# 1976 Iowa Senate election

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The 1976 Iowa State Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 1976 United States elections. Iowa voters elected state senators in 28 of the state senate's districts—the 25 even-numbered state senate districts and special elections in districts 11, 15, and 41. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate, with half of the seats up for election each cycle. A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the year 1976 is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.
The primary election on June 8, 1976 determined which candidates appeared on the November 2, 1976 general election ballot. Primary election results can be obtained here. General election results can be obtained here.
To take control of the chamber from Democrats, the Republicans needed to net 2 Senate seats.
Democrats maintained their control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1976 elections with the balance of power remaining unchanged with Democrats holding 26 seats and Republicans having 24 seats after the election.

## Summary of Results

* NOTE: Districts not having elections in 1976 are unlisted.
| State Senate District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party |
| 2nd | Irvin L. Bergman | Rep | Irvin L. Bergman | Republican |
| 4th | Berl Priebe | Dem | Berl Priebe | Democratic |
| 6th | Kenneth Daniel Scott | Dem | Alvin V. Miller | Democratic |
| 8th | Hilarius Louis Heying | Dem | Rolf V. Craft | Republican |
| 10th | Robert M. "Bob" Carr | Dem | Robert M. "Bob" Carr | Democratic |
| 11th | Richard John Norpel | Dem | Stephen W. Bisenius | Republican |
| 12th | Clifton C. Lamborn | Rep | Merlin Hulse | Republican |
| 14th | Cloyd E. Robinson | Dem | Cloyd E. Robinson | Democratic |
| 15th | Steve Sovern | Dem | Robert "Bob" Rush | Democratic |
| 16th | James V. Gallagher | Dem | James V. Gallagher | Democratic |
| 18th | Bill Hansen | Rep | Bill Hansen | Republican |
| 20th | Elizabeth Ruby Miller | Rep | Elizabeth Ruby Miller | Republican |
| 22nd | Jack Nystrom | Rep | Jack Nystrom | Republican |
| 24th | William P. Winkelman | Rep | John R. Scott | Democratic |
| 26th | Leonard C. Andersen | Rep | James Calhoon | Democratic |
| 28th | Karl Nolin | Dem | Charles W. Hutchins | Democratic |
| 30th | William N. Plymat | Rep | David Readinger | Republican |
| 32nd | William D. Palmer | Dem | William D. Palmer | Democratic |
| 34th | George Kinley | Dem | George Kinley | Democratic |
| 36th | Joann Yessler Orr | Dem | Joann Yessler Orr | Democratic |
| 38th | William R. Rabedeaux | Rep | Richard F. Drake | Republican |
| 40th | Elizabeth Orr Shaw | Rep | Elizabeth Orr Shaw | Republican |
| 41st | Bill Gluba | Dem | Forrest F. Ashcraft | Republican |
| 42nd | Charles Peter Miller | Dem | Charles Peter Miller | Democratic |
| 44th | Forrest Schwengels | Rep | Forrest Schwengels | Republican |
| 46th | Bass Van Gilst | Dem | Bass Van Gilst | Democratic |
| 48th | James E. Briles | Rep | James E. Briles | Republican |
| 50th | James W. Griffin | Rep | Tom L. Slater | Democratic |
Source:

## Detailed Results

* Reminder: All even-numbered Iowa Senate seats were up for election in 1976, as well as three odd-numbered districts (11, 15, & 41). All other odd-numbered districts did not have elections.
* Note: If a district does not list a primary, then that district did not have a competitive primary (i.e., there may have only been one candidate file for that district).

### District 2

Iowa Senate, District 2 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Irvin L. Bergman (incumbent) | 14,409 | 100.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 14,409 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 4

Iowa Senate, District 4 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Berl Priebe (incumbent) | 17,077 | 100.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 17,077 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 6

Iowa Senate, District 6 Republican Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bruce B. Girton | 2,470 | 62.7 |
| | Republican | Pat Breheny | 1,472 | 37.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,942 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 6 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Alvin V. Miller | 12,976 | 52.1 |
| | Republican | Bruce B. Girton | 11,936 | 47.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,912 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 8

Iowa Senate, District 8 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Rolf V. Craft | 12,916 | 56.7 |
| | Democratic | Richard R. Nelson | 9,877 | 43.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,793 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 10

Iowa Senate, District 10 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bob Carr (incumbent) | 14,308 | 62.6 |
| | Republican | Marian B. Pfaff | 8,545 | 37.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,853 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 11

Iowa Senate, District 11 Special Election, December 28, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Steve Bisenius | 3,925 | 50.8 |
| | Democratic | Maurice Hennessey | 3,800 | 49.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 7,725 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 12

Iowa Senate, District 12 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Merlin Hulse | 12,503 | 54.3 |
| | Democratic | Paul Ponder | 10,528 | 45.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,031 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 14

Iowa Senate, District 14 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Cloyd E. Robinson (incumbent) | 14,757 | 65.7 |
| | Republican | Sandra L. Pink | 7,366 | 32.7 |
| | Independent | Garry W. McCune | 350 | 1.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,473 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 15

