1968 United States Senate election in Alaska

← 1962

November 5, 1968

1974 →


Nominee	Mike Gravel	Elmer Rasmuson	Ernest Gruening (write-in)
Party	Democratic	Republican	Democratic
Popular vote	36,527	30,286	14,118
Percentage	45.13%	37.42%	17.44%

Results by borough and census area

Results by state house districtGravel:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Rasmuson:      40–50%
Gruening:      30–40%

U.S. senator before election

Ernest Gruening
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Mike Gravel
Democratic

Elections in Alaska

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The 1968 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ernest Gruening ran for a second full term in office but finished behind Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives Mike Gravel in the Democratic primary. Gruening launched a write-in bid for the seat in the general election, but finished third to Gravel and Republican former Anchorage mayor Elmer Rasmuson.

Gravel would later lose the primary in 1980 to Gruening's grandson Clark.

This would be the first of 3 times where the incumbent holder of Alaska's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat was defeated in the primary while running for re-election.

Future Senator Ted Stevens also ran in the Republican primary, but lost to Rasmuson by around 1,000 votes. When incumbent Democratic Class 2 Senator Bob Bartlett died that December, Governor Wally Hickel appointed Stevens to the vacant seat, giving Stevens a seniority advantage of 10 days over the incoming Gravel.

Primary election

Democratic

Mike Gravel, former State Representative and Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives from Anchorage
Ernest Gruening, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1959

Results

U.S. Senate Democratic primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Gravel	17,971	52.9
	Democratic	Ernest Gruening (incumbent)	16,015	47.1
Total votes			33,986	100.00

Republican

Elmer Rasmuson, former Mayor of Anchorage and member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents
Ted Stevens, State Representative from Anchorage, State House Majority Leader, former Solicitor of the Interior and nominee for Senate in 1962

Results

U.S. Senate Republican primary results
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Elmer Rasmuson	10,320	53.1
	Republican	Ted Stevens	9,111	46.9
Total votes			19,431	100.00

General election

1968 United States Senate election in Alaska
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Gravel	36,527	45.13%
	Republican	Elmer Rasmuson	30,286	37.42%
	Write-in	Ernest Gruening (incumbent)	14,118	17.44%
Total votes			80,931	100.00%
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

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