Editing Harrison Schmitt (section)

=== Senate career ===
[[File:Ronald Reagan and Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt 1.jpg|thumb|Senator Schmitt with President [[Ronald Reagan]] in [[Roswell, New Mexico]], October 1982]]
[[File:Jack Schmidt at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (June 3 2009).jpg|thumb|upright|Schmitt in 2009]]
On August 30, 1975, Schmitt retired from NASA to seek election as a [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] to the [[United States Senate]] representing [[New Mexico]] in the [[1976 United States Senate election in New Mexico|1976 election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20691153/silver_city_daily_press/|title=Schmitt Announces He's Seeking U.S. Senate|newspaper=Silver City Daily Press|location=Silver City, New Mexico|page=1|date=September 10, 1975|last1=Graves|first1=Howard|agency=Associated Press|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20570089/florida_today/|title=Astronaut Corps Getting Thinner and Thinner|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|page=11A|date=September 18, 1975|last1=Chriss|first1=Nicholas}}</ref> The astronaut-politician campaigned for fourteen months, and his campaign focused on the future.<ref name="AP_TenureEnded" /> In the Republican primary, held on June 1, 1976, Schmitt defeated the unknown Eugene Peirce.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20662143/las_cruces_sunnews/|title=Montoya, Schmitt, Peirce on Ballots|newspaper=Las Cruces Sun-News|page=1|date=March 28, 1976|agency=UPI|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In the election, Schmitt opposed two-term Democratic incumbent [[Joseph Montoya]].<ref name="AP_TenureEnded">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20662191/las_vegas_optic/|title=Montoya's Tenure Ended by Schmitt|last1=Feather|first1=Bill|agency=Associated Press|page=1|date=November 3, 1976|via=Newspapers.com|newspaper=Las Vegas Optic|location=Las Vegas, New Mexico}}</ref> He defeated Montoya 57% to 43%.<ref name=clovis>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20662009/clovis_newsjournal/|title=Schmitt Landslide Ends Montoya Senate Reign|newspaper=Clovis News-Journal|location=Clovis, New Mexico|date=November 3, 1976|page=1|agency=Associated Press|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

He served one term and, notably, was the chairman of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee of the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|United States Senate Committee on Commerce]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31028832/albuquerque_journal/|title=APS Defends Science, Math Curriculum|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|location=Albuquerque, New Mexico|date=February 13, 1981|page=1|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Sandoval|first1=Arturo}}</ref> He sought a second term in [[1982 United States Senate election in New Mexico|1982]], facing state Attorney General [[Jeff Bingaman]]. Bingaman criticized Schmitt for not paying enough attention to local matters; his campaign slogan asked, "What on Earth has he done for you lately?"<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1910599_1910769_1910767-3,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719082143/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1910599_1910769_1910767-3,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2009|title=The Astronauts Who Went to the Moon - The 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing |date=July 16, 2009|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=June 5, 2018}}</ref> This, combined with the deep recession, proved too much for Schmitt to overcome; he was defeated, 54% to 46%.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31028795/the_orlando_sentinel/|title=Winners, losers in governor, Senate, House races|newspaper=The Orlando Sentinel|location=Orlando, Florida|date=November 4, 1982|page=137|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>