1986 United States Senate election in Alabama
November 4, 1986
 
Nominee Richard Shelby Jeremiah Denton
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 609,360 602,537
Percentage 50.28% 49.72%
County results
Shelby:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Denton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. senator before election

Jeremiah Denton
Republican

 Elected U.S. Senator

Richard Shelby
Democratic

The 1986 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 4, 1986 alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Jeremiah Denton lost re-election to Democrat Richard Shelby by 6,823 votes.

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Incumbent Senator Jeremiah Denton, a retired Rear Admiral and decorated Vietnam War veteran who six years earlier became the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction, won the primary with little opposition.

Republican primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jeremiah Denton (incumbent) 29,805 88.55%
Republican Richard Vickers 3,854 11.45%
Total votes 33,659 100.00%

Democratic primary

Shelby, a moderate-to-conservative Democrat narrowly avoided a runoff and won nomination in the Democratic Party primary.[2]

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary results by county
  Shelby
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Allen
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  McLaughlin
  •   40–50%
Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Shelby 420,155 51.33%
Democratic Jim Allen, Jr. 284,206 34.72%
Democratic Ted McLaughlin 70,784 8.65%
Democratic Margaret Stewart 26,723 3.27%
Democratic Steve Arnold 16,722 2.04%
Total votes 818,590 100.00%

General election

Shelby won a very narrow victory of less than one percent over Denton.[3]

Candidates

Results

1986 United States Senate election in Alabama
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Richard Shelby 609,360 50.28%
Republican Jeremiah Denton (incumbent) 602,537 49.72%
Total votes 1,211,897 100.00%
Democratic gain from Republican

See also

References

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