# 1968 United States Senate election in Alaska

Elections in Alaska :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries and caucuses
Democratic
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1958
1960
1962
1966
1968
1970 sp
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1973 sp
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022 sp
2022
2024 :
State government
Statewide elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
Gubernatorial elections
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Senate elections
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Ballot measures
1990
2
1998
2
2008
ACWI
2014
2
2020
2 :
Anchorage
Mayoral elections
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018
2021
2024
Propositions
2018 (1) :
vte :
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

* Mike Gravel, former State Representative and Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives from Anchorage
* Ernest Gruening, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1959

#### Results

U.S. Senate Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Mike Gravel | 17,971 | 52.9 |
| | Democratic | Ernest Gruening (incumbent) | 16,015 | 47.1 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 33,986 | 100.00 |

### Republican

* Elmer Rasmuson, former Mayor of Anchorage and member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents
* Ted Stevens, State Representative from Anchorage, State House Majority Leader, former Solicitor of the Interior and nominee for Senate in 1962

#### Results

U.S. Senate Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Elmer Rasmuson | 10,320 | 53.1 |
| | Republican | Ted Stevens | 9,111 | 46.9 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 19,431 | 100.00 |

## General election

1968 United States Senate election in Alaska :
| Party | 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 | Total votes | Total votes | 80,931 | 100.00% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | |