PolitiFinder

1980 Minnesota U.S. House District 1 Election

Minnesota · 2 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. House race

Who won the 1980 Minnesota U.S. House District 1 Election?

Arlen Erdahl won the 1980 Minnesota U.S. House District 1 Election. Arlen Erdahl received 171,099 popular votes (71.78%). The main challenger was Russell V. Smith (28.22%).

See the full head-to-head between Erdahl and Smith

Erdahl +43.6 pts · won by 103,820 votes
Arlen ErdahlRepublicanWINNER71.78%
171,099 votes
Russell V. SmithDemocratic28.22%
67,279 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.