Auto-generated recap of a concluded election. Figures are the certified result. This article can be edited; edits are preserved and not overwritten by regeneration.
At a glance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Seats contested | 34 (Class III) |
| DEM seats | 24 (-1) |
| CUP seats | 6 (+1) |
| FLP seats | 3 |
| GOP seats | 1 |
| Closest race | KY — Elena Palmer (DEM) by 1.28 pts |
Overview
The 1978 Class III Senate cycle returned a commanding Democratic majority: 24 of 34 contested seats, against 6 for the Constitutional Union Party, 3 for Farmer-Labor, and 1 for the Republicans. Democrats won 28.7 million votes — 58.7% of the 48.96 million cast across all parties — yet still posted a net loss of one seat among the races on the ballot, a sign that the cycle's drama came from multi-party cross-currents rather than any broad anti-Democratic wave. The headline is a dominant but slightly diminished Democratic chamber, with the Constitutional Union Party the only net gainer.
The Map
Eight of 34 races flipped party, while 26 were holds. The flips cut in every direction: Democrats took Kentucky from the Constitutional Union Party, Hawaii and Oregon from Farmer-Labor, but lost Florida to the Constitutional Union Party, South Dakota and Missouri to Farmer-Labor, and Kansas to the Republicans. The Constitutional Union Party also flipped Georgia from the Republicans, and Farmer-Labor flipped South Dakota and Missouri from Democrats. The net effect: Democrats gained three and lost four (-1), the Constitutional Union Party gained two and lost one (+1), Farmer-Labor gained two and lost two (0), and Republicans gained one and lost one (0
Results by state
| State | Winner | Share | Margin | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Stephanie Gallo (DEM) | 58.2% | +16.46 | hold |
| AL | Martin Luther King Jr (CUP) | 46.1% | +11.32 | hold |
| AR | Priya Jones (DEM) | 61.6% | +23.25 | hold |
| AZ | Kenneth Phillips (FLP) | 70.2% | +40.42 | hold |
| CA | Larry Page (DEM) | 48.7% | +11.35 | hold |
| CO | Janet Johnson (DEM) | 67.7% | +35.46 | hold |
| CT | Sarah Cohen (DEM) | 44% | +9.5 | hold |
| FL | Carmen Kowalski (CUP) | 40.6% | +2.44 | gain |
| GA | Teresa Jefferson (CUP) | 44.3% | +4.98 | gain |
| HI | Zachary Zimmerman (DEM) | 47.8% | +10.84 | gain |
| IA | Joshua Smith (DEM) | 65.5% | +30.99 | hold |
| ID | Jeffrey Schultz (DEM) | 61.5% | +23.07 | hold |
| IL | Patrick Harrison (DEM) | 63.2% | +26.34 | hold |
| IN | Noah Fischer (DEM) | 47.5% | +11.09 | hold |
| KS | James Carter (GOP) | 58.2% | +39.66 | gain |
| KY | Elena Palmer (DEM) | 40.3% | +1.28 | gain |
| LA | Marcus Henderson (CUP) | 41% | +2.37 | hold |
| MD | Ryan Howard (CUP) | 49.2% | +17.75 | hold |
| MO | Luis Jones (FLP) | 56.6% | +13.16 | gain |
| NC | Darnell Bennett (DEM) | 41.1% | +8.5 | hold |
| ND | Luis Hunt (DEM) | 57.9% | +15.8 | hold |
| NH | Jasmine Long (DEM) | 53.2% | +6.47 | hold |
| NV | Betty Diaz (DEM) | 59.2% | +18.4 | hold |
| NY | Malik Rahman (DEM) | 63.7% | +40.66 | hold |
| OH | Carmen Ricci (DEM) | 73.2% | +46.38 | hold |
| OK | Isabel Mason (DEM) | 67.7% | +35.4 | hold |
| OR | Lisa Lawrence (DEM) | 48% | +14.54 | gain |
| PA | Sophie Scamps (DEM) | 66.5% | +32.95 | hold |
| SC | Jasmine Schwartz (DEM) | 71.8% | +43.59 | hold |
| SD | Donald Wiśniewski (FLP) | 51.7% | +3.36 | gain |
| UT | Marcus Nowak (CUP) | 39.4% | +7.01 | hold |
| VT | Raymond Thompson (DEM) | 33.7% | +9.07 | hold |
| WA | Donald Bell (DEM) | 71.2% | +42.44 | hold |
| WI | Anita Chase (DEM) | 63.7% | +27.5 | hold |