1990 United States Senate elections

1990 United States Senate elections

← 1988 November 6, 1990 1992 →
1991 (PA) →
35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate 51 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 17
Results of the elections:      Democratic gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      No election
Majority Leader before election George Mitchell Democratic Elected Majority Leader George Mitchell Democratic

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. This was the first time since 1980 that any party successfully defended all their own seats, and the first time Democrats did so since 1958.

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.

↓

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	1 Republican replaced by 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		1	1				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]

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

One Republican sought re-election but lost in the general election.

State	Senator	Replaced by
Minnesota	Rudy Boschwitz	Paul Wellstone

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 Burdick

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 Ark. Ran	D39 Ala. Ran	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Del. Ran	D42 Ga. Ran	D43 Hawaii (sp) Ran	D44 Ill. Ran	D45 Iowa Ran	D46 La. Ran	D47 Mass. Ran	D48 Mich. Ran	D49 Mont. Ran	D50 Neb. Ran
Majority →									D51 N.J. Ran
R41 S.C. Ran	R42 S.D. Ran	R43 Texas Ran	R44 Va. Ran	R45 Wyo. Ran	D55 W.Va. Ran	D54 Tenn. Ran	D53 R.I. Ran	D52 Okla. Ran
R40 Ore. Ran	R39 N.C. Ran	R38 N.M. Ran	R37 N.H. Retired	R36 Miss. Ran	R35 Minn. Ran	R34 Me. Ran	R33 Ky. Ran	R32 Kan. Ran	R31 Ind. (sp) Ran
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Alaska Ran	R29 Colo. Retired	R30 Idaho Retired
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 Ark. Re-elected	D39 Ala. Re-elected	D38	D37	D36	D35	D34	D33	D32	D31
D41 Del. Re-elected	D42 Ga. Re-elected	D43 Hawaii (sp) Elected[b]	D44 Ill. Re-elected	D45 Iowa Re-elected	D46 La. Re-elected	D47 Mass. Re-elected	D48 Mich. Re-elected	D49 Mont. Re-elected	D50 Neb. Re-elected
Majority →									D51 N.J. Re-elected
R41 S.D. Re-elected	R42 Texas Re-elected	R43 Va. Re-elected	R44 Wyo. Re-elected	D56 Minn. Gain	D55 W.Va. Re-elected	D54 Tenn. Re-elected	D53 R.I. Re-elected	D52 Okla. Re-elected
R40 S.C. Re-elected	R39 Ore. Re-elected	R38 N.C. Re-elected	R37 N.M. Re-elected	R36 N.H. Hold	R35 Miss. Re-elected	R34 Me. Re-elected	R33 Ky. Re-elected	R32 Kan. Re-elected	R31 Ind. (sp) Elected[b]
R21	R22	R23	R24	R25	R26	R27	R28 Alaska Re-elected	R29 Colo. Hold	R30 Idaho 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# Republican

In these special elections, the winners were elected in 1990.

Elections are sorted by date, then state and class.

State	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Hawaii (Class 1)	Daniel Akaka	Democratic	1990 (appointed)	Interim appointee elected November 6, 1990.	▌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.	▌Y Dan Coats (Republican) 53.7% ▌Baron Hill (Democratic) 46.3%

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	Incumbent			Result	Candidates
	Senator	Party	Electoral history
Alabama	Howell Heflin	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Howell Heflin (Democratic) 60.7% ▌William J. Cabaniss (Republican) 39.3%
Alaska	Ted Stevens	Republican	1968 (appointed) 1970 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Ted Stevens (Republican) 67.2% ▌Michael Beasley (Democratic) 32.8%
Arkansas	David Pryor	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y David Pryor (Democratic) Unopposed
Colorado	William L. Armstrong	Republican	1978 1984	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y Hank Brown (Republican) 55.7% ▌Josie Heath (Democratic) 41.6% Others ▌John Heckman (Concerns of People) 1.5% ▌Earl Dodge (Prohibition) 1.2%
Delaware	Joe Biden	Democratic	1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Joe Biden (Democratic) 62.7% ▌M. Jane Brady (Republican) 35.8% ▌Lee Rosenbaum (Libertarian) 1.5%
Georgia	Sam Nunn	Democratic	1972 (special) 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Sam Nunn (Democratic) Unopposed
Idaho	James A. McClure	Republican	1972 1978 1984	Incumbent retired. Republican hold.	▌Y Larry Craig (Republican) 61.3% ▌Ron J. Twilegar (Democratic) 38.7%
Illinois	Paul Simon	Democratic	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Paul Simon (Democratic) 64.9% ▌Lynn M. Martin (Republican) 35.1%
Iowa	Tom Harkin	Democratic	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Tom Harkin (Democratic) 54.0% ▌Tom Tauke (Republican) 46.0%
Kansas	Nancy Kassebaum	Republican	1978 1978 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Nancy Kassebaum (Republican) 73.6% ▌Dick Williams (Democratic) 26.4%
Kentucky	Mitch McConnell	Republican	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mitch McConnell (Republican) 52.2% ▌Harvey I. Sloane (Democratic) 47.8%
Louisiana	J. Bennett Johnston	Democratic	1972 (appointed) 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. Bennett Johnston (Democratic) 53% ▌David Duke (Republican) 44%
Maine	William Cohen	Republican	1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y William Cohen (Republican) 61.4% ▌Neil Rolde (Democratic) 38.6%
Massachusetts	John Kerry	Democratic	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Kerry (Democratic) 56.9% ▌Jim Rappaport (Republican) 43.1%
Michigan	Carl Levin	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Carl Levin (Democratic) 57.5% ▌Bill Schuette (Republican) 41.2% ▌Susan Farquhar (Workers World) 1.3%
Minnesota	Rudy Boschwitz	Republican	1978 1978 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent lost re-election. DFL gain.	▌Y Paul Wellstone (DFL) 50.4% ▌Rudy Boschwitz (Republican) 47.8% ▌Russell Bentley (Grassroots) 1.6%
Mississippi	Thad Cochran	Republican	1978 1978 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Thad Cochran (Republican) Unopposed
Montana	Max Baucus	Democratic	1978 1978 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Max Baucus (Democratic) 68.1% ▌Allen Kolstad (Republican) 29.4% ▌Westley Deitchler (Libertarian) 2.5%
Nebraska	J. James Exon	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y J. James Exon (Democratic) 59.1% ▌Hal Daub (Republican) 40.9%
New Hampshire	Gordon J. Humphrey	Republican	1978 1984	Incumbent retired. Republican hold. Incumbent resigned December 4, 1990 to take a seat in the New Hampshire Senate. Winner appointed December 7, 1990.	▌Y Bob Smith (Republican) 65.1% ▌John A. Durkin (Democratic) 31.3% ▌John Elsnau (Libertarian) 3.3%
New Jersey	Bill Bradley	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Bill Bradley (Democratic) 50.4% ▌Christine Todd Whitman (Republican) 47.4% Others ▌John L. Kucek (Populist) 1.0% ▌Louis M. Stefanelli (Libertarian) 0.7% ▌Don Mackle (Socialist Workers) 0.4%
New Mexico	Pete Domenici	Republican	1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Pete Domenici (Republican) 72.9% ▌Tom R. Benavides (Democratic) 27.1%
North Carolina	Jesse Helms	Republican	1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jesse Helms (Republican) 52.6% ▌Harvey Gantt (Democratic) 47.4%
Oklahoma	David Boren	Democratic	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y David Boren (Democratic) 83.2% ▌Stephen Jones (Republican) 17.8%
Oregon	Mark Hatfield	Republican	1966 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Mark Hatfield (Republican) 53.9% ▌Harry Lonsdale (Democratic) 46.1%
Rhode Island	Claiborne Pell	Democratic	1960 1966 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌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) 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Strom Thurmond (Republican) 64.2% ▌Bob Cunningham (Democratic) 32.5% Others ▌William H. Griffin (Libertarian) 1.8% ▌Marion C. Metts (American) 1.4%
South Dakota	Larry Pressler	Republican	1978 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌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.	▌Y Al Gore (Democratic) 67.7% ▌William R. Hawkins (Republican) 29.8% Others ▌Bill Jacox (Independent) 1.4% ▌Charles Gordon Vick (Independent) 1.0%
Texas	Phil Gramm	Republican	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Phil Gramm (Republican) 60.2% ▌Hugh Parmer (Democratic) 37.4% ▌Gary Johnson (Libertarian) 2.3%
Virginia	John Warner	Republican	1978 1979 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y John Warner (Republican) 80.9% ▌Nancy B. Spannaus (Independent) 18.2%
West Virginia	Jay Rockefeller	Democratic	1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Jay Rockefeller (Democratic) 68.5% ▌John Yoder (Republican) 31.5%
Wyoming	Alan Simpson	Republican	1978 1979 (appointed) 1984	Incumbent re-elected.	▌Y Alan Simpson (Republican) 66.4% ▌Kathy Helling (Democratic) 33.6%

In 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 election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Howell Heflin Bill Cabaniss Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 717,814 467,190 Percentage 60.6% 39.4%

County results Heflin:      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 Democratic

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		Swing

Alaska election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Ted Stevens Michael Beasley Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 125,806 61,152 Percentage 66.23% 32.19%

Results by state house district Stevens:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Ted Stevens Republican Elected U.S. Senator Ted Stevens Republican

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		Swing

Arkansas election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee David Pryor Party Democratic Popular vote 493,910 Percentage 99.83%

County results Pryor:      100% No data/No votes:

re-election before election David Pryor Democratic Elected re-election David Pryor Democratic

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 hold

Colorado election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Hank Brown Josie Heath Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 569,048 425,746 Percentage 55.7% 41.7%

County results Brown:      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 Republican

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 hold

Delaware election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Joe Biden M. Jane Brady Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 112,918 64,554 Percentage 62.68% 35.83%

County results Biden:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Joe Biden Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Joe Biden Democratic

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		Swing

Georgia election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Sam Nunn Party Democratic Popular vote 1,033,439 Percentage 100.0%

County results Nunn:      100%

U.S. senator before election Sam Nunn Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Sam Nunn Democratic

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		Swing

Hawaii special election

← 1988 1994 →

Nominee Daniel Akaka Pat Saiki Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 188,901 155,978 Percentage 53.7% 44.3%

County results Akaka:      50–60%      60–70%

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

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 hold

Idaho election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Larry Craig Ron Twilegar Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 193,641 122,295 Percentage 61.29% 38.71%

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

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 hold

Illinois election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Paul Simon Lynn Morley Martin Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 2,115,377 1,135,628 Percentage 65.07% 34.93%

County results Simon:      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

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		Swing

Indiana special election

← 1986 1992 →

Nominee Dan Coats Baron Hill Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 806,048 696,639 Percentage 53.6% 46.4%

County results Coats:      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

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		Swing

Iowa election

← 1984 November 5, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Tom Harkin Tom Tauke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 535,975 446,869 Percentage 54.5% 45.4%

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 Democratic

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		Swing

Kansas election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Nancy Kassebaum Dick Williams Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 578,605 207,491 Percentage 73.6% 26.4%

County results Kassebaum:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Nancy Kassebaum Republican Elected U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Republican

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 hold

Kentucky election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Mitch McConnell Harvey Sloane Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 478,034 437,976 Percentage 52.2% 47.8%

County results McConnell:      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

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		Swing

Louisiana election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee J. Bennett Johnston David Duke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 753,198 607,051 Percentage 53.95% 43.48%

Parish results Johnston:      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 Democratic

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 hold

Maine election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee William Cohen Neil Rolde Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 319,167 201,053 Percentage 61.3% 38.6%

County results Cohen:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election William Cohen Republican Elected U.S. Senator William Cohen Republican

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 hold

Massachusetts election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee John Kerry Jim Rappaport Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,321,712 992,917 Percentage 54.5% 41.0%

County results Municipality results Kerry   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Rappaport   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Tie   40–50%

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

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 hold

Michigan election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Carl Levin Bill Schuette Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,471,753 1,055,695 Percentage 57.5% 41.2%

County results Levin:      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

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 hold

Minnesota election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Paul Wellstone Rudy Boschwitz Party Democratic (DFL) Ind.-Republican Popular vote 911,999 864,375 Percentage 50.5% 47.9%

County results Wellstone:      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)

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 Republican

Mississippi election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Thad Cochran Party Republican Popular vote 274,244 Percentage 100.0%

County results Cochran:      >90% No vote:

U.S. senator before election Thad Cochran Republican Elected U.S. Senator Thad Cochran Republican

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 hold

Montana election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Max Baucus Allen Kolstad Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 217,563 93,836 Percentage 68.13% 29.38%

County results Baucus:      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

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		Swing

Nebraska election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee J. James Exon Hal Daub Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 349,779 243,013 Percentage 58.9% 40.9%

County results Exon:      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

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		Swing

New Hampshire election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Bob Smith John A. Durkin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 189,792 91,299 Percentage 65.1% 31.3%

County results Municipality results Smith:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Durkin:      40–50%      50–60%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Gordon J. Humphrey Republican Elected U.S. Senator Bob Smith Republican

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 hold

New Jersey election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Bill Bradley Christine Todd Whitman Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 977,810 918,874 Percentage 50.44% 47.40%

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

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 hold

New Mexico election

← 1984 November 5, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Pete Domenici Tom Benavidez Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 296,712 110,033 Percentage 72.9% 27.0%

County results Domenici:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Pete Domenici Republican Elected U.S. Senator Pete Domenici Republican

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 hold

North Carolina election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Jesse Helms Harvey Gantt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,089,012 981,573 Percentage 52.58% 47.39%

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

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 hold

Oklahoma election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1994 (special) →

Nominee David Boren Stephen Jones Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 735,684 148,814 Percentage 83.2% 16.8%

County results Boren:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

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 hold

Oregon election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Mark Hatfield Harry Lonsdale Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 590,095 507,743 Percentage 53.7% 46.2%

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

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 hold

Rhode Island election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Claiborne Pell Claudine Schneider Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 225,105 138,947 Percentage 61.8% 38.2%

County results Municipality results Pell:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Schneider:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Claiborne Pell Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell Democratic

Democratic Incumbent Claiborne Pell defeated Republican Representative Claudine Schneider in a landslide.^[45]

1990 United States Senate election in Rhode Island^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Claiborne Pell (Incumbent)	225,105	61.83%	−10.83%
	Republican	Claudine Schneider	138,947	38.17%	+10.83%
Majority			86,158	23.67%	−21.65%
Turnout			364,062
	Democratic hold		Swing

South Carolina election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Strom Thurmond Bob Cunningham Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 482,032 244,112 Percentage 64.2% 32.5%

County results Thurmond:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Cunningham:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Strom Thurmond Republican Elected U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond Republican

Popular incumbent Republican Strom Thurmond cruised to re-election against Democratic challenger and perennial candidate Bob Cunningham.

Senator Strom Thurmond faced no opposition from South Carolina Republicans and avoided a primary election. The state Democrats saw this as an unwinnable race so when Bob Cunningham sought the Democratic nomination, he was unopposed in his bid.

Cunningham launched his second bid to unseat Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond after switching from the GOP to the Democratic Party in early 1990. Though he faced a formidable opponent, Cunningham planned no fund-raising activities. "I don't plan to ask for anything and I won't accept any money from PACs", he said. Cunninghman said his campaign strategy was to "go to places where I was invited and spread out my ideas." If elected, Cummingham said he would push to limit consecutive congressional service to 12 years and reform the tax system. He supported greater environmental activism. "I think we're going at it in much too lukewarm a fashion. I think we should work hard to find a substitute for the internal combustion engine."

The election was never a serious contest. Thurmond overwhelmingly outspent Cunningham in his re-election campaign.

South Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 1990

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Strom Thurmond (Incumbent)	482,032	64.2%	−2.6%
	Democratic	Bob Cunningham	244,112	32.5%	+0.7%
	Libertarian	William H. Griffin	13,804	1.8%	+0.4%
	American	Marion C. Metts	10,317	1.4%	+1.4%
	No party	Write-Ins	464	0.1%	+0.1%
Majority			237,920	31.7%	−3.3%
Turnout			750,729	55.2%	−13.5%
	Republican hold		Swing

South Dakota election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Larry Pressler Ted Muenster Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 135,682 116,727 Percentage 52.4% 45.1%

County results Pressler:      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Muenster:      40–50%      50–60%

Incumbent Republican Larry Pressler won a narrow re-election battle against Democratic opponent Ted Muenster and Independent candidate Dean Sinclair, in contrast to his easy win in 1984.

South Dakota U.S. Senate Election, 1990^[4][46]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Larry Pressler (Incumbent)	135,682	52.39%	−22.1%
	Democratic	Theodore 'Ted' Muenster	116,727	45.07%	+19.56%
	Independent	Dean L. Sinclair	6,567	2.54%	N/A
Majority			18,955	7.32%	−41.66%
Turnout			258,976	61.6%	−9.7%
	Republican hold		Swing

Tennessee election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1994 (special) →

Nominee Al Gore William R. Hawkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 529,914 233,324 Percentage 67.72% 29.82%

County results Gore:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

U.S. senator before election Al Gore Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Al Gore Democratic

Democratic Senator Al Gore won re-election to a second term over Republican William R. Hawkins, a conservative author. As of 2023, this is the last Senate election in Tennessee that was won by a Democrat and the last time they won the state's Class 2 Senate Seat.

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Al Gore (Incumbent)	302,768	100.00%
Total votes			302,768	100.00%

1990 United States Senate election in Tennessee^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Al Gore (Incumbent)	529,914	67.72%
	Republican	William R. Hawkins	233,324	29.92%
	Independent	Bill Jacox	11,172	1.43%
	Independent	Charles Gordon Vick	7,995	1.02%
	Write-ins		109	0.01%
Total votes			782,514	100.00%
Majority			296,590	37.8%
	Democratic hold

Texas election

← 1984 1996 →

Nominee Phil Gramm Hugh Parmer Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,302,357 1,429,986 Percentage 60.2% 37.4%

County results Gramm:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Parmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Phil Gramm Republican Elected U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Republican

Incumbent Republican Phil Gramm won re-election to a second term, beating Hugh Parmer, State Senator and former Mayor of Fort Worth^[48]

Gramm, a popular incumbent who switched parties a few years prior, had over $5 million on hand.^[49]

General election results^[50]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Gramm (incumbent)	2,302,357	60.2%
	Democratic	Hugh Parmer	1,429,986	37.4%
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson	89,089	2.4%
	Write In	Ira Calkins	725	0.0%
Total votes			3,822,157	100.00%
Majority			872,371	22.8%
	Republican hold

Virginia election

← 1984 1996 →
Turnout	25.5% (voting eligible)[51]
Nominee John Warner Nancy Spannaus Party Republican Independent Popular vote 876,782 196,755 Percentage 80.9% 18.2%
County and independent city results Warner:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
U.S. senator before election John Warner Republican Elected U.S. Senator John Warner Republican

Incumbent Republican John W. Warner won re-election to a third term. No Democrat filed to run against him as he won every single county and city in the state with over 60% of the vote. Independent Nancy B. Spannaus (an affiliate of the controversial Lyndon LaRouche) got 18% of the vote, as she was the only other candidate on the ballot besides Warner.

1990 United States Senate election in Virginia^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	John Warner (Incumbent)	876,782	80.91%	+10.86%
	Independent	Nancy Spannaus	196,755	18.16%
	Write-ins		10,153	0.94%	+0.93%
Majority			680,027	62.75%	+22.65%
Turnout			1,083,690
	Republican hold		Swing

West Virginia election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Jay Rockefeller John C. Yoder Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 276,234 128,071 Percentage 68.32% 31.68%

County results Rockefeller:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Yoder:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Jay Rockefeller Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller Democratic

The 1990 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a second term.

General election results^[52]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jay Rockefeller (Incumbent)	276,234	68.32%	+16.50%
	Republican	John C. Yoder	128,071	31.68%	−16.05%
Majority			148,163	36.64%	+32.55%
Turnout			404,305	≈35%
	Democratic hold		Swing

Wyoming election

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Alan K. Simpson Kathy Helling Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 100,784 56,848 Percentage 63.94% 36.06%

County Results Simpson:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

U.S. senator before election Alan K. Simpson Republican Elected U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson Republican

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2017)

Incumbent Republican Alan Simpson easily won re-election to a third term over Democratic challenger Kathy Helling.

1990 United States Senate election in Wyoming^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Alan Simpson (Incumbent)	100,784	63.94%
	Democratic	Kathy Helling	56,848	36.06%
Majority			43,936	27.88%
Turnout			157,632
	Republican hold		Swing

• 1990 United States elections
  • 1990 United States gubernatorial elections
  • 1990 United States House of Representatives elections
• 101st United States Congress
• 102nd United States Congress

• State Election Commission (1991). South Carolina Election Commission Annual Report 1990-1991. Columbia, South Carolina: The Commission. p. 91.