1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota

The 1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz was defeated by Democratic challenger Paul Wellstone in a tight race. Widely considered an underdog and outspent by a 7-to-1 margin, Wellstone was the only candidate to defeat an incumbent senator as well as the only candidate to flip a seat in the 1990 election cycle and gained national attention after his upset victory. The race was also notable as the first in the history of the U.S. Senate where both major-party candidates were Jewish.

1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Paul Wellstone Rudy Boschwitz Party Democratic (DFL) Ind.-Republican Popular vote 911,999 864,375 Percentage 50.49% 47.86%

County results Wellstone:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Boschwitz:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Rudy Boschwitz Ind.-Republican Elected U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone Democratic (DFL)

General Election

Major Candidates

• Paul Wellstone, professor at Carleton College and nominee for Minnesota State Auditor in 1982
• Rudy Boschwitz, incumbent U.S. Senator

Campaign

Paul Wellstone was considered to be a longshot candidate, being outspent by a margin of 7-to-1. Wellstone used grassroots campaigning tactics, and quirky campaign ads like "Fast Paul",^[1] where he spoke quickly about himself and his platform, and "Looking for Rudy",^[2] a two minute ad where he went searching for his opponent Rudy Boschwitz throughout Minnesota.

Results

General election results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Paul Wellstone	911,999	50.49%
	Ind.-Republican	Rudy Boschwitz (incumbent)	864,375	47.86%
	Grassroots	Russell B. Bentley[4]	29,820	1.65%
Total votes			1,806,194	100.00%
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Ind.-Republican

See also

• 1990 United States Senate elections

References

1. Paul Wellstone TV Ad "Fast Paul", retrieved January 1, 2023
2. North Woods Advertising - "Looking for Rudy" - Paul Wellstone for U.S. Senate (MN), retrieved January 1, 2023
3. "Our Campaigns - MN US Senate Race - Nov 06, 1990".
4. The Bizarre Story of How a Hardcore Texas Leftist Became a Frontline Putin Propagandist, Tim Dickinson Rolling Stone, March 3, 2022 (archive)