1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota explained

Election Name:1990 United States Senate election in Minnesota
Country:Minnesota
Flag Image:File:Flag of Minnesota (1983-2024).svg
Flag Year:1983
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1984 United States Senate election in Minnesota
Previous Year:1984
Next Election:1996 United States Senate election in Minnesota
Next Year:1996
Election Date:November 6, 1990
Image1:Paul Wellstone (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Paul Wellstone
Party1:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Popular Vote1:911,999
Percentage1:50.49%
Nominee2:Rudy Boschwitz
Party2:Independent-Republicans of Minnesota
Popular Vote2:864,375
Percentage2:47.86%
Map Size:280px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:Rudy Boschwitz
Before Party:Independent-Republicans of Minnesota
After Election:Paul Wellstone
After Party:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

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.

General Election

Major Candidates

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", where he spoke quickly about himself and his platform, and "Looking for Rudy", a two minute ad where he went searching for his opponent Rudy Boschwitz throughout Minnesota.

See also