1980 United States Senate election in Oregon

Primaries

Volcano eruption

Main article: 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens

The primary elections were held on May 20, 1980 in conjunction with the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries. Interest in the primaries was somewhat subdued because they occurred just two days after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, about 60 mi north of Oregon's most populous city, Portland.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sKISAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_vYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4570,5122162 | title=Early turnout moderate as primary vote begins | work=The Bulletin (Bend) | date=May 20, 1980 | access-date=March 23, 2010 | last=Sand | first=Joseph R.

Republican primary

Campaign

In the Republican primary, incumbent Senator Bob Packwood was running for a third term. With his moderate stance on issues such as abortion, several conservative challengers filed to challenge Packwood in the Republican primary. These included Brenda Jose, the vice chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, and Rosalie Huss, who was the wife of Walter Huss, an ultraconservative minister who had been chair of the Oregon Republican Party before being ousted by a moderate and liberal coalition, which included Packwood and Republican governor Victor G. Atiyeh.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19800126&id=1MYUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5OEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6799,6805779 | title=Jose defends run against Packwood | work=The Register-Guard | last=Willis | first=Henny | date=January 26, 1980 | access-date=March 23, 2010

Results

Democratic primary

Campaign

In the Democratic primary, several high-profile Democrats considered a run, including incumbent U. S. Congressmen Les AuCoin and Jim Weaver and Portland mayor Neil Goldschmidt, but ultimately opted not to challenge the incumbent Packwood.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hnw1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=LOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6639,1849907 | title=AuCoin opts not to challenge Packwood | work=The Register-Guard | date=August 7, 1979 | access-date=March 23, 2010

Results

General election

In addition to the candidates chosen in the primaries, Tonie Nathan was chosen as the Libertarian Party candidate at that party's convention in June. Previously, Nathan had been the Libertarian vice presidential candidate in the 1972 presidential election, and was the first woman to ever receive an electoral vote in a U.S. presidential election from a faithless elector who voted for her.

Campaign

As a well-funded incumbent, Packwood was expected to have a fairly easy road to re-election and led by double digit margins in most early polls.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3KArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=b_wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7169,5334968 | title=Campaign '80: Oregon is interested in home races | work=The Telegraph (Nashua) | last=Sand | first=Joseph R. | date=September 25, 1980 | access-date=March 23, 2010

Kulongoski closed to within a few points in some late polls, but with no mistakes made by Packwood and with the coattail effect of Ronald Reagan's Presidential victory, the incumbent achieved an electoral majority and a fairly comfortable 8-point margin over Kulongoski. Nathan finished with less than 4% of the vote, short of her goal of 5%.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pIQRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9uEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3025%2C1340762 | title=Packwood wins Senate race | work=The Register-Guard | date=November 5, 1980 | access-date=March 23, 2010

Results

Aftermath

Packwood served as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee until his appointment to chair the Finance Committee in 1985.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AWgVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WeEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5011,7823895 | title=Never has state had so much power | work=The Register-Guard | date=November 29, 1984 | access-date=March 23, 2010

Following his unexpectedly good showing in this race, Kulongoski was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1982, but lost badly to Republican incumbent Victor G. Atiyeh. In 1987, he was appointed state insurance commissioner by Governor Neil Goldschmidt. In 1992, he was elected Oregon Attorney General, in 1997, he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court. In 2002, 20 years after his initial gubernatorial attempt, Kulongoski was elected as Oregon's 36th governor, and was re-elected in 2006.

Nathan ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress against Peter DeFazio in 1986 and 1990.

References

References

1. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzZeWQ8vTPoC&pg=PA294&dq=volcanoes+usa+st+helens+historical+eruptions+lassen&ei=uTAxStS2DYXeNcjp8PQO#PPA294,M1 Fisher, R.V., Heiken, G. & Hulen, J. 1998. Volcanoes:Crucibles of Change, Princeton University Press, 334pp.]
2. "Oregon US Senate Republican Primary Race, May 20, 1980". ourcampaigns.com.
3. "Oregon US Senate Democratic Primary Race, May 20, 1980". ourcampaigns.com.
4. (June 2, 1980). "Nathan, Wright named nominees by Libertarians". [[The Register-Guard]].
5. Boaz, David. (August 29, 2008). "First Woman". Cato @ Liberty (Cato Institute).
6. "Oregon US Senate Race, Nov 4, 1980". ourcampaigns.com.
7. (July 21, 1998). "Senator Robert Packwood's History of Sexual Harassment". Washington Post.
8. "Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon". [[Oregon Secretary of State]].
9. "Theodora Nathan". ourcampaigns.com.