1988 United States Senate election in Tennessee
November 8, 1988
 
Nominee Jim Sasser Bill Andersen
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

The 1988 United States election in Tennessee was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jim Sasser won re-election to a third term, defeating feating Republican nominee Bill Anderson with 65.1% of the vote.

As of 2024, this was the last time the Democrats won the Class 1 Senate seat from Tennessee.

Major candidates

Democratic

Republican

Campaign

Sasser raised $1.5 million in 1987 to ward off significant opposition according to his aide Doug Hall. Anderson started raising funds for a congressional campaign in 1985, under the belief that U.S. Representative Jimmy Quillen would retire, but Quillen sought reelection. Anderson instead switched to a senatorial campaign.[2]

Sasser declined to acknowledge Anderson's attacks during the campaign and instead focused on his congressional work while his staff responded to the attacks. Anderson called for six televised debates, but Sasser rejected the demand and only accepted one debate in Nashville.[2]

After the election Anderson stated that polling conducted by his campaign reported that "one out of three Tennesseans had not yet identified who I was and what my message means".[3]

Sasser won every county in the state except for one. He received 58% of the vote in the eastern region of the state which is usually Republican, 68% in the middle, and 71% in the west.[4]

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size		 Margin
of error		 Bill
Anderson
Republican		 Jim
Sasser
Democratic		 Other /
Undecided
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[3] Early October 27% 62% 11%
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[3] October 26–28, 1988 26% 65% 9%

Endorsements

Bill Anderson
Newspapers
Jim Sasser
Newspapers

Results

1988 United States Senate election in Tennessee[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Jim Sasser (incumbent) 1,020,061 65.09%
Republican Bill Andersen 541,033 34.52%
Independent Khalil-Ullah Al-Muhaymin 6,042 0.39%
Independent Write-ins 45 0.39%
Total votes 1,567,181 100.00%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lamis, Alexander P. (August 1999). Southern Politics in the 1990s. ISBN 9780807166772.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 209.
  3. 1 2 3 Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 210.
  4. ↑ Moreland, Steed & Baker 1991, p. 215.
  5. ↑ Thomas 1989, p. 23.

Works cited

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