1968 United States Senate elections

Alaska election
← 1962 1974 →
U.S. senator before election; Ernest Gruening; Democratic	Elected U.S. Senator ; Mike Gravel; Democratic

1968 United States Senate elections
34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate; 51 seats needed for a majority
	Results of the elections:; Democratic gain Democratic hold; Republican gain Republican hold; No election
Majority Leader before election; Mike Mansfield; Democratic	Elected Majority Leader ; Mike Mansfield; Democratic

The 1968 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate which coincided with the presidential election. Although Richard Nixon won the presidential election narrowly, the Republicans picked up five net seats in the Senate. Republicans would gain another seat after the election when Alaska Republican Ted Stevens was appointed to replace Democrat Bob Bartlett.

Results summary

↓
style="background:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/color; width:58%" \| 58	style="background:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/color; width:42%" \| 42
Democratic	Republican

Parties		Democratic	Republican	Conservative	Other	Total
Parties		style="background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/color" \|	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/color" \|	style="background-color:Template:Conservative Party (New York)/meta/color" \|	style="background-color:Template:Other Party (US)/meta/color" \|	Total
Last election (1966)		64	36	0	0	100
Before these elections		63	37	0	0	100
Not up		40	26	0	0	66

Up Class 3 (1962→1968)		23	11	0	0	34

Incumbent retired		3	3	—	—	6
	Held by same party	1	2	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat 2 Democrats replaced by 2 Republicans		—	—	3
	Result	2	4	0	0	6
Incumbent ran		20	8	—	—	28
	Won re-election	13	7	—	—	20
	Lost re-election	4 Democrats replaced by 4 Republicans		—	—	4
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	2	0	—	—	2
	Lost renomination, and party lost	1 Republican replaced by 1 Democrat 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	2
	Result	16	12	0	0	28

Total elected		18	16	0	0	34
Net gain/loss		5	5			5
Nationwide vote		24,976,660	23,588,832^[b]	1,139,402	989,058	50,693,952
	Share	49.27%	46.53%	2.25%	1.95%	100%
Result		58^[a]	42	0	0	100

Source: Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives^[1]

Incumbents who retired

Republican gains

Arizona: Carl Hayden (D) was replaced by Barry Goldwater (R), who gave up Arizona's other Senate seat in 1964 to run for president.
Florida: George Smathers (D) was replaced by Edward Gurney (R), the first Republican to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.

Incumbents who lost their seats

Democratic holds

Alaska: Ernest Gruening (D) lost renomination to Mike Gravel (D), who later won the general election.
Missouri: Edward V. Long (D) lost renomination to Thomas Eagleton (D), who later won the general election.

Democratic gain

California: Thomas Kuchel (R) lost renomination to Max Rafferty (R), who later lost the general election to Alan Cranston (D).

Republican gains

Maryland: Daniel Brewster (D) lost re-election to Charles Mathias (R)
Ohio: Frank Lausche (D) lost renomination to John J. Gilligan (D), who later lost the general election to William B. Saxbe (R).
Oklahoma: Mike Monroney (D), lost re-election to Henry Bellmon (R).
Oregon: Wayne Morse (D), lost re-election to Bob Packwood (R).
Pennsylvania: Joseph S. Clark Jr. (D), lost re-election to Richard Schweiker (R).

Later change

Republican gain

Alaska: Bob Bartlett (D) died December 11, 1968, and Ted Stevens (R) was appointed December 24, 1968.

Change in 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	D₃₉	D₃₈	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁ Ala. Retired	D₄₂ Alaska Ran	D₄₃ Ariz. Retired	D₄₄ Ark. Ran	D₄₅ Conn. Ran	D₄₆ Fla. Retired	D₄₇ Ga. Ran	D₄₈ Hawaii Ran	D₄₉ Idaho Ran	D₅₀ Ind. Ran
Majority →									D₅₁ La. Ran
D₆₀ S.C. Ran	D₅₉ Pa. Ran	D₅₈ Ore. Ran	D₅₇ Okla. Ran	D₅₆ Ohio Ran	D₅₅ N.C. Ran	D₅₄ Nev. Ran	D₅₃ Mo. Ran	D₅₂ Md. Ran	D₅₁ La. Ran
D₆₁ S.D. Ran	D₆₂ Wash. Ran	D₆₃ Wisc. Ran	R₃₇ Vt. Ran	R₃₆ Utah Ran	R₃₅ N.D. Ran	R₃₄ N.Y. Ran	R₃₃ N.H. Ran	R₃₂ Ky. Ran	R₃₁ Kan. Retired
R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅	R₂₆	R₂₇ Calif. Ran	R₂₈ Colo. Ran	R₂₉ Ill. Ran	R₃₀ Iowa Retired
R₂₀	R₁₉	R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁
R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈	R₉	R₁₀

