1978Flipped from RepublicanFinal resultsSpecial election
1978 special election for Montana Senate District 50
Montana State Senate · Montana
Fred Vanvalkenberg (D) won with 54.4% of the vote, defeating William E. Murray (R) by 8.9 points, flipping a seat Republicans held.
Fred VanvalkenbergDemocrat · winner
54.4%3,662
William E. MurrayRepublican
45.6%3,064
6,726 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)