1978 United States Senate special election in Minnesota
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County results Durenberger: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Short: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Minnesota |
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The 1978 United States Senate special election in Minnesota was held on November 7, 1978. Democratic candidate Bob Short was defeated by Republican candidate David Durenberger.
Race Description
In 1978, all three key statewide races in Minnesota were up for election—the
When
The Independent-Republicans, for their part, nominated the liberal Republican David Durenberger, creating an unusual race in which the Independent-Republican candidate ran to the left of the DFL candidate. In addition to the general sense of dissatisfaction voters felt for the DFL, the party also had to contend with a large number of liberal DFLers crossing party lines to vote for Durenberger. As a result, Durenberger won in a 26.9-percent landslide as the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats switched into Republican hands.
The results in Minnesota marked the first time the GOP had held all three offices since Joseph H. Ball left the Senate in January 1949. Additionally, this election and the regular election both marked the first time since 1958 that both Senate seats in a state flipped from one party to the other in a single election cycle.
Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary
Candidates
Declared
- Sharon Anderson
- Donald M. Fraser, United States Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district
- Richard A. Palmer
- Bob Short, Businessman and former owner of the Texas Rangers
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | Bob Short | 257,289 | 48.0% | |
Democratic (DFL) | Donald M. Fraser | 253,818 | 47.4% | |
Democratic (DFL) | Sharon Anderson | 16,094 | 3.0% | |
Democratic (DFL) | Richard A. Palmer | 8,425 | 1.6% | |
Total votes | 535,626 | 100.0% |
Independent-Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Adell H. Campbell
- David Durenberger
- Will Lundquist
- Malcolm Moos, Former President of the University of Minnesota
- Ken Nordstrom
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ind.-Republican
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David Durenberger | 139,187 | 67.3% | |
Ind.-Republican
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Malcolm Moos | 32,314 | 15.6% | |
Ind.-Republican
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Ken Nordstrom | 14,635 | 7.1% | |
Ind.-Republican
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Will Lundquist | 12,261 | 5.9% | |
Ind.-Republican
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Adell H. Campbell | 8,523 | 4.1% | |
Total votes | 206,920 | 100.0% |
American Party primary
Candidates
Declared
- Paul Helm
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
American | Paul Helm | 4,585 | 100.0% | |
Total votes | 4,585 | 100.0% |
Special election
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ind.-Republican
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David Durenberger | 957,908 | 61.47% | |
Democratic (DFL) | Bob Short | 538,675 | 34.57% | |
American | Paul Helm | 45,402 | 2.91% | |
Socialist Workers | Christine Frank | 11,397 | 0.73% | |
Libertarian | Frederick Hewitt | 4,116 | 0.26% | |
Others | Write-ins | 878 | 0.06% | |
Total votes | 1,558,376 | 100.00% | ||
Majority | 399,233 | 25.62% | ||
Turnout | 1,558,376 | 62.06% | ||
Ind.-Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)
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See also
References
- ^ a b c "Minnesota Election Results 1978 (Primary Election)" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate - Special Election Race - Nov 07, 1978".
- ^ "Minnesota Election Results 1978: Primary Election and General Election" (PDF). Minnesota Legislature.