# 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming

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The 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen declined to seek a third term in office. Former State Representative Alan K. Simpson, the son of former Senator Milward Simpson, won a contested Republican primary and faced Raymond B. Whitaker, the 1960 Democratic nominee for the Senate, in the general election. Despite a favorable environment for Republicans nationwide, Simpson's performance decreased considerably from Hansen's 1972 landslide. Nonetheless, he easily defeated Whitaker, winning 62% of the vote to Whitaker's 38%.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Alan K. Simpson, former State Representative from Park County
* Hugh Binford, petroleum engineer and businessman
* Gordon H. Barrows, author
* James G. Maxey, project manager

### Results

Republican primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Alan K. Simpson | 37,332 | 54.66% |
| | Republican | Hugh Binford | 20,768 | 30.41% |
| | Republican | Gordon H. Barrows | 8,494 | 12.44% |
| | Republican | James G. Maxey | 1,709 | 2.50% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 68,303 | 100.00% |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Raymond B. Whitaker, former Natrona County Prosecuting Attorney, 1960 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate
* Dean M. Larson, Riverton attorney
* Charles Carroll, former Deputy Wyoming Attorney General, 1974 Democratic nominee for Wyoming Secretary of State

### Results

Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 19,854 | 47.62% |
| | Democratic | Dean M. Larson | 11,039 | 26.48% |
| | Democratic | Charles Carroll | 10,797 | 25.90% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 41,690 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Results

1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Alan Simpson | 82,908 | 62.17% | −9.15% |
| | Democratic | Raymond B. Whitaker | 50,456 | 37.83% | +9.15% |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32,452 | 24.33% | −18.30% |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 133,364 | | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |