1988 United States Senate elections

1988 United States Senate elections

← 1986 November 8, 1988 1990 →
33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Robert Byrd Bob Dole Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3, 1977 January 3, 1985 Leader's seat West Virginia 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% Seats up 18 15 Races won 19 14
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election Robert Byrd Democratic Elected Majority Leader George Mitchell Democratic

The 1988 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 8, 1988, the 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. In spite of the Republican victory by George H. W. Bush in the presidential election, the Democrats gained a net of 1 seat in the Senate. 7 seats changed parties, with 4 incumbents being defeated. The Democratic majority in the Senate increased by one to 55–45.

This is the last Senate election cycle in which California voted for a Republican, and the last in which Texas and Maine voted for the Democrat^[a], and the last time Arizona voted Democratic until 2018. This would also be the last Senate election cycle until 1998 to not have at least one special election during that cycle.

This is also the last Senate election cycle in which no woman was elected to the Senate from either party as all of the winners were men.

Summary of the 1988 United States Senate election results

↓

55	45
Democratic	Republican

Parties							Total
		Democratic	Republican	Libertarian	Conservative	Other
Last elections (1986)		55	45	0	0	0	100
Before these elections		54	46	0	0	0	100
Not up		36	31	—	—	—	67
Up Class 1 (1982→1988)		18	15	—	—	—	33
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	—	—	—	6
Incumbent ran		15	12[b]	—	—	—	27
	Won re-election	14	9	—	—	—	23
	Lost re-election	3 Republicans replaced by 3 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	4
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	0	0	—	—	—	0
	Result	17	10	—	—	—	27
Total elected		19	14	—	—	—	33
Net gain/loss		1	1				1
Nationwide vote		35,137,786	31,151,251	268,053	189,226	677,928	67,424,244
	Share	52.11%	46.20%	0.40%	0.28%	1.01%	100%
Result		55	45	0	0	0	100

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.

Three Republicans and three Democrats retired instead of seeking re-election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Florida	Lawton Chiles	Connie Mack III
Mississippi	John C. Stennis	Trent Lott
Vermont	Robert Stafford	Jim Jeffords
Virginia	Paul Trible	Chuck Robb
Washington	Daniel J. Evans	Slade Gorton
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Herb Kohl

Three Republicans and one Democrat sought re-election but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Connecticut	Lowell Weicker	Joe Lieberman
Montana	John Melcher	Conrad Burns
Nebraska	David Karnes	Bob Kerrey
Nevada	Chic Hecht	Richard Bryan

One Republican resigned on January 3, 1989, while one Democrat died on May 16, 1990. Initially, they were replaced by appointees.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Hawaii (Class 1)	Spark Matsunaga	Daniel Akaka
Indiana (Class 3)	Dan Quayle	Dan Coats

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, a moderate Democrat.
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.
5. 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).
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.

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 Maine Ran	D39 Hawaii Ran	D38 Fla. Retired	D37 Ariz. Ran	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Md. Ran	D42 Mass. Ran	D43 Mich. Ran	D44 Miss. Retired	D45 Mont. Ran	D46 N.J. Ran	D47 N.M. Ran	D48 N.Y. Ran	D49 N.D. Ran	D50 Ohio Ran
Majority →									D51 Tenn. Ran
R41 R.I. Ran	R42 Utah Ran	R43 Vt. Retired	R44 Va. Retired	R45 Wash. Retired	R46 Wyo. Ran	D54 Wis. Retired	D53 W.Va. Ran	D52 Texas Ran
R40 Pa. Ran	R39 Nev. Ran	R38 Neb. Ran	R37 Mo. Ran	R36 Minn. Ran	R35 Ind. Ran	R34 Del. Ran	R33 Conn. Ran	R32 Calif. 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

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 Md. Re-elected	D39 Maine Re-elected	D38 Hawaii Re-elected	D37 Ariz. Re-elected	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Mass. Re-elected	D42 Mich. Re-elected	D43 N.J. Re-elected	D44 N.M. Re-elected	D45 N.Y. Re-elected	D46 N.D. Re-elected	D47 Ohio Re-elected	D48 Tenn. Re-elected	D49 Texas Re-elected	D50 W.Va. Re-elected
Majority →									D51 Wis. Hold
R41 Wash. Hold	R42 Wyo. Re-elected	R43 Fla. Gain	R44 Miss. Gain	R45 Mont. Gain	D55 Va. Gain	D54 Nev. Gain	D53 Neb. Gain[c]	D52 Conn. Gain
R40 Vt. Hold	R39 Utah Re-elected	R38 R.I. Re-elected	R37 Pa. Re-elected	R36 Mo. Re-elected	R35 Minn. Re-elected	R34 Ind. Re-elected	R33 Del. Re-elected	R32 Calif. 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

There were no special elections in 1988.

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	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Arizona	Dennis DeConcini	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Dennis DeConcini (Democratic) 56.7% ▌Keith DeGreen (Republican) 41.1% ▌Rich Tompkins (Libertarian) 1.8%
California	Pete Wilson	Republican	1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Pete Wilson (Republican) 52.7% ▌Leo T. McCarthy (Democratic) 44.0% Others ▌Maria E. Muñoz (Peace and Freedom) 1.7% ▌Jack Dean (Libertarian) 0.8% ▌Merton D. Short (American Independent) 0.7%
Connecticut	Lowell Weicker	Republican	1970 1976 1982	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Joe Lieberman (Democratic) 49.7% ▌Lowell Weicker (Republican) 49.0% Others ▌Howard Grayson (Libertarian) 0.9% ▌Melissa Fisher (New Alliance) 0.3%
Delaware	William Roth	Republican	1970 1971 (appointed) 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Roth (Republican) 62.1% ▌S. B. Woo (Democratic) 37.9%
Florida	Lawton Chiles	Democratic	1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. Republican gain.	▌Y Connie Mack III (Republican) 50.4% ▌Buddy MacKay (Democratic) 49.6%
Hawaii	Spark Matsunaga	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y 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.	▌Y Richard Lugar (Republican) 67.7% ▌Jack Wickes (Democratic) 32.3%
Maine	George J. Mitchell	Democratic	1980 (appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y George J. Mitchell (Democratic) 81.1% ▌Jasper S. Wyman (Republican) 18.9%
Maryland	Paul Sarbanes	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Paul Sarbanes (Democratic) 61.8% ▌Alan Keyes (Republican) 38.2%
Massachusetts	Ted Kennedy	Democratic	1962 (special) 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Kennedy (Democratic) 65.0% ▌Joe Malone (Republican) 33.9% Others ▌Mary Fridley (New Alliance) 0.6% ▌Freda Lee Nason (Libertarian) 0.5%
Michigan	Donald Riegle	Democratic	1976 1976 (appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Donald Riegle (Democratic) 60.4% ▌James Whitney Dunn (Republican) 38.5% Others ▌Dick Jacobs (Libertarian) 0.8% ▌Sally Bier (Workers Against Concessions) 0.3%
Minnesota	David Durenberger	Republican	1978 (special) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y David Durenberger (Republican) 56.2% ▌Skip Humphrey (DFL) 40.9% Others ▌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) 1952 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. Republican gain.	▌Y Trent Lott (Republican) 54.1% ▌Wayne Dowdy (Democratic) 45.9%
Missouri	John Danforth	Republican	1976 1976 (appointed) 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y 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. Republican gain.	▌Y Conrad Burns (Republican) 51.9% ▌John Melcher (Democratic) 48.1%
Nebraska	David Karnes	Republican	1987 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. Democratic gain.	▌Y 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. Democratic gain.	▌Y 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.	▌Y Frank Lautenberg (Democratic) 53.5% ▌Pete Dawkins (Republican) 45.2% Others ▌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.	▌Y Jeff Bingaman (Democratic) 63.2% ▌Bill Valentine (Republican) 36.8%
New York	Daniel Patrick Moynihan	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democratic) 67.3% ▌Robert R. McMillan (Republican) 31.6%
North Dakota	Quentin Burdick	Democratic-NPL	1960 (special) 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Quentin Burdick (Democratic-NPL) 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.	▌Y Howard Metzenbaum (Democratic) 56.9% ▌George Voinovich (Republican) 43.1%
Pennsylvania	John Heinz	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Heinz (Republican) 66.4% ▌Joe Vignola (Democratic) 32.4% Others ▌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.	▌Y John Chafee (Republican) 54.3% ▌Richard A. Licht (Democratic) 45.7%
Tennessee	Jim Sasser	Democratic	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y 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.	▌Y Lloyd Bentsen (Democratic) 59.2% ▌Beau Boulter (Republican) 40.0% ▌Jeff Daiell (Libertarian) 0.8%
Utah	Orrin Hatch	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Orrin Hatch (Republican) 67.1% ▌Brian Moss (Democratic) 31.7% Others ▌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. Republican hold.	▌Y Jim Jeffords (Republican) 67.9% ▌William Gray (Democratic) 29.8% Others ▌Jerry Levy (Liberty Union) 1.1% ▌King Milne (Independent) 1.0%
Virginia	Paul Trible	Republican	1982	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Chuck Robb (Democratic) 71.2% ▌Maurice A. Dawkins (Republican) 28.8%
Washington	Daniel J. Evans	Republican	1983 (appointed) 1983 (special)	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y Slade Gorton (Republican) 50.7% ▌Mike Lowry (Democratic) 49.3%
West Virginia	Robert Byrd	Democratic	1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Robert Byrd (Democratic) 63.2% ▌M. Jay Wolfe (Republican) 36.8%
Wisconsin	William Proxmire	Democratic	1957 (special) 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982	Incumbent retired. Democratic hold.	▌Y Herb Kohl (Democratic) 52.2% ▌Susan Engeleiter (Republican) 47.8%
Wyoming	Malcolm Wallop	Republican	1976 1982	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Malcolm Wallop (Republican) 50.4% ▌John Vinich (Democratic) 49.6%

