James L. Buckley: Encyclopedia II - James L. Buckley - Senate Races

James L. Buckley - Senate Races

In 1968, Buckley challenged liberal Republican Senator Jacob Javits for re-election. Javits won easily, but Buckley received a large number of votes from disaffected conservative Republicans, and in 1970, ran for the US Senate against liberal Republican incumbent Charles Goodell. Goodell had been appointed to the Senate by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and had made a name for himself in the Senate as an opponent of the Vietnam War.

With Goodell and the Democratic nominee, Richard Ottinger, splitting the liberal vote, Buckley won a plurality (38%), and entered the Senate in January 1971. In his 1976 re-election bid, with Rockefeller's liberal GOP faction falling apart, Buckley was able to receive the Republican nomination. Initially, he was favored for re-election, because the frontrunner in the crowded Democratic field was Rep. Bella Abzug, a liberal feminist reviled by the right. But when Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the US Ambassador to the UN, made a late entrance into the Democratic primary and defeated Abzug, Buckley could no longer count on getting the votes of moderate Democrats. Moynihan went on to defeat Buckley by a wide margin.

After his loss, Buckley moved to Connecticut, and in 1980 received the Republican nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Abraham Ribicoff. He lost the general election to Christopher Dodd, who still serves in the Senate.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Senate Races", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki