1978 Maryland Senate election

1978 Maryland Senate election
November 7, 1978
All 47 seats in the Maryland Senate
24 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Steny Hoyer
(retired) 		Edward J. Mason
Party Democratic Republican
Leader since January 3, 1975 January 1975
Leader's seat District 26 District 1
Last election 39 8
Seats after 40 7
Seat change Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 601,857 197,097
Percentage 74.94% 24.54%
President before election

Steny Hoyer
Democratic

Elected President

James Clark Jr.
Democratic

The 1978 Maryland Senate election was held on November 7, 1978, to determine which party would control the Maryland Senate for the following four years. All 47 seats were up for election and the primary was held on September 12, 1978. Prior to the election, 39 seats were held by Democrats and 8 seats were held by Republicans. The general election saw the Democrats expand their majority by a single seat.[1][2]

Retirements

Democrats

  1. District 7: Donald P. Hutchinson retired to run for Baltimore County Executive.
  2. District 8: Roy N. Staten retired.
  3. District 13: John C. Coolahan retired.
  4. District 17: Charles W. Gilchrist retired to run for Montgomery County Executive.
  5. District 22: Meyer M. Emanuel Jr. retired.
  6. District 26: Steny Hoyer retired to run for lieutenant governor of Maryland alongside Blair Lee III.
  7. District 32: Alfred J. Lipin retired.
  8. District 34: Elroy G. Boyer retired.

Republicans

  1. District 5: C. A. Porter Hopkins retired.
  2. District 16: Newton I. Steers Jr. retired.

Incumbents defeated

In primary

Democrats

  1. District 19: C. Lawrence Wiser lost renomination to Sidney Kramer.
  2. District 36: E. Homer White Jr. lost renomination to Joseph J. Long Sr.

Closest races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. District 16, 0.78%
  2. District 30, 3.22%
  3. District 5, 9.48% (gain)

Results

District 1

District 1 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Edward J. Mason (incumbent) 13,981 55.27%
Democratic Philip T. Carolan 11,313 44.73%
Total votes 25,294 100.0%
Republican hold

District 2

District 2 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Victor Cushwa (incumbent) 15,338 100.0%
Total votes 15,338 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 3

District 3 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Edward P. Thomas Jr. (incumbent) 11,281 100.0%
Total votes 11,281 100.0%
Republican hold

District 4

District 4 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charles H. Smelser (incumbent) 16,453 100.0%
Total votes 16,453 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 5

District 5 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Francis X. Kelly 16,256 54.74%
Republican George A. Price 13,439 45.26%
Total votes 29,695 100.0%
Democratic gain from Republican

District 6

District 6 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Arthur Henry Helton Jr. (incumbent) 15,152 100.0%
Total votes 15,152 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 7

District 7 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Dennis F. Rasmussen 16,446 76.72%
Republican Leonard A. Kraus 4,991 23.28%
Total votes 21,437 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 8

District 8 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Patrick T. Welsh 15,295 87.35%
Republican Bob H. Estes 2,214 12.65%
Total votes 17,509 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 9

District 9 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Norman R. Stone Jr. (incumbent) 17,445 100.0%
Total votes 17,445 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 10

District 10 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John J. Bishop Jr. (incumbent) 15,205 60.98%
Democratic David J. Preller 9,729 39.02%
Total votes 24,934 100.0%
Republican hold

District 11

District 11 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Robert E. Stroble (incumbent) 14,112 61.24%
Democratic Roy E. Estes 8,931 38.76%
Total votes 23,043 100.0%
Republican hold

District 12

District 12 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Melvin Steinberg (incumbent) 22,223 82.01%
Republican Harvey T. Galonoy 4,874 17.99%
Total votes 27,097 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 13

District 13 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Timothy R. Hickman 15,803 100.0%
Total votes 15,803 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 14

District 14 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James Clark Jr. (incumbent) 28,909 100.0%
Total votes 28,909 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 15

District 15 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Laurence Levitan (incumbent) 16,507 48.00%
Republican John Henry Hiser Jr. 13,693 39.81%
Independent Bette Marshall 4,194 12.19%
Total votes 34,394 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 16

District 16 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Howard A. Denis 13,558 50.39%
Democratic Joseph D. Gebhardt 13,347 49.61%
Total votes 26,905 100.0%
Republican hold