In eleven races the margin of victory was under 10%.

State	Party of winner	Margin
Wyoming	Republican	0.73%
Connecticut	Democratic (flip)	0.77%
Florida	Republican (flip)	0.85%
Washington	Republican	2.17%
Montana	Republican (flip)	3.73%
Nevada	Democratic (flip)	4.06%
Wisconsin	Democratic	4.53%
Mississippi	Republican (flip)	7.82%
New Jersey	Democratic	8.37%
California	Republican	8.79%
Rhode Island	Republican	9.19%

Ohio was the tipping point state with a margin of 13.8%.

Arizona election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results DeConcini:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

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

Incumbent Democrat Dennis DeConcini was reelected to a third term over Republican Keith DeGreen, Marine veteran and financial advisor.

General election results^[1]

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 election

← 1982 1992 (special) →

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

County results Wilson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% McCarthy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

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

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 2020, this is the last Senate election in California won by a Republican.

General election results^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Wilson (Incumbent)	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%
Total votes			9,743,550	100.00%
Majority			856,156	8.8%
	Republican hold

Connecticut election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Municipality results Lieberman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Weicker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:      40–50%

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

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

General election results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph 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%
Majority			10,596	0.8%
	Democratic gain from Republican

Delaware election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Roth:      50–60%      60–70%

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

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

Democratic Party primary results^[4]

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^[1]

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 election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Mack:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% MacKay:      50–60%      60–70%

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

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 Democratic Congressman Buddy Mackay.^[1]

This senate election was heavily targeted by both parties. U.S. Representative Mack announced his candidacy back in October 1987.^[5] President Ronald Reagan endorsed Mack in June 1988^[6] to allow Mack to focus on the general election, and easily won the September 6 Republican primary against U.S. Attorney Robert Merkle.^[7] In May 1988, then-Congressman MacKay announced he would run for the open seat,^[8] and defeated Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter in a close October 4 runoff election.^[9]

The general election soon became nasty, with Mackay portraying Mack as "extremist."^[10] Mack also attacked his opponent in television ads by connecting him to liberal Massachusetts Governor and Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.^[11] Mack had help from vice presidential candidate Dan Quayle.^[12] The election was so close there was a recount until Mackay conceded eight days after election day.^[13]

Democratic primary results^[14]

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 Collier Frank	119,277	11.81
	Democratic	Claude R. Kirk Jr.	51,387	5.09
	Democratic	Fred Rader	11,820	1.17
Total votes			1,009,675	100

Democratic primary runoff results^[15]

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^[14]

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

General election results^[1]

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%
Total votes			4,068,209	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

Hawaii election

← 1982 1990 (special) →

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

County results Matsunaga:      70–80%      80–90%

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

Incumbent Democrat Spark Matsunaga won re-election to a third term, beating Republican cattle rancher Maria Hustace.^[16][17]

General election results^[18]

