The 1990 United States Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 1990, with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republican Party. The election cycle took place in the middle of President George H. W. Bush's term, and, as with most other midterm elections, the party not holding the presidency gained seats in Congress. Until 2022, this had been the only election cycle where only one U.S. Senate seat flipped parties.
These elections, along with 2022, featured the smallest seat change in history since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 with only one seat changing parties. That election featured Democrat Paul Wellstone defeating incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz in Minnesota. To date, this is the last cycle in which Democratic candidates won U.S. Senate elections in Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Incumbent retired. New senator elected. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 4, 1990 to take the seat in New Hampshire Senate. Winner appointed December 7, 1990.
Incumbent Democrat Howell Heflin won re-election to a third term over Republican Bill Cabaniss, State Senator and former State Representative. This was the last time the Democrats have won the Class 2 Senate Seat from Alabama until Doug Jones won the seat in 2017.
Incumbent Republican senator William L. Armstrong did not seek re-election to another term. Republican congressman Hank Brown won the open seat, defeating Democratic nominee Josie Heath, former Boulder County Commissioner[5]
Incumbent Democrat Daniel Akaka was elected to finish the term ending in 1995 over Republican U.S. Representative Pat Saiki. Akaka had been appointed by Governor John Waihee in April 1990 to serve temporarily after the death of Spark Matsunaga.[7]
Republican Rep. Larry Craig defeated Democratic former state legislator Ron Twilegar for the seat of U.S. Senator Jim McClure, who did not seek re-election.
Incumbent Republican Dan Coats, who was recently appointed to this seat two years prior, won election to serve out the remainder of the term, beating Democratic State Representative Baron Hill.
In preparation for the pending vacancy, GovernorRobert D. Orr appointed four-term U.S. RepresentativeDan Coats to fill Quayle's seat on December 12, 1988. Coats was a former aide to Quayle, whom he had succeeded as U.S. Representative for Indiana's 4th congressional district in 1981. Quayle eventually resigned his Senate seat on January 3, 1989, and Coats was immediately sworn into office.
Coats used television commercials that raised questions about Hill's consistency in opposing new taxes, and Hill gained notoriety for walking the length of the state to meet voters.
This election was viewed at the onset as potentially competitive, as Senator Johnston was viewed as vulnerable in light of Louisiana's economic troubles at the time and Senator Johnston's voting record viewed by Republicans as too liberal. The Republican Party leadership endorsed the candidacy of State Senator Ben Bagert, who was picked over Secretary of State Fox McKeithen, State Representative Quentin Dastugue and State Representative David Duke.[15] David Duke, however, continued his candidacy and slowly overtook Bagert in attention and in the polls. Duke attracted national attention to the race with his involvement with white supremacist groups and his appeals to white resentment over affirmative-action programs. With Bagert failing to gain traction, the National Republican Senatorial Committee tried to recruit former Governor David Treen to jump into the race. When Treen passed, the effort turned from supporting Bagert to stopping Duke.[16]
As the election drew near, polls showed Johnston firmly in first place, with Duke in second place and Bagert trailing far behind at third. National Republicans grew fearful that Bagert's candidacy would only serve to force a runoff and that a potential runoff election with Duke being the de facto Republican nominee would hurt the national brand. On October 4, eight Republican Senators endorsed Johnston, with Senator John Danforth saying at the press conference that "all of us would be embarrassed and mortified to have to serve in the United States Senate with David Duke masquerading as a Republican." Bagert dropped out of the race the next day, announcing that "it became more and more apparent, that instead of forcing a runoff between myself and Bennett Johnston, I might very well be forcing a runoff between somebody else and Bennett Johnston." He announced he would "reluctantly" vote for Johnston.[17] Bagert's name remained on the ballot, but under state law his votes could not be counted as part of the official tally.[18] After Bagert dropped out, HUD SecretaryJack Kemp endorsed Johnston, saying "there's no place in the Republican Party for someone who has practiced and practices racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism."[19]
Incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz was defeated by Democratic challenger Paul Wellstone in a tight race. Widely considered an underdog and outspent by a 7-to-1 margin, Wellstone, a professor at Carleton College and nominee for Minnesota State Auditor in 1982 was the only candidate to defeat an incumbent senator in the 1990 election cycle and gained national attention after his upset victory.
Incumbent United States Senator Max Baucus, who was first elected in 1978 and was re-elected in 1984, ran for re-election. After winning the Democratic primary, he moved on to the general election, where he was opposed by Allen Kolstad, the Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the Republican nominee. Baucus ultimately ended up defeating Kolstad in a landslide, winning his third term with ease.
Incumbent Republican Gordon J. Humphrey decided to retire and not run for re-election to a third term. Republican Bob Smith won the open seat, beating Democratic former Senator John A. Durkin.
Senator Bill Bradley didn't realize he was in trouble of winning re-election and the New Jersey voters' anger over taxes and economy until the week prior to the election.
The senator had a major image problem. In the early part of the campaign Bradley was winning easily in the polls, so his staffers told him to play it safe. He sent out television advertisements of himself walking on the beach, shooting a perfect shot on the court, and sitting back in his office with his basketball shoes onto his desk. The advertisements backfired as voters were turned off and thought that he hadn't taken his job as Senator seriously, at a time when New Jersey voters were suffering.
Another major problem with Bradley was how Democratic Governor Jim Florio implemented a $2.8 billion tax increase, hurting the state's economy. In addition, Bradley refused to answer questions pertaining to Florio's tax policies.
After Bradley realized he was in trouble he released negative advertisements. They attacked Whitman's own record on taxes, accusing her of favoring tax increases when she was a Somerset County Freeholder. Bradley's image may have been further damaged by his newer advertisements.[28]
Helms drew controversy for airing what became known as the "Hands" ad produced by Alex Castellanos. It showed a pair of white hands with the voiceover saying "You needed that job, and you were the best qualified. But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota." The ad prompted allegations of racism.[31]
1990 North Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary election[32]
In the Republican primary, Hatfield received a token challenge from Randy Prince, an environmentalist and former Eugene mayoral candidate who had once protested old-growth forest logging by tree sitting for 40 days.[35] Despite an early miscue by Hatfield in which he missed the deadline for submitting a photograph for the primary voter's guide,[35] Hatfield handily defeated Prince to move on to the general election.[36]
Republican primary for the United States Senate from Oregon, 1990[36]
U.S. Congressman Ron Wyden considered challenging Hatfield, but decided against it.[37] Lonsdale, who was unknown as a politician, announced his campaign in March, and came out swinging directly at Hatfield and mostly ignored his primary challengers. Lonsdale's main campaign themes were abortion rights, which Hatfield opposed; and timber management, in which Lonsdale opposed exporting timber from Oregon forests and wanted to restrict logging in old-growth forests.[34] Lonsdale also criticized Hatfield as being out-of-touch with Oregonians after so many years in the Senate. Lonsdale announced that he would refuse to take special-interest contributions in his campaign, and would finance the campaign himself with the millions he had made from Bend Research.[34] Lonsdale easily defeated his competition: Salem attorney Steve Anderson, Pleasant Hill computer programmer Neale S. Hyatt, Milwaukie retired truck driver Brooks Washburne, Eugene activist Bob Reuschlein, and Frank A. Clough, also of Eugene.[34][38][39]
Democratic primary for the United States Senate from Oregon, 1990[39]
Once the primaries concluded, Hatfield, who had been first elected U.S. Senator in 1966, rolled out his usual campaign honed from his decades of experience: he refused debates, never engaged his opponent directly, and focused on small, friendly campaign appearances that stressed the influence he wielded as a U.S. Senator with seniority and influence.[37]
Lonsdale's self-financed campaign made heavy use of TV attack ads, criticizing Hatfield as being out of step with Oregonians on every issue, but primarily in terms of timber and abortion. He also made use of a nationwide anti-incumbency sentiment, and tore into Hatfield for being too closely tied to Washingtonspecial interests, and attempted to tie Hatfield to the Savings and loan crisis of the mid-1980s through his advisor Gerry Frank, who had ties to a Salem savings and loan.[37] By early October, polls showed the gap closing from 25 down to about 4 points in an early October poll conducted by The Oregonian newspaper, and by the end of October, some polls showed Lonsdale in the lead.[40]
With the polls running against him and time running out, Hatfield, who had not been seriously challenged since first being elected in 1966 and had never lost an election,[41] abandoned his tactic of staying above the fray and not engaging Lonsdale directly. In the media and in television ads, he charged Lonsdale with hypocrisy in his environmental stand, alleging that Lonsdale had allowed his company to illegally dump toxic chemicals into the environment.[42] Lonsdale vigorously denied the charges, which were later shown to have violated no laws, but the tactic may have stalled Lonsdale's momentum.[43] Hatfield went on to win in all but Multnomah, Jackson, Baker, and Lincoln counties to win by more than 7 percentage points statewide.[41]
1990, united, states, senate, elections, were, held, tuesday, november, 1990, with, seats, class, contested, regular, elections, special, elections, were, also, held, fill, vacancies, democratic, party, increased, majority, with, gain, seat, from, republican, . The 1990 United States Senate elections were held on Tuesday November 6 1990 with the 33 seats of Class 2 contested in regular elections Special elections were also held to fill vacancies The Democratic Party increased its majority with a net gain of one seat from the Republican Party The election cycle took place in the middle of President George H W Bush s term and as with most other midterm elections the party not holding the presidency gained seats in Congress Until 2022 this had been the only election cycle where only one U S Senate seat flipped parties 1990 United States Senate elections 1988 November 6 1990 1992 1991 PA 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate51 seats needed for a majority Majority party Minority party Leader George Mitchell Bob Dole Party Democratic Republican Leader since January 3 1989 January 3 1985 Leader s seat Maine Kansas Seats before 55 45 Seats after 56 44 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 17 907 544 a 16 494 624 a Percentage 51 1 47 1 Seats up 17 18 Races won 18 17Results of the elections Democratic gain Democratic hold Republican hold No electionMajority Leader before election George Mitchell Democratic Elected Majority Leader George Mitchell Democratic These elections along with 2022 featured the smallest seat change in history since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 with only one seat changing parties That election featured Democrat Paul Wellstone defeating incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz in Minnesota To date this is the last cycle in which Democratic candidates won U S Senate elections in Oklahoma and Tennessee Contents 1 Results summary 2 Gains losses and holds 2 1 Retirements 2 2 Defeats 2 3 Post election changes 3 Change in composition 3 1 Before the elections 3 2 Result of the elections 4 Complete list of races 4 1 Special elections 4 2 Elections leading to the next Congress 5 Closest races 6 Alabama 7 Alaska 8 Arkansas 9 Colorado 10 Delaware 11 Georgia 12 Hawaii special 13 Idaho 14 Illinois 15 Indiana special 16 Iowa 17 Kansas 18 Kentucky 19 Louisiana 20 Maine 21 Massachusetts 22 Michigan 23 Minnesota 24 Mississippi 25 Montana 26 Nebraska 27 New Hampshire 28 New Jersey 29 New Mexico 30 North Carolina 31 Oklahoma 32 Oregon 33 Rhode Island 34 South Carolina 35 South Dakota 36 Tennessee 37 Texas 38 Virginia 39 West Virginia 40 Wyoming 41 See also 42 Notes 43 ReferencesResults summary edit 56 44 Democratic Republican Parties Total Democratic Republican Libertarian Independent Other Last elections 1988 Before these elections 55 45 0 0 0 100 Not up 38 27 65 Up 17 18 35 Class 2 1984 1990 16 17 33 Special Class 1 1 1 Special Class 3 1 1 Incumbent retired 0 3 3 Held by same party 0 3 3 Replaced by other party 0 0 0 Result 0 3 3 Incumbent ran 17 15 32 Won election 17 14 31 Lost re election nbsp 1 Republican replaced by nbsp 1 Democrat 1 Lost renomination but held by same party 0 0 0 Result 18 14 32 Total elected 18 17 35 Net gain loss nbsp 1 nbsp 1 nbsp nbsp nbsp 1 Nationwide vote a 17 907 544 16 494 624 142 003 222 534 260 665 35 027 370 Share 51 12 47 09 0 41 0 64 0 74 100 Result 56 44 0 0 0 100 Source Clerk of the United States