1988 United States Senate election in Wyoming

1988 United States Senate election in Wyoming

←  1982 November 8, 1988 1994  →

Nominee Malcolm Wallop John Vinich Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 91,143 89,821 Percentage 50.37% 49.63%

County results Wallop:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Vinich:     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. senator before election Malcolm Wallop Republican Elected U.S. Senator Malcolm Wallop Republican

The 1988 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican Senator Malcolm Wallop ran for re-election to a third term. He was opposed by Democratic State Senator John Vinich in the general election. Despite Wallop's past strong performances in 1976 and 1982, and the overwhelming Republican majority in Wyoming in the presidential election, Wallop faced a surprisingly competitive race. He ended up defeating Vinich by less than 1%, by a margin of just 1,322 votes. To date, this remains the strongest performance by a Democratic U.S. Senate nominee in Wyoming since 1970, the last time a Democrat won a Senate election in the state. This is also the closest U.S. Senate race in Wyoming history.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• John Vinich, State Senator
• Pete Maxfield, former Dean of the University of Wyoming School of Law ^[1]
• Lynn Simons, Wyoming Superintendent of Instruction

Results

Democratic primary ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Vinich	23,214	47.20%
	Democratic	Pete Maxfield	14,613	29.72%
	Democratic	Lynn Simons	11,350	23.08%
Total votes			49,177	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Malcolm Wallop, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Nora Marie Lewis, farmer ^[3]
• Bud Kinney, perennial candidate
• Michael J. Dee, perennial candidate, marijuana legalization advocate ^[3]
• Russ Hanrahan, retired air traffic controller ^[3]

Results

Republican primary ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Malcolm Wallop (incumbent)	55,752	83.21%
	Republican	Nora Marie Lewis	3,933	5.87%
	Republican	Bud Kinney	3,716	5.55%
	Republican	Michael J. Dee	1,898	2.83%
	Republican	Russ Hanrahan	1,702	2.54%
Total votes			67,001	100.00%

General election

Results

1988 United States Senate election in Wyoming ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Malcolm Wallop (incumbent)	91,143	50.37%	−6.29%
	Democratic	John Vinich	89,821	49.63%	+6.29%
Majority			1,322	0.73%	−12.58%
Turnout			180,964
	Republican hold

References

1. "UW professor will seek nomination to Senate". Jackson Hole Guide. Jackson, Wyo. February 3, 1988. p. A13.
2. Karpan, Kathy (1989). 1989 Wyoming Official Directory and 1988 Election Returns. pp. 170, 256.
3. Scott, Scott (August 17, 1988). "Vinich wins Senate nomination: Maxfield second, Simons falls to third". Casper Star-Tribune . Casper, Wyo. p. A1, A10.