1988 United States Senate elections

United States Senate elections, 1988

November 8, 1988
Class 1 (33 of the 100) seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader George Mitchell Bob Dole Party Democratic Republican Leader's seat Maine Kansas Seats before 54 46 Seats after 55 45 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 35,137,786 31,151,251 Percentage 52.1% 46.2% Swing 2.0% 1.4% Seats up 18 15 Races won 19 14
Results      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold
Majority leader before election Robert Byrd Democratic Elected Majority leader George Mitchell Democratic

The United States Senate elections, 1988 was an election for the United States Senate in which, in spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of one seat in the Senate. Seven seats changed parties, with four incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one from 54/46 to 55/45.

Results summary

Summary of the 1988 United States Senate election results

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style="background:Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color; width:55%;" | 55	style="background:Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color; width:45%;" | 45
Democratic	Republican

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Parties		Total Seats				Popular Vote
		1986 election	Before the election	This election	+/-	Vote	%
Democratic	55	54	55	1	35,137,786	52.12%
Republican	45	46	45	1	31,151,251	46.20%
Libertarian	0	0	0		268,053	0.40%
Conservative (NY)	0	0	0		189,226	0.28%
Others	-	-	-		677,928	1.01%
Total		100	100	100	-	67,424,244	100.0%

Source: Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved July 2, 2014.

Gains and losses

The Democrats captured four Republican seats: one open and three defeated incumbents, which were partially offset by the Republican capture of two open seats and the defeat of one Democratic incumbent.

Democratic gains

1. Connecticut: Democratic Attorney General Joe Lieberman narrowly defeated incumbent Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R) in his bid for a fourth term. A liberal in an increasingly conservative party, Weicker found himself at odds with his fellow Republicans. This rift would lead many conservatives (such as National Review editor William F. Buckley, Jr.) to endorse Lieberman.
2. Nebraska: Incumbent David Karnes (R) lost by a large margin to former Governor Bob Kerrey (D). Karnes had been appointed to the Senate following the death of Sen. Edward Zorinsky (D) and, though he survived a tough primary challenge from Rep. Hal Daub (R), he proved no match for the popular Kerrey in the general election.
3. Nevada: Incumbent Chic Hecht (R) was narrowly defeated by Governor Richard Bryan (D). Hecht had been considered vulnerable for his undistinguished record and a series of verbal gaffes.
4. Virginia: Incumbent Paul S. Trible, Jr. (R) retired rather than run a contentious re-election race against former Governor Chuck Robb (D). Robb would instead face Republican Maurice Dawkins, a black minister, and defeat him in a landslide.

Republican gains

1. Florida: Incumbent Lawton Chiles (D) retired rather than run for a fourth term. Congressman Connie Mack III (R) overcame some concerns about his very conservative House record to defeat Rep. Buddy MacKay (D).
2. Mississippi: Incumbent and Senate President pro tempore John C. Stennis (D) retired after 41 years in the Senate. House Minority Whip Trent Lott (R) defeated Congressman Wayne Dowdy by a comfortable margin in the increasingly Republican Mississippi.
3. Montana: Incumbent John Melcher (D) was defeated by Republican Conrad Burns. A political novice, Burns would score an upset victory riding on the coattails of Bush's modest Montana victory.

Democratic holds

1. New Jersey: Incumbent Frank Lautenberg (D) won re-election to a second term over Republican Wall Street executive and Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins. Lautenberg's campaign, led by James Carville and Paul Begala, attacked the once favored Dawkins as a carpetbagger (he moved to New Jersey from New York to make his Senate run) and opportunist.
2. Wisconsin: Former state Democratic Party Chairman Herb Kohl defeated Republican State Senator Susan Engeleiter for the seat of retiring incumbent William Proxmire (D). Kohl capitalized on his popularity in the state as the heir to the department stores that bear his family's name and as owner of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team.

Republican holds

1. Washington: Former Sen. Slade Gorton (R) defeated Rep. Mike Lowry (D) for the seat of incumbent Daniel J. Evans (R). Gorton won the tight race despite having been voted out of the state's other Senate seat two years earlier.
2. Wyoming: Incumbent Malcolm Wallop (R) defeated Democratic State Senator John Vinich by less than one percentage point. Wallop became vulnerable due to attacks on his partisan voting record.

Change in Senate composition

Before the elections

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 Ran	D39 Ran	D38 Ran	D37 Ran	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Ran	D42 Ran	D43 Ran	D44 Ran	D45 Ran	D46 Ran	D47 Ran	D48 Ran	D49 Ran	D50 Ran
Majority →									D51 Ran
R41 Ran	R42 Ran	R43 Ran	R44 Retired	R45 Retired	R46 Retired	D54 Retired	D53 Retired	D52 Retired
R40 Ran	R39 Ran	R38 Ran	R37 Ran	R36 Ran	R35 Ran	R34 Ran	R33 Ran	R32 Ran	R31
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28	R29	R30
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

After the elections

D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10
D20	D19	D18	D17	D16	D15	D14	D13	D12	D11
D21	D22	D23	D24	D25	D26	D27	D28	D29	D30
D40 Re-elected	D39 Re-elected	D38 Re-elected	D37 Re-elected	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Re-elected	D42 Re-elected	D43 Re-elected	D44 Re-elected	D45 Re-elected	D46 Re-elected	D47 Re-elected	D48 Re-elected	D49 Re-elected	D50 Re-elected
Majority →									D51 Re-elected
R41 Re-elected	R42 Re-elected	R43 Gain	R44 Gain	R45 Gain	D55 Gain	D54 Gain	D53 Gain	D52 Gain
R40 Re-elected	R39 Re-elected	R38 Re-elected	R37 Re-elected	R36 Re-elected	R35 Re-elected	R34 Re-elected	R33 Re-elected	R32 Re-elected	R31
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28	R29	R30
R20	R19	R18	R17	R16	R15	R14	R13	R12	R11
R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10

Key:	D# Democratic R# Republican

Race summary

Special election during the 100th Congress

There were no special elections in 1988 or before January 3, 1989.

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1989; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 1 seats.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Arizona	Dennis DeConcini	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Dennis DeConcini (Democratic) 56.7% Keith DeGreen (Republican) 41.1% Rich Tompkins (Libertarian) 1.8%
California	Pete Wilson	Republican	1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Pete Wilson (Republican) 52.7% Leo T. McCarthy (Democratic) 44.0% Maria E. Muñoz (Peace & Freedom) 1.7% Jack Dean (Libertarian) 0.8% Merton D. Short (American Ind.) 0.7%
Connecticut	Lowell P. Weicker Jr.	Republican	1970 1976 1982	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Joe Lieberman (Democratic) 49.7% Lowell P. Weicker Jr. (Republican) 49.0% Howard Grayson (Libertarian) 0.9% Melissa Fisher (New Alliance) 0.3%
Delaware	William Roth	Republican	1970 1971 (Appointed) 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ William Roth (Republican) 62.1% Shien Biau Woo (Democratic) 37.9%
Florida	Lawton Chiles	Democratic	1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	√ Connie Mack III (Republican) 50.4% Buddy MacKay (Democratic) 49.6%
Hawaii	Spark Matsunaga	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Spark Matsunaga (Democratic) 76.5% Maria M. Hustace (Republican) 20.7% Ken Schoolland (Libertarian) 2.8%
Indiana	Richard Lugar	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Richard Lugar (Republican) 67.7% Jack Wickes (Democratic) 32.3%
Maine	George J. Mitchell	Democratic	1980 (Appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ George J. Mitchell (Democratic) 81.1% Jasper S. Wyman (Republican) 18.9%
Maryland	Paul Sarbanes	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Paul Sarbanes (Democratic) 61.8% Alan Keyes (Republican) 38.2%
Massachusetts	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	1962 (Special) 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 65.0% Joe Malone (Republican) 33.9% Mary Fridley (New Alliance) 0.6% Freda Lee Nason (Libertarian) 0.5%
Michigan	Donald W. Riegle Jr.	Democratic	1976 1976 (Appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Donald W. Riegle Jr. (Democratic) 60.4% James Whitney Dunn (Republican) 38.5% Dick Jacobs (Libertarian) 0.8% Sally Bier (Workers Against Concessions) 0.3%
Minnesota	David Durenberger	Republican	1978 (Special) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ David Durenberger (Republican) 56.2% Skip Humphrey (Democratic) 40.9% Polly Mann (Progressive Issues) 2.1% Derrick Grimmer (Grassroots) 0.4% Arlen Overvig (Libertarian) 0.2% Wendy Lyons (Socialist Workers) 0.1%
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Democratic	1947 (Special) 1946 1952 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	√ Trent Lott (Republican) 54.1% Wayne Dowdy (Democratic) 45.9%
Missouri	John Danforth	Republican	1976 1976 (Appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ John Danforth (Republican) 67.7% Jay Nixon (Democratic) 31.7% John Guze (Libertarian) 0.6%
Montana	John Melcher	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	√ Conrad Burns (Republican) 51.9% John Melcher (Democratic) 48.1%
Nebraska	David Karnes	Republican	1987 (Appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. New senator elected. Democratic gain. Incumbent then resigned November 8, 1988 and the seat remained vacant until the next Congress.	√ Bob Kerrey (Democratic) 56.7% David Karnes (Republican) 41.7% Ernie Chambers (New Alliance) 1.6%
Nevada	Chic Hecht	Republican	1982	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Richard Bryan (Democratic) 51.3% Chic Hecht (Republican) 47.1% James Frye (Libertarian) 1.6%
New Jersey	Frank Lautenberg	Democratic	1982 1982 (Appointed)	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Frank Lautenberg (Democratic) 53.5% Pete Dawkins (Republican) 45.2% Joseph Job (Independent) 0.7% Jerry Zeldin (Libertarian) 0.4% Thomas Fiske (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
New Mexico	Jeff Bingaman	Democratic	1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Jeff Bingaman (Democratic) 63.2% Bill Valentine (Republican) 36.8%
New York	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democratic) 67.3% Robert R. McMillan (Republican) 31.6%
North Dakota	Quentin N. Burdick	Democratic	1960 (Special) 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Quentin N. Burdick (Democratic) 59.5% Earl Strinden (Republican) 39.1% Kenneth C. Gardner (Libertarian) 1.5%
Ohio	Howard Metzenbaum	Democratic	1974 (Appointed) 1974 (Lost) 1974 (Resigned) 1976 1976 (Appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 56.9% George Voinovich (Republican) 43.1%
Pennsylvania	H. John Heinz III	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ H. John Heinz III (Republican) 66.4% Joseph C. Vignola (Democratic) 32.4% Darcy Richardson (Consumer) 0.6% Henry Haller (Libertarian) 0.3% Samuel Cross (Populist) 0.1% Sam Blancato (New Alliance) 0.1%
Rhode Island	John Chafee	Republican	1976 1976 (Appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ John Chafee (Republican) 54.3% Richard A. Licht (Democratic) 45.7%
Tennessee	Jim Sasser	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Jim Sasser (Democratic) 65.1% Bill Anderson (Republican) 34.5% Khalil-Ullah Al-Muhaymin (Independent) 0.4%
Texas	Lloyd Bentsen	Democratic	1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 59.2% Beau Boulter (Republican) 40.0% Jeff Daiell (Libertarian) 0.8%
Utah	Orrin Hatch	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Orrin Hatch (Republican) 67.1% Brian Moss (Democratic) 31.7% Robert J. Smith (American) 0.9% William M. Arth (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
Vermont	Robert Stafford	Republican	1971 (Appointed) 1972 (Special) 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	√ Jim Jeffords (Republican) 67.9% William Gray (Democratic) 29.8% Jerry Levy (Liberty Union) 1.1% King Milne (Independent) 1.0%
Virginia	Paul S. Trible Jr.	Republican	1982	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	√ Chuck Robb (Democratic) 71.2% Maurice A. Dawkins (Republican) 28.8%
Washington	Daniel J. Evans	Republican	1983 (Appointed) 1983 (Special)	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	√ Slade Gorton (Republican) 50.7% Mike Lowry (Democratic) 49.3%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd	Democratic	1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Robert Byrd (Democratic) 63.2% M. Jay Wolfe (Republican) 36.8%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	1957 (Special) 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	√ Herb Kohl (Democratic) 52.2% Susan Engeleiter (Republican) 47.8%
Wyoming	Malcolm Wallop	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	√ Malcolm Wallop (Republican) 50.4% John Vinich (Democratic) 49.6%

Special elections during the 101th Congress

There were no special elections in 1989 after January 3.

Arizona

Arizona election

Nominee Dennis DeConcini Keith DeGreen Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 660,403 478,060 Percentage 56.7% 41.1%

U.S. Senate election results map. Blue denotes counties won by DeConcini.

U.S. senator before election Dennis DeConcini Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Arizona, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Arizona

Incumbent Democrat Dennis DeConcini was reelected to a third term over Republican Keith DeGreen, Marine veteran and financial advisor. As of 2016, this is the last Senate election in Arizona won by a Democrat.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Dennis DeConcini (Incumbent)	660,403	56.71%	-0.20%
	Republican	Keith DeGreen	478,060	41.05%	+0.75%
	Libertarian	Rick Tompkins	20,849	1.79%	-0.99%
	New Alliance	Ed Finkelstein	5,195	0.45%
	Write-ins		32	0.00%
Majority			182,343	15.66%	-0.95%
Turnout			1,164,539
	Democratic hold		Swing

California

California election

File:Leo McCarthy.jpg Nominee Pete Wilson Leo T. McCarthy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 5,143,409 4,287,253 Percentage 52.8% 44.0%

U.S. senator before election Pete Wilson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Pete Wilson Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in California, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from California

Incumbent Republican Pete Wilson won re-election to a second term over Democrat Leo T. McCarthy, Lieutenant Governor of California and former Speaker of the California State Assembly. As of 2016, this is the last Senate election in California won by a Republican.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Wilson	5,143,409	52.8%
	Democratic	Leo T. McCarthy	4,287,253	44.0%
	Peace and Freedom	Maria Elizabeth Munoz	166,600	1.7%
	Libertarian	Jack Dean	79,997	0.8%
	American Independent	Merton D. Short	66,291	0.7%

Connecticut

Connecticut election

Nominee Joe Lieberman Lowell Weicker Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 688,499 677,903 Percentage 49.8% 49.0%

County results

U.S. senator before election Lowell P. Weicker Jr. Republican Elected U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Connecticut, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Connecticut

Incumbent Republican Lowell P. Weicker Jr. ran for re-election to a fourth term, but was defeated by Democratic Connecticut Attorney General Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Attorney General and eventual 2000 nominee for Vice President of the United States who would remain in office until 2013, when he retired.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joeseph Lieberman	688,499	49.8%
	Republican	Lowell Weicker (Incumbent)	677,903	49.0%
	Libertarian	Howard A. Grayson Jr.	12,409	0.9%
	New Alliance	Melissa M. Fisher	4,154	0.3%
Total votes			1,379,362	100.0%
	Democratic gain from Republican

Delaware

Delaware election

Nominee William Roth Shien Biau Woo Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 151,115 92,378 Percentage 62.1% 37.9%

U.S. senator before election William V. Roth Republican Elected U.S. Senator William V. Roth Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Delaware, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Delaware

Incumbent Republican William Roth won re-election to a fourth term, beating Democrat Shien Biau Woo, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware

Democratic Party primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	S. B. Woo	20,225	50.09
	Democratic	Samuel Beard	20,154	49.91
Total votes			40,379	100.00

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	William V. Roth (Incumbent)	151,115	62.06%	+6.89%
	Democratic	S.B. Woo	92,378	37.94%	-6.27%
Majority			58,737	24.12%	+13.15%
Turnout			243,493
	Republican hold		Swing

Florida

Florida election

Nominee Connie Mack III Buddy MacKay Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,051,071 2,016,553 Percentage 50.4% 49.6%

U.S. senator before election Lawton Chiles Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Connie Mack III Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Florida, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Florida

Incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican U.S. Representative Connie Mack III won the open seat over Democrat Bill Gunter, the Florida State Treasurer.

