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 County results Congressional district resultsBurns: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Melcher: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Montana | ||||||||
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The1988 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 8, 1988. Incumbent United States SenatorJohn Melcher, who was first elected to the Senate in1976 and was re-elected in1982, ran for re-election. After winning theDemocratic primary, he facedYellowstone County CommissionerConrad Burns in the general election, and a grueling campaign followed. Ultimately, Melcher was narrowly defeated in his bid for re-election by Burns, who became the first Republican Senator from Montana in 36 years sinceZales Ecton lost re-election in1952.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Melcher (incumbent) | 88,457 | 74.54 | |
| Democratic | Bob Kelleher | 30,212 | 25.46 | |
| Total votes | 118,669 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Conrad Burns | 63,330 | 84.71 | |
| Republican | Tom Faranda | 11,427 | 15.29 | |
| Total votes | 74,757 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Conrad Burns | 189,445 | 51.87% | +10.20% | |
| Democratic | John Melcher (incumbent) | 175,809 | 48.13% | −6.33% | |
| Majority | 13,636 | 3.73% | −9.06% | ||
| Turnout | 365,254 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
Burns won both congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.[3]
| District | Melcher | Burns | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 47% | 53% | Pat Williams |
| 2nd | 49.6% | 50.4% | Ron Marlenee |
| Preceded by 1982 | Montana U.S. Senate elections 1988 | Succeeded by 1994 |
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