1978 Senate elections · Nebraska history
Nebraska U.S. Senate election 1978
J. James Exon DEM +35.3 gain · Class II seat · held 11/7/78
- Votes counted
- 493,802
- Margin
- 35.3 pts
- Seat held by
- Republicanchanged party
General election 11/7/78
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. James Exon Won | DEM | 334,096 | 67.66% | |
| Donald Eugene Shasten | REP | 159,706 | 32.34% | |
| Total | 493,802 | |||
Official source: data
Other Nebraska Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Class I | Deb Fischer | 6.7 |
| 2024 special | Class II | Pete Ricketts | 25.2 |
| 2020 | Class II | Ben Sasse | 38.3 |
| 2018 | Class I | Deb Fischer | 19.1 |
| 2014 | Class II | Ben Sasse | 32.9 |
| 2012 | Class I | Deb Fischer | 15.6 |
| 2008 | Class II | Mike Johanns | 17.5 |
| 2006 | Class I | Ben Nelson | 27.8 |
| 2002 | Class II | Chuck Hagel | 68.1 |
| 2000 | Class I | Ben Nelson | 2.2 |
| 1996 | Class II | Chuck Hagel | 14.8 |
| 1994 | Class I | Bob Kerrey | 9.8 |
Full Nebraska Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1978 Nebraska Senate race?
J. James Exon (DEM) won with 67.7% of the vote, ahead of Donald Eugene Shasten (32.3%), a margin of 35.3 points.
Did the Nebraska Senate seat change party in 1978?
Yes. It moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1978 Nebraska Senate race?
493,802 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.