1968 United States Senate election in Alaska explained

Election Name:1968 United States Senate election in Alaska
Country:Alaska
Type:Presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1962 United States Senate election in Alaska
Previous Year:1962
Next Election:1974 United States Senate election in Alaska
Next Year:1974
Election Date:November 5, 1968
Image1:Mikegravel.jpg
Nominee1:Mike Gravel
Party1:Democratic Party (US)
Popular Vote1:36,527
Percentage1:45.13%
Nominee2:Elmer Rasmuson
Party2:Republican Party (US)
Popular Vote2:30,286
Percentage2:37.42%
Image3:Senator Ernest Gruening (D-AK) (croppedmore).jpg
Nominee3:Ernest Gruening
(write-in)
Party3:Democratic Party (US)
Popular Vote3:14,118
Percentage3:17.44%
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Ernest Gruening
Before Party:Democratic Party (US)
After Election:Mike Gravel
After Party:Democratic Party (US)

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

Results

Republican

Results

See also