The 1986 United States Senate election in Alabama took place on November 3, 1986 alongside other elections to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Jeremiah Denton

Jeremiah Denton

Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...

 ran for a second term but lost to Democrat Richard Shelby

Richard Shelby

Richard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007....

.

Democratic primary

Shelby, a moderate-to-conservative Democrat avoided runoff and won nomination in the Democratic Party primary.

Candidates

• Jim Allen, Jr., son of former U.S. Senator Jim Allen
• Steve Arnold
• Ted McLaughlin
• Richard Shelby
  Richard Shelby
  Richard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007....
  
  , U.S. Representative (AL-7)
• Magaret Stewart, writer

Results

• Shelby - 420,155 (51.33%)
• Allen - 284,206 (34.72%)
• McLaughin - 70,784 (8.65%)
• Stewart - 26,723 (3.27%)
• Arnold - 16,722 (2.04%)

Republican primary

Incumbent Senator Jeremiah Denton

Jeremiah Denton

Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...

, a retired Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 and decorated Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 veteran who six years earlier became the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction, won the primary with little opposition.

Candidates

• Jeremiah Denton
  Jeremiah Denton
  Jeremiah Andrew Denton Jr. is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator and a former Republican U.S. senator, for the state of Alabama...
  
   (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Richard Shelby
  Richard Shelby
  Richard Craig Shelby is the senior U.S. Senator from Alabama. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he is the ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and was its chairman from 2003 to 2007....
  
  (D), U.S. Congressman