United States Senator
In 1974, Hart ran for the United States Senate, challenging two-term incumbent Republican Peter Dominick. Hart was aided by the state's trend towards Democrats during the early 1970s, as well as Dominick's continued support for the unpopular President Richard Nixon and concerns about the Senator's age and health. In the general election, Hart won by a wide margin (57.2% to Dominick's 39.5%) and was immediately labeled as a rising star. He got a seat on the Armed Services Committee and was an early supporter of reforming the bidding for military contracts, and also was an advocate the military using smaller, more mobile weapons and equipment, as opposed to the traditional large scale items. He also served on the Environment and Public Work Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In 1980, he sought a second term. In something of a surprise, his Republican opponent was Colorado Secretary of State Mary Estill Buchanan, a moderate candidate who had defeated the more conservative choice, Howard "Bo" Callaway in the party primary. Fourteen years earlier, Callaway had been the Republican gubernatorial nominee in his native Georgia. Hart distanced himself from U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a former Georgia political rival of Callaway's. Carter's weak showing in Colorado nearly cost Hart reelection, but he prevailed 51 to 49 percent over Buchanan.
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