1980Final results
1980 election for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma
U.S. Senate · Oklahoma
Don Nickles (R) won with 53.5% of the vote, defeating Andy Coats (D) by 9.9 points.
Don NicklesRepublican · winner
53.5%587,252
Andy CoatsDemocrat
43.5%478,283
Charles NesbittIndependent
1.9%21,179
Robert MurphyLibertarian
0.9%9,757
Paul E. TrentIndependent
0.2%1,823
1,098,294 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.
Andy CoatsDon Nickles
$800K
Raised by the campaign
$925.1K
$804.7K
Spent by the campaign
$828.3K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Other candidates' campaigns: Charles Nesbitt $157.2K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Jul 1, 1981; FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980
The candidates
Don Nickles (R)Andy Coats (D)
Also on the ballot: Charles Nesbitt (Independent), 1.9%; Robert Murphy (Libertarian), 0.9%; Paul E. Trent (Independent), 0.2%