1978 Minnesota U.S. Senate Special

Minnesota · 5 candidates · See every 1978 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1978 Minnesota U.S. Senate Special?

David Durenberger won the 1978 Minnesota U.S. Senate Special. David Durenberger received 957,908 popular votes (61.47%). The main challenger was Bob Short (34.57%).

See the full head-to-head between Durenberger and Short

Durenberger +26.9 pts · won by 419,233 votes

David Durenberger RepublicanWINNER61.47%

957,908 votes

Bob Short Democratic34.57%

538,675 votes

Paul HelmAmerican2.91%

45,402 votes

Christine FrankSocialist0.73%

11,397 votes

Fred G. HewittLibertarian0.26%

4,116 votes

A special election fills a Senate seat that came open mid-term. Popular-vote totals for U.S. Senate elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.