This senate election was heavily targeted by both parties. U.S. Representative Mack announced his candidacy back in October 1987. President Ronald Reagan endorsed Mack in June 1988 to allow Mack to focus on the general election, as he easily won the September 6 Republican primary against U.S. Attorney Robert Merkle. In May 1988, MacKay announced he would run for the open seat, and defeated Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter in a close October 4 runoff primary election.

The general election became very nasty. MacKay tried to portray the Republican as "extremist." Mack attacked his opponent in television ads by connecting him to unpopular Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. Mack had help from vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle. The election was so close there was a recount until MacKay conceded eight days after election day.

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Gunter	383,721	38.00
	Democratic	Buddy MacKay	263,946	26.14
	Democratic	Dan Mica	179,524	17.78
	Democratic	Pat Frank	119,277	11.81
	Democratic	Claude Kirk	51,387	5.09
	Democratic	Fred Rader	11,820	1.17
Total votes			1,009,675	100

Democratic primary runoff results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Buddy MacKay	369,266	52.00
	Democratic	Bill Gunter	340,918	48.00
Total votes			710,184	100

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Connie Mack	405,296	61.78
	Republican	Robert Merkle	250,730	38.22
Total votes			656,026	100

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Connie Mack III	2,051,071	50.42%	+12.15%
	Democratic	Buddy MacKay	2,016,553	49.57%	-12.15%
	Write-ins		585	0.01%
Majority			34,518	0.85%	-22.61%
Turnout			4,068,209

Hawaii

Hawaii election

Nominee Spark Matsunaga Maria Hustace Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 247,941 66,987 Percentage 76.6% 20.7%

County results

U.S. senator before election Spark Matsunaga Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Hawaii, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Hawaii

Incumbent Democrat Spark Matsunaga won re-election to a third term, beating Republican cattle rancher Maria Hustace.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Spark Matsunaga (Incumbent)	247,941	76.6%
	Republican	Maria Hustace	66,987	20.7%
	Libertarian	Ken Schoolland	8,948	2.8%

Indiana

Indiana election

Nominee Richard Lugar Jack Wickes Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,430,525 668,778 Percentage 68.1% 31.9%

County results

U.S. senator before election Richard Lugar Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Lugar Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Indiana, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Indiana

Incumbent Republican Richard Lugar was re-elected to a third term over Democratic attorney Jack Wickes.

Lugar, a popular incumbent, had token opposition in this election. An April 1988 poll showed that Lugar lead 65% to 23%. By June, Lugar raised over $2 million, while Wickes raised just over $100,000. Lugar agreed to debate Wickes on September 10, 1988.

Lugar won overall with two-thirds of the vote and won 91 of Indiana's 92 counties, Wickes won only the Democratic stronghold of Lake County.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Lugar (Incumbent)	1,430,525	68.1%
	Democratic	Jack Wickes	668,778	31.9%

Maine

Maine election

Nominee George Mitchell Jasper Wyman Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 452,581 104,164 Percentage 81.3% 18.7%

County results

U.S. senator before election George J. Mitchell Democratic Elected U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Maine, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Maine

Incumbent Democrat George J. Mitchell won re-election to a second full term over Republican Jasper Wyman, leader of Maine Christian Civic League and businessman.. As of 2017, this is the last Senate election in Maine won by a Democrat.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Mitchell (Incumbent)	452,581	81.3%
	Republican	Jasper Wyman	104,164	18.7%

Maryland

Maryland election

Nominee Paul Sarbanes Alan Keyes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 999,166 617,537 Percentage 61.8% 38.2%

U.S. senator before election Paul S. Sarbanes Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Maryland, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Maryland

Incumbent Democratic Paul Sarbanes was reelected to a third term over Republican Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Sarbanes	999,166	61.8
	Republican	Alan Keyes	617,537	38.2
	Independent	Imad A. Ahmad (Write In)	349	0.0
	Independent	Rashaad Ali (Write In)	13	0.0
Majority
Turnout
	Democratic hold

Massachusetts

Massachusetts election

Nominee Ted Kennedy Joseph D. Malone Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,693,344 884,267 Percentage 65.0% 33.9%

County results

U.S. senator before election Ted Kennedy Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Massachusetts

Incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy won re-election to his fifth full term over Republican Joseph D. Malone.

Massachusetts United States Senate election, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Ted Kennedy (Incumbent)	1,693,344	64.97	+4.16
	Republican	Joseph D. Malone	884,267	33.93	-4.33
	New Alliance	Mary Fridley	15,208	0.58	+0.58
	Libertarian	Freda Lee Nason	13,199	0.51	-0.41
		All others	207	0.01	+0
Total votes			2,606,225	87.77%

Michigan

Michigan election

Nominee Don Riegle James Whitney Dunn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,116,865 1,348,216 Percentage 60.4% 38.5%

U.S. senator before election Don Riegle Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Don Riegle Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Michigan, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Michigan

Incumbent Democrat Don Riegle won re-election to a third term over Republican U.S. Congressman James Whitney Dunn.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald W. Riegle Jr.(Incumbent)	2,116,865	60.4
	Republican	Jim Dunn	1,348,216	38.5
	Libertarian	Dick Jacobs	27,116	0.8
	Workers Against Concessions	Sally Bier	8,908	0.3
	Independent	Mark Friedman	4,821	0.1

Minnesota

Minnesota election

Nominee David Durenberger Skip Humphrey Party Ind.-Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 1,176,210 856,694 Percentage 56.2% 40.9%

U.S. senator before election David Durenberger Ind.-Republican Elected U.S. Senator David Durenberger Ind.-Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Minnesota, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Minnesota

Incumbent Republican David Durenberger won re-election to his second full term, beating DemocratSkip Humphrey, the Minnesota Attorney General and former State Senator.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Durenberger	1,176,210	56.2
	Democratic	Skip Humphrey	856,694	40.9
	Minnesota Progressive Party	Polly Mann	44,474	2.1
	Grassroots	Derrick Grimmer	9,016	0.4
	Libertarian	Arlen Overvig	4,039	0.2
	Socialist Workers	Wendy Lyons	3,105	0.2

Mississippi

Mississippi election

Nominee Trent Lott Wayne Dowdy Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 510,380 436,339 Percentage 53.9% 46.1%

U.S. senator before election John C. Stennis Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Trent Lott Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Mississippi, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Mississippi

Incumbent Democrat John C. Stennis decided to retire instead of seeking an eighth term. Republican Trent Lott won the open seat, beating Democrat Wayne Dowdy, U.S. Congressman from the 4th district.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Trent Lott	510,380	53.9
	Democratic	Wayne Dowdy	436,339	46.1

Missouri

Missouri election

Nominee John Danforth Jay Nixon Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,407,416 660,045 Percentage 67.7% 31.8%

County results

U.S. senator before election John Danforth Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Danforth Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Missouri, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Missouri

Incumbent Republican John Danforth won re-election over Democratic state senator Jay Nixon.

Missouri United States Senate election, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Danforth (Incumbent)	1,407,416	67.70
	Democratic	Jay Nixon	660,045	31.75
	Libertarian	John Guze	11,410	0.55
		Write-In Candidates	4	0.00
Majority			747,371	35.95
Turnout			2,078,875

Montana

Montana election

Nominee Conrad Burns John Melcher Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 189,445 175,809 Percentage 51.9% 48.1%

County Results

U.S. senator before election John Melcher Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Conrad Burns Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Montana, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Montana

Incumbent John Melcher, who was first elected to the Senate in 1976 and was re-elected in 1982, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he faced Yellowstone County Commissioner Conrad Burns in the general election, and a grueling campaign followed. Ultimately, Melcher was narrowly defeated in his bid for re-election by Burns.

Democratic Party primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Melcher (Incumbent)	88,457	74.54
	Democratic	Bob Kelleher	30,212	25.46
Total votes			118,669	100.00

Republican Primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Conrad Burns	63,330	84.71
	Republican	Tom Faranda	11,427	15.29
Total votes			74,757	100.00

United States Senate election in Montana, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Conrad Burns	189,445	51.87%	+10.20%
	Democratic	John Melcher (Incumbent)	175,809	48.13%	-6.33%
Majority			13,636	3.73%	-9.06%
Turnout			365,254
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

Nebraska

Nebraska election

Nominee Bob Kerrey David Karnes Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 378,717 278,250 Percentage 56.71% 41.66%

U.S. senator before election David Karnes Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Nebraska, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Nebraska

Republican David Karnes decided to seek election to his first complete term after being appointed to the seat of the late Edward Zorinsky in March 1987, but was soundly defeated by Democratic former governor Bob Kerrey in the November general election.

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Karnes	117,439	55
	Republican	Hal Daub	96,436	45

Nebraska United States Senate election, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bob Kerrey	378,717	56.71
	Republican	David Karnes	278,250	41.66
	New Alliance	Ernie Chambers	10,372	1.55
		Write-In Candidates	521	0.08	{{{change}}}
Majority			100,467	15.04
Turnout			667,860

Nevada

Nevada election

Nominee Richard Bryan Chic Hecht Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 175,548 161,336 Percentage 50.2% 46.1%

U.S. senator before election Chic Hecht Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Bryan Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Nevada, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Nevada

Incumbent Republican Chic Hecht ran for re-election to a second term, but lost to Democratic Governor Richard Bryan.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Bryan	175,548	50.21%
	Republican	Chic Hecht (Incumbent)	161,336	46.14%
	None	None of These Candidates	7,242	2.07%
	Libertarian	James Frye	5,523	1.58%
Majority			14,212	4.06%
Turnout			349,649

New Jersey

New Jersey election

Nominee Frank Lautenberg Pete Dawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,599,905 1,349,937 Percentage 53.55% 45.18%

U.S. senator before election Frank Lautenberg Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in New Jersey, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from New Jersey

Incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg won re-election to a second term with a margin of 8.37% over Republican Pete Dawkins, military veteran and CEO of Primerica Financial Services, Inc..

The campaign was full of political mudslinging, with Lautenberg accusing Dawkins of being a carpetbagger, noting his very brief residency in the state, and also accusing Dawkins' campaign of lying about his war record. Dawkins accused Lautenberg of running a smear campaign against, called him a "swamp dog", and criticized him for saying he voted eight times against a senatorial pay raise without mentioning the fact that he did vote once for the pay raise.

United States Senate election in New Jersey, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Lautenberg (Incumbent), Secaucus	1,599,905	53.55%
	Republican	Pete Dawkins, Rumson	1,349,937	45.18%
	Independent	Joseph F. Job, Rutherford	20,091	0.67%
	Libertarian	Jerry Zeldin, Laurel Springs	12,354	0.41%
	Socialist	Thomas A. Fiske, Newark	5,347	0.18%
Majority			249,968	8.37%
Turnout			2,987,634	100.00%

New Mexico

New Mexico election

Nominee Jeff Bingaman Bill Valentine Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 321,983 186,579 Percentage 63.3% 36.7%

County results

U.S. senator before election Jeff Bingaman Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in New Mexico, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from New Mexico

Incumbent Democrat Jeff Bingaman won re-election to a second term, beating Republican New Mexico State Senator Bill Valentine.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jeff Bingaman (Incumbent)	321,983	63.31%	+9.53%
	Republican	Bill Valentine	186,579	36.68%	-9.54%
	Write-ins		36	0.01%
Majority			135,404	26.62%	+19.08%
Turnout			508,598
	Democratic hold		Swing

New York

New York election

Nominee Pat Moynihan Robert McMillan Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 4,048,649 1,875,784 Percentage 67.0% 31.1%

County results

U.S. senator before election Pat Moynihan Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Pat Moynihan Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in New York, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from New York

Incumbent Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan won re-election to a third term, over Republican Robert R. McMillan, business executive of Avon Products and Reagan Administration advisor.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Incumbent)	4,048,649	67.0
	Republican	Robert R. McMillan	1,875,784	31.1
	Right to Life	Adelle R. Nathanson	64,845	1.1
	Independent Progressive	Charlene Mitchell	14,770	0.2
	Workers World	Lydia Bayoneta	13,573	0.2
	Libertarian	William P. McMillen	12,064	0.2
	Socialist Workers	James E. Harris	11,239	0.2

North Dakota

Main article: United States Senate election in North Dakota, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from North Dakota

The incumbent, Quentin Burdick of the North Dakota Democratic NPL Party, sought and received re-election to his sixth term, defeating Republican candidate Earl Strinden.

Only Burdick filed as a Dem-NPLer, and the endorsed Republican candidate was Earl Strinden of Grand Forks, North Dakota, who was President of the University of North Dakota Alumni Association. As in the Burdick's previous re-election campaign, the senator's age became an issue for voters as he was 80 years old during the campaign. However, challenger Strinden commented that he did not want to raise the age issue. Burdick and Strinden won the primary elections for their respective parties.

The Burdick campaign hired high-profile Washington, D.C. campaign consultant Bob Squire of Squire Eskew Communications. To counter the potential age issue, Burdick successfully focused the message on the "clout" he had earned over decades in the Senate, as well as his Chairmanship of Senate Agricultural Appropriations sub-committee and his Chairmanship of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

One independent candidate, Kenneth C. Gardner, also filed before the deadline, officially calling himself a libertarian. Gardner had previously run for North Dakota's other United States Senate seat an independent in 1974, challenging Milton Young. He only received 853 votes in that election.

1988 United States Senate election, North Dakota

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Quentin Burdick (incumbent)	171,899	59.45
	Republican	Earl Strinden	112,937	39.06
	Independent	Kenneth C. Gardner	4,334	1.50
Majority
Turnout			289,170

Ohio

Ohio election

Nominee Howard Metzenbaum George Voinovich Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,480,038 1,872,716 Percentage 57% 43%

County Results

U.S. senator before election Howard Metzenbaum Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Ohio, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Ohio

Incumbent Democrat Howard Metzenbaum won re-election over George Voinovich, Mayor of Cleveland and former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio..

Ohio United States Senate election, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Morton Metzenbaum	2,480,038	56.97%
	Republican	George Victor Voinovich	1,872,716	42.31%
	Independent	David Marshall	151	0.00%
Majority			607,322	8.68%
Turnout			4,352,905	100.00%

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

Nominee John Heinz Joseph Vignola Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,901,715 1,416,764 Percentage 66.5% 32.5%

County results

U.S. senator before election H. John Heinz III Republican Elected U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania

Incumbent Republican H. John Heinz III successfully sought re-election to another term, defeating Democratic nominee Joe Vignola, Philadelphia City Controller.

Joe Vignola was not expected by Democratic Party leaders to have a substantial chance at defeating the popular incumbent John Heinz, even predicting that Vignola would become "Heinz's 58th variety," referring to an advertising slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. Heinz, knowing this, ran a low-profile re-election campaign and was safely ahead in polling. Vignola traveled across Pennsylvania promoting an increase in domestic spending, including education and healthcare, while decreasing the defense budget to compensate. Vignola ran a positive campaign, in contrast with Cyril Wecht six years previously, although many Democratic ward leaders and committee members had given up on the campaign and had stopped campaigning for Vignola.

Heinz easily defeated Vignola to win the election and another term in the Senate, carrying every Pennsylvania county except Philadelphia, Vignola's home town, and by a comfortable 1.49 million vote margin. Heinz performed well in suburban areas, as well as the central, southwestern and northeastern portions of the state. Outside of Philadelphia, Vignola's best county-wide showing was in Mercer County, where he won 36% of the vote, and his poorest county-wide performance was in Snyder County, where he won 12% of the vote. Although Heinz's landslide victory was largely expected among Democratic leaders, Heinz won by a wide margin despite the Democrats' 551,000-voter registration advantage statewide.

Heinz died in an airplane crash on April 4, 1991, in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. Democrat Harris Wofford was appointed on May 8 to fill the vacancy caused by Heinz's death, and subsequently won a special election in November 1991. In the 1994 election, however, Wofford was defeated by Republican Rick Santorum.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	H. John Heinz III (Incumbent)	2,901,715	66.45%	+7.17%
	Democratic	Joseph Vignola	1,416,764	32.45%	-6.75%
	Consumer	Darcy Richardson	25,273	0.58%	+0.12%
	Libertarian	Henry E. Haller II	11,822	0.27%	-0.26%
	Populist	Samuel Cross	6,455	0.15%	+0.15%
	New Alliance	Sam Blancato	4,569	0.11%	+0.11%
Majority			1,484,951	34.00%	+13.92%
Totals			4,366,598	100.00%

Rhode Island

Rhode Island election

Nominee John Chafee Richard Licht Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 217,273 180,717 Percentage 55% 45%

County Results

U.S. senator before election John Chafee Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Chafee Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Rhode Island

Incumbent Republican John Chafee won re-election to a third term, beating Democratic Lieutenant Governor and former State Senator Richard Licht.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Chafee (Incumbent)	217,273	54.59%	+3.39%
	Democratic	Richard Licht	180,717	45.41%	-3.39%
Majority			36,556	9.19%	+6.79%
Turnout			397,990
	Republican hold		Swing

Tennessee

Tennessee election

Nominee Jim Sasser Bill Anderson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,020,061 541,033 Percentage 65.09% 34.52%

U.S. senator before election Jim Sasser Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jim Sasser Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Tennessee, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Tennessee

Incumbent Democrat Jim Sasser won re-election to a third term over Republican Bill Anderson.

Tennessee United States Senate election 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jim Sasser (Incumbent)	1,020,061	65.09%
	Republican	Bill Anderson	541,033	34.52%	-30.57%
	Independent	Khalil-Ullah Al-Muhaymin	6,042	0.39%	-64.70%
	Others	(W) Others	45	0.00	-65.09%
Majority
Turnout			1,561,094

Texas

Texas election

Nominee Lloyd Bentsen Beau Boulter Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,149,806 2,129,228 Percentage 59.2% 40.0%

U.S. senator before election Lloyd Bentsen Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Texas, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Texas

Incumbent Democrat Lloyd Bentsen won re-election to a fourth term defeating Republican Representative Beau Boulter.

Bentsen easily won the Democratic nomination for another term, while Boulter came through a run-off in the Republican primary defeating Wes Gilbreath. After being nominated for the senate Bentsen was chosen by Michael Dukakis as his vice-presidential running mate and therefore ran for both the Senate and the vice-presidency at the same time. Bentsen was always the favorite for the senate election and won with 59.2% of the vote, compared to 40% for Boulter.

As of 2017, this was the last time a Democrat won a United States Senate election in Texas.

In the Democratic primary Democratic senator Lloyd Bentsen defeated the same opponent he had beaten in 1982, Joe Sullivan, a psychology professor from San Antonio.

Bentsen had been Senator from Texas since first winning election in 1970 and had been re-elected in 1976 and 1982. He was also Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the clear favourite for re-election in 1988. Sullivan stood on a platform calling for reduced spending by the federal government, but had been easily defeated by Bentsen in the 1982 Democratic primary. This was repeated in 1988 with Bentsen winning the primary with over 80% of the vote.

March 8 Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lloyd Bentsen	1,365,736	84.8
	Democratic	Joe Sullivan	244,805	15.2
Total votes			1,610,541	100

Four candidates competed for the Republican nomination; U.S. representative Beau Boulter, former state representative Milton Fox, millionaire Houston businessman Wes Gilbreath and businessman Ned Snead. Boulter was a two-term representative for the 13th district, while Gilbreath was competing in his first election, but spent $500,000 on the primary.

Wes Gilbreath led in the March primary with 36.7%, but as no candidate won a majority, went into a run-off election against Beau Boulter who came second with 30.5%.

March 8 Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wes Gilbreath	275,080	36.7
	Republican	Beau Boulter	228,676	30.5
	Republican	Milton Fox	138,031	18.4
	Republican	Ned Snead	107,560	14.4
Total votes			749,347	100

There were few policy differences between Boulter and Gilbreath, with both candidates being conservatives who opposed abortion and called for reduced government spending. Gilbreath spent about one million dollars of his money in his contest for the primary, while Boulter spent about $250,000. However Boulter won endorsements from many Texas Republican leaders, including the candidates who had come third and fourth in the March primary, as well as from anti-abortion groups.

Boulter won the April run-off for the Republican nomination with just over 60% of the vote.

April 12 Republican run-off results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Beau Boulter	111,134	60.2
	Republican	Wes Gilbreath	73,573	39.8
Total votes			184,707	100

In July 1988 the Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis chose Lloyd Bentsen to be the Democratic vice-presidential candidate. As the Texas Democrats had already had their primary for senate candidate, Bentsen could not be replaced on the ballot. Bentsen was however able to run both for the Senate and for vice-president as Lyndon Johnson had gotten Texas law changed in 1960 to allow Johnson to do the same at the 1960 election.

Lloyd Bentsen won the senate election by a clear margin over Beau Boulter, at the same time as he and Michael Dukakis lost the presidential race, with George Bush winning Texas with 56% of the vote compared to 43% for Dukakis. Bentsen's vote total in the senate election was reported to be at the time the highest vote total in any Texas statewide election.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lloyd Bentsen	3,149,806	59.2	+0.6
	Republican	Beau Boulter	2,129,228	40.0	-0.5
	Libertarian	Jeff Daiell	44,572	0.8
Majority			1,020,578	19.2	+1.1
Turnout			5,323,606
	Democratic hold		Swing

Utah

Main article: United States Senate election in Utah, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Utah

Vermont

Vermont election

Nominee Jim Jeffords Bill Gray Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 163,203 71,469 Percentage 68.0% 29.8%

U.S. senator before election Robert Stafford Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Vermont, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Vermont

Incumbent Republican Robert Stafford did not run for re-election to another term in the United States Senate. Republican candidate Jim Jeffords defeated Democratic candidate Bill Gray to succeed him.

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Jeffords	30,555	60.8
	Republican	Mike Griffes	19,593	38.9
	Republican	Other	128	0.3
Total votes			'50,276'	'100'

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bill Gray	23,138	91.5
	Democratic	Other	2,149	8.5
Total votes			'25,287'	'100'

United States Senate election in Vermont, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Jeffords	163,203	63.2
	Democratic	Bill Gray	71,469	29.8
	Liberty Union	Jerry Levy	2,506	1.0
	Independent	King Milne	2,424	1.0
	N/A	Other	509	0.2
Total votes			'240,111'	'100'

Virginia

Virginia election

Turnout	49.8% (voting eligible)
Nominee Chuck Robb Maurice A. Dawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,474,086 593,652 Percentage 71.3% 28.7%
U.S. Senate election results map. Blue denotes counties/districts won by Robb.
U.S. senator before election Paul S. Trible Republican Elected U.S. Senator Chuck Robb Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Virginia, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Virginia

Former Democratic governor Chuck Robb replaced Republican Senator Paul S. Trible Jr., who opted not to run for re-election. Robb beat Republican Maurice A. Dawkins, minister and black activist.

United States Senate election in Virginia, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Chuck Robb	1,474,086	71.25%	+22.45%
	Republican	Maurice A. Dawkins	593,652	28.69%	-22.51%
	Write-ins		1,159	0.06%
Majority			880,434	42.56%	+40.18%
Turnout			2,068,897
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Washington

Washington election

Nominee Slade Gorton Mike Lowry Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 944,359 904,183 Percentage 51.1% 48.9%

County results

U.S. senator before election Daniel J. Evans Republican Elected U.S. Senator Slade Gorton Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Washington, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Washington

Incumbent Republican Daniel J. Evans decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a full term, after being appointed to the seat in 1983, and won re-election to a partial term that same year. Republican former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, who had just lost a re-election bid in 1986, won the open seat over congressman Mike Lowry.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Slade Gorton (Incumbent)	944,359	51.09
	Democratic	Mike Lowry	904,183	48.91
Majority			40,176	2.17
Turnout			1,848,542

West Virginia

West Virginia election

Nominee Robert Byrd Jay Wolfe Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 410,983 223,564 Percentage 64.8% 31.0%

U.S. senator before election Robert Byrd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Robert Byrd Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in West Virginia, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from West Virginia

Incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd won re-election to a sixth term over Republican, State Senator Jay Wolfe.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	'Robert Byrd' (Incumbent)	410,983	64.8%
	Republican	Jay Wolfe	223,564	35.2%

Wisconsin

Wisconsin election

Nominee Herb Kohl Susan Engeleiter Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,128,625 1,030,440 Percentage 52.1% 47.6%

U.S. senator before election William Proxmire Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Herb Kohl Democratic

Main article: United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Wisconsin

Incumbent Democrat William Proxmire decided to retire, instead of running for re-election to a sixth full term. Democratic businessman Herb Kohl won the open seat, beating Republican State Senator Susan Engeleiter.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl	1,128,625	52.1%
	Republican	Susan Engeleiter	1,030,440	47.6%
	Independent	George W. Zaehringer	3,965	0.2%
	Socialist Workers	Patricia Grogan	3,029	0.1%
	Independent	Arlyn F. Wollenburg	1,198	0.1%

Wyoming

Wyoming election

Nominee Malcolm Wallop John P. Vinich Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 91,143 89,821 Percentage 50.37% 49.64%

U.S. senator before election Malcolm Wallop Republican Elected U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop Republican

Main article: United States Senate election in Wyoming, 1988

See also: List of United States Senators from Wyoming

Incumbent Republican Malcolm Wallop ran for re-election to a fourth term, and was narrowly re-elected, defeating the Democratic State Senator John Vinich by a margin of a little over 1,300 votes.

Despite being a reliably Republican state, Vinich, a Democrat, was able to impressively compete with Wallop. During the campaign, Wallop attacked Vinich as being a tax-and-spend liberal who was beholden to labor and anti-business. Vinich, in turn, cited his "A" score he got from the National Rifle Association due to his votes in the Wyoming Legislature to counter Wallop's attacks, and possibly attract conservative voters.

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Malcolm Wallop (Incumbent)	91,143	50.37%
	Democratic	John P. Vinich	89,821	49.64%

See also

• United States elections, 1988
  • United States gubernatorial elections, 1988
  • United States presidential election, 1988
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1988
• 100th United States Congress
• 101st United States Congress

External links

• Complete election results at: Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1989). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved July 2, 2014.