1980 Senate elections · Wisconsin history
Wisconsin U.S. Senate election 1980
Bob Kasten REP +1.9 gain · Class III seat · held 11/4/80
- Votes counted
- 2,204,202
- Margin
- 1.9 pts
- Seat held by
- Democraticchanged party
- President in WI
- R+4.7same year
General election 11/4/80
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Kasten Won | REP | 1,106,311 | 50.19% | |
| Gaylord Anton Nelson | DEM | 1,065,487 | 48.34% | |
| James P. Wickstrom | AIP | 16,156 | 0.73% | |
| Bervin J. Larson | LIB | 9,679 | 0.44% | |
| Susan L. Hagen | SWP | 6,502 | 0.30% | |
| Write-in | — | 67 | 0.00% | |
| Total | 2,204,202 | |||
Official source: data
Other Wisconsin Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Class I | Tammy Baldwin | 0.9 |
| 2022 | Class III | Ron Johnson | 1.0 |
| 2018 | Class I | Tammy Baldwin | 10.8 |
| 2016 | Class III | Ron Johnson | 3.4 |
| 2012 | Class I | Tammy Baldwin | 5.6 |
| 2010 | Class III | Ron Johnson | 4.8 |
| 2006 | Class I | Herb Kohl | 37.8 |
| 2004 | Class III | Russ Feingold | 11.2 |
| 2000 | Class I | Herb Kohl | 24.5 |
| 1998 | Class III | Russ Feingold | 2.2 |
| 1994 | Class I | Herb Kohl | 17.6 |
| 1992 | Class III | Russ Feingold | 6.6 |
Full Wisconsin Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1980 Wisconsin Senate race?
Bob Kasten (REP) won with 50.2% of the vote, ahead of Gaylord Anton Nelson (48.3%), a margin of 1.9 points.
Did the Wisconsin Senate seat change party in 1980?
Yes. It moved from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1980 Wisconsin Senate race?
2,204,202 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.