PolitiFinder

1972 Rhode Island U.S. Senate Election

Rhode Island · 4 candidates · See every 1972 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1972 Rhode Island U.S. Senate Election?

Claiborne Deb. Pell won the 1972 Rhode Island U.S. Senate Election. Claiborne Deb. Pell received 221,942 popular votes (53.68%). The main challenger was John H. Chafee (45.71%).

See the full head-to-head between Pell and Chafee

Pell +8.0 pts · won by 32,952 votes
Claiborne Deb. PellDemocraticWINNER53.68%
221,942 votes
John H. ChafeeRepublican45.71%
188,990 votes
John QuattrocchiIndependent0.49%
2,041 votes
Patrick M. DetempleSocialist Workers0.11%
458 votes
Popular-vote totals for this U.S. Senate election come from the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and the official public record.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.