1980 Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election

Wisconsin · 5 candidates · See every 1980 U.S. Senate race

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

Robert W. Kasten Jr. won the 1980 Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election. Robert W. Kasten Jr. received 1,106,311 popular votes (50.19%). The main challenger was Gaylord A. Nelson (48.34%).

See the full head-to-head between Jr. and Nelson

Jr. +1.8 pts · won by 40,824 votes

Robert W. Kasten Jr.RepublicanWINNER50.19%

1,106,311 votes

Gaylord A. Nelson Democratic48.34%

1,065,487 votes

James P. WickstromAmerican Independent0.73%

16,156 votes

Bervin J. LarsonLibertarian0.44%

9,679 votes

Susan L. HagenSocialist Workers0.29%

6,502 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.