1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota
November 7, 1978
 
Nominee Rudy Boschwitz Wendell Anderson
Party Ind.-Republican Democratic (DFL)
Popular vote 894,092 638,375
Percentage 56.57% 40.39%
County results

Boschwitz:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Anderson:      40–50%
U.S. senator before election

Wendell Anderson
Democratic (DFL)

 Elected U.S. Senator

Rudy Boschwitz
Ind.-Republican

The 1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Wendell Anderson was defeated by Republican challenger Rudy Boschwitz.

The "Minnesota Massacre"

In 1978, Minnesota's top three statewide offices were all up for election: the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats. But there was a particular oddity to the races: the incumbents, each a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, were all appointed to their offices, not elected. (Republicans took advantage of this, putting up billboards that read, "The DFL is going to face something scary — an election".)

First, after Walter Mondale was elected Vice President in 1976, sitting Governor Wendell Anderson resigned so that Lieutenant Governor Rudy Perpich, as the new governor, could appoint Anderson to the open seat. This did not sit well with the electorate. Then, in January 1978, Minnesota's other Senate seat opened up when Hubert Humphrey died; Perpich appointed Humphrey's widow, Muriel, to the office. But she did not want to run that fall, and the DFL nominated Bob Short for the post.

Though Democrats maintained large majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate, the November election was something of a disappointment for them, as they lost a handful of seats in both chambers. But for Minnesota's DFL it was a disaster, later dubbed the "Minnesota Massacre". Plywood magnate Rudy Boschwitz campaigned as a liberal Republican, freely spent his own money, and defeated Anderson by 16 points, while David Durenberger crushed Short by 26 points. Al Quie completed the Republican trifecta by downing Perpich 52% to 45%. (Perpich would be elected governor in 1982 and re-elected in 1986.)

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 after being defeated for re-election. Additionally, this election and the special 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

  • Daryl W. Anderson
  • Wendell Anderson, Incumbent U.S. Senator since 1976
  • Dick Bullock
  • John S. Connolly, lawyer
  • Emil L. Moses
  • Lloyd M. Roberts

Results

Democratic primary election results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Wendell Anderson (incumbent) 286,209 56.9%
Democratic (DFL) John S. Connolly 159,974 31.8%
Democratic (DFL) Daryl W. Anderson 23,159 4.6%
Democratic (DFL) Lloyd M. Roberts 12,709 2.5%
Democratic (DFL) Dick Bullock 11,485 2.3%
Democratic (DFL) Emil L. Moses 9,580 1.9%
Total votes 503,116 100.0%

Independent-Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Results

Republican primary election results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Ind.-Republican Rudy Boschwitz 185,393 86.8%
Ind.-Republican Harold Stassen 28,170 13.2%
Total votes 213,563 100.0%

American Party primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Sal Carlone

Results

American Party primary election results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
American Sal Carlone 4,085 100.0%
Total votes 4,085 100.0%

General election

Results

General election results[2][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Ind.-Republican Rudy Boschwitz 894,092 56.57%
Democratic (DFL) Wendell Anderson (incumbent) 638,375 40.39%
American Sal Carlone 23,261 1.47%
Socialist Workers William Peterson 9,856 0.62%
Independent Brian J. Coyle 8,083 0.51%
Workers League Jean T. Brust 3,891 0.25%
Libertarian Leonard J. Richards 2,992 0.19%
Others Write-ins 72 0.01%
Total votes 1,580,622 100.00%
Majority 255,717 16.18%
Turnout 1,580,622 62.95%
Ind.-Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Minnesota Election Results 1978 (Primary Election)" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 07, 1978".
  3. ↑ Clerk of the United States House of Representatives (1979). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 1978" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office.
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