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%
Total votes			323,876	100.00%
Majority			180,954	55.9%
	Democratic hold

Indiana election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Lugar:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Wickes:      50–60%

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

Incumbent Republican Richard Lugar was re-elected to a third term over Democratic attorney Jack Wickes.^[19][20]

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.^[21] Lugar agreed to debate Wickes on September 10, 1988.^[22]

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^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Lugar (Incumbent)	1,430,525	68.1%
	Democratic	Jack Wickes	668,778	31.9%
Total votes			2,099,303	100.00%
Majority			761,747	36.2%
	Republican hold

Maine election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Mitchell:      70–80%      80–90%

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

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.^[24] As of 2020, this is the last Senate election in Maine won by a Democrat.

General election results^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George Mitchell (Incumbent)	452,581	81.3%
	Republican	Jasper Wyman	104,164	18.7%
Total votes			556,745	100.00%
Majority			348,417	62.6%
	Democratic hold

Maryland election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Sarbanes:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Keyes:      50–60%

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

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^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paul Sarbanes (Incumbent)	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			381,629	23.6
Turnout			1,617,065
	Democratic hold

Massachusetts election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County Results Municipality Results County results Kennedy:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      90–100% Malone:      40–50%      50–60% Tie:      40–50%

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

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

General Election results

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%
	Democratic hold		Swing

Michigan election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Riegle:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Dunn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

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

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

General election results^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Donald Riegle (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
Total votes			3,505,926	100.00%
Majority			768,649	21.9%
	Democratic hold

Minnesota election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Durenberger:      50–60%      60–70% Humphrey:      50–60%

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

Incumbent Republican David Durenberger won re-election to his second full term, beating Democrat Skip Humphrey, the Minnesota Attorney General and former state senator.

General election results^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	David Durenberger (incumbent)	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
Total votes			2,093,538	100.00%
Majority			319,516	15.3
	Republican hold

Mississippi election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Lott:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Dowdy:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

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

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

General election results^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Trent Lott	510,380	53.9
	Democratic	Wayne Dowdy	436,339	46.1
Total votes			946,719	100.00%
Majority			74,041	7.8
	Republican gain from Democratic

Missouri election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Danforth:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Nixon:      50–60%

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

Incumbent Republican John Danforth won re-election over Democratic state senator and future Governor Jay Nixon.^[30]

1988 Missouri United States Senate election

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
	Republican hold

Montana election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Burns:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Melcher:      50–60%      60–70%

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

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 in the general election a grueling campaign followed. Ultimately, Melcher was narrowly defeated in his bid for re-election by Burns.

Democratic Party primary results^[31]

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^[31]

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

1988 United States Senate election in Montana^[1]

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 election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Kerrey:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Karnes:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40–50%

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

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.^[32]

Republican primary results

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

1988 Nebraska United States Senate election

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

Nevada election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Bryan:      40–50%      50–60% Hecht:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

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

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

General election results^[33]

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
	Democratic gain from Republican

New Jersey election

← 1982 1994 →

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

Lautenberg:      50–60%      60–70% Dawkins:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

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

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,^[34] and also accusing Dawkins' campaign of lying about his war record.^[35] Dawkins accused Lautenberg of running a smear campaign against, called him a "swamp dog",^[36] 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.^[35]

1988 United States Senate election in New Jersey^[37]

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

New Mexico election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Bingaman:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Valentine:      50–60%

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

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

General election results^[1]

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 election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Moynihan:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McMillan:      50–60%

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

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.^[38]

General election results^[39]

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
Total votes			6,040,924	100.00%
Majority			2,172,865	35.9%
	Democratic hold

North Dakota election

← 1982 1992 (special) →

Nominee Quentin Burdick Earl Strinden Party Democratic–NPL Republican Popular vote 171,899 112,937 Percentage 59.45% 39.06%

County results Burdick:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Strinden:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. Senator before election Quentin Burdick Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Quentin Burdick Democratic

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.^[1]

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–NPL	Quentin Burdick (incumbent)	171,899	59.45
	Republican	Earl Strinden	112,937	39.06
	Independent	Kenneth C. Gardner	4,334	1.50
Majority			58,962	20.39
Turnout			289,170
	Democratic–NPL hold

Ohio election

← 1982 1994 →

Nominee Howard Metzenbaum George Voinovich Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,480,038 1,872,716 Percentage 56.97% 42.31%

