1988 Senate elections · Nebraska history
Nebraska U.S. Senate election 1988
Bob Kerrey DEM +15.0 gain · Class I seat · held 11/8/88
- Votes counted
- 667,860
- Margin
- 15.0 pts
- Seat held by
- Republicanchanged party
- President in NE
- R+21.0same year
General election 11/8/88
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Kerrey Won | DEM | 378,717 | 56.71% | |
| David Kemp Karnes | REP | 278,250 | 41.66% | |
| Ernie Chambers | NA | 10,372 | 1.55% | |
| Write-in | — | 521 | 0.08% | |
| Total | 667,860 | |||
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 1988 Nebraska Senate race?
Bob Kerrey (DEM) won with 56.7% of the vote, ahead of David Kemp Karnes (41.7%), a margin of 15.0 points.
Did the Nebraska Senate seat change party in 1988?
Yes. It moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1988 Nebraska Senate race?
667,860 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.