1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota
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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 both defeat an incumbent senator and flip a seat in the 1990 election cycle; he 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.
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November 6, 1990
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 County results Wellstone: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Boschwitz: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
In 1984, despite Democrat Walter Mondale's narrow victory in the state in the 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]
General election
Candidates
- Russell Bentley, lumberjack and marijuana legalization activist (Grassroots)
- Rudy Boschwitz, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1979 (Independent-Republican)
- Paul Wellstone, professor at Carleton College and nominee for Minnesota State Auditor in 1982 (DFL)
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",[6] where he spoke quickly about himself and his platform, and "Looking for Rudy",[7] a two minute ad where he went searching for his opponent Rudy Boschwitz throughout Minnesota.
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Rudy Boschwitz | Paul Wellstone | |||||
| 1 | October 14, 1990 | KMSP-TV League of Women Voters |
Beverly McKinnell | C-SPAN | P | P |
| 2 | October 18, 1990 | Bob Potter | C-SPAN | P | P | |
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[9] | 29,820 | 1.65% | ||
| Total votes | 1,806,194 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic (DFL) gain from Ind.-Republican | |||||