Elections / 1976 · Senate · VA
Virginia — 1976 U.S. Senate election
Recent presidential results
Akashic1976 · U.S. SenateVirginia · U.S. SenateHarry F. Byrd Jr.+18.9
Candidates
Statewide candidate totals — MIT Election Data + Science Lab, 1976 Senate returns.
- Harry F. Byrd Jr.✓Independent890,77857.2%
- E. R. (Bud) ZumwaltDemocrat596,00938.3%
- Martin H. PerperIndependent70,5594.5%
Harry F. Byrd Jr. won as an independent (caucusing with the Democrats); the headline figure is the 18.9-point margin of victory over Zumwalt, not the two-party measure.
presidential baselinePresident 1976R+1.3Senate 1976D+18.9vs. baselineD+20.3
Virginia's 1976 Senate race ran 20.3 points more Democratic than the presidential race on the same ballot.
Harry F. Byrd Jr. is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats; the seat is shown Democratic-aligned here so the comparison reads against the side it anchors.
Virginia's Senate margins
Every contest in our store, 1976–2024
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1976 | +18.9% |
| 1978 | −0.4% |
| 1982 | −2.4% |
| 1984 | −40.1% |
| 1988 | +42.6% |
| 1990 | −81.7% |
| 1994 | +2.7% |
| 1996 | −5.1% |
| 2000 | −4.6% |
| 2002 | −83.0% |
| 2006 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | +31.3% |
| 2012 | +5.9% |
| 2014 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | +16.0% |
| 2020 | +12.1% |
| 2024 | +8.9% |
Same ballot, 1976VA
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1976 US Senate returns, party-classified by literal ballot party · certified statewide totals. Real returns — nothing estimated.