After the general 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	D₃₉	D₃₈	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁ Ala. Hold	D₄₂ Alaska Hold	D₄₃ Ark. Re-elected	D₄₄ Conn. Re-elected	D₄₅ Ga. Re-elected	D₄₆ Hawaii Re-elected	D₄₇ Idaho Re-elected	D₄₈ Ind. Re-elected	D₄₉ La. Re-elected	D₅₀ Mo. Hold
Majority →									D₅₁ Nev. Re-elected
R₄₁ Ore. Gain	R₄₂ Pa. Gain	D₅₈ Iowa Gain	D₅₇ Calif. Gain	D₅₆ Wisc. Re-elected	D₅₅ Wash. Re-elected	D₅₄ S.D. Re-elected	D₅₃ S.C. Re-elected	D₅₂ N.C. Re-elected	D₅₁ Nev. Re-elected
R₄₀ Okla. Gain	R₃₉ Ohio Gain	R₃₈ Md. Gain	R₃₇ Fla. Gain	R₃₆ Ariz. Gain	R₃₅ Vt. Re-elected	R₃₄ Utah Re-elected	R₃₃ N.D. Re-elected	R₃₂ N.Y. Re-elected	R₃₁ N.H. Re-elected
R₂₁	R₂₂	R₂₃	R₂₄	R₂₅	R₂₆	R₂₇ Colo. Re-elected	R₂₈ Ill. Re-elected	R₂₉ Kan. Hold	R₃₀ Ky. Hold
R₂₀	R₁₉	R₁₈	R₁₇	R₁₆	R₁₅	R₁₄	R₁₃	R₁₂	R₁₁
R₁	R₂	R₃	R₄	R₅	R₆	R₇	R₈	R₉	R₁₀

Beginning of the next Congress

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	D₃₉	D₃₈	D₃₇	D₃₆	D₃₅	D₃₄	D₃₃	D₃₂	D₃₁
D₄₁	D₄₂	D₄₃	D₄₄	D₄₅	D₄₆	D₄₇	D₄₈	D₄₉	D₅₀
Majority →									D₅₁
R₄₁	R₄₂	R₄₃ Alaska (Class 2) Gain	D₅₇	D₅₆	D₅₅	D₅₄	D₅₃	D₅₂	D₅₁
R₄₀	R₃₉	R₃₈	R₃₇	R₃₆	R₃₅	R₃₄	R₃₃	R₃₂	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

Elections leading to the next Congress

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1969; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State (linked to summaries below)	Incumbent			Results	Candidates
State (linked to summaries below)	Senator	Party	Electoral history	Results	Candidates
Alabama	J. Lister Hill	Democratic	1938 (Appointed) 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y James Allen (Democratic) 70.0% Perry O. Hooper Sr. (Republican) 22.1% Robert Schwenn (Independent) 8.0%
Alaska	Ernest Gruening	Democratic	1958 1962	Incumbent lost renomination. Incumbent lost re-election as a Democratic write-in. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Mike Gravel (Democratic) 45.1% Elmer E. Rasmuson (Republican) 37.4% Ernest Gruening (Democratic Write-In) 17.4%
Arizona	Carl Hayden	Democratic	1926 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Barry Goldwater (Republican) 57.2% Roy Elson (Democratic) 42.8%
Arkansas	J. William Fulbright	Democratic	1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y J. William Fulbright (Democratic) 59.2% Charles T. Bernard (Republican) 40.9%
California	Thomas Kuchel	Republican	1953 (Appointed) 1954 (Special) 1956 1962	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Alan Cranston (Democratic) 51.8% Max Rafferty (Republican) 46.9% Paul Jacobs (Peace & Freedom) 1.3%
Colorado	Peter H. Dominick	Republican	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Peter H. Dominick (Republican) 58.6% Stephen McNichols (Democratic) 41.5%
Connecticut	Abraham Ribicoff	Democratic	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Abraham Ribicoff (Democratic) 54.3% Edwin H. May Jr. (Republican) 45.7%
Florida	George Smathers	Democratic	1950 1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Edward Gurney (Republican) 55.9% LeRoy Collins (Democratic) 44.1%
Georgia	Herman Talmadge	Democratic	1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Herman Talmadge (Democratic) 77.5% E. Earl Patton (Republican) 22.5%
Hawaii	Daniel Inouye	Democratic	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Daniel Inouye (Democratic) 83.4% Wayne C. Thiessen (Republican) 15.0%
Idaho	Frank Church	Democratic	1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Frank Church (Democratic) 60.3% George V. Hansen (Republican) 39.7%
Illinois	Everett Dirksen	Republican	1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Everett Dirksen (Republican) 53.0% William G. Clark (Democratic) 46.6%
Indiana	Birch Bayh	Democratic	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Birch Bayh (Democratic) 51.7% William Ruckelshaus (Republican) 48.2%
Iowa	Bourke B. Hickenlooper	Republican	1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Democratic gain.	Y Harold Hughes (Democratic) 50.3% David M. Stanley (Republican) 49.7%
Kansas	Frank Carlson	Republican	1950 (Special) 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Bob Dole (Republican) 60.1% William I. Robinson (Democratic) 38.7%
Kentucky	Thruston Ballard Morton	Republican	1956 1962	Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold.	Y Marlow Cook (Republican) 51.4% Katherine Peden (Democratic) 47.6%
Louisiana	Russell B. Long	Democratic	1948 (Special) 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Russell B. Long (Democratic) Unopposed
Maryland	Daniel Brewster	Democratic	1962	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Charles Mathias (Republican) 47.8% Daniel Brewster (Democratic) 39.1% George P. Mahoney (American Independent) 13.1%
Missouri	Edward V. Long	Democratic	1960 (Appointed) 1960 (Special) 1962	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Democratic hold.	Y Thomas Eagleton (Democratic) 51.1% Thomas B. Curtis (Republican) 48.9%
Nevada	Alan Bible	Democratic	1954 (Special) 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Alan Bible (Democratic) 54.8% Edward Fike (Republican) 45.2%
New Hampshire	Norris Cotton	Republican	1954 (Special) 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Norris Cotton (Republican) 59.3% John W. King (Democratic) 40.7%
New York	Jacob Javits	Republican	1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Jacob Javits (Republican) 49.7% Paul O'Dwyer (Democratic) 32.7% James L. Buckley (Conservative) 17.3%
North Carolina	Sam Ervin	Democratic	1954 (Special) 1954 (Appointed) 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Sam Ervin (Democratic) 60.6% Robert V. Somers (Republican) 39.4%
North Dakota	Milton Young	Republican	1945 (Appointed) 1946 (Special) 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Milton Young (Republican) 64.6% Herschel Lashkowitz (Democratic) 33.7%
Ohio	Frank J. Lausche	Democratic	1956 1962	Incumbent lost renomination. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y William B. Saxbe (Republican) 51.5% John J. Gilligan (Democratic) 48.5%
Oklahoma	Mike Monroney	Democratic	1950 1956 1962	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Henry Bellmon (Republican) 51.7% Mike Monroney (Democratic) 46.2%
Oregon	Wayne Morse	Democratic	1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Bob Packwood (Republican) 50.2% Wayne Morse (Democratic) 49.8%
Pennsylvania	Joseph S. Clark Jr.	Democratic	1956 1962	Incumbent lost re-election. New senator elected. Republican gain.	Y Richard Schweiker (Republican) 51.9% Joseph S. Clark Jr. (Democratic) 45.8%
South Carolina	Fritz Hollings	Democratic	1966 (Special)	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Fritz Hollings (Democratic) 61.9% Marshall Parker (Republican) 38.1%
South Dakota	George McGovern	Democratic	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George McGovern (Democratic) 56.8% Archie M. Gubbrud (Republican) 43.2%
Utah	Wallace F. Bennett	Republican	1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Wallace F. Bennett (Republican) 53.7% Milton N. Weilenmann^[2] (Democratic) 45.8%
Vermont	George Aiken	Republican	1940 (Special) 1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y George Aiken (Republican) Unopposed
Washington	Warren Magnuson	Democratic	1944 (Appointed) 1944 1950 1956 1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Warren Magnuson (Democratic) 64.4% Jack Metcalf (Republican) 35.3%
Wisconsin	Gaylord Nelson	Democratic	1962	Incumbent re-elected.	Y Gaylord Nelson (Democratic) 61.7% Jerris Leonard (Republican) 38.3%

Alabama

1968 U.S. Senate election in Alabama^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Allen	638,774	69.71
	Republican	Perry O. Hooper Sr.	201,227	21.96
	National Democratic (Ala.)	Robert Schwenn	76,299	8.33
Majority			437,547	47.75
Turnout			916,300
	Democratic hold

Alaska

Democrat Ernest Gruening lost renomination to fellow Democrat Mike Gravel. Gruening then ran as an Independent, but lost again to Gravel in the general election, thereby keeping the seat in Democratic hands.

1968 U.S. Senate election in Alaska^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Gravel	36,527	45.13
	Republican	Elmer E. Rasmuson	30,286	37.42
	Independent	Ernest Gruening (Incumbent)	14,118	17.44
Majority			6,241	7.71
Turnout			80,931
	Democratic hold

Two months after the election, on December 11, 1968, the other Alaskan senator, Democrat Bob Bartlett, died. Republican Ted Stevens was then appointed to that other seat.

Arizona

Arizona election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Barry Goldwater	Roy Elson
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	274,607	205,338
Percentage	57.22%	42.78%

U.S. Senate election results map.
Red denotes counties won by Goldwater.
Blue denotes those won by Elson.

U.S. senator before election

Carl Hayden
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Barry Goldwater
Republican

Incumbent Democrat Carl Hayden did not run for re-election to an eighth term, with his longtime staff member Roy Elson running as the Democratic Party nominee to replace him. Elson beat State Treasurer of Arizona Bob Kennedy in the Primary.

Democratic primary, September 10, 1968^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roy Elson	95,231	62.78
	Democratic	Bob Kennedy	41,397	27.29
	Democratic	Dick Herbert	15,061	9.93
Turnout			151,689	43.18

Elson was defeated by a wide margin, however, by former U.S. senator and Republican Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater. Prior to Goldwater's election, the seat had been held for decades by the Democratic Party under Carl Hayden, and has thus far remained in Republican Party control since. Elson had previously challenged U.S. senator Paul Fannin in 1964, when Goldwater vacated his seat to run for President against Lyndon B. Johnson.

Arizona general election^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Barry Goldwater	274,607	57.22
	Democratic	Roy Elson	205,338	42.78
Majority			69,269	14.44
Turnout			479,945	78.08
	Republican gain from Democratic

Arkansas

Arkansas election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	J. William Fulbright	Charles T. Bernard
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	349,965	241,731
Percentage	59.15%	40.85%

County Results

Fulbright: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Bernard: 50–60% 60-70%

U.S. senator before election

J. William Fulbright
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

J. William Fulbright
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Arkansas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. William Fulbright (Incumbent)	349,965	59.15
	Republican	Charles T. Bernard	241,731	40.85
Majority			108,234	18.30
Turnout			591,696
	Democratic hold

California

California election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Alan Cranston	Max Rafferty
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	3,680,352	3,329,148
Percentage	51.82%	46.87%

County Results
Cranston: 40-50% 50–60% 60–70%
Rafferty: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Thomas Kuchel
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Alan Cranston
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in California^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Cranston	3,615,261	51.78
	Republican	Max Rafferty	3,275,679	46.91
	Peace and Freedom	Paul Jacobs	91,254	1.31
Majority			339,582	4.87
Turnout			6,982,194
	Democratic gain from Republican

Colorado

Colorado election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Peter Dominick	Stephen McNichols
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	459,952	325,584
Percentage	58.55%	41.45%

County results
Dominick:
50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
McNichols: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

Peter Dominick
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Peter Dominick
Republican

1968 U.S. Senate election in Colorado^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Peter H. Dominick (Incumbent)	459,952	58.55
	Democratic	Stephen L. R. McNichols	325,584	41.45
Majority			134,368	17.10
Turnout			785,536
	Republican hold

Connecticut

Connecticut election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Abraham Ribicoff	Edwin H. May Jr.
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	655,043	551,455
Percentage	54.29%	45.71%

County results
Ribicoff: 50–60%
May: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

Abraham Ribicoff
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Abraham Ribicoff
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Connecticut^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Abraham Ribicoff (Incumbent)	655,043	54.29
	Republican	Edwin H. May Jr.	551,455	45.71
	None	Scattering	39	0.00
Majority			103,588	8.58
Turnout			1,206,537
	Democratic hold

Florida

Florida election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Edward Gurney	LeRoy Collins
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	1,131,499	892,637
Percentage	55.9%	44.1%

County Results

Gurney: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

Collins: 50–60% 60–70%

U.S. senator before election

George Smathers
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Edward Gurney
Republican

1968 U.S. Senate election in Florida^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Edward J. Gurney	1,131,499	55.90
	Democratic	LeRoy Collins	892,637	44.10
Majority			238,862	11.80
Turnout			2,024,136
	Republican gain from Democratic

Georgia

Georgia election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Herman Talmadge	E. Earl Patton
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	885,093	246,865
Percentage	77.51%	22.49%

U.S. senator before election

Herman Talmadge
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Herman Talmadge
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Georgia^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Herman Talmadge (Incumbent)	885,093	77.50
	Republican	E. Earl Patton	256,796	22.49
	None	Write-Ins	95	0.01
Majority			628,297	55.01
Turnout			1,141,984
	Democratic hold

Hawaii

Hawaii election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Daniel Inouye	Wayne Thiessen
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	189,248	42,767
Percentage	83.40%	14.99%

County results
Inouye: 80–90%

U.S. senator before election

Daniel Inouye
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Daniel Inouye
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Hawaii^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Inouye (Incumbent)	189,248	83.40
	Republican	Wayne C. Thiessen	34,008	14.99
	Peace and Freedom	Oliver M. Lee	3,671	1.62
Majority			155,240	68.41
Turnout			226,927
	Democratic hold

Idaho

Idaho election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Frank Church	George V. Hansen
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	173,482	114,394
Percentage	60.26%	39.74%

U.S. senator before election

Frank Church
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Frank Church
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Idaho^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Frank Church (Incumbent)	173,482	60.26
	Republican	George V. Hansen	114,394	39.74
Majority			59,088	20.52
Turnout			287,876
	Democratic hold

Illinois

Illinois election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Everett Dirksen	William G. Clark
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	2,358,947	2,073,242
Percentage	53.01%	46.59%

U.S. senator before election

Everett Dirksen
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Everett Dirksen
Republican

Incumbent Republican and Minority Leader Everett Dirksen won re-election to his fourth term over William G. Clark (D), the Illinois Attorney General.

1968 U.S. Senate election in Illinois^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Everett Dirksen (Incumbent)	2,358,947	53.01
	Democratic	William G. Clark	2,073,242	46.59
	Socialist Labor	Louis Fisher	17,542	0.39
	Independent	Write-in candidates	26	0.00
Invalid or blank votes
Total votes			4,449,757	100.00
Turnout
	Republican hold

Indiana

Indiana election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Birch Bayh	William Ruckelshaus
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,060,456	988,571
Percentage	51.65%	48.15%

U.S. senator before election

Birch Bayh
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Birch Bayh
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Indiana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Birch Bayh (Incumbent)	1,060,456	51.65
	Republican	William Ruckelshaus	988,571	48.15
	Prohibition	L. Earl Malcolm	2,844	0.14
	Socialist Workers	Ralph Levitt	1,247	0.06
Majority			71,885	3.50
Turnout			2,053,118
	Democratic hold

Iowa

Four-term Republican Bourke B. Hickenlooper retired. Two-term Democratic Governor of Iowa Harold Hughes was elected senator in a close race against Republican state senator David M. Stanley.

1968 U.S. Senate election in Iowa^[1]^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harold Hughes	574,884	50.25
	Republican	David M. Stanley	568,469	49.69
	Prohibition	Uerne M. Higens	727	0.06
	None	Scattering	6	0.00
Majority			6,415	0.56
Turnout			1,144,086	41.52
	Democratic gain from Republican

Kansas

Kansas election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Bob Dole	William I. Robinson
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	490,911	315,911
Percentage	60.08%	38.66%

County Results

U.S. senator before election

Frank Carlson
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Bob Dole
Republican

1968 U.S. Senate election in Kansas^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Dole	490,911	60.08
	Democratic	William I. Robinson	315,911	38.66
	Prohibition	Joseph Fred Hyskell	10,262	1.26
	None	Scattering	12	0.00
Majority			175,000	21.42
Turnout			817,096
	Republican hold

Kentucky

Kentucky election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Marlow Cook	Katherine Peden
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	484,260	448,960
Percentage	51.36%	47.62%

U.S. senator before election

Thruston Morton
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Marlow Cook
Republican

1968 U.S. Senate election in Kentucky^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Marlow Cook	484,260	51.36
	Democratic	Katherine Peden	448,960	47.62
	American Independent	Duane F. Olsen	9,645	1.02
Majority			35,300	3.74
Turnout			942,865
	Republican hold

Louisiana

1968 U.S. Senate election in Louisiana^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Russell B. Long (Incumbent)	518,586	100.00
	Democratic hold

Maryland

Maryland election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Charles Mathias	Daniel Brewster	George P. Mahoney
Party	Republican	Democratic	American Independent
Popular vote	541,893	443,667	148,467
Percentage	47.79%	39.12%	13.09%

County results
Mathias: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Brewster: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Daniel Brewster
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Charles Mathias Jr.
Republican

1968 U.S. Senate election in Maryland^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Charles Mathias	541,893	47.78
	Democratic	Daniel B. Brewster (Incumbent)	443,667	39.12
	American Independent	George P. Mahoney	148,467	13.09
Majority			8,226	8.66
Turnout			1,134,027
	Republican gain from Democratic

Missouri

1968 U.S. Senate election in Missouri^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas Eagleton	880,113	51.01
	Republican	Thomas B. Curtis	845,144	48.99
Majority			34,969	2.02
Turnout			1,725,257
	Democratic hold

Nevada

1968 U.S. Senate election in Nevada^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Bible (Incumbent)	83,622	54.76
	Republican	Edward Fike	69,083	45.24
Majority			14,539	9.52
Turnout			152,705
	Democratic hold

New Hampshire

1968 U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Norris Cotton (Incumbent)	170,163	59.29
	Democratic	John W. King	116,816	40.71
Majority			53,347	18.48
Turnout			286,979
	Republican hold

New York

New York election

← 1962

November 5, 1968

1974 →


Nominee	Jacob K. Javits	Paul O'Dwyer	James L. Buckley
Party	Republican	Democratic	Conservative
Popular vote	3,269,772	2,150,695	1,139,402
Percentage	49.68%	32.68%	17.31%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Jacob K. Javits
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Jacob K. Javits
Republican

Incumbent Republican Jacob K. Javits won against Democratic challenger Paul O'Dwyer and Conservative Party challenger James L. Buckley in a three-way election.

While Javits did not face any challengers for the Republican nomination, he did face a minor one when seeking the Liberal Party of New York's nomination.

Democratic Party Primary results^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul O'Dwyer, former New York City Councilman	275,877	36.14
	Democratic	Eugene Nickerson, Nassau County Executive	257,639	33.75
	Democratic	Joseph Y. Resnick, U.S. Representative	229,893	30.11
Total votes			763,409	100.00

Liberal Party Primary results^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Jacob K. Javits	10,277	72.14
	Liberal	Murray Baron	3,969	27.86
Total votes			14,246	100.00

General election results^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jacob K. Javits (Incumbent)	2,810,836
	Liberal	Jacob K. Javits	458,936
	Total	Jacob K. Javits	3,269,772	49.68
	Democratic	Paul O'Dwyer	2,150,695	32.68
	Conservative	James L. Buckley, Attorney	1,139,402	17.31
	Peace and Freedom	Herman Ferguson	8,775	0.13
	Socialist Labor	John Emanuel	7,964	0.12
	Socialist Workers	Hedda Garza	4,979	0.08
Majority			1,119,113	17.00
Turnout			6,581,551	39.22
	Republican hold

North Carolina

North Carolina election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Sam Ervin	Robert Somers
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	870,406	566,834
Percentage	60.6%	39.4%

U.S. senator before election

Sam Ervin
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Sam Ervin
Democratic

The general election was fought between the Democratic incumbent Sam Ervin and the Republican nominee Robert Somers. Ervin won re-election to a third full term, with over 60% of the vote.

The first round of the Primary Election was held on May 4, 1968.^[11] The runoff for the Republican Party candidates took place on June 1.^[12]

1968 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Ervin	499,392	82.12
	Democratic	Charles Pratt	60,362	9.90
	Democratic	John Gathings	48,357	7.95
Turnout			608,111

Republican primary – First round
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Somers	48,351	36.63
	Republican	J. L. Zimmerman	43,644	33.06
	Republican	B. E. Sweatt	40,023	30.32
Turnout			132,018

1968 North Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary election – Second round
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Somers	8,816	60.59
	Republican	J. L. Zimmerman	5,734	39.41
Turnout			14,550

1968 North Carolina U.S. Senate election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sam Ervin (Incumbent)	870,406	60.56
	Republican	Robert Somers	566,834	39.44
Majority			303,572	21.12
Turnout			901,978
	Democratic hold

North Dakota

North Dakota election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Milton R. Young	Herschel Lashkowitz
Party	Republican	Democratic–NPL
Popular vote	154,968	80,815
Percentage	64.79%	33.79%

U.S. senator before election

Milton R. Young
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

Milton R. Young
Republican

North Dakota Republican Milton Young, sought and received re-election to his fifth term, defeating North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party candidate Herschel Lashkowitz, the mayor of Fargo, North Dakota since 1954.^[1]^[13]

Only Young filed as a Republican, and the endorsed Democratic candidate was Herschel Lashkowitz of Fargo, North Dakota, who was serving as the mayor of the city since 1954. Young and Lashkowitz won the primary elections for their respective parties.

One independent candidate, Duane Mutch of Larimore, North Dakota, also filed before the deadline. Mutch was later a state senator for the North Dakota Republican Party in the North Dakota Senate from 1959 to 2006 for District 19. He ran as an independent when he did not receive his party's nomination.

1968 U.S. Senate election in North Dakota
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Milton R. Young	154,968	64.79
	Democratic–NPL	Herschel Lashkowitz	80,815	33.79
	Independent	Duane Mutch	3,393	1.42
Turnout			239,176
	Republican hold

Ohio

1968 U.S. Senate election in Ohio^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William B. Saxbe	1,928,964	51.53
	Democratic	John J. Gilligan	1,814,152	48.47
	None	Write-Ins	4	0.00
Majority			114,812	3.06
Turnout			3,743,120
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oklahoma

Oklahoma election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Henry Bellmon	Mike Monroney
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	470,120	419,658
Percentage	51.7%	46.2%

U.S. senator before election

Mike Monroney
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Henry Bellmon
Republican

Incumbent Democratic U.S. senator Mike Monroney was running for re-election to a fourth term, but was defeated by Republican former Governor Henry Bellmon.

1968 Oklahoma U.S. Senate Election^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Henry Bellmon	470,120	51.7
	Democratic	Mike Monroney (Incumbent)	419,658	46.2
	Independent	George Washington	19,341	2.1
Majority			50,462	5.55
Turnout			909,119
	Republican gain from Democratic

Oregon

Oregon election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Bob Packwood	Wayne Morse
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	408,646	405,353
Percentage	50.2%	49.8%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Wayne Morse
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Bob Packwood
Republican

Incumbent Democrat Wayne Morse was seeking a fifth term, but narrowly lost re-election to 36 year-old Republican State Representative Bob Packwood race.^[15]

The Democratic primary was held May 28, 1968.^[16] Morse defeated former Representative Robert B. Duncan, former U.S. Congressman from Oregon's 4th congressional district (1963–1967), and Phil McAlmond, millionaire and former aide to opponent Robert B. Duncan.

1968 Democratic Senate primary in Oregon^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wayne Morse (Incumbent)	185,091	49.03
	Democratic	Robert B. Duncan	174,795	46.30
	Democratic	Phil McAlmond	17,658	4.68
Total votes			377,544	100.00

General election results^[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Packwood	408,646	50.20
	Democratic	Wayne Morse (Incumbent)	405,353	49.80
Total votes			813,999	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania election

← 1962

November 5, 1968

1974 →


Nominee	Richard Schweiker	Joseph Clark
Party	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	2,399,762	2,117,662
Percentage	51.9%	45.8%

County results

U.S. senator before election

Joseph Clark
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Richard Schweiker
Republican

Incumbent Democrat Joseph Clark sought re-election to another term, but was defeated by Republican nominee Richard Schweiker, member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Pennsylvania results^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Schweiker	2,399,762	51.90
	Democratic	Joseph Clark (Incumbent)	2,117,662	45.80
	Constitution	Frank W. Gaydosh	96,742	2.09
	Socialist Labor	Benson Perry	7,198	0.16
	Socialist Workers	Pearl Chertov	2,743	0.06
	Other	Other	111	0.00
Majority			282,100	6.10
Turnout			4,624,218
	Republican gain from Democratic

South Carolina

South Carolina election

← 1966

1974 →


Nominee	Ernest Hollings	Marshall Parker
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	404,060	248,780
Percentage	61.9%	38.1%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Ernest Hollings
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican state senator Marshall Parker in a rematch of the election two years earlier to win his first full term.

Hollings faced no opposition from South Carolina Democrats and avoided a primary election. Marshall Parker, the state senator from Oconee County in the Upstate, was persuaded by South Carolina Republicans to enter the race and he did not face a primary challenge.

After a close election loss to Fritz Hollings in 1966, the Republicans felt that Parker might have a chance at defeating Hollings by riding Nixon's coattails in the general election. However, the Republicans did not provide Parker with the financial resources to compete and he subsequently lost by a bigger margin to Hollings than two years prior.

1968 South Carolina U.S. Senate Election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fritz Hollings	404,060	61.9
	Republican	Marshall Parker	248,780	38.1
	No party	Write-Ins	15	0.0
Majority			155,280	23.8
Turnout			652,855	76.5
	Democratic hold

South Dakota

1968 U.S. Senate election in South Dakota^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George McGovern (Incumbent)	158,961	56.79
	Republican	Archie M. Gubbrud	120,951	43.21
Majority			38,010	13.58
Turnout			279,912
	Democratic hold

Utah

1968 U.S. Senate election in Utah^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Wallace F. Bennett (Incumbent)	225,075	53.68
	Democratic	Milton N. Weilenmann	192,168	45.83
	Peace and Freedom	Utah Phillips	2,019	0.48
Majority			32,907	7.85
Turnout			419,262
	Republican hold

Vermont

Vermont election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	George Aiken
Party	Republican
Popular vote	157,197
Percentage	99.9%

U.S. senator before election

George Aiken
Republican

Elected U.S. senator

George Aiken
Republican

Incumbent Republican George Aiken ran successfully for re-election to another term in the United States Senate; he was unopposed.

Republican primary results^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	42,248	72.8
	Republican	William K. Tufts	15,786	27.2
	Republican	Other	28	0.0
Total votes			58,062	100.0

Democratic primary results^[17]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Write-In	George Aiken (Incumbent)	1,534	61.8
	Write-In	Philip H. Hoff	400	18.2
	Democratic	Other	438	20.0
Total votes			2,192	100.0

1968 U.S. Senate election in Vermont^[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Aiken (Incumbent)	94,738	60.2
	Democratic	George Aiken (Incumbent)	62,416	39.7
	No party	George Aiken (Incumbent)	43	0.0
	Total	George Aiken (Incumbent)	157,197	99.9
	N/A	Other	178	0.1
Total votes			157,375	100.0
	Republican hold

Washington

Washington election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Warren Magnuson	Jack Metcalf
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	796,183	435,894
Percentage	64.41%	35.26%

U.S. senator before election

Warren G. Magnuson
Democratic

Elected U.S. senator

Warren G. Magnuson
Democratic

1968 U.S. Senate election in Washington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Warren G. Magnuson (Incumbent)	796,183	64.41
	Republican	Jack Metcalf	435,894	35.26
	New Party	Irwin R. Hogenauer	2,762	0.22
	Socialist Workers	Debbie Leonard	1,224	0.10
Majority			360,289	29.15
Turnout			1,236,063
	Democratic hold

Wisconsin

Wisconsin election

← 1962

1974 →


Nominee	Gaylord Nelson	Jerris Leonard
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	1,020,931	633,910
Percentage	61.69%	38.31%

County results
Nelson: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
Leonard: 50-60%

U.S. senator before election

Gaylord Nelson
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Gaylord Nelson
Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Gaylord A. Nelson (U.S. senator since 1963) defeated Republican State Senator Jerris Leonard.

General election results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gaylord Nelson (Incumbent)	1,020,931	61.69
	Republican	Jerris Leonard	633,910	38.31
	None	Write-ins	20	0.00
Majority			387,021	23.38
Turnout			1,654,861
	Democratic hold

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Reflecting the result of the November 1968 elections, only. Following those elections, upon the death of Alaska Democratic Senator Bob Bartlett and subsequent appointment of Republican Ted Stevens, the partisan balance at the beginning of the 91st United States Congress stood at 57–43 in favor of the Democrats.
^ ^a ^b The Liberal Party in New York nominated Jacob Javits, a Republican, but the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives did not tabulate their votes, totaling 458,936, into the national Republican total.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (July 1, 1969). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 1968" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 54.
^ "Milton Weilenmann - Obituary". www.legacy.com. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
^ "Our Campaigns - AK US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1968". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
^ "AZ US Senate - D Primary Race - Sep 10, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "AZ US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "1968 Senatorial General Election Results - Illinois".
^ https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7035
^ "NY US Senate - D Primary Race - Jun 18, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NY US Senate - L Primary Race - Jun 18, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NY US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NC US Senate - D Primary Race - May 04, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ "NC US Senate - R Runoff Race - Jun 01, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ Lashkowitz's storied tenure
^ "OK US Senate Race - Nov 05, 1968". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "OR US Senate" – via OurCampaigns.com.
^ ^a ^b "OR US Senate - D Primary" – via OurCampaigns.com.
^ ^a ^b "Primary Election Results" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
^ "General Election Results - U.S. senator - 1914-2014" (PDF). Office of the Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved June 17, 2015.

References

"Supplemental Report of the Secretary of State to the General Assembly of South Carolina." Reports and Resolutions of South Carolina to the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina. Volume II. Columbia, SC: 1969, p. 19.
Kalk, Bruce H. (2001). The Origins of the Southern Strategy: Two-Party Competition in South. Lexington Books. p. 86.

v t e (1966 ←) 1968 United States elections (→ 1970)
President	1968 United States presidential election Democratic primaries Republican primaries Democratic convention Republican convention
U.S. Senate	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Utah Vermont Washington Wisconsin
U.S. House	Alabama Alaska Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
State governors	Arizona Arkansas Delaware Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Missouri Lt. Gov Montana New Hampshire New Mexico North Carolina Lt. Gov North Dakota Rhode Island South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont Washington West Virginia Wisconsin
State legislatures	Arizona Arizona House Arizona Senate Iowa Senate

Results summary

Incumbents who retired

Democratic hold

Democratic gain

Republican holds

Republican gains

Incumbents who lost their seats

Democratic holds

Democratic gain

Republican gains

Later change

Republican gain

Change in composition

Before the elections

After the general elections

Beginning of the next Congress

Race summary

Elections leading to the next Congress

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Missouri

Nevada

New Hampshire

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

Utah

Vermont

Washington

Wisconsin

Notes

References

See also