Iowa Senate, District 15 Special Election, November 2, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bob Rush | 13,777 | 59.8 |
| | Republican | Andrew Gordon Holmes | 9,254 | 40.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,031 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 16

Iowa Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James Gallagher (incumbent) | 1,786 | 80.7 |
| | Democratic | Steven Karr | 426 | 19.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,212 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 16 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James Gallagher (incumbent) | 13,631 | 60.0 |
| | Republican | Kyle Hummel | 9,074 | 40.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,705 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 18

Iowa Senate, District 18 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Willard R. "Bill" Hansen (incumbent) | 13,265 | 52.0 |
| | Democratic | Ted Anderson | 12,081 | 47.3 |
| | Independent | Gerald Baker | 188 | 0.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 25,534 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 20

Iowa Senate, District 20 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Elizabeth Ruby Miller (incumbent) | 12,317 | 50.5 |
| | Democratic | Larry A. Raymon | 12,085 | 49.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,402 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 22

Iowa Senate, District 22 Democratic Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jim R. Riordan | 1,242 | 59.9 |
| | Democratic | D. Tom Peterson | 677 | 32.7 |
| | Democratic | Steven R. Oakland | 154 | 7.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,073 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 22 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | John N. "Jack" Nystrom (incumbent) | 13,636 | 54.7 |
| | Democratic | Jim R. Riordan | 11,314 | 45.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,950 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 24

Iowa Senate, District 24 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | John Scott | 12,886 | 53.9 |
| | Republican | William P. Winkelman (incumbent) | 11,040 | 46.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,926 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 26

Iowa Senate, District 26 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | James Calhoon | 10,397 | 50.1 |
| | Republican | Leonard C. Andersen (incumbent) | 10,374 | 49.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,771 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |

### District 28

Iowa Senate, District 28 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Charles W. "Bill" Hutchins | 12,431 | 55.2 |
| | Republican | William R. Ferguson | 10,079 | 44.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,510 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 30

Iowa Senate, District 30 Republican Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | David Readinger | 2,017 | 58.1 |
| | Republican | William N. Plymat (incumbent) | 1,456 | 41.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,473 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 30 Democratic Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ed Campbell | 1,828 | 52.4 |
| | Democratic | Michael E. Hansen | 1,661 | 47.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 3,489 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 30 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | David Readinger | 15,545 | 52.3 |
| | Democratic | Ed Campbell | 14,206 | 47.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 29,751 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 32

Iowa Senate, District 32 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | William D. Palmer (incumbent) | 16,512 | 75.7 |
| | Republican | William F. Horstman | 5,310 | 24.3 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,822 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 34

Iowa Senate, District 34 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | George Kinley (incumbent) | 15,199 | 72.6 |
| | Republican | Kappie Spencer | 5,744 | 27.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 20,943 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 36

Iowa Senate, District 36 Republican Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Judith Dierenfeld | 1,048 | 50.4 |
| | Republican | Chas. V. Dunham | 1,031 | 49.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,079 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 36 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Joan Orr (incumbent) | 14,454 | 61.9 |
| | Republican | Judith Dierenfeld | 8,890 | 38.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,344 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 38

Iowa Senate, District 38 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Richard F. Drake | 12,481 | 55.5 |
| | Democratic | Jim Paulding | 9,996 | 44.5 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,477 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 40

Iowa Senate, District 40 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Elizabeth Orr Shaw (incumbent) | 18,142 | 62.2 |
| | Democratic | Steven F. Altheimer | 11,047 | 37.8 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 29,189 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 41

Iowa Senate, District 41 Special Election, December 28, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Forrest F. Ashcraft | 3,028 | 61.6 |
| | Democratic | Michael McDonald | 1,886 | 38.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,914 | 100.0 |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### District 42

Iowa Senate, District 42 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Charles P. Miller (incumbent) | 13,267 | 58.4 |
| | Republican | Charles R. Fulbruge | 9,436 | 41.6 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 22,703 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 44

Iowa Senate, District 44 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Forrest Schwengels (incumbent) | 15,044 | 100.0 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 15,044 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 46

Iowa Senate, District 46 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bass Van Gilst (incumbent) | 15,257 | 66.3 |
| | Republican | Lou Fusco | 7,748 | 33.7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 23,005 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### District 48

Iowa Senate, District 48 Republican Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | James E. Briles (incumbent) | 4,771 | 68.6 |
| | Republican | Margaret L. Hemphill | 2,182 | 31.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 6,953 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 48 Democratic Primary Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Forrest C. Teig | 925 | 60.8 |
| | Democratic | Joseph Sullivan | 596 | 39.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,521 | 100.0 |
Iowa Senate, District 48 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | James E. Briles (incumbent) | 14,372 | 59.6 |
| | Democratic | Forrest C. Teig | 9,739 | 40.4 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 24,111 | 100.0 |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### District 50

Iowa Senate, District 50 General Election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Tom Slater | 9,962 | 54.8 |
| | Republican | Jim Griffin (incumbent) | 8,216 | 45.2 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 18,178 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |
* ↑ Special election on December 28, 1976.
* ↑ Special election on November 2, 1976.
* ↑ Special election on December 28, 1976.