House of Representatives 1 Gains losses and holds editRetirements edit Three Republicans retired instead of seeking re election State Senator Replaced by Colorado William L Armstrong Hank Brown Idaho James A McClure Larry Craig New Hampshire Gordon J Humphrey Bob Smith Defeats edit One Republican sought re election but lost in the general election State Senator Replaced by Minnesota Rudy Boschwitz Paul Wellstone Post election changes edit State Senator Replaced by California Class 1 Pete Wilson John Seymour Pennsylvania Class 1 John Heinz Harris Wofford North Dakota Class 1 Quentin Burdick Jocelyn BurdickChange in composition editBefore the elections edit 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 D40Ark Ran D39Ala Ran D38 D37 D36 D35 D34 D33 D32 D31 D41Del Ran D42Ga Ran D43Hawaii sp Ran D44Ill Ran D45Iowa Ran D46La Ran D47Mass Ran D48Mich Ran D49Mont Ran D50Neb Ran Majority D51N J Ran R41S C Ran R42S D Ran R43Texas Ran R44Va Ran R45Wyo Ran D55W Va Ran D54Tenn Ran D53R I Ran D52Okla Ran R40Ore Ran R39N C Ran R38N M Ran R37N H Retired R36Miss Ran R35Minn Ran R34Me Ran R33Ky Ran R32Kan Ran R31Ind sp Ran R21 R22 R23 R24 R25 R26 R27 R28Alaska Ran R29Colo Retired R30Idaho Retired R20 R19 R18 R17 R16 R15 R14 R13 R12 R11 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Result of the elections edit 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 D40Ark Re elected D39Ala Re elected D38 D37 D36 D35 D34 D33 D32 D31 D41Del Re elected D42Ga Re elected D43Hawaii sp Elected b D44Ill Re elected D45Iowa Re elected D46La Re elected D47Mass Re elected D48Mich Re elected D49Mont Re elected D50Neb Re elected Majority D51N J Re elected R41S D Re elected R42Texas Re elected R43Va Re elected R44Wyo Re elected D56Minn Gain D55W Va Re elected D54Tenn Re elected D53R I Re elected D52Okla Re elected R40S C Re elected R39Ore Re elected R38N C Re elected R37N M Re elected R36N H Hold R35Miss Re elected R34Me Re elected R33Ky Re elected R32Kan Re elected R31Ind sp Elected b R21 R22 R23 R24 R25 R26 R27 R28Alaska Re elected R29Colo Hold R30Idaho Hold R20 R19 R18 R17 R16 R15 R14 R13 R12 R11 R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Key D Democratic R RepublicanComplete list of races editSpecial elections edit In these special elections the winners were elected in 1990 Elections are sorted by date then state and class State linked tosummaries below Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Hawaii Class 1 Daniel Akaka Democratic 1990 Appointed Interim appointee elected November 6 1990 nbsp Y Daniel Akaka Democratic 54 0 Pat Saiki Republican 44 6 Ken Schoolland Libertarian 1 4 Indiana Class 3 Dan Coats Republican 1989 Appointed Interim appointee elected November 6 1990 nbsp Y Dan Coats Republican 53 7 Baron Hill Democratic 46 3 Elections leading to the next Congress edit In these general elections the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3 1991 ordered by state All of the elections involved the Class 2 seats State linked tosummaries below Incumbent Results Candidates Senator Party Electoral history Alabama Howell Heflin Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Howell Heflin Democratic 60 7 William J Cabaniss Republican 39 3 Alaska Ted Stevens Republican 1968 Appointed 1970197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Ted Stevens Republican 67 2 Michael Beasley Democratic 32 8 Arkansas David Pryor Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y David Pryor Democratic Unopposed Colorado William L Armstrong Republican 19781984 Incumbent retired New senator elected Republican hold nbsp Y Hank Brown Republican 55 7 Josie Heath Democratic 41 6 John Heckman Concerns of People 1 5 Earl Dodge Prohibition 1 2 Delaware Joe Biden Democratic 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Joe Biden Democratic 62 7 M Jane Brady Republican 35 8 Lee Rosenbaum Libertarian 1 5 Georgia Sam Nunn Democratic 1972 special 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Sam Nunn Democratic Unopposed Idaho James A McClure Republican 197219781984 Incumbent retired New senator elected Republican hold nbsp Y Larry Craig Republican 61 3 Ron J Twilegar Democratic 38 7 Illinois Paul Simon Democratic 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Paul Simon Democratic 64 9 Lynn M Martin Republican 35 1 Iowa Tom Harkin Democratic 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Tom Harkin Democratic 54 0 Tom Tauke Republican 46 0 Kansas Nancy Kassebaum Republican 19781978 Appointed 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Nancy Kassebaum Republican 73 6 Dick Williams Democratic 26 4 Kentucky Mitch McConnell Republican 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Mitch McConnell Republican 52 2 Harvey I Sloane Democratic 47 8 Louisiana J Bennett Johnston Democratic 1972 Appointed 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y J Bennett Johnston Democratic 53 David Duke Republican 44 Maine William Cohen Republican 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y William Cohen Republican 61 4 Neil Rolde Democratic 38 6 Massachusetts John Kerry Democratic 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y John Kerry Democratic 56 9 Jim Rappaport Republican 43 1 Michigan Carl Levin Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Carl Levin Democratic 57 5 Bill Schuette Republican 41 2 Susan Farquhar Workers World 1 3 Minnesota Rudy Boschwitz Republican 19781978 Appointed 1984 Incumbent lost re election New senator elected DFL gain nbsp Y Paul Wellstone DFL 50 4 Rudy Boschwitz Republican 47 8 Russell Bentley Grassroots 1 6 Mississippi Thad Cochran Republican 19781978 Appointed 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Thad Cochran Republican Unopposed Montana Max Baucus Democratic 19781978 Appointed 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Max Baucus Democratic 68 1 Allen Kolstad Republican 29 4 Westley Deitchler Libertarian 2 5 Nebraska J James Exon Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y J James Exon Democratic 59 1 Hal Daub Republican 40 9 New Hampshire Gordon J Humphrey Republican 19781984 Incumbent retired New senator elected Republican hold Incumbent resigned December 4 1990 to take the seat in New Hampshire Senate Winner appointed December 7 1990 nbsp Y Bob Smith Republican 65 1 John A Durkin Democratic 31 3 John Elsnau Libertarian 3 3 New Jersey Bill Bradley Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Bill Bradley Democratic 50 4 Christine Todd Whitman Republican 47 4 John L Kucek Populist 1 0 Louis M Stefanelli Libertarian 0 7 Don Mackle Socialist Workers 0 4 New Mexico Pete Domenici Republican 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Pete Domenici Republican 72 9 Tom R Benavides Democratic 27 1 North Carolina Jesse Helms Republican 197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Jesse Helms Republican 52 6 Harvey Gantt Democratic 47 4 Oklahoma David Boren Democratic 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y David Boren Democratic 83 2 Stephen Jones Republican 17 8 Oregon Mark Hatfield Republican 1966197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Mark Hatfield Republican 53 9 Harry Lonsdale Democratic 46 1 Rhode Island Claiborne Pell Democratic 19601966197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Claiborne Pell Democratic 61 8 Claudine Schneider Republican 38 2 South Carolina Strom Thurmond Republican 1954 write in c 1954 Appointed 1956 Resigned 1956 special 19601966197219781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Strom Thurmond Republican 64 2 Bob Cunningham Democratic 32 5 William H Griffin Libertarian 1 8 Marion C Metts American 1 4 South Dakota Larry Pressler Republican 19781984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Larry Pressler Republican 52 4 Ted Muenster Democratic 45 1 Dean L Sinclair Independent 2 5 Tennessee Al Gore Democratic 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Al Gore Democratic 67 7 William R Hawkins Republican 29 8 Bill Jacox Independent 1 4 Charles Gordon Vick Independent 1 0 Texas Phil Gramm Republican 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Phil Gramm Republican 60 2 Hugh Parmer Democratic 37 4 Gary Johnson Libertarian 2 3 Virginia John Warner Republican 19781979 Appointed 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y John Warner Republican 80 9 Nancy B Spannaus Independent 18 2 West Virginia Jay Rockefeller Democratic 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Jay Rockefeller Democratic 68 5 John Yoder Republican 31 5 Wyoming Alan Simpson Republican 19781979 Appointed 1984 Incumbent re elected nbsp Y Alan Simpson Republican 66 4 Kathy Helling Democratic 33 6 Closest races editIn eight races the margin of victory was under 10 State Party of winner Margin Minnesota Democratic flip 2 63 New Jersey Democratic 3 04 Kentucky Republican 4 38 North Carolina Republican 5 19 South Dakota Republican 7 32 Oregon Republican 7 49 Iowa Democratic 9 05 Hawaii special Democratic 9 37 Michigan was the tipping point state with a margin of 16 3 Alabama editAlabama election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Howell Heflin Bill Cabaniss Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 717 814 467 190 Percentage 60 6 39 4 nbsp County resultsHeflin 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Cabaniss 50 60 U S senator before election Howell Heflin Democratic Elected U S Senator Howell Heflin DemocraticMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Alabama See also List of United States senators from Alabama Incumbent Democrat Howell Heflin won re election to a third term over Republican Bill Cabaniss State Senator and former State Representative This was the last time the Democrats have won the Class 2 Senate Seat from Alabama until Doug Jones won the seat in 2017 General election results 2 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Howell Heflin Incumbent 717 814 60 67 2 00 Republican William J Cabaniss 467 190 39 43 3 00 Total votes 1 184 954 100 00 Majority 250 624 21 24 Democratic hold SwingAlaska editAlaska election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Ted Stevens Michael Beasley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 125 806 61 152 Percentage 66 23 32 19 nbsp Results by state house districtStevens 50 60 60 70 70 80 U S senator before election Ted Stevens Republican Elected U S Senator Ted Stevens Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Alaska See also List of United States senators from Alaska Incumbent Republican United States Senator Ted Stevens sought re election to a fifth term in the United States Senate which he won easily besting his opponents in a landslide Open primary results 3 Party Candidate Votes Republican Ted Stevens Incumbent 81 968 59 19 Republican John Havelock 34 824 25 15 Democratic Michael Beasley 12 371 8 93 Democratic Tom Taggart 9 329 6 74 Total votes 138 492 100 00 1990 United States Senate election in Alaska 4 Party Candidate Votes Republican Ted Stevens Incumbent 125 806 66 23 4 94 Democratic Michael Beasley 61 152 32 19 3 71 Write ins 2 999 1 58 Majority 64 654 34 04 8 65 Turnout 189 957 Republican hold SwingArkansas editArkansas election nbsp 19841996 nbsp Nominee David Pryor Party Democratic Popular vote 493 910 Percentage 99 83 nbsp County resultsPryor 100 No data No votes re election before election David Pryor Democratic Elected re election David Pryor Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Arkansas See also List of United States senators from Arkansas Incumbent Democrat David Pryor won re election uncontested 4 1990 Arkansas United States Senate election Party Candidate Votes Democratic David Pryor Incumbent 493 910 99 83 Independent Betty White write in 825 0 17 Majority 493 085 99 67 Turnout 494 735 Democratic holdColorado editColorado election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Hank Brown Josie Heath Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 569 048 425 746 Percentage 55 7 41 7 nbsp County resultsBrown 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Heath 40 50 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election William L Armstrong Republican Elected U S Senator Hank Brown RepublicanMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Colorado See also List of United States senators from Colorado Incumbent Republican senator William L Armstrong did not seek re election to another term Republican congressman Hank Brown won the open seat defeating Democratic nominee Josie Heath former Boulder County Commissioner 5 General election results 6 Party Candidate Votes Republican Hank Brown 569 048 55 68 Democratic Josie Heath 425 746 41 66 Concerns of People John Heckman 15 432 1 51 Colorado Prohibition Earl F Dodge 11 801 1 15 Write In Others 32 0 00 Majority 143 302 14 02 Turnout 1 022 059 Republican holdDelaware editDelaware election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Joe Biden M Jane Brady Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 112 918 64 554 Percentage 62 68 35 83 nbsp County resultsBiden 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected U S Senator Joe Biden Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Delaware See also List of United States senators from Delaware Incumbent Democrat Joe Biden won re election to a fourth term defeating Republican challenger M Jane Brady Deputy Attorney General of Delaware General election results 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Joe Biden Incumbent 112 918 62 68 2 57 Republican M Jane Brady 64 554 35 83 4 06 Libertarian Lee Rosenbaum 2 680 1 49 Write ins 5 0 00 Majority 48 364 26 85 6 62 Turnout 180 157 Democratic hold SwingGeorgia editGeorgia election nbsp 19841996 nbsp Nominee Sam Nunn Party Democratic Popular vote 1 033 439 Percentage 100 0 nbsp County resultsNunn 100 U S senator before election Sam Nunn Democratic Elected U S Senator Sam Nunn Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Georgia See also List of United States senators from Georgia Incumbent Democrat Sam Nunn won re election to a fourth term uncontested 4 General election results 1990 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Sam Nunn Incumbent 1 033 439 100 00 20 06 Majority 1 033 439 100 00 40 12 Turnout 1 033 439 Democratic hold SwingHawaii special editHawaii special election nbsp 19881994 nbsp nbsp Nominee Daniel Akaka Pat Saiki Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 188 901 155 978 Percentage 53 7 44 3 nbsp County results Akaka 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Daniel Akaka Democratic Elected U S Senator Daniel Akaka Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate special election in Hawaii See also List of United States senators from Hawaii Incumbent Democrat Daniel Akaka was elected to finish the term ending in 1995 over Republican U S Representative Pat Saiki Akaka had been appointed by Governor John Waihee in April 1990 to serve temporarily after the death of Spark Matsunaga 7 General election results Party Candidate