# 1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska

Elections in Nebraska :
Federal offices
Presidential elections
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
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1867
1869
1870
1875
1877
1880
1883
1886
1888
1889
1893
1895
1899
1899 sp
1901
1901 sp
1905
1907
1911
1913
1916
1918
1922
1924
1928
1930
1934
1934 sp
1936
1940
1942
1946
1948
1952
1952 sp
1954
1954 Class 1 sp
1954 Class 2 sp
1958
1960
1964
1966
1970
1972
1976
1978
1982
1984
1988
1990
1994
1996
2000
2002
2006
2008
2012
2014
2018
2020
2024
2024 sp
2026
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1889
2nd sp
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1899
6th sp
1900
1902
1904
1905
1st sp
1906
1908
1910
1911
3rd sp
1912
1914
1916
1918
1920
1922
1st sp
6th sp
1924
1926
1928
1930
1932
1934
1936
1938
1940
1st sp
1942
1944
1946
1948
1950
1951
3rd sp
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
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
1st sp
2024
2026 :
State government
State elections
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1866
1868
1870
1872
1874
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
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
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1886
1888
1890
1892
1894
1896
1898
1900
1902
1904
1906
1908
1910
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
1970
Secretary of State elections
2022
Attorney General elections
2022
State Legislature elections
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
2000
Initiative 416
2008
Initiative 424
2024
Initiative 434
Initiative 439 :
Bellevue
Mayoral elections
2022 :
Grand Island
Mayoral elections
2022 :
Lincoln
Mayoral elections
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023 :
Omaha
Mayoral elections
1997
2001
2005
2009
2011 (recall)
2013
2017
2021
2025 :
Government :
vte :
The 1972 Nebraska United States Senate election was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Carl Curtis ran for re-election to a fourth term. He was challenged by State Senator and former Congressman Terry Carpenter, the Democratic nominee. Despite President Richard Nixon's landslide victory over Democratic challenger George McGovern in the presidential election in Nebraska, Curtis only defeated Carpenter with 53% of the vote, a narrower margin than many observers predicted. This was the last time until 1996 that a Republican won a U.S. Senate election in Nebraska.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Terry Carpenter, State Senator, former U.S. Representative from Nebraska's 5th congressional district
* Wallace C. Peterson, University of Nebraska–Lincoln economics professor
* Wayne W. Ziebarth, State Senator
* Don Searcy, Kearney State College geography professor
* John DeCamp, State Senator
* Phillys Person Lyons, housewife

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Terry Carpenter | 52,779 | 28.97% |
| | Democratic | Wallace C. Peterson | 49,569 | 27.21% |
| | Democratic | Wayne W. Ziebarth | 42,181 | 23.15% |
| | Democratic | Don Searcy | 25,854 | 14.19% |
| | Democratic | John DeCamp | 7,582 | 4.16% |
| | Democratic | Phillys Person Lyons | 4,121 | 2.26% |
| | Democratic | Write-ins | 90 | 0.05% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 182,176 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Carl Curtis, incumbent Senator
* Ronald L. Blauvelt, Thedford rancher
* Christine Millard Kneifl, former schoolteacher, widow of former State Attorney General Philip R. Kneifl
* Otis Glebe, Lincoln landlord

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Carl T. Curtis (inc.) | 141,213 | 74.04% |
| | Republican | Ronald L. Blauvelt | 30,138 | 15.80% |
| | Republican | Christine Millard Kneifl | 10,941 | 5.74% |
| | Republican | Otis Glebe | 8,143 | 4.27% |
| | Republican | Write-ins | 286 | 0.15% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 190,721 | 100.00% |

## General election

1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Carl Curtis (inc.) | 301,841 | 53.09% | −7.95% |
| | Democratic | Terry Carpenter | 265,922 | 46.77% | +8.02% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 817 | 0.14% | — |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35,919 | 6.32% | −15.98% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 568,580 | 100.00% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |