PolitiFinder

1974 Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election

Wisconsin · 4 candidates · See every 1974 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1974 Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election?

Gaylord A. Nelson won the 1974 Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election. Gaylord A. Nelson received 740,700 popular votes (61.75%). The main challenger was Thomas E. Petri (35.79%).

See the full head-to-head between Nelson and Petri

Nelson +26.0 pts · won by 311,373 votes
Gaylord A. NelsonDemocraticWINNER61.75%
740,700 votes
Thomas E. PetriRepublican35.79%
429,327 votes
Gerald L. McFarrenAmerican2%
24,003 votes
Roman BlenskiIndependent0.45%
5,396 votes
Popular-vote totals for this U.S. Senate election come from the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) and the official public record.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.