1982Final results
1982 election for U.S. Senate in West Virginia
U.S. Senate · West Virginia
Robert Byrd (D) won with 68.5% of the vote, defeating Cleve Benedict (R) by 37.7 points.
Robert ByrdDemocrat · winner
68.5%387,170
Cleve BenedictRepublican
30.8%173,910
William B. HovlandSocialist Workers
0.7%4,234
565,314 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 1982
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.
Robert ByrdCleve Benedict
$1.5M
Raised by the campaign
$1M
$1.7M
Spent by the campaign
$1.1M
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1982.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1982