Votes Democratic Daniel Akaka incumbent 188 901 53 72 Republican Pat Saiki 155 978 44 35 Libertarian Ken Schoolland 6 788 1 93 Majority 32 923 9 36 Turnout 351 666 Democratic holdIdaho editIdaho election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Larry Craig Ron Twilegar Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 193 641 122 295 Percentage 61 29 38 71 nbsp County results Craig 50 60 60 70 70 80 Twilegar 50 60 U S senator before election Jim McClure Republican Elected U S Senator Larry Craig Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Idaho See also List of United States senators from Idaho Republican Rep Larry Craig defeated Democratic former state legislator Ron Twilegar for the seat of U S Senator Jim McClure who did not seek re election General election results 8 Party Candidate Votes Republican Larry Craig 65 830 59 01 Republican Jim Jones 45 733 40 99 General election results 9 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Ron Twilegar 30 154 64 51 Democratic David C Steed 16 587 35 49 General election results 10 Party Candidate Votes Republican Larry Craig 193 641 61 29 Democratic Ron Twilegar 122 295 38 71 Total votes 315 936 100 00 Majority 71 346 22 58 Republican holdIllinois editIllinois election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Paul Simon Lynn Morley Martin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2 115 377 1 135 628 Percentage 65 07 34 93 nbsp County resultsSimon 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Martin 50 60 U S senator before election Paul Simon Democratic Elected U S Senator Paul Simon Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Illinois See also List of United States senators from Illinois Incumbent Democrat Paul Simon sought re election to the United States Senate Simon was opposed by Republican nominee Lynn Morley Martin a United States Congresswoman from Illinois s 16th congressional district whom he easily defeated to win a second and final term in the Senate 1990 United States Senate election in Illinois 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Paul Simon Incumbent 2 115 377 65 07 15 00 Republican Lynn Morley Martin 1 135 628 34 93 13 28 Majority 979 749 30 14 28 28 Turnout 3 251 005 Democratic hold SwingIndiana special editIndiana special election nbsp 19861992 nbsp nbsp Nominee Dan Coats Baron Hill Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 806 048 696 639 Percentage 53 6 46 4 nbsp County resultsCoats 50 60 60 70 70 80 Hill 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Dan Coats Republican Elected U S Senator Dan Coats Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate special election in Indiana See also List of United States senators from Indiana Incumbent Republican Dan Coats who was recently appointed to this seat two years prior won election to serve out the remainder of the term beating Democratic State Representative Baron Hill During the 1988 presidential election Republican nominee Vice President George H W Bush selected U S Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his vice presidential nominee The Bush Quayle ticket defeated the Dukakis Bentsen ticket in the general election by a 53 46 margin capturing 40 states and 426 electoral votes In preparation for the pending vacancy Governor Robert D Orr appointed four term U S Representative Dan Coats to fill Quayle s seat on December 12 1988 Coats was a former aide to Quayle whom he had succeeded as U S Representative for Indiana s 4th congressional district in 1981 Quayle eventually resigned his Senate seat on January 3 1989 and Coats was immediately sworn into office Coats used television commercials that raised questions about Hill s consistency in opposing new taxes and Hill gained notoriety for walking the length of the state to meet voters General election results 4 Party Candidate Votes Republican Dan Coats Incumbent 806 048 53 6 6 93 Democratic Baron Hill 696 639 46 4 7 85 Majority 109 409 7 28 Turnout 1 502 687 Republican hold SwingIowa editIowa election nbsp 1984 November 5 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Tom Harkin Tom Tauke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 535 975 446 869 Percentage 54 5 45 4 nbsp County results Harkin 50 60 60 70 Tauke 50 60 60 70 70 80 U S senator before election Tom Harkin Democratic Elected U S Senator Tom Harkin DemocraticMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Iowa See also List of United States senators from Iowa Incumbent Democrat Tom Harkin sought re election to a second term in the United States Senate Harkin was opposed by Republican United States Congressman Tom Tauke from Iowa s 2nd congressional district and both Harkin and Tauke won their primaries uncontested Though Harkin performed slightly worse than he had six years earlier he was successful in his re election bid and defeated Tauke Democratic primary results 11 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Tom Harkin Incumbent 162 661 99 47 Democratic Write ins 867 0 53 Total votes 163 528 100 00 Republican primary results 11 Party Candidate Votes Republican Tom Tauke 91 798 99 81 Republican Write ins 172 0 19 Total votes 91 970 100 00 1990 United States Senate election in Iowa 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Tom Harkin Incumbent 535 975 54 47 0 98 Republican Tom Tauke 446 869 45 42 1 76 Write ins 1 089 0 11 Majority 89 106 9 06 2 74 Turnout 983 933 Democratic hold SwingKansas editKansas election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Nancy Kassebaum Dick Williams Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 578 605 207 491 Percentage 73 6 26 4 nbsp County results Kassebaum 60 70 70 80 80 90 U S senator before election Nancy Kassebaum Republican Elected U S Senator Nancy Kassebaum RepublicanMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Kansas See also List of United States senators from Kansas Incumbent Republican Nancy Kassebaum won re election to her third full term over Democrat Dick Williams an educator at Wichita State University 12 General election results 13 Party Candidate Votes Republican Nancy Kassebaum Incumbent 578 605 73 6 Democratic Dick Williams 207 491 26 4 Total votes 786 096 100 00 Majority 371 114 47 2 Republican holdKentucky editKentucky election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Mitch McConnell Harvey Sloane Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 478 034 437 976 Percentage 52 2 47 8 nbsp County resultsMcConnell 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Sloane 50 60 60 70 70 80 U S senator before election Mitch McConnell Republican Elected U S Senator Mitch McConnell Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Kentucky See also List of United States senators from Kentucky Incumbent Republican Mitch McConnell won re election to a second term over Democrat Harvey Sloane former Mayor of Louisville Democratic primary results 14 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Harvey I Sloane 183 789 59 27 Democratic John Brock 126 318 40 73 Total votes 310 107 100 00 Republican primary results 14 Party Candidate Votes Republican Mitch McConnell Incumbent 64 063 88 52 Republican Tommy Klein 8 310 11 48 Total votes 72 373 100 00 General election results 4 Party Candidate Votes Republican Mitch McConnell Incumbent 478 034 52 19 2 28 Democratic Harvey I Sloane 437 976 47 81 1 68 Majority 40 058 4 37 3 97 Turnout 916 010 Republican hold SwingLouisiana editLouisiana election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee J Bennett Johnston David Duke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 753 198 607 051 Percentage 53 95 43 48 nbsp Parish resultsJohnston 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 Duke 40 50 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election J Bennett Johnston Democratic Elected U S Senator J Bennett Johnston DemocraticMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Louisiana See also List of United States senators from Louisiana Incumbent Democrat J Bennett Johnston Jr won re election to a fourth term and avoided a runoff beating Republican David Duke State Representative and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan This election was viewed at the onset as potentially competitive as Senator Johnston was viewed as vulnerable in light of Louisiana s economic troubles at the time and Senator Johnston s voting record viewed by Republicans as too liberal The Republican Party leadership endorsed the candidacy of State Senator Ben Bagert who was picked over Secretary of State Fox McKeithen State Representative Quentin Dastugue and State Representative David Duke 15 David Duke however continued his candidacy and slowly overtook Bagert in attention and in the polls Duke attracted national attention to the race with his involvement with white supremacist groups and his appeals to white resentment over affirmative action programs With Bagert failing to gain traction the National Republican Senatorial Committee tried to recruit former Governor David Treen to jump into the race When Treen passed the effort turned from supporting Bagert to stopping Duke 16 As the election drew near polls showed Johnston firmly in first place with Duke in second place and Bagert trailing far behind at third National Republicans grew fearful that Bagert s candidacy would only serve to force a runoff and that a potential runoff election with Duke being the de facto Republican nominee would hurt the national brand On October 4 eight Republican Senators endorsed Johnston with Senator John Danforth saying at the press conference that all of us would be embarrassed and mortified to have to serve in the United States Senate with David Duke masquerading as a Republican Bagert dropped out of the race the next day announcing that it became more and more apparent that instead of forcing a runoff between myself and Bennett Johnston I might very well be forcing a runoff between somebody else and Bennett Johnston He announced he would reluctantly vote for Johnston 17 Bagert s name remained on the ballot but under state law his votes could not be counted as part of the official tally 18 After Bagert dropped out HUD Secretary Jack Kemp endorsed Johnston saying there s no place in the Republican Party for someone who has practiced and practices racism bigotry and anti Semitism 19 United States Senate Election 1990 20 Party Candidate Votes Democratic J Bennett Johnston Jr Incumbent 753 198 53 95 Republican David Duke 607 091 43 48 Democratic Nick Joseph Accardo 21 578 1 55 Democratic Larry Crowe 14 345 1 03 Majority 146 107 10 47 Total votes 1 396 212 100 00 Democratic holdMaine editMaine election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee William Cohen Neil Rolde Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 319 167 201 053 Percentage 61 3 38 6 nbsp County results Cohen 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election William Cohen Republican Elected U S Senator William Cohen RepublicanMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Maine See also List of United States senators from Maine Incumbent Republican William Cohen won re election to a third term over Democratic State Representative Neil Rolde General election results 21 Party Candidate Votes Republican William Cohen Incumbent 319 167 61 3 Democratic Neil Rolde 201 053 38 6 Total votes 520 220 100 00 Majority 118 114 22 7 Republican holdMassachusetts editMassachusetts election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee John Kerry Jim Rappaport Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1 321 712 992 917 Percentage 54 5 41 0 nbsp County results nbsp Municipality resultsKerry 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Rappaport 50 60 60 70 70 80 U S senator before election John Kerry Democratic Elected U S Senator John Kerry Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Massachusetts See also List of United States senators from Massachusetts Incumbent Democratic U S Senator John Kerry was re elected to his second term over Republican real estate developer Jim Rappaport Massachusetts United States Senate Republican primary 1990 22 Party Candidate Votes Republican Jim Rappaport 265 093 66 12 Republican Daniel W Daly 135 647 33 38 All others 202 0 05 General election results 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic John Kerry Incumbent 1 321 712 54 51 Republican Jim Rappaport 992 917 40 95 Independent David Pover 109 950 4 54 Turnout 2 424 579 100 00 Majority 328 795 13 56 Democratic holdMichigan editMichigan election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Carl Levin Bill Schuette Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1 471 753 1 055 695 Percentage 57 5 41 2 nbsp County resultsLevin 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 Schuette 40 50 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Carl Levin Democratic Elected U S Senator Carl Levin Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Michigan See also List of United States senators from Michigan Incumbent Democrat Carl Levin won re election to a third term beating Republican U S Representative Bill Schuette General election results 23 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Carl Levin Incumbent 1 471 753 57 4 Republican Bill Schuette 1 055 695 41 2 Workers World Susan Farquhar 32 796 1 3 Total votes 2 560 244 100 00 Majority 416 058 16 2 Democratic holdMinnesota editMinnesota election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Paul Wellstone Rudy Boschwitz Party Democratic DFL Ind Republican Popular vote 911 999 864 375 Percentage 50 5 47 9 nbsp County resultsWellstone 40 50 50 60 60 70 Boschwitz 40 50 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Rudy Boschwitz Ind Republican Elected U S Senator Paul Wellstone Democratic DFL Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota See also List of United States senators from Minnesota Incumbent Republican Rudy Boschwitz was defeated by Democratic challenger Paul Wellstone in a tight race Widely considered an underdog and outspent by a 7 to 1 margin Wellstone a professor at Carleton College and nominee for Minnesota State Auditor in 1982 was the only candidate to defeat an incumbent senator in the 1990 election cycle and gained national attention after his upset victory General election results 24 Party Candidate Votes Democratic DFL Paul Wellstone 911 999 50 49 Ind Republican Rudy Boschwitz Incumbent 864 375 47 86 Grassroots Russell B Bentley 25 29 820 1 65 Total votes 1 806 194 100 00 Majority 47 624 2 63 Democratic DFL gain from RepublicanMississippi editMississippi election nbsp 19841996 nbsp Nominee Thad Cochran Party Republican Popular vote 274 244 Percentage 100 0 nbsp County resultsCochran gt 90 No vote U S senator before election Thad Cochran Republican Elected U S Senator Thad Cochran Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Mississippi See also List of United States senators from Mississippi Incumbent Republican Thad Cochran won re election to a third term 4 1990 Mississippi United States Senate election Party Candidate Votes Republican Thad Cochran Incumbent 274 244 100 00 Majority 274 244 100 00 Turnout 274 244 Republican holdMontana editMontana election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Max Baucus Allen Kolstad Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 217 563 93 836 Percentage 68 13 29 38 nbsp County resultsBaucus 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 Kostad 40 50 U S senator before election Max Baucus Democratic Elected U S Senator Max Baucus Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Montana See also List of United States senators from Montana Incumbent United States Senator Max Baucus who was first elected in 1978 and was re elected in 1984 ran for re election After winning the Democratic primary he moved on to the general election where he was opposed by Allen Kolstad the Lieutenant Governor of Montana and the Republican nominee Baucus ultimately ended up defeating Kolstad in a landslide winning his third term with ease Democratic Party primary results 26 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Max Baucus Incumbent 80 622 82 60 Democratic John Driscoll 12 616 12 93 Democratic Curly Thornton 4 367 4 47 Total votes 97 605 100 00 Republican Primary results 26 Party Candidate Votes Republican Allen Kolstad 38 097 43 59 Republican Bruce Vorhauer 30 837 35 28 Republican Bill Farrell 11 820 13 52 Republican John Domenech 6 648 7 61 Total votes 87 402 100 00 1990 United States Senate election in Montana 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Max Baucus Incumbent 217 563 68 13 11 24 Republican Allen Kolstad 93 836 29 38 11 31 Libertarian Westley F Deitchler 7 937 2 49 0 07 Majority 123 727 38 75 22 55 Turnout 319 336 Democratic hold SwingNebraska editNebraska election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee J James Exon Hal Daub Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 349 779 243 013 Percentage 58 9 40 9 nbsp County resultsExon 50 60 60 70 70 80 Daub 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 U S senator before election J James Exon Democratic Elected U S Senator J James Exon Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Nebraska See also List of United States senators from Nebraska Incumbent Democrat J James Exon won re election to a third term beating Republican U S Representative Hal Daub General election results 4 Party Candidate Votes Democratic J James Exon Incumbent 379 933 58 90 6 97 Republican Hal Daub 243 013 40 92 7 09 Write ins 1 036 0 17 Majority 106 766 17 98 14 06 Turnout 593 828 Democratic hold SwingNew Hampshire editNew Hampshire election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Bob Smith John A Durkin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 189 792 91 299 Percentage 65 1 31 3 nbsp County results nbsp Municipality resultsSmith 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 gt 90 Durkin 40 50 50 60 gt 90 U S senator before election Gordon J Humphrey Republican Elected U S Senator Bob Smith Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in New Hampshire See also List of United States senators from New Hampshire Incumbent Republican Gordon J Humphrey decided to retire and not run for re election to a third term Republican Bob Smith won the open seat beating Democratic former Senator John A Durkin General election results 27 Party Candidate Votes Republican Bob Smith 189 792 65 13 Democratic John A Durkin 91 299 31 33 Libertarian John G Elsnau 9 102 3 34 Write In Candidates 585 0 20 Majority 98 493 33 80 Turnout 291 393 Republican holdNew Jersey editNew Jersey election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Bill Bradley Christine Todd Whitman Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 977 810 918 874 Percentage 50 44 47 40 nbsp County results Bradley 40 50 50 60 60 70 Whitman 40 50 50 60 60 70 U S senator before election Bill Bradley Democratic Elected U S Senator Bill Bradley Democratic Main article 1990 United States Senate election in New Jersey See also List of United States senators from New Jersey Democratic Senator Bill Bradley decided to seek re election and narrowly edged out little known Republican Christine Todd Whitman President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities 4 Senator Bill Bradley didn t realize he was in trouble of winning re election and the New Jersey voters anger over taxes and economy until the week prior to the election The senator had a major image problem In the early part of the campaign Bradley was winning easily in the polls so his staffers told him to play it safe He sent out television advertisements of himself walking on the beach shooting a perfect shot on the court and sitting back in his office with his basketball shoes onto his desk The advertisements backfired as voters were turned off and thought that he hadn t taken his job as Senator seriously at a time when New Jersey voters were suffering Another major problem with Bradley was how Democratic Governor Jim Florio implemented a 2 8 billion tax increase hurting the state s economy In addition Bradley refused to answer questions pertaining to Florio s tax policies After Bradley realized he was in trouble he released negative advertisements They attacked Whitman s own record on taxes accusing her of favoring tax increases when she was a Somerset County Freeholder Bradley s image may have been further damaged by his newer advertisements 28 1990 New Jersey United States Senate election Party Candidate Votes Democratic Bill Bradley Incumbent 977 810 50 4 Republican Christine Todd Whitman 918 874 47 4 Populist John Kucek 19 978 1 0 Libertarian Louis Stefanelli 13 988 0 7 Socialist Workers Don Mackle 7 804 0 4 Total votes 1 938 454 100 0 Democratic holdNew Mexico editNew Mexico election nbsp 1984 November 5 1990 1996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Pete Domenici Tom Benavidez Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 296 712 110 033 Percentage 72 9 27 0 nbsp County resultsDomenici 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 U S senator before election Pete Domenici Republican Elected U S Senator Pete Domenici RepublicanMain article 1990 United States Senate election in New Mexico See also List of United States senators from New Mexico Incumbent Republican Pete Domenici won re election to a fourth term over Democratic State Senator Tom Benavidez 29 General election results 30 Party Candidate Votes Republican Pete Domenici Incumbent 296 712 72 9 Democratic Tom Benavidez 110 033 27 0 Total votes 406 745 100 00 Majority 186 679 45 9 Republican holdNorth Carolina editNorth Carolina election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Jesse Helms Harvey Gantt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1 089 012 981 573 Percentage 52 58 47 39 nbsp Helms 50 60 60 70 70 80 Gantt 50 60 60 70 70 80 U S senator before election Jesse Helms Republican Elected U S Senator Jesse Helms Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina See also List of United States senators from North Carolina The election was fought between the Republican incumbent Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee Mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt Helms won re election to a fourth term by a slightly wider margin than the close election in 1984 Helms drew controversy for airing what became known as the Hands ad produced by Alex Castellanos It showed a pair of white hands with the voiceover saying You needed that job and you were the best qualified But they had to give it to a minority because of a racial quota The ad prompted allegations of racism 31 1990 North Carolina U S Senate Republican primary election 32 Party Candidate Votes Republican Jesse Helms Incumbent 157 345 84 32 6 33 Republican L C Nixon 15 355 8 23 N A Republican George Wimbish 13 895 7 45 1 90 Turnout 186 595 1990 North Carolina U S Senate Democratic primary election First round 32 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Harvey Gantt 260 179 37 52 N A Democratic Mike Easley 209 934 30 27 N A Democratic John Ingram 120 990 17 45 8 78 Democratic R P Thomas 82 883 11 95 N A Democratic Lloyd Gardner 11 528 1 66 N A Democratic Robert Hannan 7 982 1 15 N A Turnout 693 496 1990 North Carolina U S Senate Democratic primary election Second round 32 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Harvey Gantt 273 567 56 89 19 37 Democratic Mike Easley 207 283 43 11 12 84 Turnout 480 850 1990 North Carolina U S Senate election 32 Party Candidate Votes Republican Jesse Helms Incumbent 1 089 012 52 58 0 92 Democratic Harvey Gantt 981 573 47 39 0 42 Socialist Workers Rich Stuart 681 0 03 0 08 Turnout 2 071 266 Majority 107 439 5 19 Republican holdOklahoma editOklahoma election nbsp 1984 November 6 1990 1994 special nbsp nbsp Nominee David Boren Stephen Jones Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 735 684 148 814 Percentage 83 2 16 8 nbsp County results nbsp Precinct VTD results d nbsp Congressional district results nbsp State house district results nbsp State senate district resultsBoren 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 gt 90 Jones 100 Tie No votesU S senator before election David Boren Democratic Elected U S Senator David Boren DemocraticMain article 1990 United States Senate election in Oklahoma See also List of United States senators from Oklahoma Incumbent Democrat David Boren won re election to a third term over Republican attorney Stephen Jones 1990 United States Senate election in Oklahoma Party Candidate Votes Democratic David Boren Incumbent 735 684 83 2 Republican Stephen Jones 148 814 16 8 Majority 586 870 66 4 Total votes 884 498 33 100 00 Democratic holdOregon editOregon election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Mark Hatfield Harry Lonsdale Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 590 095 507 743 Percentage 53 7 46 2 nbsp County results Hatfield 40 50 50 60 60 70 Lonsdale 40 50 50 60 U S senator before election Mark Hatfield Republican Elected U S Senator Mark Hatfield Republican Main article 1990 United States Senate election in Oregon See also List of United States senators from Oregon Republican Mark Hatfield was re elected to a fifth term defeating Democratic businessman Harry Lonsdale The front runners emerged quickly for the Republicans Hatfield was in his fourth term and was the 8th most senior U S Senator having previously served as Governor of Oregon for two terms and Oregon Secretary of State For the Democrats Harry Lonsdale who had founded the biotechnology company Bend Research announced in early 1990 that he intended to aggressively challenge Hatfield over the incumbent s ties to special interests and his positions on abortion rights and timber management 34 In the Republican primary Hatfield received a token challenge from Randy Prince an environmentalist and former Eugene mayoral candidate who had once protested old growth forest logging by tree sitting for 40 days 35 Despite an early miscue by Hatfield in which he missed the deadline for submitting a photograph for the primary voter s guide 35 Hatfield handily defeated Prince to move on to the general election 36 Republican primary for the United States Senate from Oregon 1990 36 Party Candidate Votes Republican Mark Hatfield 220 449 78 29 Republican Randy Prince 59 970 21 30 Republican miscellaneous 1 167 0 41 Total votes 281 586 100 00 U S Congressman Ron Wyden considered challenging Hatfield but decided against it 37 Lonsdale who was unknown as a politician announced his campaign in March and came out swinging directly at Hatfield and mostly ignored his primary challengers Lonsdale s main campaign themes were abortion rights which Hatfield opposed and timber management in which Lonsdale opposed exporting timber from Oregon forests and wanted to restrict logging in old growth forests 34 Lonsdale also criticized Hatfield as being out of touch with Oregonians after so many years in the Senate Lonsdale announced that he would refuse to take special interest contributions in his campaign and would finance the campaign himself with the millions he had made from Bend Research 34 Lonsdale easily defeated his competition Salem attorney Steve Anderson Pleasant Hill computer programmer Neale S Hyatt Milwaukie retired truck driver Brooks Washburne Eugene activist Bob Reuschlein and Frank A Clough also of Eugene 34 38 39 Democratic primary for the United States Senate from Oregon 1990 39 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Harry Lonsdale 162 529 64 13 Democratic Steve Anderson 34 305 13 54 Democratic Neale S Hyatt 20 684 8 16 Democratic Brooks Washburne 13 766 5 43 Democratic Bob Reuschlein 12 383 4 89 Democratic Frank Clough 8 235 3 25 Democratic miscellaneous 1 535 0 61 Total votes 253 437 100 00 Once the primaries concluded Hatfield who had been first elected U S Senator in 1966 rolled out his usual campaign honed from his decades of experience he refused debates never engaged his opponent directly and focused on small friendly campaign appearances that stressed the influence he wielded as a U S Senator with seniority and influence 37 Lonsdale s self financed campaign made heavy use of TV attack ads criticizing Hatfield as being out of step with Oregonians on every issue but primarily in terms of timber and abortion He also made use of a nationwide anti incumbency sentiment and tore into Hatfield for being too closely tied to Washington special interests and attempted to tie Hatfield to the Savings and loan crisis of the mid 1980s through his advisor Gerry Frank who had ties to a Salem savings and loan 37 By early October polls showed the gap closing from 25 down to about 4 points in an early October poll conducted by The Oregonian newspaper and by the end of October some polls showed Lonsdale in the lead 40 With the polls running against him and time running out Hatfield who had not been seriously challenged since first being elected in 1966 and had never lost an election 41 abandoned his tactic of staying above the fray and not engaging Lonsdale directly In the media and in television ads he charged Lonsdale with hypocrisy in his environmental stand alleging that Lonsdale had allowed his company to illegally dump toxic chemicals into the environment 42 Lonsdale vigorously denied the charges which were later shown to have violated no laws but the tactic may have stalled Lonsdale s momentum 43 Hatfield went on to win in all but Multnomah Jackson Baker and Lincoln counties to win by more than 7 percentage points statewide 41 1990 United States Senate election in Oregon 44 Party Candidate Votes Republican Mark Hatfield Incumbent 590 095 53 68 Democratic Harry Lonsdale 507 743 46 19 Write In Misc 1 417 0 13 Total votes 1 099 255 100 00 Republican holdRhode Island editRhode Island election nbsp 19841996 nbsp nbsp Nominee Claiborne Pell Claudine Schneider Party Democratic a, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
