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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.
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Gravel: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Rasmuson: 40–50% Gruening: 30–40% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Mike Gravel | 17,971 | 52.9 | |
Democratic | Ernest Gruening (incumbent) | 16,015 | 47.1 | |
Total votes | 33,986 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Elmer Rasmuson | 10,320 | 53.1 | |
Republican | Ted Stevens | 9,111 | 46.9 | |
Total votes | 19,431 | 100.00 |
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 |
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