1988 Nebraska U.S. Senate Election

Nebraska · 3 candidates · See every 1988 U.S. Senate race

Who won the 1988 Nebraska U.S. Senate Election?

J. Robert Kerrey won the 1988 Nebraska U.S. Senate Election. J. Robert Kerrey received 378,717 popular votes (56.71%). The main challenger was Dave Karnes (41.66%).

See the full head-to-head between Kerrey and Karnes

Kerrey +15.1 pts · won by 100,467 votes

J. Robert Kerrey DemocraticWINNER56.71%

378,717 votes

Dave Karnes Republican41.66%

278,250 votes

Ernie ChambersNew Alliance1.55%

10,372 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.