# 1976 United States Senate election in Rhode Island

Elections in Rhode Island :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1864
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1790
1791
1792
1793
1796
1796 sp
1797
1797 sp
1798
1801 sp
1802
1804
1804 sp
1807 sp
1808
1809 sp
1810
1811 sp
1814
1816
1821 sp
1823
1823 sp
1825 sp
1827
1829
1829 sp
1833
1835
1841
1842 sp
1844 sp
1853
1856
1858
1862
1862 sp
1864
1868
1870
1874
1875
1876
1880
1881 sp
1882
1885 sp
1886
1888
1889 sp
1892
1894
1898
1900
1905
1908 sp
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1924 sp
1928
1930
1934
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1950 sp
1952
1954
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2026
U.S. House of Representatives elections
Aug 1790
Oct 1790
1792
1794
1796
AL sp
1797
AL sp
1798
1800–01
1802
1804
1806
1808
AL sp
1810
1812
1814
1816
1818
1820
1822
1825
1827
1829
1831
1833
1835
1837
1839
1841
1843
1845
1847
1849
1851
1853
1855
1857
1859
1861
1863
1865
1867
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1881
1st sp
1882
1884
1885
2nd sp
1886
1887
2nd sp
1888
1890
1892
1893
2nd sp
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
3rd sp
1932
1934
1935
1st sp
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1967
2nd sp
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2023
1st sp
2024 :
State government
General elections
2014
2018
2020
2022
Gubernatorial elections
1776
1787
1789
1801
1802
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant gubernatorial elections
2014
2018
2022
Secretary of State elections
2014
2018
2022
Attorney General elections
2014
2018
2022
General Treasurer elections
2014
2018
2022
Senate elections
2020
2022
House of Representatives elections
2020
2022 :
Ballot measures
2020
Question 1 :
Providence
Mayoral elections
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022 :
vte :
The 1976 United States Senate election in Rhode Island took place on November 2, 1976. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John O. Pastore did not seek re-election. Republican John Chafee won the seat, defeating Democrat Richard P. Lorber. Chafee was the first Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Rhode Island since 1930.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* John E. Caddick
* Paul E. Goulding
* John P. Hawkins, Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader
* Richard P. Lorber, car dealer and decorated World War II veteran
* Arthur E. Marley
* Philip W. Noel, Governor of Rhode Island
* Earl F. Pasbach
* Ralph J. Perrotta

### Results

Incumbent Governor of Rhode Island Noel was favored in the primary but ultimately lost by 100 votes to the less known Lorber. This was partly due to the candidacy of Senate Majority leader John Hawkins, which split the establishment vote. Lorber was a political novice.
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Richard P. Lorber | 60,118 | 37.78 |
| | Democratic | Philip W. Noel | 60,018 | 37.71 |
| | Democratic | John P. Hawkins | 25,456 | 16.00 |
| | Democratic | Paul E. Goulding | 5,500 | 3.46 |
| | Democratic | Ralph J. Perrotta | 4,481 | 2.82 |
| | Democratic | John E. Caddick | 2,160 | 1.36 |
| | Democratic | Earl F. Pasbach | 962 | 0.60 |
| | Democratic | Arthur E. Marley | 447 | 0.28 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 100 | 0.06% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 159,142 | 100.00 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* John Chafee, former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, former Governor and nominee for the United States Senate in 1972.

#### Declined

* Buddy Cianci, Mayor of Providence

## General election
### Results

Republican Chafee defeated Lorber in a landslide with 58% of the vote, becoming the first Republican Senator from Rhode Island since 1930. Chafee would continue to be re-elected even as Rhode Island trended more Democratic into the 1990s, and he served until his death in 1999.
General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John Chafee | 230,329 | 57.74 |
| | Democratic | Richard P. Lorber | 167,665 | 42.03 |
| | Communist | Margaret Cann | 912 | 0.23 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 62,664 | 15.71% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 398,906 | 100.00 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |