PolitiFinder

1980 Connecticut U.S. Senate Election

Connecticut · 4 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1980 Connecticut U.S. Senate Election?

Christopher J. Dodd won the 1980 Connecticut U.S. Senate Election. Christopher J. Dodd received 763,969 popular votes (56.34%). The main challenger was James L. Buckley (42.91%).

See the full head-to-head between Dodd and Buckley

Dodd +13.4 pts · won by 182,085 votes
Christopher J. DoddDemocraticWINNER56.34%
763,969 votes
James L. BuckleyRepublican42.91%
581,884 votes
Gerard G. BrennanLibertarian0.39%
5,336 votes
Louis ZemelCitizens0.35%
4,772 votes
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.