1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota
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.
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 County results Wellstone: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Boschwitz: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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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",[1] where he spoke quickly about himself and his platform, and "Looking for Rudy",[2] a two minute ad where he went searching for his opponent Rudy Boschwitz throughout Minnesota.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Paul Wellstone | 911,999 | 50.49% | ||
| Ind.-Republican | Rudy Boschwitz (incumbent) | 864,375 | 47.86% | ||
| Grassroots | Russell B. Bentley[4] | 29,820 | 1.65% | ||
| Total votes | 1,806,194 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic (DFL) gain from Ind.-Republican | |||||
See also
References
- Paul Wellstone TV Ad "Fast Paul", retrieved January 1, 2023
- North Woods Advertising - "Looking for Rudy" - Paul Wellstone for U.S. Senate (MN), retrieved January 1, 2023
- "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990".
- The Bizarre Story of How a Hardcore Texas Leftist Became a Frontline Putin Propagandist, Tim Dickinson Rolling Stone, March 3, 2022 (archive)