replace him by Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter.[22] In the 1994 special election for the seat, the remainder of Gore's term was won by Republican Fred Thompson who defeated Democrat Jim Cooper.[23]
As of the 2024 election cycle, this was the last time the Democrats won a Senate election in Tennessee.[24] It is the most recent Senate election in Tennessee in which several counties, including Knox County and Hamilton County, voted for the Democratic candidate.[25] Beginning with the 1994 elections the Democratic party struggled in the state.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ Raines, Howell (November 7, 1984). "Reagan Wins By a Landslide, Sweeping at Least 48 States; G.O.P. Gains Strength in House". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ Ladd, Thomas E. (May 1, 1985). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional election of November 6, 1984" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 54. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ Dewar, Helen; Yang, John E. (November 6, 1990). "The Senate Incumbents Win Control Remains with Democrats". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ Elving, Ron (November 13, 2022). "The midterms didn't produce a wave. Here's what that's meant historically". NPR. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Humphrey, Tom (August 8, 1990). "Gore foe vows 'unorthodox campaign'". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 6. Retrieved April 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Keeter, Terry (August 2, 1990). "Three bidding to unseat Gore". The Commercial Appeal. p. 133. Retrieved April 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Three GOP candidates vie for right to challenge Gore". Elizabethton Star. July 29, 1990. p. 2. Retrieved April 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "McWherter, Gore coast to victories". Bristol Herald Courier. November 7, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved April 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Even GOP activists don't know Senate nominee". Kingsport Times-News. October 29, 1990. p. 2. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1990 Election United States Senate - Tennessee". Federal Elections Commission. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "State races fail to stir voter interest; light balloting predicted for Tuesday". The Jackson Sun. November 4, 1990. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
- ^ Brosnan, James W. (November 4, 1990). "An easy election ride doesn't make Sundquist feel easy about future". The Commercial Appeal. pp. 11, 13. Retrieved May 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Don't give up / Voters can find a few good contests". The Commercial Appeal. November 6, 1990. p. 10. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Espo, David (November 7, 1990). "Demos win Texas, Florida, four other Governships; Helms wins". The Times and Democrat. pp. 1–4. Retrieved April 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dewar, Helen; Yang, John E. (November 6, 1990). "The Senate Incumbents Win Control Remains with Democrats". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ Komarow, Steve (November 7, 1990). "Helms triumphs over Gnatt in N.C. Senate race". The Tennessean. Associated Press. p. 11. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Liep, Dave. "1990 Senatorial General Election Results - Tennessee". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Richard C. (June 1985). "Federal Elections 84 Election Results for U.S. President, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). Federal Elections Commission. p. 23. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Leip, Dave. "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Tennessee". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Swearing-In of Senate Members (Video). C-SPAN. January 3, 1991. Event occurs at 5:27.
- ^ "Gore quits Senate Jan. 2 - UPI Archives". UPI. December 18, 1992. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ "Gore's Senate replacement named". Deseret News. December 29, 1992. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Brosnan, James W. (September 18, 2007). "What's the truck got to do with it?". Politico. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Sarah Grace (November 6, 2024). "Marsha Blackburn tops Gloria Johnson, wins re-election". Nashville Banner. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Liep, Dave. "Senatorial General Election Map Comparison - Tennessee". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ^ Friedman, Adam (September 11, 2024). "Jim Sasser, Tennessee's last Democratic U.S. senator, dies at 87 • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
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