1978 United States Senate election in Kansas

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1978 United States Senate election in Kansas

← 1972 November 7, 1978 1984 →

Nominee Nancy Kassebaum William R. Roy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 403,354 317,602 Percentage 53.86% 42.41%

County results Kassebaum:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Roy:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election James B. Pearson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Republican

Elections in Kansas
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Ballot measures 1867 Suffrage referendum 2005 Amendment 1 2022 Abortion referendum
Kansas City Mayoral elections 2013 2017 2021
Overland Park Mayoral elections 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
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v t e

The 1978 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator James B. Pearson did not run for re-election to a third full term.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum, the daughter of former Governor Alf Landon, won the election, defeating a large field of Republican candidates in the primary and Democratic former U.S. Representative William R. Roy in the general election.

Roy lost by a much smaller margin four years earlier against Kansas' other U.S. Senator, Bob Dole.

Kassebaum became the first woman elected to a full term in the Senate without her husband having previously served in Congress. In fact, at the time of the election, she was separated from her husband John Philip Kassebaum. Their divorce was finalized in 1979, making Kassebaum the first single divorcée to serve in the U.S. Senate.