1980Final results
1980 election for Minnesota's 1st District
U.S. House · Minnesota
Arlen Erdahl (R) won with 71.8% of the vote, defeating Russell V. Smith (D) by 43.6 points.
Arlen ErdahlRepublican · winner
71.8%171,099
Russell V. SmithDemocrat
28.2%67,279
238,380 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 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No DemocratArlen Erdahl
—
Raised by the campaign
$110.4K
—
Spent by the campaign
$86.8K
—
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980