1978Final results
1978 election for Missouri Senate District 18
Missouri State Senate · Missouri
Norman Merrell (D) won with 67.3% of the vote, defeating Orin F. Schwanke Jr. (R) by 34.6 points.
Norman MerrellDemocrat · winner · incumbent
67.3%32,058
Orin F. Schwanke Jr.Republican
32.7%15,579
47,637 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: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET