The 1976 United States Senate election in Indiana took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Vance Hartke ran for re-election to a fourth term, but was defeated by Republican challenger Richard Lugar.
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 County results Lugar: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hartke: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Vance Hartke, Incumbent U.S. Senator since 1959
- Philip H. Hayes, U.S. Representative from Evansville
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Vance Hartke (incumbent) | 304,076 | 53.08% | |
| Democratic | Philip H. Hayes | 268,790 | 46.92% | |
| Total votes | 572,866 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- William P. Costas, businessman from Valparaiso
- Richard Lugar, former Mayor of Indianapolis and nominee for Senate in 1974
- Edgar Whitcomb, former Governor of Indiana
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Lugar | 393,064 | 65.45% | |
| Republican | Edgar Whitcomb | 179,203 | 29.84% | |
| Republican | William P. Costas | 28,329 | 4.72% | |
| Total votes | 600,596 | 100.00% | ||
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Lugar | 1,275,833 | 59.03% | |
| Democratic | Vance Hartke (incumbent) | 868,522 | 40.19% | |
| Independent politician | Don L. Lee | 14,321 | 0.66% | |
| U.S. Labor | David Lee Hoagland | 2,511 | 0.12% | |
| Majority | 407,311 | 18.85% | ||
| Turnout | 2,161,187 | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||