1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota

1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota

←  1984 November 6, 1990 1996  →

Nominee Paul Wellstone Rudy Boschwitz Party Democratic (DFL) Ind.-Republican Popular vote 911,999 864,375 Percentage 50.49% 47.86%

County results Wellstone:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Boschwitz:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. senator before election Rudy Boschwitz Ind.-Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone Democratic (DFL)

The 1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz was defeated by Democratic challenger Paul Wellstone in a tight race. Widely considered an underdog and outspent by a 7-to-1 margin, Wellstone was the only candidate to defeat an incumbent senator as well as the only candidate to flip a seat in the 1990 election cycle and gained national attention after his upset victory. The race was also notable as the first in the history of the U.S. Senate where both major-party candidates were Jewish. Wellstone was re-elected in 1996 in a rematch with Boschwitz.

Background

Main article: 1984 United States Senate election in Minnesota

In 1984, despite Democrat Walter Mondale's narrow victory in the state in concurrent presidential election, ^{[1] [2]} Rudy Boschwitz won reelection to a second term defeating Democratic challenger Joan Growe 58% to 41%. ^{[3] [4]}

The election was held as part of the midterm election cycle of Republican President George H. W. Bush's term. ^[5] Historically, the President's party struggles during the midterms. ^[6]

General Election

Major Candidates

• Paul Wellstone, professor at Carleton College and nominee for Minnesota State Auditor in 1982
• Rudy Boschwitz, incumbent U.S. Senator

Campaign

Paul Wellstone was considered to be a longshot candidate, being outspent by a margin of 7-to-1. Wellstone used grassroots campaigning tactics, and quirky campaign ads like "Fast Paul", ^[7] where he spoke quickly about himself and his platform, and "Looking for Rudy", ^[8] a two minute ad where he went searching for his opponent Rudy Boschwitz throughout Minnesota.

Debates

1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic
Key:  P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Rudy Boschwitz	Paul Wellstone
1	Oct. 14, 1990	KMSP-TV League of Women Voters	Beverly McKinnell	C-SPAN	P	P
2	Oct. 18, 1990		Bob Potter	C-SPAN	P	P

Results

General election results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Paul Wellstone	911,999	50.49%
	Ind.-Republican	Rudy Boschwitz (incumbent)	864,375	47.86%
	Grassroots	Russell B. Bentley [10]	29,820	1.65%
Total votes			1,806,194	100.00%
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Ind.-Republican

See also

• 1990 United States Senate elections

References

1. Raines, Howell (November 7, 1984). "Reagan Wins By a Landslide, Sweeping at Least 48 States; G.O.P. Gains Strength in House". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
2. Balz, Dan (April 20, 2021). "Mondale lost the presidency but permanently changed the office of vice presidency". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
3. Ladd, Thomas E. (May 1, 1985). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 6, 1984" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives . p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
4. "Biden, Joseph Robinette (Joe), Jr. (1942–)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress . Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
5. Dewar, Helen; Yang, John E. (November 6, 1990). "The Senate Incumbents Win Control Remains with Democrats". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 12, 2025.
6. Elving, Ron (November 13, 2022). "The midterms didn't produce a wave. Here's what that's meant historically". NPR . Retrieved April 1, 2025.
7. Paul Wellstone TV Ad "Fast Paul" , retrieved January 1, 2023
8. North Woods Advertising - "Looking for Rudy" - Paul Wellstone for U.S. Senate (MN) , retrieved January 1, 2023
9. "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990".
10. The Bizarre Story of How a Hardcore Texas Leftist Became a Frontline Putin Propagandist, Tim Dickinson Rolling Stone, March 3, 2022 (archive)