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The 1978 United States Senate election in Idaho took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator James McClure was re-elected to a second term in office, defeating little-known Democrat Dwight Jensen.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James McClure (incumbent) | 194,412 | 68.44% |  16.18 | |
| Democratic | Dwight Jensen | 89,635 | 31.56% |  13.96 | |
| Total votes | 284,047 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
The 1978 United States Senate election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph was re-elected to fourth term in office, narrowly defeating Republican Arch Moore, a former Governor. Despite his defeat, Moore's daughter, Shelley Moore Capito, would later win election to this seat in 2014, becoming the first female Senator from the state.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 5, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator James Eastland decided to retire.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Robert P. Griffin ran for re-election to a third term, but was defeated by the Democratic candidate, Detroit City Council President Carl Levin.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator William L. Scott did not run for re-election to a second term. Republican former Secretary of the Navy John Warner narrowly defeated Democratic Attorney General of Virginia Andrew P. Miller to succeed him. Originally, this election was a match between Republican Richard Obenshain and Miller, then Obenshain died in a plane crash, leaving the party in disarray. Warner was then nominated to run in Obenshain's place, and his victorious election thrust him into a thirty-year career in the United States Senate, which started with this election.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Minnesota was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Wendell Anderson was defeated by Republican challenger Rudy Boschwitz.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens was re-elected to a third term in office, defeating Democrat Donald Hobbs.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 7, 1978, to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee. Two-term popular incumbent Republican U.S. Senator, Howard Baker, who had served as United States Senate Minority Leader since 1977, ran for re-election against first-time candidate and Democratic Party activist Jane Eskind. Baker won re-election in the general election.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Sparkman decided to retire and Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Howell Heflin was elected to succeed him.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent U.S. Senator John L. McClellan had died the previous December, leaving the seat vacant. Interim appointee Kaneaster Hodges Jr. did not run to the full seat, and was succeeded by Governor of Arkansas David Pryor.
The 1978 United States Senate special election in Alabama was held on November 7, 1978. It was a special election to fill the seat which had been held by Senator Jim Allen, who died on June 1. His widow Maryon was appointed on June 8 by governor George Wallace to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Colorado took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic Senator Floyd Haskell ran for re-election to a second term, but was soundly defeated by Republican U.S. Representative William L. Armstrong.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic Senator Dick Clark ran for re-election to a second term but was defeated by Republican former Lieutenant Governor Roger Jepsen. This was the last time until 2014 that a Republican would win Iowa's class 2 Senate seat.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Kansas took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator James B. Pearson did not run for re-election to a third full term.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Kentucky took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Senator Walter Dee Huddleston won second term. As of 2023, this was the last time Democrats and/or anyone other than Mitch McConnell won the Class 2 Senate seat in Kentucky.
The open primary election for the 1978 United States Senate election in Louisiana was held on September 16, 1978.
The 1978 United States Senate election in New Hampshire took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic Senator Thomas J. McIntyre ran for re-election to a third term but was defeated by Republican Gordon J. Humphrey.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Oregon took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Mark Hatfield was re-elected to a third term in office, defeating Democrat Vernon Cook.
The 1978 United States Senate election in South Dakota was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator James Abourezk did not run for re-election to a second term, but was succeeded by his political rival, Republican U.S. Representative Larry Pressler.
The 1978 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Republican Senator Clifford Hansen declined to seek a third term in office. Former State Representative Alan K. Simpson, the son of former Senator Milward Simpson, won a contested Republican primary and faced Raymond B. Whitaker, the 1960 Democratic nominee for the Senate, in the general election. Despite a favorable environment for Republicans nationwide, Simpson's performance decreased considerably from Hansen's 1972 landslide. Nonetheless, he easily defeated Whitaker, winning 62% of the vote to Whitaker's 38%.
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