# 1968 United States Senate election in Arizona

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The 1968 United States Senate election in Arizona took place on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Hayden, 91, decided not run for reelection to an eighth term, ending his 57-year-long career in Congress. Hayden's longtime staff member, Roy Elson, ran as the Democratic Party nominee to replace him. Elson was defeated by a wide margin, however, by former U.S. Senator and 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, who staged a political comeback. Prior to Goldwater's election, the seat had been held for decades by the Democratic Party under Carl Hayden. But after this election, the seat remained in Republican Party control continuously for 52 years, until Democrat Mark Kelly won in the 2020 special election, replacing late Senator John McCain.
Elson had previously challenged Governor Paul Fannin in 1964, when Goldwater vacated his seat in order to run for president against Lyndon B. Johnson.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Roy Elson, staff member to Senator Carl Hayden, 1964 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
* Bob Kennedy, State Treasurer of Arizona
* Dick Herbert, Corporation Commissioner

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Roy Elson | 95,231 | 62.7% |
| | Democratic | Bob Kennedy | 41,397 | 27.3% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 136,628 | 100.0 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Barry Goldwater, former U.S. Senator, 1964 Republican Party nominee for President of the United States

## General election

United States Senate election in Arizona, 1968 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Barry Goldwater | 274,607 | 57.22% | +12.16% |
| | Democratic | Roy Elson | 205,338 | 42.78% | −12.16% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69,269 | 14.43% | +4.55% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 479,945 | | |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | | |