Elections / 1978 · US Senate
The 1978 Senate map
33 Senate contests were decided in 1978: Democrats won 15, Republicans 18. Every contest below links to its page with the state's full Senate history.
1978 U.S. Senate elections
Dem. caucus 59 −351for control41 Republicans +3
Democrats held control. Independents (Sanders, King) are counted in the caucus they organize with and shown in gold on the map.
NHMARINJDE
States with a seat up this cycle, filled by margin · cyan outlines a seat that flipped party · gold an independent · hover for the detail
Every contest
Statewide totals; candidate-level detail joins when the raw store is re-fetched with names.
| State | Won | Margin | Pres. 1976 | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | R | R+22.3 | 29,574 | 92,783 | 122,357 | |
| Alabama | D | D+13.1 | 547,054 | 0 | 582,005 | |
| Arkansas | D | D+30.0 | 395,506 | 84,308 | 517,025 | |
| Colorado | R | R+11.5 | 330,148 | 480,801 | 819,256 | |
| Delaware | D | D+5.4 | 93,930 | 66,479 | 162,072 | |
| Georgia | D | D+33.9 | 536,320 | 108,808 | 645,128 | |
| Iowa | R | R+1.0 | 395,066 | 421,598 | 824,576 | |
| Idaho | R | R+22.8 | 89,635 | 194,412 | 284,047 | |
| Illinois | R | R+2.0 | 1,448,187 | 1,698,711 | 3,184,605 | |
| Kansas | R | R+7.6 | 317,602 | 403,354 | 748,839 | |
| Kentucky | D | D+7.2 | 290,730 | 175,766 | 476,740 | |
| Louisiana | D | D+5.8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Massachusetts | D | D+15.7 | 1,093,283 | 890,584 | 1,985,700 | |
| Maine | R | R+0.8 | 127,327 | 212,294 | 375,114 | |
| Michigan | D | R+5.4 | 1,484,193 | 1,362,165 | 2,846,630 | |
| Minnesota | R | D+12.9 | 638,375 | 894,092 | 1,580,550 | |
| Mississippi | R | D+1.9 | 187,541 | 267,302 | 590,236 | |
| Montana | D | R+7.4 | 160,353 | 127,589 | 287,942 | |
| North Carolina | R | D+11.0 | 516,663 | 619,151 | 1,135,814 | |
| Nebraska | D | R+20.7 | 334,096 | 159,706 | 493,802 | |
| New Hampshire | R | R+11.3 | 127,945 | 133,745 | 263,760 | |
| New Jersey | D | R+2.2 | 1,082,960 | 844,200 | 1,957,515 | |
| New Mexico | R | R+2.5 | 160,045 | 183,442 | 343,487 | |
| Oklahoma | D | R+1.2 | 493,953 | 247,857 | 754,264 | |
| Oregon | R | R+0.2 | 341,616 | 550,165 | 891,781 | |
| Rhode Island | D | D+11.3 | 229,557 | 76,061 | 305,618 | |
| South Carolina | R | D+13.1 | 280,146 | 351,917 | 632,063 | |
| South Dakota | R | R+1.5 | 84,767 | 170,832 | 255,599 | |
| Tennessee | R | D+13.0 | 466,228 | 642,644 | 1,157,023 | |
| Texas | R | D+3.2 | 1,139,149 | 1,151,376 | 2,312,540 | |
| Virginia | R | R+1.3 | 608,511 | 613,232 | 1,221,743 | |
| West Virginia | D | D+16.1 | 249,034 | 244,317 | 493,351 | |
| Wyoming | D | R+19.5 | 82,908 | 50,456 | 133,364 |
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1978 US Senate returns, party-classified by literal ballot party · statewide certified totals. Real returns — nothing estimated.