The 1988 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 8, 1988. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Daniel J. Evans decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a full term, after being appointed to the seat in 1983, and won election to a partial term that same year. Republican former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, who had just lost a re-election bid in 1986, won the open seat.[1] As of 2024, this is the last time Washington simultaneously voted for different parties for President and for Senate, as Democrat Michael Dukakis won the state in the concurrent presidential election.
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 County results Gorton: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Lowry: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Blanket primary
editCandidates
editDemocratic
edit- Mike Lowry, U.S. Representative from Renton (1979–1989)
- Don Bonker, U.S. Representative from Vancouver (1975–1989)
Republican
edit- Slade Gorton, former U.S. Senator (1981–1987)
- Douglas J. Smith
Third-party
edit- William C. Goodloe (Washington Taxpayer), judge and lawyer
- Daniel B. Fein (Socialist Workers Party)
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Slade Gorton | 335,846 | 35.90% | |
| Democratic | Mike Lowry | 297,399 | 31.79% | |
| Democratic | Don Bonker | 241,170 | 25.78% | |
| Republican | Douglas J. Smith | 31,512 | 3.37% | |
| Washington Taxpayers | William C. Goodloe | 26,224 | 2.80% | |
| Socialist Workers | Daniel B. Fein | 3,312 | 0.35% | |
| Total votes | 935,463 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Mike Lowry (D), U.S. Congressman of the 7th congressional district (1979–1989)
- Slade Gorton (R), former U.S. Senator (1981–1987)
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Slade Gorton | 944,359 | 51.09 | |
| Democratic | Mike Lowry | 904,183 | 48.91 | |
| Majority | 40,176 | 2.17 | ||
| Turnout | 1,848,542 | |||
| Republican hold | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ammons, David (November 9, 1988). "Slade Gorton runs, wins as a hard-liner". Longview Daily News. Longview, Washington. Associated Press. p. 5. Retrieved June 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elections Search Results - September 1988 Primary". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ "Elections Search Results - November 1988 General". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved June 24, 2022.