1980Final results
1980 election for U.S. Senate in Alaska
U.S. Senate · Alaska
Frank Murkowski (R) won with 53.7% of the vote, defeating Clark S. Gruening (D) by 7.8 points.
Frank MurkowskiRepublican · winner
53.7%84,159
Clark S. GrueningDemocrat
45.9%72,007
156,762 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.
Clark S. GrueningFrank Murkowski
$512.4K
Raised by the campaign
$527.2K
$507.4K
Spent by the campaign
$553.2K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980