1972 United States Senate election in Virginia

1972 United States Senate election in Virginia

← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
Turnout44.7%[1]
 
Nominee William L. Scott William Spong, Jr.
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 718,337 643,963
Percentage 51.45% 46.12%

County and independent city results
Scott:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Spong:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

William B. Spong, Jr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

William Lloyd Scott
Republican

The 1972 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 7, 1972. Republican U.S. Representative William L. Scott defeated incumbent Democratic Senator William Spong Jr. Scott was the first Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia to be elected in over a century, as the most recent Republican Senator was John F. Lewis, who had served during the Reconstruction era until 1875.

He was the first Republican to ever win this seat, and the first non-Democrat since 1889. This is the last time a candidate not named Warner won Virginia's Class 2 Senate seat.

  1. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 7, 2013.