1978 United States Senate election in Montana
The 1978 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 7, 1978. Following the death of United States Senator Lee Metcalf on January 12, 1978, Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul G. Hatfield was appointed to serve for the remainder of Metcalf's term. Hatfield opted to run for re-election, but was overwhelmingly defeated in the Democratic primary by United States Congressman Max Baucus of the 1st congressional district. Baucus advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Larry R. Williams, an author and the Republican nominee. Baucus ended up defeating Williams by a solid margin to win his first term in the Senate, and, following Hatfield's resignation on December 12, 1978, he began serving his first term in the Senate.
Nick Bacon
After his military retirement, Bacon returned with his wife, Tamera Ann, to Arizona and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs at their Phoenix regional office. While there, he was the co-originator of the Med-Vet Healthcare Program in Phoenix and participated in John McCain's 1986 political campaign in which McCain was first elected to the U.S. Senate. Bacon later served as town manager for the Phoenix suburb of Surprise from 1987 to 1990, during which time he oversaw the expansion of the town's territory and development by annexing nearly 75 square miles of land. Bacon was praised for his efforts by Surprise City Councilman Roy Villanueva, who initially opposed Bacon's expansion efforts but later commented that Bacon "was a good person who involved himself with the community and tried to help Surprise as much as possible." Likewise, former Surprise City Clerk Sherry Aguilar commented on Bacon's drive. "It seemed like he had so much energy and was really wanting to take (Surprise) to the next level," she said. "It seemed like he was so enthusiastic."