1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska

1972 United States Senate election in Nebraska

November 7, 1972
 
Nominee Carl Curtis Terry Carpenter
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 301,841 265,922
Percentage 53.09% 46.77%

County results
Curtis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Carpenter:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Carl Curtis
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Carl Curtis
Republican

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.