1978Final results
1978 election for U.S. Senate in Iowa
U.S. Senate · Iowa
Roger W. Jepsen (R) won with 51.1% of the vote, defeating Dick Clark (D) by 3.2 points.
Roger W. JepsenRepublican · winner
51.1%421,598
Dick ClarkDemocrat
47.9%395,066
Gerald Leo BakerIndependent
0.5%4,223
Ben L. OlsonLibertarian
0.4%3,689
824,576 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1978
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The candidates
Roger W. Jepsen (R)Dick Clark (D)
Also on the ballot: Gerald Leo Baker (Independent), 0.5%; Ben L. Olson (Libertarian), 0.4%