1986 United States Senate elections

1986 United States Senate elections

← 1984 November 4, 1986 1988 →
34 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 47 53 Seats after 55 45 Seat change 8 8 Popular vote 24,347,369[1] 23,126,219[a][1] Percentage 50.1% 47.6% Seats up 12 22 Races won 20 14
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican gain      Republican hold      No election Rectangular inset (North Carolina): both seats up for election
Majority Leader before election Bob Dole Republican Elected Majority Leader Robert Byrd Democratic

The 1986 United States Senate elections were elections for the United States Senate. Held on November 4, in the middle of Ronald Reagan's second presidential term, the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. The Republicans had to defend an unusually large number of freshman Senate incumbents who had been elected on President Ronald Reagan's coattails in 1980. Democrats won a net of eight seats, defeating seven freshman incumbents, picking up two Republican-held open seats, and regaining control of the Senate for the first time since January 1981. This remains the most recent midterm election cycle in which the sitting president's party suffered net losses while still flipping a Senate seat.

Democrats gained a net eight seats, and recaptured control of the Senate from the Republicans with a 55–45 majority. They defeated seven incumbents, all but one of whom had been elected in 1980, and gained open seats held by retiring Republicans in Maryland and Nevada. Republicans gained one open seat in Missouri. Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) exchanged positions as the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader. However, the Democratic majority would be reduced to 54-46 following the March 1987 death of Democrat Edward Zorinsky, who was then replaced with a Republican.

This was the last election cycle — until 2016 — in which the Democrats in this class of senators amassed a gain in seats (not including special elections held in off-years in some states to fill the seats that had been vacated by senators due to death, resignation, or otherwise).

↓

55	45
Democratic	Republican

Shading indicates party with largest share of that line.

Parties							Total
		Democratic	Republican	Independent	Libertarian	Other
Last elections (1984) Before these elections		47	53	0	0	0	100
Not up		35	31	—	—	—	66
Up Class 3 (1980→1986)		12	22	—	—	—	34
Incumbent retired		3	3	—	—	—	6
	Held by same party	2	1	—	—	—	3
	Replaced by other party	2 Republicans replaced by 2 Democrats 1 Democrat replaced by 1 Republican		—	—	—	3
	Result	4	2	0	0	0	6
Incumbent ran		9	19	—	—	—	28
	Won re-election	9	12	—	—	—	21
	Lost re-election	7 Republicans replaced by 7 Democrats		—	—	—	7
	Lost renomination, but held by same party	0	0	—	—	—	0
	Result	16	12	0	0	0	28
Total elected		20	14	0	0	0	34
Net gain/loss		8	8				8
Nationwide vote		24,347,369	23,126,219[a]	155,032	104,338	878,047	48,611,005
	Share	50.09%	47.57%	0.32%	0.21%	1.81%	100%
Result		55	45	0	0	0	100

Source: Office of the Clerk^[1]

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

State	Senator	Replaced by
Arizona	Barry Goldwater	John McCain
Colorado	Gary Hart	Tim Wirth
Louisiana	Russell B. Long	John Breaux
Maryland	Charles Mathias	Barbara Mikulski
Missouri	Thomas Eagleton	Kit Bond
Nevada	Paul Laxalt	Harry Reid

Seven Republicans sought re-election but lost in the general election, including one that simultaneously lost in a special election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Alabama	Jeremiah Denton	Richard Shelby
Florida	Paula Hawkins	Bob Graham
Georgia	Mack Mattingly	Wyche Fowler
North Carolina	Jim Broyhill	Terry Sanford
North Dakota	Mark Andrews	Kent Conrad
South Dakota	James Abdnor	Tom Daschle
Washington	Slade Gorton	Brock Adams

One Democrat died on March 6, 1987, and a Republican was appointed on March 11, 1987.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Nebraska (Class 1)	Edward Zorinsky	David Karnes

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 Hawaii Ran	D39 Conn. Ran	D38 Colo. Retired	D37 Calif. Ran	D36 Ark. Ran	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Ill. Ran	D42 Ky. Ran	D43 La. Retired	D44 Mo. Retired	D45 Ohio Ran	D46 S.C. Ran	D47 Vt. Ran	R53 Wisc. Ran	R52 Wash. Ran	R51 Utah Ran
Majority →
R41 Md. Retired	R42 Nev. Retired	R43 N.H. Ran	R44 N.Y. Ran	R45 N.C. (reg) & N.C. (sp) Ran	R46 N.D. Ran	R47 Okla. Ran	R48 Ore. Ran	R49 Pa. Ran	R50 S.D. Ran
R40 Kan. Ran	R39 Iowa Ran	R38 Ind. Ran	R37 Idaho Ran	R36 Ga. Ran	R35 Fla. Ran	R34 Ariz. Retired	R33 Alaska Ran	R32 Ala. 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 Hawaii Re-elected	D39 Conn. Re-elected	D38 Colo. Hold	D37 Calif. Re-elected	D36 Ark. Re-elected	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Ill. Re-elected	D42 Ky. Re-elected	D43 La. Hold	D44 Ohio Re-elected	D45 S.C. Re-elected	D46 Vt. Re-elected	D47 Ala. Gain	D48 Fla. Gain	D49 Ga. Gain	D50 Md. Gain
Majority →									D51 Nev. Gain
R41 Ore. Re-elected	R42 Pa. Re-elected	R43 Utah Re-elected	R44 Wisc. Re-elected	R45 Mo. Gain	D55 Wash. Gain	D54 S.D. Gain	D53 N.D. Gain	D52 N.C. (reg) & N.C. (sp) Gain[b]
R40 Okla. Re-elected	R39 N.Y. Re-elected	R38 N.H. Re-elected	R37 Kan. Re-elected	R36 Iowa Re-elected	R35 Ind. Re-elected	R34 Idaho Re-elected	R33 Ariz. Hold	R32 Alaska 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

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	D39	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41	D42	D43	D44	D45	D46	D47	D48	D49	D50
Majority →									D51
R41	R42	R43	R44	R45	R46 Neb. Gain	D54	D53	D52
R40	R39	R38	R37	R36	R35	R34	R33	R32	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

In this special election, the winner was seated during 1986.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
North Carolina (Class 3)	Jim Broyhill	Republican	1986 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election to finish term. New senator elected November 8, 1986. Democratic gain. Winner also elected to the next term; see below.	▌Y Terry Sanford (Democratic) 50.9% ▌Jim Broyhill (Republican) 49.1%

In these general elections, the winners were elected for the term beginning January 3, 1987; ordered by state.

All of the elections involved the Class 3 seats.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Jeremiah Denton	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Richard Shelby (Democratic) 50.3% ▌Jeremiah Denton (Republican) 49.7%
Alaska	Frank Murkowski	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Frank Murkowski (Republican) 54.0% ▌Glenn Olds (Democratic) 44.1% ▌Chuck House (Libertarian) 1.7%
Arizona	Barry Goldwater	Republican	1952 1958 1964 (retired) 1968 1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y John McCain (Republican) 60.6% ▌Richard Kimball (Democratic) 39.4%
Arkansas	Dale Bumpers	Democratic	1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Dale Bumpers (Democratic) 62.9% ▌Asa Hutchinson (Republican) 37.1%
California	Alan Cranston	Democratic	1968 1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alan Cranston (Democratic) 49.3% ▌Ed Zschau (Republican) 47.8% Others ▌Breck McKinley (Libertarian) 1.5% ▌Edward B. Vallen (American Independent) 0.9% ▌Andrew R. Kangas (Peace and Freedom) 0.5%
Colorado	Gary Hart	Democratic	1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Democratic hold.	▌Y Tim Wirth (Democratic) 49.9% ▌Ken Kramer (Republican) 48.4% Others ▌Michael Bush (Independent) 1.0% ▌Michael Chamberlain (Socialist Workers) 0.4% ▌Henry Olshaw (Unaffiliated American) 0.2% ▌Calvin Dodge (Prohibition) 0.1%
Connecticut	Chris Dodd	Democratic	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Chris Dodd (Democratic) 64.8% ▌Roger W. Eddy (Republican) 34.8% ▌Edward McCallum (Independent) 0.4%
Florida	Paula Hawkins	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Bob Graham (Democratic) 55% ▌Paula Hawkins (Republican) 45%
Georgia	Mack Mattingly	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Wyche Fowler (Democratic) 50.9% ▌Mack Mattingly (Republican) 49.1%
Hawaii	Daniel Inouye	Democratic	1962 1968 1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Daniel Inouye (Democratic) 73.6% ▌Frank Hutchinson (Republican) 26.4%
Idaho	Steve Symms	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Steve Symms (Republican) 51.4% ▌John V. Evans (Democratic) 48.6%
Illinois	Alan J. Dixon	Democratic	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alan J. Dixon (Democratic) 65.4% ▌Judy Koehler (Republican) 34.1%
Indiana	Dan Quayle	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Dan Quayle (Republican) 61.1% ▌Jill L. Long (Democratic) 38.9%
Iowa	Chuck Grassley	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Chuck Grassley (Republican) 66.0% ▌John P. Roehrick (Democratic) 34.0%
Kansas	Bob Dole	Republican	1968 1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bob Dole (Republican) 70.1% ▌Guy MacDonald (Democratic) 29.9%
Kentucky	Wendell Ford	Democratic	1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Wendell Ford (Democratic) 74.3% ▌Jackson M. Andrews (Republican) 25.7%
Louisiana	Russell B. Long	Democratic	1948 (special) 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Democratic hold.	▌Y John Breaux (Democratic) 52.8% ▌Henson Moore (Republican) 47.2%
Maryland	Charles Mathias	Republican	1968 1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Barbara Mikulski (Democratic) 60.8% ▌Linda Chavez (Republican) 39.2%
Missouri	Thomas Eagleton	Democratic	1968 1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Republican gain.	▌Y Kit Bond (Republican) 52.6% ▌Harriett Woods (Democratic) 47.4%
Nevada	Paul Laxalt	Republican	1974 1980	Incumbent retired. Democratic gain.	▌Y Harry Reid (Democratic) 50.0% ▌James David Santini (Republican) 44.5% ▌Kent Cromwell (Libertarian) 1.9%
New Hampshire	Warren Rudman	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Warren Rudman (Republican) 62.9% ▌Endicott Peabody (Democratic) 32.4% ▌Gruce Valley (Independent) 4.7%
New York	Al D'Amato	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Al D'Amato (Republican) 57.7% ▌Mark Green (Democratic) 40.9% Others ▌John S. Dyson (Liberal) 1.4% ▌Fred Newman (New Alliance) 0.3% ▌Michael Shur (Socialist Workers) 0.2%
North Carolina	Jim Broyhill	Republican	1986 (appointed)	Interim appointee lost election. Democratic gain. Winner was also elected to finish the current term; see above.	▌Y Terry Sanford (Democratic) 51.8% ▌Jim Broyhill (Republican) 48.2%
North Dakota	Mark Andrews	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic-NPL gain.	▌Y Kent Conrad (Democratic-NPL) 49.8% ▌Mark Andrews (Republican) 49.0%
Ohio	John Glenn	Democratic	1974 1974 (appointed) 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Glenn (Democratic) 62.4% ▌Tom Kindness (Republican) 37.6%
Oklahoma	Don Nickles	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Don Nickles (Republican) 54.5% ▌James R. Jones (Democratic) 45.5%
Oregon	Bob Packwood	Republican	1968 1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bob Packwood (Republican) 63.5% ▌Rick Bauman (Democratic) 36.5%
Pennsylvania	Arlen Specter	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Arlen Specter (Republican) 56.9% ▌Robert W. Edgar (Democratic) 43.1%
South Carolina	Fritz Hollings	Democratic	1966 (special) 1968 1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Fritz Hollings (Democratic) 63.9% ▌Henry McMaster (Republican) 36.1%
South Dakota	James Abdnor	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Tom Daschle (Democratic) 51.6% ▌James Abdnor (Republican) 48.4%
Utah	Jake Garn	Republican	1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jake Garn (Republican) 72.3% ▌Craig Oliver (Democratic) 26.6% Others ▌Hugh A. Butler (Libertarian) 0.7% ▌Mary Zins (Independent) 0.4%
Vermont	Patrick Leahy	Democratic	1974 1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Patrick Leahy (Democratic) 63.7% ▌Richard A. Snelling (Republican) 34.7%
Washington	Slade Gorton	Republican	1980	Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain.	▌Y Brock Adams (Democratic) 50.6% ▌Slade Gorton (Republican) 48.7% ▌Jill Fein (Socialist Workers) 0.7%
Wisconsin	Bob Kasten	Republican	1980	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bob Kasten (Republican) 51.8% ▌Ed Garvey (Democratic) 48.2%

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

State	Party of winner	Margin
Alabama	Democratic (flip)	0.56%
North Dakota	Democratic (flip)	0.73%
California	Democratic	1.42%
Colorado	Democratic	1.55%
North Carolina (special)	Democratic (flip)	1.76%
Georgia	Democratic (flip)	1.83% [c]
Washington	Democratic (flip)	1.99%
Idaho	Republican	3.11%
South Dakota	Democratic (flip)	3.21%
North Carolina (regular)	Democratic (flip)	3.54%
Wisconsin	Republican	3.54%
Missouri	Republican (flip)	5.28%
Nevada	Democratic (flip)	5.48%
Louisiana	Democratic	5.64%
Florida	Democratic (flip)	9.48%
Alaska	Republican	9.93%

Alabama election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Richard Shelby Jeremiah Denton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 609,360 602,537 Percentage 50.3% 49.7%

County results Shelby:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Denton:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Jeremiah Denton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Shelby Democratic

Incumbent Republican Jeremiah Denton ran for a second term but lost to Democrat Richard Shelby.

Shelby, a moderate-to-conservative Democrat avoided a primary runoff and won nomination in the Democratic Party primary over Jim Allen Jr., son of former senator James Allen.^[2]

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Shelby	420,155	51.33%
	Democratic	Jim Allen Jr.	284,206	34.72%
	Democratic	Ted McLaughlin	70,784	8.65%
	Democratic	Margaret Stewart	26,723	3.27%
	Democratic	Steve Arnold	16,722	2.04%
Total votes			818,590	100.00%

Incumbent Senator Jeremiah Denton, a retired Rear Admiral and decorated Vietnam War veteran who six years earlier became the first Republican elected to the Senate from Alabama since Reconstruction, won the Republican primary with little opposition from Richard Vickers.^[3]

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jeremiah Denton	29,805	88.55%
	Republican	Richard Vickers	3,854	11.45%
Total votes			33,659	100.00%

Shelby won a very narrow victory over Denton (less than one percent), once again making Alabama's Senate delegation entirely Democratic.^[4][5]

1986 United States Senate election in Alabama^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Richard Shelby	609,360	50.28%
	Republican	Jeremiah Denton (Incumbent)	602,537	49.72%
Majority			6,823	0.56%
Turnout			1,211,897
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Alaska election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Frank Murkowski Glenn Olds Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 97,764 79,727 Percentage 54.02% 44.10%

Results by state house district Murkowski:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Olds:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Frank Murkowski Republican Elected U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski Republican

Incumbent Republican Frank Murkowski ran for a second term and was primarily opposed by Democrat and Alaska Pacific University President Glenn Olds and Libertarian Chuck House, field representative for Eastman Kodak Company. Following a highly competitive election in 1980, Murkowski faced a legitimate opponent in Olds, and the contest was fairly close throughout the campaign. However, in the end, Murkowski was able to defeat Olds 63%-25% in the open primary. He won 54%-44% against Olds in the runoff.^[5]

Open primary results^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank Murkowski (inc.)	91,705	63.11%
	Democratic	Glenn Olds	36,995	25.46%
	Democratic	Bill Barnes	4,871	3.35%
	Libertarian	Chuck House	4,265	2.94%
	Democratic	Dave J. Carlson	4,211	2.90%
	Democratic	Michael J. Bruner	1,809	1.24%
	Democratic	Karl Francis	1,454	1.00%
Total votes			145,310	100.00%

1986 United States Senate election in Alaska^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Frank Murkowski (Incumbent)	97,674	54.02%	+0.34%
	Democratic	Glenn Olds	79,727	44.10%	−1.84%
	Libertarian	Chuck House	3,161	1.75%
	Write-ins		239	0.13%
Majority			17,947	9.93%	+2.17%
Turnout			180,801	100.0
	Republican hold		Swing

Arizona election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee John McCain Richard Kimball Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 521,850 340,965 Percentage 60.4% 39.5%

County results McCain:      50–60%      60-70% Kimball:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Barry Goldwater Republican Elected U.S. Senator John McCain Republican

Incumbent Republican Barry Goldwater decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. The open seat was won by Republican John McCain, a Congressman and former Navy Officer who beat Democratic State Legislator Richard Kimball. Both candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.

Kimball's campaign was subject to negative press from the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. One Gazette columnist described him as displaying "terminal weirdness."^[7] McCain ultimately won the election by a margin of 20%,^[5] and he would go on to win six more terms to the U.S. Senate.^[1]

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John McCain	521,850	60.47%	+11.02%
	Democratic	Richard Kimball	340,965	39.51%	−8.87%
	Write-ins		106	0.01%
Majority			180,885	20.96%	+19.89%
Turnout			862,921
	Republican hold		Swing

Arkansas election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Dale Bumpers Asa Hutchinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 433,122 262,313 Percentage 62.3% 37.7%

County results Bumpers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Hutchinson:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Dale Bumpers Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Dale Bumpers won re-election to a third term over Republican U.S. Attorney Asa Hutchinson. Both ran unopposed in their respective primaries.^[5]

Arkansas Senate election 1986^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dale Bumpers (Incumbent)	433,122	62.3%
	Republican	Asa Hutchinson	262,313	37.7%
	Independent	Ralph Forbes	52	0.1%
Majority			170,809	24.6%
Turnout			695,487
	Democratic hold

California election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Alan Cranston Ed Zschau Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 3,646,672 3,541,804 Percentage 49.3% 47.9%

County results Cranston:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Zschau:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Alan Cranston Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Alan Cranston Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Alan Cranston won re-nomination over nominal Democratic opposition. Congressman Ed Zschau narrowly defeated Bruce Herschensohn in the Republican primary to secure the nomination. Cranston narrowly won re-election to a fourth term over Zschau, 49%-48%.^[5]

1986 United States Senate election, California^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Alan Cranston (Incumbent)	3,646,672	49.3%
	Republican	Ed Zschau	3,541,804	47.9%
	American Independent	Edward B Vallen	109,916	1.5%
	Libertarian	Breck McKinley	66,261	0.9%
	Peace and Freedom	Paul Kangas	33,869	0.5%
Majority			104,868	1.4%
Turnout			7,398,522
	Democratic hold

Colorado election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Tim Wirth Ken Kramer Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 529,449 512,994 Percentage 49.9% 48.4%

County results Wirth:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Kramer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Gary Hart Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Tim Wirth Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Gary Hart retired instead of seeking a third term. Democratic nominee Tim Wirth and Republican Ken Kramer ran unopposed for the seat. In an ultimately very close election, Wirth defeated Kramer by just under 2%. Wirth would retire and opt not to seek a second term.^[5]

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Wirth	529,449	49.91%	−0.42%
	Republican	Ken Kramer	512,994	48.36%	−0.34%
	Independent	Michael Martin Bush	11,127	1.05%
	Socialist Workers	Michael R. Chamberlain	3,756	0.35%
	Independent American	Henry John Olshaw	1,868	0.18%	−0.17%
	Prohibition	Calvin G. Dodge	1,571	0.15%
Majority			16,455	1.55%	−0.09%
Turnout			1,060,765
	Democratic hold		Swing

Connecticut election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Chris Dodd Roger Eddy Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 632,695 340,438 Percentage 64.8% 34.9%

County results Municipality results Dodd:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Eddy:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Chris Dodd Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Chris Dodd Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Chris Dodd received the Democratic nomination with no opposition. Republican Roger Eddy of the Republican National Committee won the Republican nomination. Dodd handily defeated Eddy, 65%-35%.^[10][5]

1986 Connecticut United States Senate election^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Chris Dodd (Incumbent)	632,695	64.8%
	Republican	Roger Eddy	340,438	34.9%
	Independent	Edward J. McCallum Jr.	3,800	0.4%
Majority			292,257	29.9%
Turnout			976,933
	Democratic hold

Florida election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Bob Graham Paula Hawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,877,543 1,552,376 Percentage 54.7% 45.2%

County results Graham:      50–60%      60–70% Hawkins:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Paula Hawkins Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Graham Democratic

Incumbent Republican Paula Hawkins won renomination with nominal opposition, but so did her Democratic opponent, popular Governor of Florida Bob Graham. Graham defeated Hawkins by nearly 9% on election day.^[1][5]

Democratic primary results^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Bob Graham	850,560	85.04%
	Democratic	Bob Kunst	149,657	14.96%
Total votes			1,000,217	100.00%

Republican primary results^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paula Hawkins (Incumbent)	491,767	88.73%
	Republican	Jon Larsen Shudlick	62,443	11.27%
Total votes			554,210	100.00%

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Bob Graham	1,877,543	54.74%	+6.40%
	Republican	Paula Hawkins (Incumbent)	1,552,376	45.26%	−6.40%
	Write-ins		77	0.00%
Majority			325,167	9.48%	+6.16%
Turnout			3,429,996
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Georgia election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Wyche Fowler Mack Mattingly Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 623,707 601,241 Percentage 50.92% 49.08%

County results Fowler:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Mattingly:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Mack Mattingly Republican Elected U.S. Senator Wyche Fowler Democratic

Incumbent Republican Mack Mattingly decided to run for re-election and lost a close race to Democratic U.S. Congressman Wyche Fowler, who had defeated former White House Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan in the Democratic primary.^[1][5] Fowler would lose re-election in 1992.

1986 United States Senate election, Georgia^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Wyche Fowler	623,707	50.91%	+1.78%
	Republican	Mack Mattingly (Incumbent)	601,241	49.08%	−1.79%
		Write-In Votes	60	0.00%	N/A
Majority			22,466	1.83%	+.09%
Turnout			1,225,008
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing	1.78%

Hawaii election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Daniel Inouye Frank Hutchinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 241,887 86,910 Percentage 73.6% 26.4%

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

U.S. senator before election Daniel Inouye Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Daniel Inouye won re-election to a fifth term, 74%-26%, over Republican Frank Hutchinson, who had defeated Marvin Franklin in the Republican primary.^[5]

1986 United States Senate election in Hawaii^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Daniel Inouye (Incumbent)	241,887	73.57%
	Republican	Frank Hutchinson	86,910	26.43%
Majority			154,977	47.14%
Turnout			328,797
	Democratic hold		Swing

Idaho election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Steve Symms John V. Evans Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 196,958 185,066 Percentage 51.6% 48.4%

County results Symms:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Evans:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Steve Symms Republican Elected U.S. Senator Steve Symms Republican

Incumbent Republican Steve Symms won re-election to a second term over Democratic Governor John V. Evans. Evans was a popular governor, and the race was ultimately close, but Symms prevailed by just over 2%.^[5]

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Steve Symms (Incumbent)	196,958	51.56%	+1.81%
	Democratic	John V. Evans	185,066	48.44%	−0.33%
Majority			11,892	3.11%	+2.14%
Turnout			382,024
	Republican hold		Swing

Illinois election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Alan Dixon Judy Koehler Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,033,783 1,053,734 Percentage 65.1% 33.7%

County results Dixon:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Koehler:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Alan J. Dixon Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Alan J. Dixon Democratic

The incumbent Democratic Alan J. Dixon won re-election to a second term over Republican State Representative Judy Koehler, who won the Republican nomination over George Ranney.^[5] This was also the last time until 2022 that a winning Senate Candidate was elected to this seat twice.

Dixon easily won the senate race. Koehler fared poorly throughout most parts of the state, only winning 10 of the states 102 counties.

1986 Illinois United States Senate election^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Alan J. Dixon (Incumbent)	2,033,783	65.1%	+9.1%
	Republican	Judy Koehler	1,053,734	33.7%	−8.8%
	Independent	Einar V. Dyhrkopp	15,804	0.5%
	Libertarian	Don Parrish	13,891	0.5%
	Socialist Workers	Omari Musa	5,671	0.2%
Majority			980,049	31.4%
Turnout			3,122,883
	Democratic hold		Swing

Indiana election

← 1980 1990 (special) →

Nominee Dan Quayle Jill Long Thompson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 936,143 595,192 Percentage 60.6% 38.5%

County results Quayle:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Long:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Dan Quayle Republican Elected U.S. Senator Dan Quayle Republican

Incumbent Republican Dan Quayle won re-election to a second term over Democratic Valparaiso City Councilwoman Jill L. Long.^[15][5]

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dan Quayle (Incumbent)	936,143	60.57%
	Democratic	Jill L. Long	595,192	38.51%
	Libertarian	Bradford Warren	8,314	0.54%
	American	Rockland Snyder	5,914	0.38%
Majority			340,951	22.06%
Turnout			1,545,563
	Republican hold

Iowa election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Chuck Grassley John P. Roehrick Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 588,880 299,406 Percentage 66.04% 33.57%

County results Grassley:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80–90% Roehrick:      40–50%

U.S. senator before election Chuck Grassley Republican Elected U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Republican

Incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley ran for re-election to a second term, which he won easily over Democratic nominee John P. Roehrick, an attorney.^[5]

Democratic primary results^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John P. Roehrick	88,347	83.83%
	Democratic	Juan Cortez	16,987	16.12%
	Democratic	Write-ins	60	0.06%
Total votes			105,394	100.00%

Republican primary results^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chuck Grassley (Incumbent)	108,370	99.96%
	Republican	Write-ins	38	0.04%
Total votes			108,408	100.00%

1986 United States Senate election in Iowa^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Chuck Grassley (Incumbent)	588,880	66.04%	+12.55%
	Democratic	John P. Roehrick	299,406	33.57%	−11.97%
	Independent	John Masters	3,370	0.38%
	Write-ins		106	0.01%
Majority			289,474	32.46%	+24.51%
Turnout			891,762
	Republican hold		Swing

Kansas election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Bob Dole Guy MacDonald Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 576,902 246,664 Percentage 70.05% 29.95%

County Results Dole:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Bob Dole Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Dole Republican

Incumbent Republican Bob Dole ran for re-election to a fourth term, which he won easily over Democratic nominee Guy MacDonald, a school teacher, who had narrowly prevailed in a crowded field of Democratic candidates.^[5]

1986 United States Senate election in Kansas^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bob Dole (Incumbent)	576,902	70.05%
	Democratic	Guy MacDonald	246,664	29.95%
Majority			330,238	40.10%
Turnout			823,566
	Republican hold		Swing

Kentucky election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Wendell Ford Jackson Andrews Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 503,775 173,330 Percentage 74.40% 25.60%

Country results Ford:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Wendell Ford Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Wendell Ford Democratic

Democrat Wendell Ford won re-election, He defeated Republican Jackson Andrews, who emerged from a competitive primary.^[5]

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Wendell Ford (incumbent)	503,775	74.40%
	Republican	Jackson Andrews	173,330	25.60%
	Democratic hold

Louisiana election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee John Breaux Henson Moore Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 723,586 646,311 Percentage 52.82% 47.18%

Parish Results Breaux:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Moore:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Russell B. Long Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Breaux Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Russell B. Long decided to retire instead of seeking an eighth term. The open seat was won by Democrat U.S. Representative John Breaux, who beat Republican U.S. Representative Henson Moore by just over 5% after the two finished second and first in the open primary, respectively.^[5]

1986 United States Senate election in Louisiana^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	John Breaux	723,586	52.82%
	Republican	W. Henson Moore	646,311	47.18%
Majority			77,275	5.64%
Turnout			1,369,897
	Democratic hold		Swing

Maryland election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Barbara Mikulski Linda Chavez Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 675,225 437,411 Percentage 60.7% 39.3%

County results Mikulski:      50–60%      60–70%      80–90% Chavez:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Charles Mathias Republican Elected U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski Democratic

Incumbent Republican Charles Mathias decided to retire, instead of seeking a fourth term. At the time of this announcement, it was expected that then-Governor Harry Hughes would run for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mathias. However, Hughes became caught up in the aftermath of the Maryland savings and loan crisis. He lost popularity with voters, opening the door for Mikulski's bid for the Senate. Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski received the Democratic nomination over fellow Congressman Michael D. Barnes and governor Harry Hughes, the last of whom finished third. Mikulski had previously run for the seat in 1974.

Chavez won the primary handily, defeating several Republican challengers. Later, she made comments that some Mikulski supporters interpreted as an attempt to draw attention to the issue of Mikulski's sexual orientation. In an article quoting Chavez's claim that Mikulski was a "San Francisco-style, George McGovern, liberal Democrat", The Washington Post reported that Chavez was directly implying that the never-married Mikulski was a lesbian.^{[citation needed]} Chavez was accused of making Mikulski's sexual orientation a central issue of the political campaign. In defending her use of the phrase, Chavez stated the line "San Francisco Democrats" was a reference to Jeane Kirkpatrick's 1984 Republican National Convention "Blame America First" speech, in which Kirkpatrick coined the phrase "San Francisco Liberal."^{[citation needed]}. The phrase "San Francisco liberal" was common at the time.

Mikulski eventually won the race with 61 percent of the vote.^[5] She was the first female Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a deceased husband). No Republican since Mathias has represented Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

Democratic primary results^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Barbara A. Mikulski	307,876	49.50%
	Democratic	Michael D. Barnes	195,086	31.37%
	Democratic	Harry Hughes	88,908	14.30%
	Democratic	Debra Hanania Freeman	9,350	1.50%
	Democratic	Edward M. Olszewski	7,877	1.27%
	Democratic	A. Robert Kaufman	6,505	1.05%
	Democratic	Boyd E. Sweatt	3,580	0.58%
	Democratic	Leonard E. Trout Jr.	2,742	0.44%
Total votes			621,924	100.00%

Republican primary results^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Linda Chavez	100,888	73.07%
	Republican	Michael Schaefer	16,902	12.24%
	Republican	George Haley	5,808	4.21%
	Republican	Melvin Perkins	2,785	2.02%
	Republican	Nicholas T. Nonnenmacher	2,751	1.99%
	Republican	Richard Sullivan	2,328	1.69%
	Republican	Howard D. Greyber	1,678	1.22%
	Republican	Monroe Cornish	1,497	1.08%
	Republican	Herbert Stone Rosenberg	1,337	0.97%
	Republican	Horace Stuart Rich	1,199	0.87%
	Republican	Abraham H. Kalish	901	0.65%
Total votes			138,074	100.00%

1986 United States Senate election in Maryland^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Barbara A. Mikulski	675,225	60.69%	+26.85%
	Republican	Linda Chavez	437,411	39.31%	−26.85%
Majority			237,814	21.37%	−10.96%
Total votes			1,017,151	100.00%
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Missouri election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Kit Bond Harriett Woods Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 777,612 699,624 Percentage 52.6% 47.4%

County results Bond:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Woods:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Thomas Eagleton Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Kit Bond Republican

Incumbent Democrat Tom Eagleton decided to retire instead of seeking a fourth term. Republican Governor Kit Bond won the open seat, beating Democratic Lieutenant Governor Harriett Woods.^[5]

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kit Bond	777,612	52.6%
	Democratic	Harriett Woods	699,624	47.4%
Majority			77,988	5.2%
Turnout			1,477,236
	Republican gain from Democratic

Nevada election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Harry Reid Jim Santini Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 130,955 116,606 Percentage 50.0% 44.5%

County results Reid:      40–50%      60–70% Santini:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Paul Laxalt Republican Elected U.S. Senator Harry Reid Democratic

Incumbent Republican Paul Laxalt decided to retire instead of seeking a third term. U.S. Representative Democratic nominee Harry Reid won the open seat over Republican former U.S. Representative James David Santini.^[1][5] Reid had previously run for the seat in 1974.

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Harry Reid	130,955	50.00%	+12.61%
	Republican	Jim Santini	116,606	44.52%	−14.01%
	None of These Candidates		9,472	3.62%	+2.33%
	Libertarian	Kent Cromwell	4,899	1.87%	−0.94%
Majority			14,349	5.48%	−15.66%
Turnout			261,932
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

New Hampshire election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Warren Rudman Endicott Peabody Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 154,090 79,222 Percentage 63.0% 32.4%

County results Municipality results Rudman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Peabody:      40–50%      50–60%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Warren Rudman Republican Elected U.S. Senator Warren Rudman Republican

Incumbent Republican Warren Rudman won re-election to a second term, beating the Democratic former Governor of Massachusetts Endicott Peabody.^[5]

General election results^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Warren Rudman (Incumbent)	154,090	63.0%
	Democratic	Endicott Peabody	79,222	32.4%
	Independent	Bruce Valley	11,423	4.7%
Majority			74,868	30.6%
Turnout			244,735
	Republican hold

New York election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Al D'Amato Mark Green Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,378,197 1,723,216 Percentage 56.9% 41.2%

County results D'Amato:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Green:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Al D'Amato Republican Elected U.S. Senator Al D'Amato Republican

Incumbent Republican Al D'Amato won re-election to a second term over Democrat Mark Green, the Chief Speechwriter for U.S. Senator Gary Hart and former congressional candidate.^[5] Green had won a contested primary over the more moderate John S. Dyson. D'Amato won most counties in the state, losing just 5 counties. This was D'Amato's largest margin of victory during his Senate career.

1986 New York U.S. Senate general election^[19][1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Al D'Amato (Incumbent)	2,030,260
	Conservative	Al D'Amato	212,101
	Right to Life	Al D'Amato	135,386
	total	Al D'Amato	2,378,197	56.9%
	Democratic	Mark Green	1,723,216	41.2%
	Liberal	John S. Dyson	60,099	1.4%
	New Alliance	Fred Newman	10,559	0.3%
	Socialist Workers	Michael Shur	7,376	0.2%
	Others		305,412
Majority			654,981	15.7%
Turnout			4,179,447
	Republican hold

There were two elections in North Carolina.

Incumbent Republican Jim Broyhill, who had been appointed in June 1986 to serve out the rest of John Porter East's term, faced off against the popular Democratic former Governor Terry Sanford. There were two separate elections held on the same day: a special election for what little remained of the 99th United States Congress (November 1986 – January 1987) and a regular election for a new six-year term (beginning in January 1987).^[20] Sanford won both elections.

The primary elections would nominate candidates to the special and the regular election.

North Carolina election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Terry Sanford Jim Broyhill Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 823,662 767,668 Percentage 51.76% 48.24%

County results Sanford:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Broyhill:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Jim Broyhill Republican Elected U.S. Senator Terry Sanford Democratic

Terry Sanford, then the outgoing president of Duke University, first said in September 1985 that he was planning to run for the U.S. Senate the next year but quickly withdrew, as it appeared that the party wanted a "fresh" face, most likely in the person of UNC System President William Friday.^[21] Then, Friday declined to run, as did other well-known politicians like former Gov. Jim Hunt.^[22] Former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lauch Faircloth then made it known that he would run, but he was considered too conservative by many party leaders, who encouraged Sanford to enter the race in order to defeat Faircloth.^[21] Sanford agreed to run, which led Faircloth and another candidate, Judge Marvin K. Blount Jr., to withdraw before filing their candidacies. Six years later, Faircloth did run for the Senate against Sanford, but this time as a Republican.

Sen. East declined to run for a second term, citing his health. Longtime U.S. Representative Jim Broyhill entered the race with much of the establishment support, but David Funderburk had the backing of the organization of Senator Jesse Helms.^[22] Funderburk charged Broyhill with being insufficiently conservative, but in the end, Broyhill won the nomination handily in the May primary. The next month, Sen. East committed suicide, and Gov. James G. Martin appointed Broyhill to his seat.

Sanford narrowly defeated incumbent Broyhill on both election ballots, though he received a slightly smaller margin of victory to finish the remainder of East's term due to a lower turnout.^[5]

1986 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terry Sanford	409,394	60.25%
	Democratic	John Ingram	111,557	16.42%
	Democratic	Fountain Odom	49,689	7.31%
	Democratic	William Belk	33,821	4.98%
	Democratic	Theodore Kinney	27,228	4.01%
	Democratic	Betty Wallace	17,001	2.50%
	Democratic	Katherine Harper	12,998	1.91%
	Democratic	Walt Atkins	8,306	1.22%
	Democratic	Others	9,493	1.40%
Turnout			679,487

1986 North Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Broyhill (incumbent)	139,570	66.52%
	Republican	David Funderburk	63,593	30.31%
	Republican	Frazier Glenn Miller Jr.	6,662	3.18%
Turnout			148,574

1986 North Carolina U.S. Senate election^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Terry Sanford	823,662	51.76%	+2.38%
	Republican	Jim Broyhill (Incumbent)	767,668	48.24%	−1.72%
Majority			55,994	3.54%
Turnout			1,591,330
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

North Carolina special election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Terry Sanford Jim Broyhill Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 780,967 753,881 Percentage 50.88% 49.12%

County results Sanford:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Broyhill:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Jim Broyhill Republican Elected U.S. Senator Terry Sanford Democratic

This was a special election for what little remained of the 99th United States Congress (November 1986 – January 1987), being held contemporaneously with a regular election for a new six-year term (beginning in January 1987).^[20][5]

1986 North Carolina U.S. Senate election – Special election^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Terry Sanford	780,967	50.88%
	Republican	Jim Broyhill (Incumbent)	753,881	49.12%
Majority			27,086	1.76%
Turnout			1,534,875
	Democratic gain from Republican

North Dakota election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Kent Conrad Mark Andrews Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 143,932 141,812 Percentage 49.8% 49.1%

County results Conrad:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Andrews:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Mark Andrews Republican Elected U.S. Senator Kent Conrad Democratic

Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mark Andrews lost re-election to a second term to Dem-NPL nominee Kent Conrad, State Tax Commissioner. Andrews lost re-election by just over 2,000^[1][5] votes after a rigorous campaign involving personal attacks.^[27]

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kent Conrad	143,932	49.80%
	Republican	Mark Andrews (Incumbent)	141,812	49.07%
	Independent	Anna B. Bourgois	3,269	1.13%
Majority
Turnout			289,013
	Democratic gain from Republican

Ohio election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee John Glenn Tom Kindness Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,949,208 1,171,893 Percentage 62.5% 37.6%

County results Glenn:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kindness:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election John Glenn Democratic Elected U.S. Senator John Glenn Democratic

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Glenn won re-election to a third term over Republican U.S. Congressman Tom Kindness.^[5]

1986 OhioUnited States Senate election^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Glenn (Incumbent)	1,949,208	62.5%
	Republican	Tom Kindness	1,171,893	37.6%
	Independent	Kathleen M. Button	59	0.0%
	Independent	William M. Harris	29	0.0%
Majority			777,315	24.1%
Turnout			3,121,189
	Democratic hold

Oklahoma election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Don Nickles James R. Jones Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 493,436 400,230 Percentage 55.2% 44.8%

County results Nickles:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Jones:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Don Nickles Republican Elected U.S. Senator Don Nickles Republican

Incumbent Republican Don Nickles won re-election to his second term, over Democratic U.S. Congressman James R. Jones, who defeated James Gentry in the primary.^[5]

OK U.S. Senate election, 1986 Senate election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Don Nickles (Incumbent)	493,436	55.2%
	Democratic	James R. Jones	400,230	44.8%
Majority			93,206	10.4%
Turnout			893,666
	Republican hold

Oregon election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Bob Packwood Rick Bauman Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 656,317 375,735 Percentage 63.5% 36.5%

County results Packwood:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Bauman:      50–60%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Bob Packwood Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Packwood Republican

Incumbent Bob Packwood ran for re-election, though he faced a significant primary challenge from Joe Lutz.^[30] U.S. Congressman Jim Weaver received the Democratic nomination. A populist Democratic congressman from Eugene, Oregon, he was a darling of the environmentalists. Weaver supported the Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984. Packwood was confident despite the popular opponent, because had more money and a better campaign organization.^[31] After winning the party nomination, Weaver was the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe into his campaign finances, and withdrew his candidacy. Rick Bauman was selected to replace Weaver on the ballot, and lost handily to Packwood.^[5]

Democratic primary for the United States Senate from Oregon, 1986^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Weaver	183,334	61.56%
	Democratic	Rod Monroe	44,553	14.96%
	Democratic	Rick Bauman	41,939	14.08%
	Democratic	Steve Anderson	26,130	8.77%
	Democratic	miscellaneous	1,868	0.63%
Total votes			297,824	100.00%

Republican primary for the United States Senate from Oregon, 1986^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Packwood (incumbent)	171,985	57.62%
	Republican	Joe Lutz	126,315	42.32%
	Republican	miscellaneous	166	0.06%
Total votes			298,466	100.00%

1986 United States Senate election in Oregon^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Packwood (Incumbent)	656,317	62.95%
	Democratic	Rick Bauman	375,735	36.04%
	Independent	Write-in	10,503	1.01%
Majority			280,582	26.91%
Total votes			1,042,555	100.00%
	Republican hold

Pennsylvania election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Arlen Specter Bob Edgar Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,906,537 1,448,219 Percentage 56.4% 42.9%

County results Specter:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Edgar:      40–50%      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Arlen Specter Republican Elected U.S. Senator Arlen Specter Republican

Incumbent Republican Arlen Specter, who had been elected in 1980, ran for re-election and faced Democrat Robert W. Edgar in the general election.

Specter was viewed somewhat tepidly by the Pennsylvania electorate entering the race, although both men shared similar moderate profiles. Additionally, economic woes had dragged down the popularity of Republican candidates in the industrial states. Don Bailey, the state's incumbent Auditor General, who projected a strong blue collar image and had moderate positions that were often relatively close to Specter's, and Edgar, a Methodist minister and sitting Congressman, who had more liberal viewpoints and was with the Vietnam War-era peace movement and anti-corruption movement following the Watergate scandals, ran for the Democratic nomination.^[35] However, issues played a very minor role in the primary, which instead showcased the state's geographical divide, with Delaware County-based Edgar narrowly defeating Westmoreland County-based Bailey.^[36]

Specter defeated Edgar in the general election by nearly 13% of the vote.^[36][5]

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Arlen Specter (Incumbent)	1,906,537	56.4%
	Democratic	Robert W. Edgar	1,448,219	42.9%
	Independent	Lance S. Haver	23,470	0.7%
Majority			458,318	13.5%
Turnout			3,378,226
	Republican hold

South Carolina election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Ernest Hollings Henry McMaster Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 463,354 261,394 Percentage 63.10% 35.60%

County results Hollings:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% McMaster:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Ernest Hollings Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings Democratic

Popular incumbent Democratic Senator Fritz Hollings easily defeated Republican U.S. Attorney and future Governor Henry McMaster, who defeated Henry Jordan for the Republican nomination, to win his fifth (his fourth full) term.^[5]

South Carolina Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Henry McMaster	27,695	53.4%
	Republican	Henry Jordan	24,164	46.6%

The race was not seriously contested and was not a target by the Republicans. With little financial assistance, McMaster was unable to mount a credible challenge to Hollings's re-election in what became a difficult year for Republicans.

South Carolina election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Fritz Hollings (Incumbent)	465,511	63.1%	−7.3%
	Republican	Henry McMaster	262,976	35.6%	+6.0%
	Libertarian	Steven B. Vandervelde	4,788	0.7%	+0.7%
	American	Ray Hillyard	4,588	0.6%	+0.6%
	No party	Write-Ins	199	0.0%	0.0%
Majority			202,535	27.5%	−13.3%
Turnout			738,062	56.6%	−13.9%
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Dakota election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Tom Daschle James Abdnor Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 152,657 143,173 Percentage 51.6% 48.4%

County results Daschle:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Abdnor:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election James Abdnor Republican Elected U.S. Senator Tom Daschle Democratic

Incumbent Republican James Abdnor ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Democratic Congressman Tom Daschle.^[37][5]

Daschle was uncontested for the Democratic nomination and therefore was able to focus on the general election early, while Abdnor had to fight a challenge from an incumbent governor, Bill Janklow.

Republican primary results^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	James Abdnor (Incumbent)	63,414	54.51%
	Republican	Bill Janklow	52,924	45.49%
Total votes			116,338	100.00%

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tom Daschle	152,657	51.60%	+12.21%
	Republican	James Abdnor (Incumbent)	143,173	48.40%	−9.80%
Majority			9,484	3.21%	−15.60%
Turnout			295,830
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

Utah election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Jake Garn Craig S. Oliver Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 314,608 115,523 Percentage 72.31% 26.55%

County results Garn:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Oliver:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Jake Garn Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jake Garn Republican

Republican Jake Garn, originally elected in 1974, ran for re-election to a third term. He faced nominal opposition from Democrat Craig S. Oliver in the general election, defeating him 72%-27%.^[5]

1986 United States Senate election in Utah^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jake Garn (Incumbent)	314,608	72.31%
	Democratic	Craig S. Oliver (D)	115,523	26.55%
	Libertarian	Hugh A. Butler (L)	3,023	0.69%
	Socialist Workers	Mary Zins	1,863	0.43%
	None	Write-Ins	94	0.02%
Majority			199,085	45.76%
Turnout			435,111
	Republican hold		Swing

Vermont election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Patrick Leahy Richard A. Snelling Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 124,123 67,798 Percentage 63.2% 34.5%

County results Municipality results Leahy:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Snelling:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%

U.S. senator before election Patrick Leahy Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Patrick Leahy won re-election to a third term over Republican former Governor of Vermont Richard A. Snelling and Liberty Unionist sociologist and perennial candidate Jerry Levy. The race was initially expected to be competitive, with Ronald Reagan encouraging Snelling to run.^[39]

Both Leahy and Snelling were well-respected and highly popular in Vermont, and the general feeling was that they would both make good senators. However, Snelling was felt to be at a disadvantage for several reasons, including the fact that his main campaign plank was deficit reduction, which The Caledonian-Record noted Leahy was already a well-known advocate for, and the fact that Leahy had acquired a reputation as one of the Senate's most knowledgeable figures on the issue of nuclear proliferation, an issue which the Brattleboro Reformer noted that Snelling had no experience with.^[40]

Nonetheless, Leahy defeated Snelling in a 63%-35% landslide.^[5] Leahy would face one more tough re-election challenge in 1992 against Republican Jim Douglas, handily winning each term thereafter.

Democratic primary results^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patrick Leahy (inc.)	21,255	97.63%
	Democratic	Write-ins	516	2.37%
Total votes			21,771	100.00%

Liberty Union primary results^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberty Union	Jerry Levy	147	93.04%
	Liberty Union	Write-ins	11	6.96%
Total votes			158	100.00%

Republican primary results^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard A. Snelling	21,477	75.11%
	Republican	Anthony N. Doria	6,493	22.71%
	Republican	Write-ins	625	2.19%
Total votes			28,595	100.00%

General election results^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Patrick Leahy (Incumbent)	124,123	63.16%	+13.34%
	Republican	Richard A. Snelling	67,798	34.50%	−14.00%
	Conservative Party (US)	Anthony N. Doria	2,963	1.51%
	Liberty Union	Jerry Levy	1,583	0.81%
	Write-ins		65	0.02%
Majority			56,325	28.66%	+27.34%
Turnout			196,532
	Democratic hold		Swing

Washington election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Brock Adams Slade Gorton Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 677,471 650,931 Percentage 50.7% 48.7%

County results Adams:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Gorton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Slade Gorton Republican Elected U.S. Senator Brock Adams Democratic

Incumbent Republican Senator Slade Gorton lost re-election to former Transportation Secretary Brock Adams. Gorton later won Washington's other Senate seat in 1988 and 1994 before losing re-election again in 2000.

1986 United States Senate election in Washington^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brock Adams	677,471	50.66%
	Republican	Slade Gorton (Incumbent)	650,931	48.67%
	Socialist Workers	Jill Fein	8,965	0.67%
Majority			26,540	1.99%
Turnout			1,337,367
	Democratic gain from Republican

Wisconsin election

← 1980 1992 →

Nominee Bob Kasten Ed Garvey Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 754,573 702,963 Percentage 50.9% 47.4%

County results Kasten:      50–60%      60–70% Garvey:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Bob Kasten Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Kasten Republican

Incumbent Republican Bob Kasten ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Ed Garvey, former Deputy Attorney General of Wisconsin and executive director of the NFLPA, defeated Matt Flynn in the Democratic primary.^[43] Kasten defeated Garvey in the general election by just over 3%.^[5]

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Kasten (Incumbent)	754,573	50.9%
	Democratic	Ed Garvey	702,963	47.4%
Majority			51,610	3.5%
Turnout			1,457,536
	Republican hold

• 1986 United States elections
  • 1986 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1986 United States House of Representatives elections
• 99th United States Congress
• 100th United States Congress

• State Election Commission (1987). South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1986-1987. Columbia, South Carolina. pp. 14, 22.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)