County results Metzenbaum:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Voinovich:      50–60%      60–70%

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

Incumbent Democrat Howard Metzenbaum won re-election over George Voinovich, Mayor of Cleveland and former Lieutenant Governor of Ohio.^[40]

1988 Ohio United States Senate election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard Morton Metzenbaum (Incumbent)	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%
	Democratic hold

Pennsylvania election

← 1982 1991 (special) →

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

County results Heinz:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Vignola:      70–80%

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

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,"^[41] 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.^[41]

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.^[41]

Heinz died in an airplane crash on April 4, 1991, in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania.^[42] 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.^[43][44]

General election results^[1]

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%
Total votes			4,366,598	100.00%
	Republican hold		Swing

Rhode Island election

← 1982 1994 →

Nominee John Chafee Richard Licht Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 217,273 180,717 Percentage 54.6% 45.4%

County results Municipality results Chafee:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Licht:      50–60%      60–70%

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

Incumbent Republican John Chafee won re-election to a third term, beating Democratic lieutenant governor and former state senator Richard Licht.

General election results^[1]

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 election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Sasser:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Andersen:      50–60%

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

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			479,028	30.57%
Turnout			1,561,094
	Democratic hold		Swing

Texas election

← 1982 1993 (special) →

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

Bentsen:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Boulter:      50–60%      60–70%

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

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 2020, this was the last time a Democrat won a United States Senate election in Texas.^[45][46]

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.^[47]

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.^[48] 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.^[48] This was repeated in 1988 with Bentsen winning the primary with over 80% of the vote.^[47]

March 8 Democratic primary results^[49]

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.^[50] 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.^[51]

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%.^[49]

March 8 Republican primary results^[49]

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.^[52] Gilbreath spent about one million dollars of his money in his contest for the primary,^[53] while Boulter spent about $250,000.^[52] However Boulter won endorsements from many Texas Republican leaders,^[53] including the candidates who had come third and fourth in the March primary, as well as from anti-abortion groups.^[52]

Boulter won the April run-off for the Republican nomination with just over 60% of the vote.^[52]

April 12 Republican run-off results^[49]

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.^[54] As the Texas Democrats had already had their primary for senate candidate, Bentsen could not be replaced on the ballot.^[54] 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.^[55]

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, ^[56] with George Bush winning Texas with 56% of the vote compared to 43% for Dukakis.^[57] Bentsen's vote total in the senate election was reported to be at the time the highest vote total in any Texas statewide election.^[58] Bentsen then returned to the Senate and remained until the next four years when he was appointed the Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. Had the Dukakis–Bentsen ticket won, Bentsen would have become U.S. Vice President and forced to resign his Senate seat, which would have led to a 1990 special election. It would also have led Republican Governor Bill Clements to temporarily appoint an interim replacement.

General election results^[49]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lloyd Bentsen (Incumbent)	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 election

← 1982 1994 →

Nominee Orrin Hatch Brian Moss Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 430,084 203,364 Percentage 67.13% 31.74%

County results Hatch:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90% Moss:      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Orrin Hatch Republican Elected U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch Republican

Incumbent Orrin Hatch easily won re-election to a third term over Democrat Brian Moss.

1988 United States Senate election in Utah^[59]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Orrin Hatch (Incumbent)	430,084	67.13%
	Democratic	Brian H. Moss	203,364	31.74%
	American	Robert J. Smith	6,016	0.94%
	Socialist Workers	William M. Arth	1,233	0.19%
Majority			227,720	35.39%
Total votes			640,697	100.00%
	Republican hold

Vermont election

← 1982 1994 →

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

County results Municipality results Jeffords:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Gray:      40–50%

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

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^[60]

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^[60]

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

1988 United States Senate election in Vermont^[61]

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
Majority			91,736	33.4
Total votes			240,111	100.0
	Republican hold

Virginia election

← 1982 1994 →
Turnout	49.8% (voting eligible)[62]
Nominee Chuck Robb Maurice A. Dawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,474,086 593,652 Percentage 71.3% 28.7%
County and independent city results Robb:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%
U.S. senator before election Paul S. Trible Republican Elected U.S. Senator Chuck Robb Democratic

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.

1988 United States Senate election in Virginia^[63]

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 election

← 1983 (special) 1994 →

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