District 17

District 17 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic S. Frank Shore 12,113 56.48%
Republican Albert E. Nunn 9,335 43.52%
Total votes 21,448 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 18

District 18 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Margaret Schweinhaut (incumbent) 16,359 71.94%
Republican Donald H. Dalton 6,382 28.06%
Total votes 22,741 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 19

District 19 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sidney Kramer 17,332 100.0%
Total votes 17,332 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 20

District 20 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Victor L. Crawford (incumbent) 11,638 100.0%
Total votes 11,638 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 21

District 21 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Arthur Dorman (incumbent) 10,315 61.45%
Republican Julia Brown 6,470 38.55%
Total votes 16,785 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 22

District 22 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John J. Garrity 9,938 100.0%
Total votes 9,938 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 23

District 23 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas Patrick O'Reilly (incumbent) 9,192 70.08%
Republican Richard Anthony Blancato 3,924 29.92%
Total votes 13,116 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 24

District 24 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Edward T. Conroy (incumbent) 15,072 100.0%
Total votes 15,072 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 25

District 25 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tommie Broadwater (incumbent) 5,542 62.07%
Republican Joseph M. Parker 3,386 37.93%
Total votes 8,928 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 26

District 26 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic B. W. Mike Donovan 7,362 100.0%
Total votes 7,362 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 27

District 27 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Peter A. Bozick (incumbent) 9,150 100.0%
Total votes 9,150 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 28

District 28 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas V. Miller Jr. (incumbent) 11,846 72.44%
Republican Ray Velasquez 4,506 27.56%
Total votes 16,352 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 29

District 29 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic James C. Simpson (incumbent) 15,433 100.0%
Total votes 15,433 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 30

District 30 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Edward T. Hall (incumbent) 11,639 51.61%
Democratic George M. Nutwell 10,913 48.39%
Total votes 22,552 100.0%
Republican hold

District 31

District 31 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jerome F. Connell Sr. (incumbent) 11,413 56.64%
Republican Gary Q. Green 8,737 43.36%
Total votes 20,150 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 32

District 32 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic H. Erle Schafer 12,332 67.75%
Republican Richard L. Stack 5,871 32.25%
Total votes 18,203 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 33

District 33 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John A. Cade (incumbent) 14,179 65.73%
Democratic Darrell L. Henry 7,392 34.27%
Total votes 21,571 100.0%
Republican hold

District 34

District 34 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Walter M. Baker 12,519 57.24%
Republican Peter K. Monk 9,352 42.76%
Total votes 21,871 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 35

District 35 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Frederick Malkus (incumbent) 15,209 100.0%
Total votes 15,209 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 36

District 36 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joseph J. Long Sr. 17,952 75.05%
Republican Noah Ames Pennewell 5,968 24.95%
Total votes 23,920 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 37

District 37 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Harry J. McGuirk (incumbent) 7,930 100.0%
Total votes 7,930 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 38

District 38 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Clarence Mitchell III (incumbent) 7,150 100.0%
Total votes 7,150 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 39

District 39 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Julian L. Lapides (incumbent) 10,625 100.0%
Total votes 10,625 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 40

District 40 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Verda Welcome (incumbent) 9,389 100.0%
Total votes 9,389 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 41

District 41 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Clarence W. Blount (incumbent) 9,849 100.0%
Total votes 9,849 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 42

District 42 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rosalie Silber Abrams (incumbent) 16,617 100.0%
Total votes 16,617 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 43

District 43 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic J. Joseph Curran Jr. (incumbent) 15,431 100.0%
Total votes 15,431 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 44

District 44 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Carroll Byrnes (incumbent) 14,898 100.0%
Total votes 14,898 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 45

District 45 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Robert Douglass (incumbent) 6,893 100.0%
Total votes 6,893 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 46

District 46 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joseph S. Bonvegna (incumbent) 13,034 100.0%
Total votes 13,034 100.0%
Democratic hold

District 47

District 47 election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cornell N. Dypski (incumbent) 11,872 100.0%
Total votes 11,872 100.0%
Democratic hold

References

  1. ^ "Maryland manual 1979-1980" (PDF). maryland.gov. 1980. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  2. ^ "Archives of Maryland Historical List Senate, 1777-". maryland.gov. March 15, 2000. Retrieved 2025-11-27.


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